How to Make a Snorricam At Home

Referred to more frequently in home camera use or by those using a GoPro as a chestcam or a body mount camera, the SnorriCam was used on film sets decades before it became popular for at home use. Today, many aspiring filmmakers, and especially vloggers use some version of a SnorriCam to capture footage of the actor or individual as they walk around and perform various tasks. But have you ever thought about making a SnorriCam rig without investing upwards of $200 for a professional rig? We’re showing you how to make a Snorricam at home in this guide from Beverly Boy Productions which features several DIY options to choose from.

What is a Snorricam?

A SnorriCam is sometimes more casually referred to as a chestcam or a bodycam, but on the film set you’ll hear it referenced by original terminology.

It’s a filmmaking tool that allows the camera to be rigged in a way that it is attached to the front of the actor’s body and facing them directly so as to show the actor’s face or features as if he or she is not moving, but also to show the surroundings as the individual moves along the set or filmed area. 

The SnorriCam is actually popularly used on the film set to allow the director an opportunity to help viewers get into the mental state or mind’s of the character being filmed.

The rig produces shots that capture the emotions of the character in a unique way and literally places the audience into the character’s current situation.

It’s not used heavily on the screen because it has the potential to sort of disorient the audience and can make the character almost less connected to the story, but in small increments, SnorriCam shots have the potential to create powerful results.

Popular SnorriCam shots in Hollywood have included:

• The scene in The Hangover when Stuart wakes up hungover and feeling disoriented.
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• Multiple scenes from Requiem for a Dream.
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• The scene in 28 Weeks Later when a zombie is chasing Don Harris, one of the main characters.
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• The Smashing Pumpkins music video of “1979.”
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• Several scenes from The Wolf of Wall Street.

Oftentimes, the SnorriCam is used to produce a sense of the character’s drunkenness or unstable mental state. Many directors choose to use this piece of film equipment to produce a sense of being buzzed.

How to Make a SnorriCam at Home

There are actually several different ways that you can recreate a SnorriCam at home. With regular household objects, or a few things from the hardware store, you have a few options. 

If you’ve got a tripod and a camera as well as a couple of men’s belts, you can build this piece of filmmaking equipment.

In fact, instead of spending upwards of $100 to $200 or more, you can build this with items you’ve probably already got so the cost is — FREE! 

All you have to do is affix your camera to the tripod as if you would use it in a standard manner. 

Once you’ve got your camera attached to the tripod, you can begin the process of connecting the unit to the actor so that the camera faces the actor.

Begin by having your actor wear one of the belts that you have. Then, extending both legs of the tripod, affix them under the actor’s arms on either side with the third leg of the tripod at the navel area.

That third leg will actually sit steady in the belt buckle that the actor is wearing. 

Take the other belt and run it just below chest height around the actor and out, around the tripod and secure at the actor’s back.

You will need a longer belt in order to wrap it around both the tripod and the actor’s upper waste/lower chest area, essentially around the rib cage.

Make sure that the belt is tight enough to keep the unit in place while the actor moves around. And, you’ve just learned how to make a SnorriCam at home!

Now that you know how to make a SnorriCam, what shots are on your agenda?