David Ross

google whitehouse Audio visual they are the cp-16 experts

Does anyone know where i can buy or have made a durable soft cast for a Quasar Science style tube. I am not looking for any type of hard case. I plan to store the soft case on my head cart on my truck . It may ride vertical or lay on a shelf. Any thoughts or links would be helpful. Thanks so much! David Ross

You get what you pay for! If you wish to purchase lights pick up a few used Arri's or Moles on E- bay. A lot of people are switching over to LED so now you can get some great lights that will last you a long time for very little money. You will be able to get parts for years to come. A friend of mine bought the cheap knock off's and ended up throwing them away in the end. Buy quality once !

I'm interested in purchasing a Chimera medium pancake light kit. I think I will like to ability to roll down the black fabric to help control the spill. I also like the profile of the light as i tend to shoot in houses and or conference rooms. The system is pretty expensive, however It's made in America and Chimera products are top quality. I have not been able to find another manufacture that makes this style of light, perhaps they are out there but I can't seem to find them. I did find Jem lighting but they seem to be more in the china ball style. Also I'm not a big fan of China balls in general . Anyone know another company who makes this type of top light solution. Honestly I would just like to compare and have options. Any comments would be helpful. Thank you

All great advice - thanks everyone!

I'm planning to make up a bunch of new 12/ 3 stingers. I wish to identify each cable with an ID color based on the lengths. I plan to carry 4 sizes they are : 10' 25' 50' and 100' cables . So my question is there some known color system based on length of cable ? And if so could you please share. Thank you in advance for your advice. Kind Regards David Ross

Thank you so much JD Hartman. Kind Regards

Thank you for your quick response. You mentioned LEX in your post, is LEX a electrical supply store? Also I was able to locate the MCMaster -Carr website but did not see them there. perhaps i wa snot looking in the correct place, However that is an awesome resource -so that you for that. Thanks again for your assistance. Kind Regards

Last year I did a job in Semi Valley and we hired a gaffer and sprinter van package. The truck was nicely outfitted. The gaffers AC stingers cords had these great trick line cable wraps that were housed in a little plastic connector type rig. He said they made these in various sizes depending on the cord type, SJO, SOO etc. Does any one know where i can order this type of cable wrap ? The closest thing i have seen one line is one offered by Barn door lighting that is called: bullet cable tie with clear window. I have attached a screen shot. The problem is that the only size offered is for soow cable and i also have many other types of 12/3 cable . Any help would be awesome . Thank you.

You say a 6' x 6' is that a silk or a solid or what? The answer is yes...maybe with the proper amount of sand bags, two maffers or similar products and hopefully not to high... I understand wanting to keep you package small. Combo stands would be a wiser choice. And if the rig fails and you break something on location.... not good. I have done a few things over the years where i pushed the weight limit on a rig and i have learned that the risk is not worth it. Your call... Thank you and always work safe! DR

Wow, so much solid information. Thank you David

I am continuing to put together my lighting package and only purchase high quality professional lights as I can afford to. Sometimes while I watch a high end Brodcast 2 camera interviews on TV they will cut away to a wide shot and show the lights. Usally when they do this quick cutaway I can lock in to identify a few fixtures. I generally see a few Chimeras, Kinos, ( diva, 200, or 400 or 4 x 2) sometimes one or two 1 x 1 leds and a mix of arri fresnels and such. Generally these lights are boomed out with some sort of combo stand as the base support. I also notice a nice array of flags, scrims, and various grip equipment. My question is this: Is there a standard lighting equipment package or list that is required to work at the high end brodcast level to light a 2 person interview. One show that comes to mind is CBS Sunday Morning, SO If there is this sort of lighting equipment list it would be great if you could share it. Also i fully understand the every interview lighting scenero is different but is there a common design or starting point with the way these interviews are lit today. Thank you in advance for your comments. Best Regards David Ross

Hello: I live in the next Ville west of you. You mentioned you were putting together a little kit. I like where you are going with the Arri's, the kinos and now perhaps a Source 4 par. This is one punchy bright light. The nice thing is that you can buy wide, medium, and narrow lamps that will do different beam spreads thus giving you some nice flexibility. I sometimes use my ( ETCSF4) to puch into a white card to give me a hot soft key or fill. Recently i used one high on a triple riser stand geled in CTB to give me a nice moonlight backlight on a scene ouside around a fire. As you build your kit you may also want to consider a few China lanterns, A ETC leko is starting to become popular again. The main thing is to own the lights that get you through 80% of the type of work you do. As long as you have good rental source available to you , rent the speciality stuff as you need it and own the stuff that you always use. Best David

