Zaza Slider Footage

by Jimmy on September 16, 2010

The Zaza Slider is a great tool that you can use to add steady sliding, dolly shots to any movie or video.  Used intelligently and correctly, it adds some dynamism to shots which otherwise could be static and stale.

Here is some test footage that I took using my Zaza Slider, which I built using the instructions shared at www.zazaslider.com.  When I say built, all I really did was tap some holes through an aluminum block and rail.  This merely required ordering two parts (the block and rail) from igus, a company that manufactures machine parts, and buying a few items from Home Depot.  Then I tapped away, which I must say does require some muscle and torque to produce enough threads in the aluminum parts for the required bolts to screw in to.  But in the end I tapped successfully, enough to make Savion Glover proud.

However, I believe now you can buy all the parts of the slider pre-tapped by igus for an extra cost of $15 or so.  If you don’t have a tap handle, taps, or necessary drill bits, this will actually save you money as all the aforementioned items might cost you $30-45 total at your local hardware store.

I am happy with my finished Zaza Slider and I use it usually in conjunction with my Velbon 7000 tripod and sometimes with a rotatable ball head for diagonal or odd angled slider shots.  The only drawback of the slider is it is 39 inches long and will not fit in an ordinary suitcase or duffle bag, which makes it hard to travel with if you’re flying.  I had to learn this the hard way as I was preparing to fly to New Orleans to cover First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit to a local elementary school and appearance at a Play 60 event before the New Orleans Saints played the Minnesota Vikings.  Yes, I roll big time.  Actually, I spent most of my time at these events being herded around with the rest of the press pool, while being subjected to the icey stares of Secret Service agents.  I really felt like cattle the way they roped us off and told us where to go and video.  I wanted to scream, “I am the director of Log Warriors, treat me with some more respect.”  Anyways, that should be a future story.  The point is I was not able to take my Zaza Slider with me to New Orleans because I could not find a 39 inch or larger suitcase or dufflebag that could accommodate its odd length.  The night before my trip I was at Walmart at 12:00 am with a measuring tape trying to see if I could fit my Zaza Slider into anything.  That is how much I love my slider shots!

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