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Peewee 1, Advice?


Jaden Scholes_65655

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Hey Im new to working with the Peewee and was hoping somebody out there could point me in the right direct to find some good tutorial on assembling the peewee and give me some general advice about the peewee itself and what an operator should do and not do.



I am planning on going into a rental house before the shoot to have some hands on experience with it as well but thought I'd post something here and see who bites.



I was also hoping to get some advise on what a dolly grip would bring to set with him/her on the day of shooting. I have a background as an electro and have been around other dolly grips but have never got into the details of what they bring to set. Would love to hear from some one.




Thanks again guys



J


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I don't really do a whole lot of dolly gripping myself but I do get a call every now and then and can pull it out in a pinch when i have to. If it's a big project with a lot of money on the line and complex moves I'll turn that down, but it's not that hard if it's a small project and the moves are simple. I'm admittedly more familiar with the fisher 10 and 11 than chapman stuff as that's the one the rental house I used to work at carried, but they're pretty similar in concept. Best advice is to do exactly what you were planning and go to the rental house and spend some time putting it together and taking it apart, get real familiar with all the parts - if you at least start your day knowing what everything is you can at least fake it till you make it.

 

For me the hardest part has always been leveling the track - not so hard if you're inside and if the floor's really level you may not even have to, but can be a royal pain on outdoor locations. A solid dolly grip can level in even the roughest terrain in no time, takes someone like me a little longer. If you're shooting outside just make sure you get all the leveling stuff you need from the rental house, and when you think you have enough cribbing, wedges, basos, and apple boxes, get more.

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What do you need to know ? I own a PeeWee and Hybrid.

There is no assembly needed except to put a riser on if needed or low mode. Platforms, seats etc.

If you don't know the basics I would highly recommend you meet with someone at the rental house to take you through it.

You could hurt yourself or someone else.

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I have already been a couple times to a rental house here in montreal to go over it with the guys and was lucky enough to work on a couple of shoots with an experienced dolly grip and I have another full day with it when I get to toronto. Also this isn't the first time I've been around that dolly just the first time I will be in charge of operating one. Im very safe on set and understand set protocol well.

 

I'm just looking for any tips I can get to make it run smoother. I have leveled lots of track before and can do that no problem but would love to hear any tricks anyone might have, but stuff like what wheels to use in what situation, when would you use the push bar if ever and why you would use it, is there's anything weird about charging the system is the pump faster to use than the charger, can the charger be plugged in while pushing, any tricks about timing a complicated move like using a metronome or is it a waste of time and distracting when to use the your monitor and when to use your marks, what's your favorite wax to use on the track and why etc.

 

Ive read up a bunch on a couple other forums, talked to other dolly grips, worked with the Peeweek under some one else and have already got some answers to all of these questions but I want to have as many opinions as possible so I can do the best job I can when I get on set. I've been following a lot of the posted on this page and have learned a lot from everyone here and was hoping to get some more amazing advise.

 

Look forward to hearing for everyone and anyone

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  • 5 months later...

The Pee Wee one is bare bones. There is no charging system on it. Pumps up manually. The Super Pee Wee has the electric charging system. Charge up before take one. You get about three top to bottom booms per tank. No on the wax. I use bar soap. Rub it on the wheels or on the track dry. Quiets any squeaks on floor or track. Takes a bit longer to apply, but there's no cleanup and you don't leave slick areas on the floor like with sprays. In wet conditions, use a spray like Pledge or Silicon. Make sure you have a the leveling stuff. The tech scout should tell you what you 'll need then bring more. I like pads in the grass. Not a fan of bassos but there good for the fill ins. Alumna beams for extreme hill sides and rocky areas.

As to what wheels. I use Chapmans medium compound wheels 95% of the time. Try to protect them . Don't go jamming through the gravel or any terrain that might cut them up. Troughs on track are great. They're fast and forgiving on your leveling job. Keep them rolled out before the take. I use them when I have too. I prefer the dolly down on the track.

 

As to your last questions. Timing and touch are all from experience. Watch the action! Monitor and marks are references. I believe if you see that it needs to be fixed on the monitor you're too late. You know how far you have to go and how far the actors need to go. Time it out. Feather you stops and starts, your operator will thank you, especially if he's on a fluid head. A lot of actors hate marks, be ready for the unexpected. Use your marks and monitor to check where your at. Your Ac will thank you when you're close to them if not on them. When the actor falls short you may need to adjust to keep the size right. Get good at knowing how far things are from the camera. You think the AC has it rough, you'll be trying to do it from 3 to 4 feet behind the camera. Good Luck, and have Fun. (Don't go off the end of your track)

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