Build your own Jib

There are plenty of DIY projects on the web for building stuff you can use for video projects. This one caught my eye because it is cheap ($60) and the site explains the procedure with good photos. I don't know if this jib will support a heavy camera, the photos show a small digital camera. But I believe the weight would factor more on the tripod than the jib itself, so if you have a good sturdy set of sticks then this should do the trick.
Here is the site:
http://home.closetfilms.com/default.asp?action=jib
There is a great video at the site showing what you can do with a Jib. A Jib is a crane you attach the camera to so you can get smooth pans and arc's plus it allows you to get the camera high for beautiful wide shots. With a jib you can give your videos a wonderful cinematic look and feel! You can bring the camera from very high to down low easily and smoothly. And with a little practice you can have a camera go into a window or seem to go through something, like a car window.
In combination with a good Dolly, a jib will give you a great deal of creative movement that a simple tripod will not.
Jibs and cranes have been used almost as long as film making has been around. Hollywood films often use a huge rig that the cameraman sits on with the camera and it's mounted on the back of a truck. Not something you probably need, but you can get almost the same effect with a little job like this one.
If your not DIY inclined then you can purchase a good crane or dolly from Glide Industries.
http://www.glideshot.com/
Their products are hand made and built to be sturdy and last. Check out eBay and you may find one of their rigs even cheaper than on their site. You can also check uTube for various videos of people using jibs and cranes to get an idea of how useful they are.
J.