robert duke

A Condor is the correct way to do this. mount the light and the frame to the basket and keep a man in the basket.

It is a beautiful horseshoe canyon with a primitive campsite. I used to go climbing there years ago every weekend. It has some coll history. It is about 15 min from carbondale.

Off topic, but hey Brian, Do you ever get over to Jackson Falls? It is just east of you in the Shawnee forrest.

200ft!!?!! wow, that bests mine, I laid a mere 160ft on a road only to have the director change the shot to a high hat off a pickup truck following a character 3 blocks.

Here is the south (usa that is ) we drink it sweet.

Producers are not bad people, but they push and push to lower costs and cut corners. We as techs try to appease them, we try to be ingenious and find better ways, cheaper ways, easier ways. We all do it. We want to save face and look good to the producer. The producer however when it comes to the aftermath of an accident, of any kind, steps back and lays the entire blame at our feet. Rightfully so. We know or are supposed to know the limits of the equipment we deal with. We are supposed to know how to operate and setup equipment so that it will function safely. We as Key grips, Gaffers , grips, electricians, are to blame when something happens. Legally in the case of an accident the producer knows that no matter how hard any of us fought to get the right equipment, if we faulter in our fight for the right equipment, if we take a shortcut and it works once, but not twice. The Producer is completely absolved of legal guilt. Morally is another matter. If an accident happens it becomes the producer not paying for the hospital, not paying for the funeral, not paying for the lost wages, because Legally we as the supervisors are responsible for the usage of the equipment. When the lawyers pony up it is us that pays, it is us that loses in the courts. I have noticed that there are several times a month postings from people willing or asking if things work when you cross the line of safety. I know that the budgets are shrinking, the old timers are retiring or opting out of low budget shoots. I guess this is more for all the people who ask will it work or can I do this. Think about what you are doing work through it completely in your head, look at what could happen, think of how to do it safer. Dont worry about the cost. Do it right, or dont do it at all. It is only a movie. It is not worth your life, your friends life, your ability to provide, nor anyones. Producers make more than you, work less than you and are exempt when it comes to the legal responsibility of an accident. Producers look to you to have the knowledge to do the job in a manner in which is safe. I applaud everyone who has asked what is right and what is safe. For every one of you though there is four who don't ask who risk it. I hear stories all the time. sometimes you have to stand up to a producer and say no.

Leveling a lift costs the difference in renting a bigger lift. You will find that the rental on a self leveling diesel lift is the same as renting a 40ft condor. leveling a lift is a no-no according to Osha and the manufacturers. This is where you can either fight for the responsible safe choice of using the right tool for the job, or you can risk your future for a movie. Accidents do happen and death does occur. Google leveling a lift or go to the JLG website. CAL-OSHA allows condors to be level in accordance with the Local 80 and manufacturer's specifications. It is essentially a 3ft x 8 ft x 11inch block of plywood with a 6x6 stop on it. It is expensive to build.

I have been selling NEW earbuds on set and have some in right now and dont have my next project. THese are the same ones filmtools sells for over $100. I have been selling them on Ebay as well. I would like to sell them $55 a piece. They work with the standard Motorola radios. Shipping is $8 via priority mail. I take paypal. let me know if anyone is interested. I also make deals for quantity. thanks

There is quite a difference from a scissor lift and a genie manlift. Scissor lifts do not have leveling outriggers. Manlifts are required to have leveling outriggers. A 30' genie only goes 25' up, creating a working height of 30'. I have in the past and learned the error of my ways put a candlestick on a genie with a 6k par. I don't feel safe now with that. It leaves no room for operator. 30' up in a manlift on hardfloors even if they are sprung for dance is much safer than 30' up in a manlift on soil.

No, it wont get you the 30' angle you were looking for with only a candlestick. To get anywhere close to your 30' angle the lift would have to be 1-2ft from the window. 17' to bottom of window with a 20' lift. Placing the head of the fixture in the middle of the window, and not filling the window. You will need a taller lift. Somewhere around 30' is where you need to be in order to get 6' away from the window which is still not very much to allow for the beam to spread. A(squared) + B(squared)= C(squared). Remember geometry. Spend the money and get a 40' condor. Safety Costs a little more but is worth the extra money. Leveling a scissor lift is a dangerous game. One wrong move will cost someone a life. Don't worry about sound they wont be rolling while you adjust the lighting. Production sometimes has to wait while things are focused. Including the camera.

