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Gripping Injuries?


Max Field

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Just wondering if anyone can share some stories?

 

Pinched fingers are pretty common, but I usually need to grip and shoot all on my own.

 

This lead to a scare 2 days ago. Was taking down a MR1K off a 7.5 foot high speed rail. Some of the weight was pressed on the baby pin, but I was trying to adjust the angle it was screwed in at.

Suddenly it slipped off the pin and I was trying to hold it up with one arm to get it back in place. This worked for about 2 seconds until my shoulder buckled and dislocated.

 

It popped back in quickly but I was one-armed for the rest of that shoot... Then tried playing basketball later that day.

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Just wondering if anyone can share some stories?

 

Pinched fingers are pretty common, but I usually need to grip and shoot all on my own.

 

This lead to a scare 2 days ago. Was taking down a MR1K off a 7.5 foot high speed rail. Some of the weight was pressed on the baby pin, but I was trying to adjust the angle it was screwed in at.

Suddenly it slipped off the pin and I was trying to hold it up with one arm to get it back in place. This worked for about 2 seconds until my shoulder buckled and dislocated.

 

It popped back in quickly but I was one-armed for the rest of that shoot... Then tried playing basketball later that day.

 

 

sorry to hear about your injury .. but basically this is why we need unions.. and 10 hr turn arounds etc.. people get injured and some die .. dont want to be all preaching but you shouldn't do a shoot that requires a grip/spark.. but producers expect the DP to do it..

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The thing is, if I don't grip for it, the work doesn't come out looking good thus not leading to more work. Like I don't really have the leverage to uphold basic labor laws lol.

Edited by Macks Fiiod
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The thing is, if I don't grip for it, the work doesn't come out looking good thus not leading to more work. Like I don't really have the leverage to uphold basic labor laws lol.

 

 

Yes sure see what you mean.. hello capitalism .. ;)... I guess no easy answer .. but two things.. the people you are working for now will always treat you like this..if they ever get a big budget film they wont ask you to shoot it..empirical fact.. and a person who is paralyzed or dead ,have very limited career opportunities ..

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All true, Robin, but I'm inclined towards the OP's point of view on this. Personally I never really expected to end up shooting big budget movies and TV shows so the choice remains either try to make it look good or don't. Naturally I'm not promoting doing anything really unsafe but have I shot stuff where I should have had a proper crew and didn't, and did I do it anyway? Sure.

 

The choice I eventually took was to realise that unless we are very good and extremely lucky (and I am neither) the maximum level of advancement in this field is really not all that spectacular, and I really stopped pursuing camerawork, which was probably one of the best decisions I ever made.

 

It's a mug's game, really. For what it's worth, whenever I do shoot stuff these days it's still always going to be terribly cheap and nasty.

 

P

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Yes I know there is a thin line... and of course we want to do our best work.. but you have to be careful of the so called producers who will always take advantaged of that .. as Im sure they have since silent film days.they are not your friend...and these same people will never, never, ever give you the shoot with the decent budget.. its a losing hand..

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What kinda spirit is that, Phil??

One brought to you by the department of reality, founded by someone who attended the school of hard knocks, the college of unanticipated fists to the face, and the university of getting the poop kicked out of you.

 

(Thankyou, Edmund)

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This injury could have occurred on a union shoot too.

 

 

Not by the DOP though.. or at least it would have been a 2 person job.. taking a 1K off a 7.5 feet high rail by yourself ..!..Im just saying generally a properly crewed set will have less injuries than a tried over worked DP doing the grips/sparks job too.. thats pretty much common sense no..?

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I don't wish to make light of your injury, but a Mole 1k weighs about 10-12 pounds. That's hardly a huge weight to have to deal with. You're just as likely to injure yourself carrying groceries from the store to your car.

Duh 12 pounds is light, I could carry 150 pounds if it had a handle at my side, the issue is that my arm was at a weird angle because of the speedrail, and being so high up: not at the average center of strength (below the shoulders). All of the weight was placed on a tendon as opposed to a muscle.

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Duh 12 pounds is light, I could carry 150 pounds if it had a handle at my side, the issue is that my arm was at a weird angle because of the speedrail, and being so high up: not at the average center of strength (below the shoulders). All of the weight was placed on a tendon as opposed to a muscle.

Well, duh maybe you should have used a ladder. There are plenty of common sense rules for safe lifting.

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My key grip once tried to move a light without lowering the head. It was up pretty high and I saw him losing balance so I told him to stop. Lower the light and then move it. Also common is plugging in a light and not checking to see if the unit is switched on. Which, when barn doors are closed, leads to a cooked set of doors and a blown lamp.

 

Basic safety protocol in G&E is common sense but it's always better to have experienced crew on board. Even they can get tired and forget the usual checks and balances so just imagine the damage and injury an intern or student can do. Not worth it.

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Not by the DOP though.. or at least it would have been a 2 person job.. taking a 1K off a 7.5 feet high rail by yourself ..!..Im just saying generally a properly crewed set will have less injuries than a tried over worked DP doing the grips/sparks job too.. thats pretty much common sense no..?

 

 

cameras weigh more than that 1k :)

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cameras weigh more than that 1k :)

 

 

Its not the weight its the place it was.. and the guy did dislocate his shoulder.. pretty sure this would have been better as a two man job.. your not seriously arguing the case for DP,s to be doing grip work on under staffed shoots are you... does other mean producer :)

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Its not the weight its the place it was.. and the guy did dislocate his shoulder.. pretty sure this would have been better as a two man job.. your not seriously arguing the case for DP,s to be doing grip work on under staffed shoots are you... does other mean producer :)

Sounds like we have a PROUD SCAB on our hands!

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Rotator cuff injuries are very common, when handling even light objects with arm extended and hand in a high position like at shoulder level or above. Humans are actually pretty fragile, but men often don't like to admit it. If you want to have a long working life, slow down and be careful and know how to lift things and do physical tasks. Anyone who tells you otherwise ignore them - they don't care it's not their life.

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Sounds like we have a PROUD SCAB on our hands!

 

 

Well now..I wasn't implying that.. thats a pretty heavy accusation.. but I wouldn't argue the point that a 1k isnt that heavy and therefore its the DP,s mistake to get injured ..?? who shouldn't even be de rigging by themselves in the first place .. non ?

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There are plenty of non union shoots that go on without injury.

My world is print. We do not have any unions. We are not flooded with injuries.

My "other" title is because there isn't a choice for Still Photography equipment rental shop owner.

If you don't want to work on a low budget shoot then don't do it and certainly do not do anything that could injure you. You have to make those decisions.

 

I am not against unions and I support them.

 

 

A DP could hurt his back by reaching over a production table to pick up a camera rather than walk around the table to get a better grip.

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There are plenty of non union shoots that go on without injury.

 

My world is print. We do not have any unions. We are not flooded with injuries.

 

My "other" title is because there isn't a choice for Still Photography equipment rental shop owner.

 

If you don't want to work on a low budget shoot then don't do it and certainly do not do anything that could injure you. You have to make those decisions.

 

I am not against unions and I support them.

 

 

A DP could hurt his back by reaching over a production table to pick up a camera rather than walk around the table to get a better grip.

 

Sure a nuclear strike could happen at any time.. not sure how your point applies to the topic though..? the point is an under crewed unit is empirically more prone to injury than one thats not.. to say just don't work on low budget productions is not the answer.. this is the "logic" used by "free marketers" to undermine unions..again you seem to be making excuses for things to stay as they are..? I would think twice about posting that on a Cinematographers forum.. where people could well have friends killed or injured on low budget films.. yeah Print .. not flooded by injuries.. strange that..?..

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