Ryan E. Walters, Cinematographer

Cinematic Excellence at 24 Frames a Second

RED - $3.25 DIY Base Plate

13/11/08 08:00
RED DIY Base Plate
How to make a base plate for the RED for only $3.25.
“You either have time, or you have money.” the old adage goes. And after plunking down a significant chunk of change for the Red One, that this point I have more time then money. And as I’m always up for trying to build or make something with my own two hands making a base plate for the RED One that would accommodate a 15mm rail mount was just up my alley. Before embarking on this endeavor I had tried using the Redrock Micro cheese plate that I already had. Unfortunately it was not big enough and further more the rails were to low for the matte box and the follow focus to work correctly. So another option had to be devised ...

This leads me to this past tuesday when I called my 1st AC, Jerry Turner. (In addition to being a great AC, Jerry is handy with making things from metal, as demonstrated by his universal idler gear that he designed and manufactured.) We met up over at his place and began the process of figuring out the dimensions of the base plate, and then building it. The toughest part of this DIY project was the measurements- as once that is figured out it is a simple matter of executing the plans. I have included the plans below as well as sample pictures of the base plate. Our local hardware store sells scrap aluminum for $6.50 per pound, and they were even willing to cut the piece for us. Coming in at 0.5 lbs, this project only cost $3.25 in supplies. If you do not have some of the tools already, you’ll need to buy those, and if you want to had a 15mm rod mount you can by that piece from Redrock Micro directly.


The Plans:
RED-DIY-BasePlatePlans


Supplies:
1. Aluminum plate (1/4” x 7” x 3 5/16&rdquoWinking
2. Redrock Micro 15mm Rail mount (If you do not already have one.)

The directions are as follows:
1. Cut the metal down to the needed size. (Or have the Hardware Store do it for you.)
2. Drill 2 holes up top to mount the 15mm rod plate.
3. Drill 2 holes for the mount to the camera. and then counter sync them to get them as flat as possible to the plate.
4. Drill 2 holes for the tripod plat to mount to the base plate, and then tap (thread) them. (It is best to find where the center of gravity is on your camera and then drill the holes in that area.)
5. Sand the edges to smooth it all out.
6. Paint it and call it good.

Couldn’t get any easier. Happy

Tools you’ll need:
1. Small metal drill bit. (Sorry I don’t remember the size, it is for the rail mount.)
2. 1/4 - 20 metal drill bit and tap.
4. Counter sync.
5. Electric drill.
6. Metal cutting saw. (If you are not able to have the store cut it for you.)
7. Grinding Stone Drill Bit. (This can be found in the sand paper isle.)
8. Drill Press. (Not absolutely needed, but it will make your job a lot easier. We did not use one.)
9. Vice. (To hold the metal while you drill and cut it.)

The final pictures are below - enjoy!
(By the way, the plate mounts to the camera with the rail mount pointed up. See the second picture below.)

Cheers,
Ryan E. Walters, Cinematographer

RED-DIY-BP02
RED-DIY-BP03


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