Daniel Wallens

Fisher allows specialized skates to be fitted to their dollies: http://www.jlfisher.com/dollies/model_10_dolly/index.asp (click on Optional Accessories and go all the way down to "Wheels & Ice Skates") :)

speaking of Losmandy, have you ever used their flextrack? seems cool....

wow, i've never encountered that before. Interesting, and thank you for the info. But do you charge a kit rental for that? It would seem like these items (along with your speedrail kit, car mounts, slider, etc) would count towards more of a rental, rather than just the gear that one would bring along on any shoot. Or do the wheels come standard with you and your knife :) ? cheers, Dan

As usual, great answer Robert. The only thing I'd disagree with (and Joshua mentioned it too) are the expendables like powders and sprays. IMO, you shouldn't spend ANY money on things like this -- sure, if you are on a super low budget, and want to help them out, you can give them some of your own Pledge or whatever, and cut that $2.50 from their budget. But generally, on larger shoots, multiple cans and bottles of all these expendables are pretty much standard and waiting in the truck. And Joshua, you didn't mention which dolly you taught yourself EVERYTHING about. Remember, there are many MANY types of dollies out there. Even good professional dolly grips don't know the ins and outs and specs of every dolly that exists. There is no substitute for hands on experience, but it may be a good idea to get your hands on some reading material about various dollies, that way you'll be able to know the basic differences between not only a Fisher 10, 11, a Pewee, and a Hustler, but also the Sidewinder, Eagle, Hawk, Falcon (Shotmaker) and others. You don't have to be an expert on everything out there (pushing a dolly is basically pushing a dolly), and you probably won't have that kind of choice once on set, but it looks good if you know whats available, and to add your input should the opportunity present itself. And I don't know anyone who owns their own skateboard wheels, unless they somehow own their own dolly package.

Hi everyone :) What do you generally charge for a kit rental if you are keying? Are you negotiable at all, depending on the project? Does this vary from area to area? (I am in NYC). Is there anything special in your kit that warrants the price? Thank you for any responses.

Thanks everyone for the replies. They were all very helpful. I think I'm going to try to convince the producers to go with a 26' diesel (self-leveling) scissor lift, and chain vise either a combo stand or a candlestick to it (I think with 26 feet, I'll have enough height to use a candlestick). If they say it's too expensive, then we'll have to come up with a scaffold or something else. I think that, for safety reasons, I'm going to nix the shorter electric scissor lift. Again, many thanks. :)

Yeah, unfortunately, they don't have the money for a boom lift. It's going to be a scissor, if anything. Its not going to be carrying a lot of weight (just a 4K and a small person at most). I'd rather not mess with leveling, but I doubt the production has enough money for a diesel self-leveling scissor lift.

From my experience with electric scissor lifts, they are very sensitive to imperfections on the ground. I'm doing a shoot where I will have to place a lift on a slightly sloping surface. Do I need to get a diesel powered self-leveling lift? Or could I somehow level the electric one? Maybe with plywood?

This will be playing outside, shining in through a second story window. The height from the ground to the bottom of the window is supposedly 17 feet. The DP estimates that he'll want about a 30-degree angle on the light from above. The lift I was thinking about was (yes) an electric with hard wheels -- and in my experience, these are quite picky about being on a level surface to operate. But getting a gas wouldn't be as convenient (for sound issues -- we'd have to turn it on/off in order to tweak it). A scaffold is out of the question for other logistical reasons, plus, having a lift makes quick tweaks easier. Of course, I'd make sure of the weight capacity of the lift. That's not really the issue here. I just was asking for suggestions as to the height (will a 20' lift + candlestick give me a 30 degree angle considering the 17' window?), leveling of an electric lift, and any other ways to get any height out of this setup. :)

Well, the thing is, it is going to be a pretty small lift. And as I was saying, I think it will be too narrow to spread out the legs of a stand. Of course, if we were using a like a scaffold, then of course, I'd do it this way.

Well, then why not put the candlestick in the center? Meaning, center lengthwise, against one of the sides. Andrew, I was thinking about the stand-with-the-legs-in option as well. But I wasn't sure how accepted a practice or how safe this was.

Hello all! I was just wondering about your ideas on putting a 4K or something of similar size on a smallish scissor lift. Our production can't afford more than a 20-footer, but I think I need a little more height than that. A crankovator would be nice, but the base is too big for the lift. I was thinking about rigging a candle stick onto it, but that won't give me much adjustable height. Any ideas?

