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robert duke

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Everything posted by robert duke

  1. Slip the knife behind molding, Jam it in some rocks in a cave, etc. there are a thousand uses for it. I have used it a lot over the years. The most fun was jamming in in a book to hide a fixture in a bookshelf. The cave was pretty cool too. It is best used with small fixtures, or Kinos.
  2. Yes these exist, they work alright but really best for lightweight stuff where tape works just as good. best use interior in school bus. fairly easy to make. buy magnet with 3/8 hole ( sold at most hardware stores or online.) buy female threaded baby pin and a 1" bolt. assemble and voila. They can be handy, we keep magnets on our grip cart for blacking out with metal windows and such.
  3. People make them out of all kinds of wood. 1/2" 5 layer birch plywood renders the lightest strongest box. Matthews used to make theirs with 3/4 sides and 3/8 tops. I see 3/4 construction frequently with homemade stuff. I used to make mine from 1/2" birch. I could and have set my dodge 2500 on my boxes to show how strong they are. Anything will do depending on your needs. you can never have enough apple boxes.
  4. As Jake stated, duffusions come in different sizes and flavors from Matthews or any of the other "rag" houses. Everything from 1/2 soft frost to Clear Grifflon to full grid is available. Yes bed sheets can be used as a diffusion, but bed sheets are not fire treated and can pose a serious threat on set. Lights get hot and I mean HOT. I have seen fabrics catch fire on set, and I have seen fabrics extinguish themselves on set. I dont remember the exact requirements of the flame retardancy requirements, but I am sure you can find them online. The other reason to use a Manufacturer's diffusion is they are grommeted and have elastic straps in the corners installed. This handy feature makes it the bees knees when tying it to a frame. Most makers also put webbing around the edges also to make them more durable. So It really falls to the Choice of the user: Cheap and compromised filled or exactly what you need. most makers also can sew custom sizes 12x20 20x30 30x40 6x20 etc.
  5. you are correct josh. the big leg goes under the weight. As for bagging I prefer and was taught to bag the big leg so as the bag was not touching the ground, But I have run across people who were taught different. some people Bag the medium leg away from the weight so it COUNTERS the weight, after all you are just lowering the center of gravity. the Grip book has a drawing with the leg opposing the weight. I even prefer to leave a cstand unbagged on stage unless the flag is well cantilevered over the leg. It all follows the KEY and the KEY is always right. Do it his way. Some people always wear tool belts, some people never wear more than a gerber. as long as it is safe it is ok.
  6. volume, thats how they do it volume! there were shadow and lots of them, but because of the volume of lights and all the same style wattage and distance they even out the shadows to a soft source look, kind of like a cyc light system.
  7. Both rear projection and green screen are quite common for poor man's. keys to rear projection are the brightest projector available, budget and access. green screen as large as you can get so you are far enough away to reduce backsplash.
  8. soft frost or half soft frost is commonly referred to as shower curtain because if you go down to the dollar store and buy a shower curtain it is the same stuff. Hi lite is also sometimes called shower curtain. PS lookup expendables recycler on the interweb and save some dough.
  9. Akela crane? Look up brian Murie at cameratrux, he has a remote copter that carries a red and a remote head. a Condor designed for a specific height should be ok, Hire a established and experienced Key and they can put you in the right piece of gear. As key's we often have a easy way of getting the shot.
  10. John, the arm is your first riser. isnt it embarassing when you raise a flag up and you a 12" shy and you have to lower the whole stand to get the arm up. If the gear is worth it salt use the arm first, it is your first riser. I agree keep is simple and clean. work to make the set work for everyone safely.
  11. mostly, chrome moreso than the stainless. also depends on the skate wheels
  12. rags should be stored in their own individual bag to prevent one from getting dirty or damaged as digging through a single bag can get one dumped onto dirty floors or torn. also they can be stored on set next to the frame ready to be strung up, or quickly repackaged after wrap. I like storing them , bagged in a tupperware bin that is ventilated, you can also add a silca gel pack to help prevent moisture damage.
