Overhead Shots
There are a number of different ways to achieve an overhead shot. Some are more versatile and more expensive, while others are more rigid, but cheaper. A lot of these methods end up with trade offs that you must account for with your shoot.
Goal Posts
Using two combo stands or two crank stands depending on the weight of your camera. This will usually include building triangle truss and then attaching a cheese plate with a tilt plate at the center. This can be time consuming to build and requires at least 2 grips. It is also very difficult to maneuver as you have to move the two stands within the location and potentially manage a 20’ pipe between them.
Hard Rigging
Similar to the Goal Post method, you would just rig a right angle plate to the existing structure. This is best for wide overhead shots where getting a big enough crane would be costly and goal posts would be too short. This method is most likely the cheapest, but also the most inflexible.
Dana Dolly
This can be used to reduce the amount of gear needed to do an overhead shot as it uses all of the existing pieces of the Dana Dolly. There are two options here, one is to invert the dana dolly to get the mitchell mount on the bottom, use a 12" camera riser, the tripod head, and then use a right angle plate with QR plates on it. This will allow you to get the head away from the rails, allow you to pan 360, and be pointing straight down.
Another potentially untested way is by not using the 12" riser at all and just mounting the head and right angle plate to the bottom of the dana dolly, not inverting it. This would only work for ball heads as otherwise you would need the key slot from the mitchell plate. This method could be a lot faster.
The max length tested with this is 6', but 8' feels comfortable without too much flex, even for a heavy build.
You will want to place some sort of clamp on either side of the Dana Dolly to prevent it from moving either direction.
Jib
Another way to accomplish this is with a jib or boom arm. The jib can be mounted on a rolling tripod or on a fisher or Chapman dolly for even greater control. This method provides you with some of the most flexibility as you are able to move in any direction with a great level of precision. It is also a bit time consuming to setup, but the quickest to change when you have it built.
Drone
Using a drone can also be one of the fastest options. There are some regulatory issues you may have to deal with as there could be special precautions from the production or other people overseeing the project. This also will not work for anything with sync sound as the noise from the drone will be too loud. While this can be used indoors, it’s applications for indoor overhead shots are limited.
Aerial Lifts
You can use Aerial Lifts or Condors for extremely wide overhead shots outdoors. These may sway in the wind, so the wider the shot, the more likely you'll be able to hide a gentle sway in the breeze.