How to Make Your Own Overhead DIY Camera Rig

Looking to make your own DIY overhead camera rig? Well, look no further – here is a 9-minute tutorial from photographer and YouTube star Peter McKinnon that shows you how to do just that.

The first 2-minutes of the video are shot using an overhead rig, showing McKinnon performing some pretty cool magic (yeah, he does that too apparently). But achieving this viewing angle is really handy for those looking to make their own tutorials, for example.

Overhead camera rigs can be problematic. Heavy camera gear makes them topple, and they often require a lot of fiddling to set up. This is difficult if you only have one camera and need to be more fluid with your setup.

So how does McKinnon do it? Well, he uses a C-stand because of the widely spread legs. At the top of the stand is a grip head where a long arm extends. He attached a second grip head on the other end of the arm and put a GorillaPod head onto that. This lets him twist the camera and have it point straight down.

The essential thing to not forget, though, is to counterweight the other end of the arm with some sandbags. Check out the full video above to see the setup for yourself.