  13. Nice pair of Cresent diagonal cutters or linesman pliers does the job nicely. the commercial world works differently. done right it can be effective, done wrong,...
  14. I have seen them fail, but safety is king. drywall is easy to patch a screw hole for a safety. here is the link to the avenger crosspole http://www.avenger-grip.com/cms/site/avenger/home/search_product/product_list?txtCurrentSom=metric&cat01=avenger_system&cats02Selected=crosspole it holds 75KG! check it out. the guy that told me about them put a 10k over a 14' span. as with any overhead rigging always use a safety, even if you have to drive a screw or two into a wall.
  15. you might try Richard Mall's Max menace arm, we hung a 12k par at 17' while it looked daunting it held well. it has a base but fits into corners. Check it out at Matthews MSEgrip.com. you might also think about polecats/autopoles to ground support a pipe. Also Avenger has a wallspreader that I'm told can support up to 65lbs without drilling into walls I think its called the xcross or something like that.
  16. you might try either brake fluid or vegatable oil. either will need to be soaked overnight. wet a rag with either and place it over the offending metal, in the am give it a shot.
  17. I agree, my dog collar is the way to go, I don't have a problem getting tape and I'm not going to scratch any paint, wall, furniture, person. Plastic breaks where fabric bends.
  18. single man crane for sale. 13ft arm length 15ft lens height 325lb capacity breaks down into 2 cases, base, weight bucket and weights. 100mm ball head cup. bazooka mount adjusts head height. 20 minutes to assemble with 1 person. wheels on base with leveling jacks. PM for questions $4000.
  19. Local 80 offers classes for members, and Contract services has classes that are required to work as a grip on a studio lot. Local 80 is legally the only grips allowed to rig Fly swatters and lights in Condors. ( grips every where still do it). local 80 has an agreement with JLG and Genie, which is covered in the condor rigging class for grips from contract services. If an accident was to happen you can be found at fault. the class covers specific condors which are approved for use and wind/weight restrictions.
  20. 10 ton grip $1750/week 10 ton lighting $4000/week these figures are estimates and rough, you could find it cheaper but walmart doesnt rent lights. Usually big discounts on the front end wind up costing on the back end.
  21. 1 its an HDR photo. 2 the key light is a softbox at a 45 from the subject, telltale nose shadow and the reflection of the fixture in the eye. 3 there is a bounce fill low and opposite the key. 4 the contrast is not 1:1 HDR video? the lighting in the photo is not very different than any other interview lighting. the photo processing is what is different. you might look for a cross process or bleach by pass process (film) or emulate it in post.
  22. there are a plethora of camera mounts that will take the shake out as well as a kenyon gyro system.
  23. That's just not entirely true. In regard to rates, one of the points of a national union (IATSE, TEAMSTERS, DGA, WGA) is that everyone who is part of that union gets the same rates and benefits. A movie shooting under contract will pay the same rates and benefits no matter where it shoots in the USA. Read more: http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=49085&st=60#ixzz1HogLSSd8 sorry brian you are wrong here. area stardards contracts have varied rates for most positions. that can be as low as half of what an LA based film can be. I work all over and my rates are Not consistent. you are more than welcome to look up the area standards agreement and see that a filmworker in atlanta is paid significantly less than LA. Key Wardrobe/Lead Set Wardrobe $34.20 Costumer/Buyer/ Stylist $29.05 Set Costumer $29.05 Key Tailor/Fitter $31.00 Seamstress/Tailor/Stitcher/Sewer $29.05 7/31/11 Grips Key $34.20 Best Boy Grip $31.00 Dolly Grip $31.00 Crane Operators $29.05 Grips $29.05 Pre-Riggers $29.05 LA RATES Key Grip Hourly 39.72 2nd Grip Hourly 36.05 Dolly Grip 37.29 Grip 34.51 these rate changes are based on a 10mil movie. you can see the difference. which even without incentives can be a reason to shift production, it has been and it will be again.
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