Shoot Review — VFGadgets.com Shooter Scooter

It's a production gear cart and a pro dolly system rolled into one. The Shooter Scooter from Canada's VFGadgets.com ferries your gear and accommodates hard-to-pull-off camera moves via innovation and solid engineering.

The Shooter Scooter from VFGadgets.com facilitiates smooth, professional-looking dolly moves and doubles as a rugged equipment cart.

You know the shot. The talent is walking (or running) along through a set, full-length shot to mid close-up, and the camera is smoothly, imperceptibly moving right along with the talent. I've used chairs with wheels, shopping carts, wheelchairs, roller skates, and I've also used professional stablization products like Steadicam and recently a Glidecam 2000 Pro — whatever it takes to get that good, smooth camera move. But most pro-level dollies weigh a ton and are not really portable — and cost a fortune.

The VFGadgets Shooter Scooter is a self-contained, highly portable cart, dolly, and dolly track system that's fairly priced. It's as rugged as it is easy to use. The Shooter Scooter was developed with well-known videographer Peter Warren, who also invented the Warren Dolly that's also available from VFGadgets.com.

The Shooter Scooter comes in a basic kit with everything you'll need to get started capturing dolly shots. It's basically four large swiveling pneumatic tires, which are detachable, attached to an aircraft-grade 3'×2' aluminum frame that's lightweight yet rock-solid. There's a fitted, dropped-down wooden base made of Baltic birch plywood, about an inch thick. The Shooter Scooter has two long vertical metal handles at either end. It's a simple, solid, and efficient design.

You can be up and running in just a few moments — assembly is a cinch, and no tools are required. Best of all, it fits into a single large nylon-reinforced padded carry case (optional). Even with the optional track kit it all weighs in at less than 65lbs.

The Carry Case, Track Dolly Wheels, Track, and Rickshaw Pull Bar are all sold separately from the basic kit, but I highly recommend them. The steel Rickshaw Pull Bar helps your assistant pull the Scooter through the set, and it's really a must-have. But I was also able to rig a rope and attach it to the cart and the included safety harness. I could pull the dolly cart at a fairly rapid pace across a parking lot.

With the Shooter Scooter dolly kit packed in one semi-portable case (it's heavy but one person can move it), we were ready to hit the road to the shoot site. At Kailua Beach Park in Oahu, Hawaii, I was able to test the unit on a variety of surfaces, including pavement, grass, sand, and gravel.

The Shooter Scooter fits into a single large nylon-reinforced, padded carry case (optional, $395). The whole system weighs in at about 65lbs., so one person (with just a bit of difficulty) can haul the case.

From the outset it's important to understand the fundamental differences between a wheeled dolly and a track dolly. Each has its niche. Wheeled mode is for fully mobile, 360-degree shots. (The back wheels of the Shooter Scooter can be unlocked to swivel.) A wheeled dolly can move basically in every direction (except up and down!). Track dolly mode, as it sounds, is linear in motion. Both have their strengths. The tires of the Shooter Scooter allow it to traverse fairly rough terrain. That's perhaps the very first thing you notice: the space-age wheels. They are Primo Spirit tires (at 35psi), the same kind used on very expensive wheelchairs.

The birch platform is non-skid to make operation safer for the camera operator. Another nice touch is the included parts production pouch, which is form-fitted to the metal U handles.

We hit the location, pulled the unit from the trunk, unzipped the case, pulled out the frame, attached the wheels, inserted the base and handles, then took our camera's tripod and inserted its feet into the provided holes. Using the supplied Bungee cords we secured the tripod, and we were off and running — literally! It must have taken all of five minutes.

The Shooter Scooter has a very low center of gravity, riding only about 6in. above the ground. It's just about impossible to tip over the unit, but just in case, it comes with a heavy-duty safety harness that's great for stabilizing yourself. It's also helpful when you want to have your beefy grip put the dolly under “human power” and pull you across the set or location. We pulled the scooter over several types of ground, from smooth pavement to gravel roads and grass, and it handled each as if it had shock absorbers. We used a Sony VX1000 camera as well as a larger JVC KY-27 Betacam SP unit. The dolly footage we shot with the Scooter was super, with a high-end, big-production look.

You can use certainly other cheaper techniques to achieve similar results with multiple takes. But for sheer ease of use and professional results, the Shooter Scooter is a better mousetrap that will eventually pay for itself. The Shooter Scooter is not exactly cheap. But the fact that you can use the Shooter Scooter as a good-looking production cart makes its price much more attractive.

A dolly system is only as good as its wheels. Depicted here are the 2in. polyurethane track wheels, as well as the high-end Primo Spirit tires, designed for the Shooter Scooter''s wheeled dolly mode.

Once we ran the wheeled version through its paces, it was time to get the Shooter Scooter on track. The track is composed of non-reflective black anodized aluminum tubes that are 4ft. long (there are six to a set). They screw into each other for a seamless connection 11ft. long.

The 2in. polyurethane wheels rolled smoothly over the connections. Best of all, the track dolly wheels are compatible with 3/4in. PVC pipe, which can be had in 20ft. lengths at places like Home Depot. I tried this, and the only problem was that the dolly would hiccup over the gaffer's tape holding the PVC pieces together.

You can do tracking shots solo. Just snap the smaller wheels onto the dolly chassis, screw the track together, take your tripod's spike feet and place them into the provided holes on the frame, and you're ready in about two minutes. Then you can smoothly move the camera platform back and forth while doing a slow zoom in or out. Perfect for those money shots of product. Back in my studio, I used a table of delicious food. With the camera floating by, the footage looked like a million bucks.

The track and wheels are sold separately, but they're well worth the cost. Consider it an investment that you could offset by renting out to other video makers. While I'm always hesitant to do it, the Shooter Scooter is built like a tank, so it can take whatever a renter might dish out.

There's nothing to say in the negative column, save for one thing that's not really the company's fault. Moving the product from Canada to the United States was a hassle. I was surprised that NAFTA doesn't allow products to move back and forth to Canada more easily. Unfortunately it's like dealing with any other foreign country.

The Shooter Scooter is definitely worthy of your consideration. The VFGadgets.com website has a plethora of information, including QuickTime demos and a PDF copy of the manual for download.

If you go to your local rental house and rent one for a shoot, be very careful, as you will want to keep it. Your shots will be smoother with that sought-after major motion picture look, and your lower back will thank you as well.

Company:
VFGadgets.com
Toronto; (416) 686-1452
www.vfgadgets.com

Product: Shooter Scooter

Assets: Assembles in minutes, built like a tank, facilitates pro-quality smooth camera moves.

Caveats: Expect some Customs hassles.

Demographic: Professional production houses.

PRICE: $2,395 FOR BASIC KIT.

ACCESSORIES:

CARRY CASE: $395

RICKSHAW HANDLE: $565

DOLLY WHEELS (SET OF FOUR) WITH SOFT CASE: $825

HARD TRACK KIT (SIX SECTIONS OF TRACK, RISERS, ETC.): $800

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