What is a Hood Mount Shot?

A hood mount shot places the camera directly on the hood of the picture vehicle and often frames up a shot looking through the windshield. There are a few variations and nuances:

• you can rig up a hood mount that looks off the front of the vehicle for a POV shot.

• or you can have a hood mount shot that looks through the windshield at either a single on the driver or a two shot of the inhabitants of the car.

Hood mounts can be rigged multiple ways. They are either rigged on top of a vehicle’s hood with soft mounts (suction cups etc) or are integrated into hard mounts on the vehicle frame, often with the hood removed (like below).

Both options allow you to place the camera anywhere across the area the hood takes up on the vehicle.

If rigged correctly, and with the proper process in mind, you can give yourself versatility in both side-to-side and up-and-down height adjustments to get the exact shot the DP and director are after.

Preparing for the rigging process

Just like any other vehicle rig, you want to scope our your vehicle to determine your needs and methodology.

7 things to think about before mounting your car rig

When we’re setting up to rig a hood mount I’m looking and thinking about a few different things:

1. What does the shape of the hood look like? The shape of the hood will inform my rigging process.

   • A very curved shape will make it hard for suction cups. Suctions need a flat surface for a strong connection.

   • A flat hood may make a good surface for both suction cups and hood mount legs

2. Is the hood structurally sound or is it a special car that has a flimsy hood?

   • If the hood will be easily dented then we’ll want to pull it and do a hard mount to the car’s frame.

3. Is the paint susceptible to damage**?**

   • This can happen in both older vehicles and high end paint jobs

4. What will the car action and driving conditions be like?

   • Are we driving slow on a nice paved road or are we off-roading over rocks and through water?

   • Different driving environments require beefier and more built-out rigs. The rougher the driving environment, the beefier I will go with the build in order to make it secure and mitigate any unwanted shake and vibrations.

5. Will we need to change camera angles, position or height?

   • Preemptively think about any adjustments you need to make later so we can build that functionality into the rig

6. Will the actor be driving the vehicle themselves?

7. Have proper conditions been met such as closed roads, police escort, clear road visibility, and other safety precautions?

   • If proper safety precautions have not been met then your next best option is to use an insert car and process trailer. You can get the same shot without the risk of your #1 actually driving on an open road without any road closures or police escort - which you should never do.

REMEMBER: While we can all get carried away in the rush of production with our time dwindling away and the sun blazing across the sky we must always remember that safety is paramount in everything that we do.

3 Different Ways To Hood Mount Car Rigs

Hood Mount Legs

This system utilizes legs that clamp onto the end of speedrail. It usually comes as a kit with 2 legs and a cheeseplate with slider brackets.

The legs come padded with some thin carpet-type material, but I always add extra padding for vehicle protection.

A common way to rig the hood mount with legs is with 4 or more endless ratchet straps and gutter hooks. Don’t forget to also triangulate your camera once everything is rigged up and ready to roll.

Classic hood mount leg setup

Pros:

• Non-destructive

• Relatively quick to rig

• Provides a system for easy lateral adjustability

• Can be used on some funky hoods

Cons:

• Doesn’t provide as sturdy of a shoot in rougher terrain

• Just more items to carry as opposed to building a rig with non-specialty components. Hood mount legs are used for one thing and one thing only.

Use this rig for:

• Smooth roads

• Cars where you can’t pull the hood and suctions wouldn’t work

Don’t Use When:

• You will be driving over rough terrain

Hood mount legs hood shot

Suction Cups

Suction cups are the main form of attachment in a soft hood mount. These rigs only work on hoods that provide a flat, even surface and usually work best on newish cars.

I’ll usually build the base of the rig off 10” cups and will add another smaller support suction or two into the system for security. Usually, we’ll use this method when we need a quick and dirty rig and the car isn’t doing anything wild.

If you rig off the side starters on a 10” cup you’ll be able to rig it lower rather than rigging higher off the top suction cheeseplate.

NOTE: Don’t forget your redundancy ratchets over your rig after you’ve locked in your position.

Initial stage of a suction cup build without redundancy straps

Hybrid setup with suctions and ratchets

Pros:

• Easy to reposition

• Easily customizable and adaptable for unique camera angles

• Low profile

Cons:

• Suctions can introduce instability and wobble. The addition of extra suction support and triangulation may, in turn, not make it a super fast build

• Not a great rig option for rough terrain

• Suctions need to be checked for pressure periodically. This won’t work if your picture vehicle will be gone for extended periods of time.

Use this rig for:

• Smooth roads

• Quick shots

• Unique angles

Don’t Use When:

• You’ll be shooting in rough or uneven terrain

• You can’t periodically check your suction pressure

• You’re not allowed to use suction cups on a vehicle

A low suction cup hood mount rig

Hard Mount

Hard mounts are the most secure method of attachment, but they may not be perfect for every scenario. They require you pull the hood and hard mount to points underneath. Pulling the hood involves interfacing with the car prep team. We’ll do this on car commercials where any exterior rigging has the potential to damage or blemish the vehicle.

This rig method gives you the most secure attachment for any uneven road or jerky vehicle movements.

A hard mount hood mount rig isn’t the magic ticket for eliminating all rig wobble and vibrations - you have to build it out and triangulate properly in order for it to be effective.

Pros:

• If built correctly, it can give you the same adjustability as any other attachment method

• Super strong

• Don’t have to check any suction cup pressure

• No possibility of damaging the hood of your vehicle unless you damage the hood while you’re removing it!

Cons:

• Usually need car prep there to help remove the hood

• More advanced method that involves a more complex rig

• Takes more time to rig and de-rig

Use this rig for:

• Off road rough terrain

• Car commercials where your rigged car is your only picture car that also needs to be seen in wides

Don’t Use When:

• Your shot is so simple that this would be complete overkill and unnecessary

• You don’t have car prep to help you pull the hood or you’re not allowed to pull the hood yourself

Rig by Kyle Sorvig

Conclusion

Hood mount shots are a classic camera move that put the audience right in the front seat, and knowing how to rig them safely and effectively is essential for any grip working on car work. In this article, we break down three reliable ways to rig a hood mount: using hood mount legs for quick, non-destructive setups; suction cups for fast, low-profile builds; and hard mounts for the most secure, rock-solid option when terrain or conditions get rough.

We also walk through the key things to think about before you rig—like hood shape, driving conditions, and whether you’ll need to pull the hood entirely. Each method comes with its own pros, cons, and best-use scenarios, so you can pick the right tool for the job and keep everything safe, stable, and production-ready.