Darryl Richard Humber

Phil, I've always appreciated your cutting honesty about a lot of topics. Sanjay is right on this one, though. You paint with a pretty broad brush when you lump us all into the "sitting on an apple box chain smoking" group. I don't know what kinds of jobs you do (although I have an idea) but I can assure you that my ass rarely touches an apple box and that is true for most of the dolly grips I know. I'm usually busy swinging a technocrane at high speed around a car going 30 miles an hour from an insert car or rigging a camera on something. I would think you would want someone who's doing this to be well compensated and have some training.

Yes, they are for sale.

Any dolly grips that have used the new Hybrid 4: Let us know what you think. Dollygrippery.com is looking for some reviews of the new dolly. Write it up and email it to dollygrippery at gmail dot com. We'll publish it under your name or anonymously if you like.

Sanjay's right, a good dolly grip can do this. He (She) just needs to be able to see the playback of past shots and a marking system like Sanjay mentions. Sanjay can probably recommend someone in London.

Yeah I forgot about the Teamsters. I mean IA. ;)

By the way, any key grip whose response to that situation is to "report someone to the union," is a jackass. I've never seen or heard anything like this.

I think maybe some things are getting a little blown out of proportion, with all due respect to Phil. I've done nothing but union movies, most of them studio pictures for twenty years and have never seen the kind of division you speak of. Of course I'm not talking about the division of labor, but the little day to day instances of crew members helping each other out. I think people just generally don't like others messing with their stuff. More than once I've come back onto set after stepping off to get something and found that a juicer or camera assistant has adjusted the dolly six inches because they happened to be standing there when the DP asks for it. I'm always grateful for the assist. I've also panned a light or dropped a double just because I was closest to it. I've even raced electrics to do it before they get there. It's all in good fun and it has happened many times. Nobody cares. I'm not going to go off and lay banded or head up an 18k though because it's not my gig and frankly I don't know anything about it. It's more about walking in and seeing someone you don't know messing with your stuff. If I have to leave to get something and walk in and find a juicer putting on the low mode or laying track, that's an entirely different thing. Contrary to popular opinion, there aren't a bunch of union goons standing nearby to bust someone for helping out another department in some small way. I help set dressers move furniture, rotate tvs for reflections, have been asked more than once by a special effects guy to help move his fan. Union jobs do not negate common courtesy, you just have to know where the line is.

The person to answer this question would be Onno at Solid Grip Systems. I believe he manufactures narrow gauge track. I have never heard of a standard for it though. I always do as Sanjay does and scissor it if I have to.

Ain't it the truth?

Great story. Although I never had the pleasure, I have worked with many of his regulars. They all spoke well of him.

I don't have any clever toys really. I have the new Dolly Mate pouch, held on by magnets that really works well. In it I keep channel locks, phillips head screwdriver, crescent wrench, allen wrench set, flashlight, a couple of small levels, and a razor knife, and a couple of threaded baby pins. I'm a Chapman user so I also have an 1 1/2" ratchet. I do keep a couple of extra washers and 1 1/2" bolts for rigging in my wedge cart as well as one with a baby pin welded on it. I had a foot peg for the Hustler 4 made up for those spots where a sideboard won't fit. I have a set of portaglide skate wheels that are really handy for long lens work.

As with everything else, "righty tighty lefty loosey." The knob should tighten as the load falls. Keep the knob on the right.

If you use stands, they should be steel. Or get a couple of "candlesticks" and chain vice grip them or the stands to the rails. Don't forget a safety cable thru the bails. The stands or sticks should touch the floor of the basket. If they're too short, get some cribbing. Wow, it's been a while but it suddenly came flooding back.

Just a heads up to all my current and former readers. Dollygrippery.com is now at dollygrippery.net. Drop by and say hi. D

I worked with tim years ago. This wont help much but i do remember he said he had studied martial arts for years. He had also apparently done very well in real estate. We lit with a lot of kino flows. Sorry but thats about it.