tags:
Car Rigging
Tips & Tricks
Car rigs are one of the most fun — and most dangerous — builds we get called to handle. When you’re mounting cameras to moving vehicles, you’re stacking real-world physics, tight timelines, expensive gear, and very real safety concerns. That’s where experience, planning, and discipline make all the difference.
I’ve spent years building rigs for commercials, features, car spots, and movies — and I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way. These 25 rules aren’t theory. They’re practical, hard-earned lessons that have kept cameras safe, people protected, and my phone ringing for the next job.
If you want to keep cameras attached and your reputation intact — start here.
Low rider car rig
1. Come into the rig with a plan.
Remember the 7 P’s: Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. (Thanks, Dad.) Over the years I’ve rigged cameras to hundreds of vehicles and every one is different. Scope it out first, work out where you can place your mounts and come up with a plan that you can communicate to your team.
2. Hard points over suctions any day of the week.
Unless you’re short on time, it pays to go with a Hard Mount. Get some truss or speed rail secured to the underside of the vehicle and rig off it. We recently did a newsletter on HARD vs SOFT Mounts if you want more on that.
3. Need to get the camera way far out from the car? Use Modulus-X truss.
Some low profile cars are only inches off the ground which makes using truss impossible so you can always rig up something more complicated with speedrail. But for super long offsets I love ModX.
4. Only use Unibody pinch plates as a last resort.
I don’t trust them any further than I can throw them.
5. Use vinyl or carpet shield under suctions to protect the paint on car bodies.
6. Every time the vehicle comes back, check everything.
All of your rigging points, suctions, knobs, etc. — full walkaround every time.
7. The best 5/8 heads out there are Mayberry knobs (bobs knobs), 9. Solutions 5/8 gags, and LA Rag House 2” Mighty Mini Grip Heads.
8. Build adjustability into rigs.
Think about which axis of adjustability you want to prioritize and integrate it into the build.
9. Mini apple boxes are perfect for interior car work.
So much better than full size apples.
10. Short endless ratchets are a must-have.
I almost never need a full 15’ endless ratchet.
11. A Peovi Mount will change your life.
It’s a precision-engineered camera rig made from aerospace-grade materials that can be used to secure cameras to vehicles or other moving platforms. It offers lightweight strength, shock absorption and easy, tool-less adjustability. It’s not electronic and comes in various sizes to mount all types of cameras.
12. S pipe is a game changer!
IKNYK. You can bend it yourself if you have access to a pipe bender. I use steel pipe.
13. Short Barrel Crosses and Swivel Tees will get any pipe-based car rig 80% of the way built.
14. Tighten up your builds by using the right length pipe.
Rigs with extra pipe sticking out look ugly and unprofessional even if you rigged them well. Rig it like you’ll be proud to see the BTS!
15. Clamshells are my secret weapon.
Both 3/8” female and 3/8” male.
16. Carry a variety of cheese plates.
And I mean a variety! Small L bracket, Large L bracket, Skinny, Long, Wide, Square, Rectangular, Thick and Thin. Have more cheese plates than a high-end wine evening.
17. Never drill into a car’s frame unless you’re working with the picture car department, special FX and have production’s full knowledge and approval.
That goes for any car modification. The last thing us grips need is a rogue driller making car frames look like the above cheese plate. It’s unsafe.
18. Pre built solutions get you started but custom built rigs allow for more creative shots.
19. Don’t ever be pressured into sending an unfinished rig off.
It’s unsafe. Use your instincts — if it seems unsafe, it is. If you’ve failed, you’ve failed. Suck it up, start over, tell someone you need to make changes to make it safe, but don’t get someone hurt by caving to pressure.
20. Never send a rig off with an untrained driver or a police escort or a closed road.
All 3 at once are even better.
21. Time management is essential.
Time allowance/restrictions allow you to scale the scope of the rig up or down.
22. Don’t pull off the side of the road for rig adjustments unless you have a police escort.
Always go back to basecamp.
23. There are fast ways to do almost every shot.
They might just need tiny compromises in framing to make it work for their time restrictions.
24. Short baby pins are one of the greatest things on earth.
25. Triangulation doesn’t just mean add more support.
It means add support strategically to counteract opposing forces. 45 degree and 90 degree triangles are your friend.
Level Up Your Car Rigging Game
Car rigs aren’t just about gear — they’re about judgment. Every build is a balance of safety, creativity, logistics, and physics. You can have the best gear in the world, but if your plan, your crew, or your decisions fall short, it’s not worth the risk.
If you want to dive deeper, sharpen your skills, and master advanced rigging techniques, check out the full Legacy Grip Car Rigging Courses. We cover full builds, safety protocols, shot planning, and all the real-world tricks that don’t get talked about on set.
by:
Brendan Riel
