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John David Miller

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Everything posted by John David Miller

  1. Try ACF-50, its expensive but good. I wouldnt use an abrasive the would scratch the crome. Quick drying car wax works well to keep your risers feeling like butter.
  2. Why not just put the light on the top pipe, get rid of everything else, and use the risers on the stands to lower it all together just out of your frame? They also make stirrups or drop-downs that make lowering a light from a pipe grid fairly quick.
  3. In addition, cover the dolly seat with a plastic bag. This way if does stop raining and the operator takes off his rain pants he doesn't sit in a wet seat. ?
  4. I don't know of a stand that goes 30' in the air. If you are near a Home Depot, see if they have a "Towable 30' Boom Lift." This will probably be cheaper than renting and delivering a tall stand that won't get you the height you are looking for without scaffold.
  5. Last time I used a diffusion balloon was in Hawaii. The wind got a hold of it and snapped the tabs on the balloon that the lines were tied to. As it sailed off out over the Pacific I felt compelled to call the FAA to warn local air traffic of the object. Helium is pricey these days. The cost and the limitations of the balloon make it a very situational piece of equipment. Working somewhere you aren't allowed to rig for example. "Hey we want to diffuse the light spilling through the oculus of the Pantheon..."
  6. I also use a rolling pipe organ cart. The pipe organ goes from 5.5 ft-1ft in 6" increments and holds 18 of each size. The cart also holds 6 milk crates for speedrail fittings and a toolbox on top. The idea being mobile and still fits through normal doorways. I mark the size with a black marker on each side of the cut pipe. You can slip fit your 1" pipe inside the 1-1/4" pipe for storage. For longer pipe I store in the lumber rack on my truck. The ends are painted for easy recognition. 12' = red, 10' green, 8' black, and 6' yellow. These colors carry over to the 1" square tubing used for overhead frames and for the actual bags the overheads are stowed in. So, for example, a 12x grid cloth will be in a marked red bag and take 4 red pipe, and a set of corners and ears. Hope this helps.
  7. Just because you can afford it and the OP has a pretty reel doesn't make it best... Knowing what your trying to accomplish is a good first step...a dolly/jib on circle track may be best.
  8. While the Flighthead is not great for a Techno, it should've handled a simple move like that. My guess is operator error. Perhaps he had the pan locked off on the fulcrum since you were just pulling straight back. Doing this will make things worse. The cable drives within the crane could've been going bad.
  9. I agree with Samjay on this. If your looking to the internet for a how to on Car Rigs you're asking for trouble. I'm not too concerned with your camera but more the innocent people that my get hurt by it flying off. Even at a professional level things can quickly go wrong with car mounts...so many variables. The only camera Id trust with a rig solely off suctions cups on a freeway is a Gopro. We use suction cups, sparingly, as brace points. Even so I've had many cups come off. If you can't get someone with expierence to do this for you, make sure its safe. Use several suction cups and a camera safety.
  10. That sounds like an expensive time-lapse shot. Your best bet would be a repeatable Techno. Lookup Pacific Motion or Technodolly.
  11. I just get coarse thread wood screws for 3/4" and smaller. Most dry wall is 1/2"-5/8" thick which doesn't leave much purchase for a screw thats 3/4" long. This makes a "drywall screw" at a length of 3/4" a rare item to find.
  12. The key is to make sure you get casters that easily handle the max weight of your cart and the punishment your crew will put it through. I don't really care for foam filled casters, they make a heavy cart tougher to push and maneuver and they get flat spots if your cart sits for a few weeks. I like an overbuilt caster with a high PSI in the tires. http://m.grainger.com/mobile/product/HAMILTON-Swivel-Pneumatic-Caster-WP98267/_/N-ir4?fromPidp=true You only have to pay for quality once...
  13. I usually get about 50 sheets of 1/2" CDX plywood and lay a path for carts and video village. Its cheap and light weight. If this costs too much you can always get less and leap frog your way out there (this takes time/$$$ as well). For heavy vehicles I'll lay down rolls of chain link fence which gives the tires traction in the sand.
  14. And remember to safety off that camera!! I've seen them fall...
  15. Build a goal post with pipe and put a ball leveler on it, or a cheese plate with a dovetail. If they get a periscope you can get even closer to the ceiling.
  16. Remember the bed of a pick/up truck is independent from the cab. This means bracing off to the cab is a very bad idea...
  17. I carry 6x6, 8x8, 8x12, 12x12, 10x20, 12x20, 20x20, and 20x30 on my truck. Basically 2 of each: Solid Silk Single Double Grifloyn Ultrabounce Silent Full, Half, 1/4 Grid Soft Frost 1/2 Soft Frost Bleached/Unbleached Muslin Chrome Blue/Green Digital Blue/Green LCDs This is pretty standard for a custom grip package...maybe drop the 20x30s if space/cost is an issue.
  18. I've heard of people being fired for calling large backings of duvetyne "blacks." Yelling "Lets go, we're hanging some blacks on stage 17." Didn't go over well... You have to have some prudence set. You don't hear an AD saying, "we just have a Mother/Daughter then we break for a half," anymore...
  19. Make sure the production has insurance; maybe use GoPros. If your looking to the Internet for advise on how to rig real cameras to cars you probably shouldn't be the one doing it. Lots of variables and very easy for things to go bad. I hope you don't hurt anyone...
  20. B2Pro makes a similar light...much cheaper but probably not 80% If you want something very cheap; take an 8x frame and skin it with half grid. Then tape two sheets of foamcore together into an 8x8 and cut a large circle in the middle of the foamcore. Clip it to your 8x frame like a hard matte (black side facing the subject). Book light or push through an intermidiate diffusion to get an evenly lit, large, circular light source. If you want it softer...cut a bigger circle or move it closer. Cheaper but slower...lots of stands.
  21. Try 1/2 Soft Frost, it's very efficient...poke holes if you like.
  22. Perhaps someone will erect a statue of a critic... RIP Roger.
  23. I'd use one or both of the camera's in your current package. I'd bring in a seasoned grip to rig them anywhere you want. Perhaps spend a couple of days with him doing nothing but rigs (planes, trucks, tractors, combines, etc...)
  24. Here is one of the "best of the best." A great place to see professional reals. http://www.skouras.com/cinemetographers.php
  25. The gel material is like a dust magnet. Maybe you can attach it to an optical flat and sandwich it between a glass ND filter. Like a glass ND .3, Rosco ND 1.2, optic flat to give you a tasty ND Oreo. Keep the gel tight and exterior light off it. I believe you get problems with color shift after 4 stops of ND. At which point ND + IR is needed. I'm sure one of our ASC members could give more a detailed explanation.
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