It's a small jib made by Vinten. Cheers, Dan

Hey Robert, Thanks for your reply. I in fact feel quite comfortable with condors usually. However, it can be frustrating sometimes when I dayplay on a show, getting hired either by the best boy or 3rd, where the key doesn't really know me. As a result, I feel sometimes my abilities go unnoticed, whereas if I can simply say "I'm areal lift certified" the key, or really, whoever doesn't know me, would feel comfortable in allowing me to do certain tasks. So, I figure, if its cheap enough, why not make it official :) Cheers, Dan

Hi All, I live and work in NYC, and I was wondering if any of you fellow City-dwellers know how or where or what was involved in getting certified to operate a condor. Of course, I know this is not necessary to be a grip, at least not in NY, but still, I was curious about the process. Is it time consuming? Expensive? Difficult? Annoying? I searched JLG's website, and spent a good amount of time trying to google the answer, but I couldn't come up with anything. A website about it would be a great help! Thank in advance, :)

Yes, I've seen this too, and personally, I don't like it. New requirements for sandbags always pop up, and then you are confronted with the problem of the muscle cart getting lighter. Secondly, carts or anything that has wheels is perhaps one of the most valuable things to a grip. Even if a muscle cart is empty of sandbags or just have a few in it (say 10, enough to safety a smallish frame), it can still be used to cart other things around that might need quick transport. Extra wheels on set always help. Once its tied to a frame, it's out of commission. Thirdly, even if you have like 40 bags in the cart, if you have a big (20X and up) frame tied to the handles and a strong gust of wind comes, it still may tip the cart over (but no, it won't go far). Since the weight is not solid flat ground with a lot of surface area, the cart is still susceptible to "tippage." The frame might not blow away, but if its close to an actor or, say, an expensive car, it could still be bad news. Mostly, though, I just don't like how it eats up some handy wheels. (also, keep in mind that breaks on a muscle card are not like brakes on a car -- its just a bar of metal pressing slightly into the rubber wheels. if you have enough weight on a muscle cart, it will still roll/slide down a steep enough hill) All this being said, I'm not a fan of the stakes in the ground either. Most of the time, there is something solid to tie off to. If there really isn't, then a pile of sandbags on the ground would be my first move. Just my humble opinion. :)

Some great advice here. The only other thing I'd add is that common sense, I'd say, is perhaps the big issue with frames. It really depends on the conditions in which you're shooting that will determine what safety requirements to take. Generally, if you are using 4 lines, tie the frame from each corner using a trucker's hitch. If you are using 3, then 1 at the top, centered, and 2 on each of the bottom corners, or vice versa. If you really don't have something secure to tie down to, like a lamp post, truck, whatever, (like, if you are in the middle of a football field) then get a whole load of sandbags (3 or 4 minimum depending on the size of the frame) and tie the rope to them. If you are rigging the frame, then you might have to use other hardware, such as long arms, speed rail, candle sticks, etc., depending on what you're doing. I've flown butterflies off of roofs, condors, etc., etc. and each time, the situation is a little different. Hence, common sense -- with safety in mind -- is your best friend. :)

I believe you have to contact the network directly, and get permission from them. That is, if the finished product is going on a public web site. If you end up just using it in your home for personal use and no one will see it except you, you can record anything you want from anywhere.

Are you serious? "Phil"? :)

Hello everyone :) This new flick with George Clooney and Brad Pitt is filming right in my neighborhood. Its the new Coen brothers movie, shot by Emmanuel Lubezki. Is there anyone here working on this? They have quite a setup with numerous condors, space balloons, process car, techno crane, etc., etc. and is by far the largest setup to come to my neighborhood since I've lived here (since February). Can anyone give us any good stories from set? cheers! Dan

robert duke, nice pic and nice arrangement of stuff. A questions: The speedrail on the side (left side of the picture, right side of the car) goes way up high above the car. Why is this? For lights? something else? cheers!

it is my understanding that Local 52 here in NY is very hard to get into as a grip/electric. You basically have to either get fathered in, or get nominated/vouched for by a bunch of union members. 600, on the other hand, is far easier to get in. From what I've heard, all you need to do is pay (but it is far more expensive than 52)

Hello all, Here in New York, is it possible to be a member of 52 and 600 at the same time (or, at least overlapping)? I ask only because I have been gripping (with some small electric/gaffing work as well, but not really) for a bunch of years now, but ultimately, I'd like to DP. I was thinking about trying the impossible and joining 52 (I'm not related to anyone, sniff, sniff), but I'd hesitate if I knew that would keep me out of 600 in the future. Thanks for any help :)

Both the PD-170/150 and the XL2 are very small and light cameras. The Sony is about 3.3-4.0 pounds without mattebox. The Canon weighs about 5 pounds (just over) with no lens, and goes up from there. Adding a miniDV mattebox onto these two cameras, even say a nice sturdy Chrosziel, won't affect weight too much since they are relatively small and light. I'd say, more than the cameras (unless you're REALLY going to load them up with, say, onboard monitors and such), your weight should be determined by (1) how much you will be booming out, and (2) what kind of head you will be using. Just make sure you have a nice variety of weights at your disposal :) Cheers!

Hello all, I am well aware that it depends on exactly what you are rigging, but I was wondering if you fine folks could offer any sound advice on how to rig various lights, anywhere from a 2.5 to say a nine-light or an 18K. General rules and practices to specific tips, tricks and tidbits would help a lot. Cheers, :)