I dont know about the safety requirements and training for europe and England. Unfortunatly here in America training is on the Job and most of it is common sense. Unless you are in LA, NY and Union there are no real requirements before handling equipment that poses a safety threat to you and the people around you. Most people here draw jobs through networking, which can be good and bad. I have a guy I fired claiming I taught him how to grip. I am fighting against it but It has the potential to look bad on me. Find a working grip and intern or PA on projects. when there is any chance jump in and offer a hand. Learn with a working grip. read all the books and information you can. good working practices are learned on set. ask questions. watch how it is done. Good luck.

American Buisness Manufacturing did not recognize sunday as any other day until the unions pushed for Labor reform laws. We as workers would still be pitted against one another for work, and have no minimum wage, safety, pension, or benifits without the unions today. If you look at nonunion buisnesses they are more likely to NOT offer pension and benifits than UNION buisness. Workers today would still suffer in sweat shops and Predatory management if not for the labor reforms that took place in the early 20th century. I am not advocating the continuance of the strike b/c I feel that the Internet is still in its Infancy when it deals with Media content. As soon as a contract is signed technology will change circumventing the contract. Look for more information on Unionization in history dealing with miners and truck drivers. People died for you to enable you to provide a better life for your family. These sacrifices are felt throughout the world in Labor/ management relations. I dont mean to go on a tirade, It is just something I have passion about. I work nonunion shows, I live in a right to work state. I do believe in the brotherhood and fellowship of the unions to provide for the worker.

just remeber the weekend was brought to you by UNIONS. United we stand Divided we starve.

its an old magician's trick. Lit from the front the scrim is Opaque, light hitting the subject behind the scrim and it becomes translucent. you can use sharkstooth, window screen, and almost any small open weave fabric. It all gets down to that magical transformation moment, dimming up and down on the background subject. I did this years ago on a local show the set was built with steel tube frames covered in sharkstooth scrim. The set was built in from of a forrest set. when the magic moment happened poof the talent looked out through the walls at the forrest surrounding her. ( I know it sounds kinda dumb but it was a kids show)

One thing I meant to say is that if you sit do it out of sight of the producers between the carts. If you sleep do it at lunch in the truck. If you stand around talking do it in the truck or by the carts. Being by the carts is the key thing here. It is about being available and accessable. It doesnt pay for you to be hanging out at crafty even if the camera is rolling. Many times a DP has called for a flag or bounce on take two or even three. Visiting crafty is different than hanging out at crafty.

grips are not PA's but Producer's also know when the workforce is padded. As a grip you should know that standing around chatting or taking a nap is not kosher. you are paid to be there, find something to do. there is always a milkcrate to organize, cart to organize, a stand to clean/fix. you can chat while cleaning up, or setting up. Producer do understand the hurry up and wait but also get offended when they see the money being wasted on guys not doing something. Keying is also about personell management. producers notice if you are a good personell manager and make note of that when hiring again. take care of the guy who takes care of you.

I am finishing a large feature and am about to be thrusted back at looking for a job again. I have a place in LA but know that with the writers stike there are a lot of people suddenly available for work. I was wondering How everyone here was percieving the writers strike?

First dont even think about stopping the boat from moving. Boats move in water, no way without taking them out of water to stop the pitch and yaw. Second Most houseboats have a 5-10k genie on board. They are loud but work. Pickup some portable GFI units 20amp to help prevent accidental shock. Dont try to light boat to boat. what you get is a flashlight effect. one boat moves at a different frequency than the other so the beam field of the light goes on and off the subject. Unless that is what you want. Tethering the boats together does not help and there is not a rig you can make to secure them together to stop this. My favorite quote from a DP on a Boat " umm... the boat is moving.. cant we stop it... the boat is moving." Boats are small. I shot on a fifty foot houseboat a year ago and with only two actors and a 1st ac and operator it was too cramped for any other crew member. Prerigging is a must. Kino's are great but you might have to rely on practicals as well. If you can Dry dock the boats near the water if behooves you to do so for shooting interiors. that way you can light from scaffolding or the ground around the boat. Dry dock fees really arent that bad esp. when comparing the cost of time lost. China balls are beautiful lights, but I think space will limit them and their interior effectiveness. For exterior shots on the back deck you might find them useful on long booms or Menace arms for ambience. If you can afford them Balloon lights are worth their weight is gold, or the elcheapo weather balloon bounce using a 5k-10k. Make sure your Key has experience on boats and knows how to anchor. I spent the summer having to explain to a DP that the anchor had to be set and how to set it. If the key doesnt know get a boat master, or someone who can be incharge of the boats and their anchoring. Be keenly aware of the weight limits on Boats. you would be surprised how little weight can tip a boat. I had a camera crew overload a support boat and almost sink it. They packed all their cases on one end and when he pushed off the boat dipped into the water. wetting everything. Be safe. there is tons of things to think about when shooting on boats, plan as much as you can out even lighting angles etc. model boats help communicate boat placement and equipment placement during prep and during shooting. "move the boat over there" just doesnt cut it. Stay light and small. duke.

