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james fotherington

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    Grip
  1. I don't think not wanting to use mafer clamps is a short sighted idea . I think that they might be handy if that is all you have (as far as small clamps go), but as I've mentioned before there are better devices out there now . I stopped using them a decade ago . I have not had any issues trying to rig anything without them in that time , so saying that the idea of not using them is shortsighted is I believe a shortsighted idea .
  2. Here is another shot of the same type of rig . I built this system about 10 years ago . I haven't touched body panels on cars for quite some time . With the exception of maybe a top point on the camera when it is high and in close . I'll usually use a suction cup w/protective film behind it or try to stick to the glass .
  3. THe opening shot in "I am Cuba" pretty amazing what they did with the technology available at the time .
  4. Here's a pic of a car job I did four or five years ago .
  5. Big Bytes are sold by modern studio equipment . The guy from rhino told me they were billet aluminum . Of course that was a long time ago so maybe they are just machined now .
  6. Big Bytes are a lot larger than rhino clamps . They are also made of cast rather than machined from billet . I find they grab better than rhino clamps (It might be the size) and you also don't need a tool to use them . The only thing to remember is that the baby pin which threads into the big byte is threaded with a rh thread so when you grab something off axis perpendicular to the jaws you need to make sure you use right hand rule just like a c-stand . Maybe I'll do some tests to show the deflection of mafer clamps compared to big bytes and cardellinis . To me there really is no comparison .
  7. Let's see some pics of rigs you guys have done . Vehicle mounted ones in particular . Lighting , Camera or SPFX doesn't matter . I have a bunch but I'll have to get some of them scanned as they were from a long time ago before we started using digital cameras . Here's one to start . This a rig I did on a sled in Goose Bay NFLD on a canadian military job . If you go to the DND website I think you can see the spot . It was a little shaky and the lens got completely covered in ice but the director liked the energy of it and used it anyway .
  8. That looks like it worked pretty well . I don't think it was a dangerous as you thought . I've mounted various different arms in the back of pickups and other vehicles more times than I can remember . It's one of those scenarios that seems really dangerous the first time but if you make sure your load capacities are well well within the manufacture's spec then you shouldn't ever have a problem . As long as there aren't many big bumps causing large shock loads . Here is a pic of a rig I did on my rock crawler a few years ago . It's a gyro stabilized flight head mounted on the filmotechnic shock mount . It worked amazingly well (considering we drove through the waves on a beach completely submerging the head itself) Maybe we should start a thread about vehicle mounted rigs to see what other guys have done ?
  9. No need to be facetious or bring up your credits . You are the most supreme grip ! I still wouldn't use a mafer clamp .
  10. you could also buy an adapter plate . they don't articulate as much but saves you from switching back and forth with tools .
  11. Big bytes are the same style of clamp as a rhino . Don't know if you've ever heard of those before but they've been around for a good decade or a bit now . If you guys are really interested I'll take some pics of my stuff and post em' up . As far as the mafer debate goes , they are inferior to the two I mentioned before also the rhino and any other clamp I use . I didn't even like them 20 years ago when they were kinda the only type of clamp that size . I believe there are superior devices these days and I wouldn't trust them with much more than a practical bulb over someone's head(especially when they are being made in china) I have seen ones that were originally manufactured in I believe Italy - Fail due to cracked cast pieces . Anyone who endorses the use of that clamp does not have a very good understanding of the basic physics principles involved with what these things do for us . Not trying to personally insult anyone , maybe the reason you still use mafers is financial or you don't have access to the tools I have the privilege to use on a daily basis .
  12. There is a guy locally selling a phoenix crane right now . Let me know if you want his contact info . I've used these cranes for over ten years and I prefer them to any other if we don't have the budget for a techno .
  13. I believe mafer clamps are a thing of the past , or should be . Other than on a magic arm (which we never use) there really is no reason to use a mafer . I also like big byte baby's they grab a bit better than cardellins . They both have their own spot .
  14. I like the stinger and the aerojib . I have used pretty much every arm out there many times and these two are my favorites . I think the travato is a little underbuilt for 35mm cameras as well as the portajib . The telejib is a very heavy device that doesn't work very well at all and cannot do what they claim . I've used the straight shooter probably a hundred times over the years but don't any more because I believe the first two I mentioned are superior . I do like fisher jibs the 21-24 are all very well built and sturdy .Also pretty straight forward to put together . I have also used anti grav arms and pretty much everything else you could think of . If you need any specifics or quirks about any of these arms pm me and I'd be happy to help any way I can .
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