Here is a video that Lee Strauss, a Boston filmmaker from the StudioNow network shot and edited recently. It is a remarkable video — particularly given the scope of these projects. For a Patch.com business profile shoot, filmmakers are only on location for 90 minutes. To pull off the tracking shots (Lee custom built the dolly) on top of the exceptional quality interview and cutaway footage is nothing to sneeze at.
Strauss writes of his DIY dolly:
"Pipe based system, track comes in 10' sections. i usually carry around 40-80 feet of track length. 4' x 3' 12-wheeled Dolly cart rides on the pipe system. Been breaking it in lately. For solo use, it's more of a glide track than an actual dolly cart (this is how you manage using the dolly w/ one man band), but you absolutely can ride on it with your rig (if you have a driver)."
Great work, Lee!
You can check out Lee and his BoatHouse Production company here: http://vimeo.com/boathouse