First there is no specific answer to what translights are made from. They are made from as many materials as there are companies making them. there is some type of rigid polystyrene that seems to work good, there is vinyl which is heavy and difficult to back light. I have used muslin translights, and sharktooth scrims. It all seems to hinge on the application. shooting night, day , pictoral scene, city scape, landscape, etc. size etc.

you do have to be cerftified to drive a lift truck, just like a condor. the governing body though is OSHA and the employer. OSHA shows up when someone gets hurt or dies, until then it is a free for all. The employer is responsible for making sure all pertinent employees are trained in operating a given piece of equipment. The certification you get from NES or another rental company is essentially only proof that you took a class and a test regarding the condor. I went to NES and got all the certifications they offered. I have lift trucks in all sizes, condors, and scissor lifts. I also took the Contract services safety passport classes for my Local 80 card. There is a cheesy test. I tell everybody who gets in a condor, these things are made so you look at the picture and gently do what the picture says. they are made for people who didnt graduate high school to be safe in. NYOSHA is just a carbon copy of Fed OSHA rules regarding condors. there is no local or regional liscence for condors in the USA in my knowledge. I look at training this way: The more I know the more value I am to a team. When you get hired on a new job as a dayplayer let your immediate supervisor know of any special skills you might have if it comes into play. In memphis if you are a grip you better be certified. We make sure everyone has the ability to handle a condor. If I were to tell my immediate supervisor all my skills he would get bored and walk away mid speech. but If you are rigging a set and there is a condor let your supervisor know. I got on first unit many times because I was rigging and let my supervisor know I knew how to operate a lift. I expect a grip to be certified to drive lifts and condors. It is a skill all grips should have. The key here is safety. know your limits and the limits of the equipment. take time to read that manual in the condor, it is surprising what is not acceptable. Be safe, and thoughtful about what you are doing. take the time to hone a skill. be humble about your skills. no one likes a hero. heros get hurt and hurt others.

Contact your local rental facility for condors. It should be free but may run upwards of $75. NES will come out to your film and do it for free if you get a handfull of people. In reality it is the individual produciton's responsiblity to train you for the specific job and task. it is not the case in practice. get a group together to get trained and you may find it easier to get the rental house to take notice. it is not hard by any means, more just time. 475

the Key I am working with right now used water and sprite mixed, I dont know the mixture, in a spray bottle. Then Squeeged. The rigging key hung some large windows using paper tape and snot tape. Paper then snot on top. It was fast and dirty.

wall spreaders and polecats work on the same principle. Outward pressure fights downward pressure. The rubber cups are designed( ha) to prevent marking walls. We have been using polecats a lot on the show I am on. To prevent marking we first give a layer of duvetyn, and then a layer of bleached muslin held over the ends with a rubber band, like a surgical bootie. this does really well at preventing marks. If you get some marks a damp towel should wipe off most of the marking. after that Id talk to a scenic. There is a small polecat available, I believe it is 3'-5' but dont hold me to it. If you own them you can always cut one down.

i think the confusions are all the same thing but different applications. bobinette is the material that singles and doubles are made from. Different fabric manufactures make different size and color bobinett. some older DP's and some new ones use netting on the backside of the lens as a softening agent. 1/4 bobinette is a weave size for this application. I dont have a source but if you call a camera house they might point you in the right direction. It may not be available now. The closest thing to it is 1/4 black promist.

I had a shoot in a casino that the DP wanted a hand held softbox following a steadicam around at the drop of a hat. I rigged a small chimera to one of those 2million candle spot lights. I had to put some opal on the lens but what we got was an awsome handheld softbox. I picked up the 2mill spot for $20.