OK: It's time to research into a china ball systems. Looking to purchase one our two. My question is should i invest into into a Chimera type system or a Jem lighting system Or simply get a few inexpensive socket holders and some inexpensive China balls from film tools. The paper looking one seem like thy are pretty cheap and would rip up fairly easy. I mainly shoot high end corporate and some regional TV spots,Indy features. However when i purchase equipment i Generally buy pretty high end stuff only because it tends to be a better overall value in the long run. Any thoughts or ideals on what to buy. Perhaps there is another Manufacture that i am not aware of. Also what would be some standard sizes to consider. Thank you DR

Anyone know where i can get two hard 42" x42" reflectors? I really do not care what the surface looks like ( i can repair) as long as they work. Thanks DAvid

Stick with the name brands and you can't go wrong. I just picked up two 650 watt mole richardson open face lights with barn doors and full scrim sets for around $100. I then got on the internet and downloaded a drawing and parts list from mole. I then spent around $70 for parts and paint. 5 days later the parts arrived. Now I have two fully refurbished lights that i own. The point is- buy good quality lights from a good well established company and they will be there in the future with parts and support. I bought the cheap lights once and the gear fell apart on the first week. Never again. DR

Thank you Sir just built some and they came out great! Used the 1/2 birch!

I own two full sets of Apple Boxes, They are Matthews brand and are nice boxes. I just got a call for a project and will need three more full sets. I have a small shop and totally get how to make them on my own. But a quick question, What would be the best thickness for tops and sides and what type of wood type of wood should i purchase,Finished? unfinished? BC? birch? Thoughts?

I own and rent both Mole and Arri. I find Mole easier and less expensive to maintain than the Arri's. However I like the light output of the Arri's better than Mole.My rental clients kind of know the mole stuff better so they tend to order it more. Both are rock solid and good investments.I say investments because both of the moles and Arri's I own are 5-15 years old and make me money every week.I tried once to buy some cheaper lights and they were broken within a month. Best regards David

I'm with Guy on this one... I love that white clean kitchen look... enjoy

Recently I lit a similar scene. And as everyone would tell you, there are 15 different ways to light any scene. You mentioned Yoga so lets assume most of the action takes place on a the floor. In my scene we shot with two cameras so i had wide and close ups as well as some creative angles. I laid out 4 -8 ft sheets of white foam core and propped them at a 45 degree angle off the floor using c stands. I place one on either side of the camera leaving me a 2 ft opening for the main camera. Then i placed one on the left side and one on the right side of the 6 people who were seated .I then placed a 1K mole open face in front of each sheet of foam core and bounced the light back onto the set. After seeing the results i added a 1/2 ctb and walked in my side lights in a bit to act sort of a side fill / slight Kicker. This approach really filled in the 6 people nicely. I ended up adding a 300 watt arri punched through some 216 diffusion to give our main (teacher) a little more of a pop( about 1/2 stop). It was a nice little scene. Because of time and the lack of hang positions i was not able to do much back light. This would have helped... the client was happy and so was I. Again 5 gaffers would have lit the scene 5 different ways. Best Regards David

I am putting together a 2 ton grip and lighting truck package and I have a question about what kind and how many practical light bulbs I should carry on my truck. I have seen some lists of what other gaffers are carrying on their trucks but I am wondering how much they are really using them. When I’m gaffing I normally carry the following (all medium based in both soft and clear whenever possible) 15 watt night-lights, 25, 50, 75 and 100-watt bulbs. Generally speaking, I tend to use the smaller bulbs (15 to 50 watt) bulbs to tone down a bright lamp in the background of a scene. . Here are the other lamps noted on other trucks but I currently do not carry these. The PH-211 75 watt Ushio medium base (household type). Color temp: 3000K. The PH-212 150 watt Ushio medium base (household type). Color temp: 3050K. The PH-213 250 watt Ushio Globe (household type). Color temp: 3400K. BCA 250 watt Daylight balanced Photoflood Light Bulb: 4800K. EBW 500 Daylight balanced Photoflood light bulb: 4800K Please let me know if you would recommend any or all the lamps listed above or perhaps there are others not listed. One area of concern is the higher wattage bulb being placed into a socket on location that would be only rated for say 100 watt max. Do other gaffers carry around a porcelain socket that they can rig wherever needed? Thanks in advance. DR

totally agree with Darryl on this one.

Thanks Everyone for the good advice. My rags are now safe for storage and ready for service... Best Regards David

I am putting together a small 1 ton grip truck and wanted to ask what are the basic full gel rolls to have on hand. I am planning on having the following rolls but wanted to ask some of the truck owners and or DP's and Gaffers who work off grip trucks what they are really using. Here is my list. ND 3, 6, and 9. Full CTB, 1/2 CTB, 1/4 CTB and 1/8 CTB. Full CTO 1/2 CTO 1/4 CTO and 1/8th CTO.x Of course I will maintain a wide assortment of colors. The ND, CTB and CTO are pretty much a given and i already have those on hand.I can only afford to purchase 3 new rolls of diffusion. So if you had to choose 3 rolls of diffusion what could you not live with out! Thanks DR