Don't Forget to Vote

In the "dolly of choice poll", that is. I was curious who likes what, so I added a little poll to the right. I know, the Hybrids and Hustlers are really for two different location situations, but some people just prefer the Hybrid in any situation. So let us know what you like.

Great Post on Hollywood Juicer

Check out this week's post on http://hollywoodjuicer.blogspot.com. It concerns the move to renegotiate the IA contract that HBO has been beating the crap out of us with for years. This contract was awarded to HBO when they were starting to do their own original programming and we threw them a bone. Now, they're a powerhouse, yet still working under the same low rent contract. Check out the post and sign the petition to the IA.

Things Are Slow

I'm not sure what's going on in the business right now, but from all I can gather, things are slow in the feature world in LA. Two friends of mine are working in Detroit (the latest winner in the incentives race). Personally, I've been offered, and then lost two shows in the last month when they went away. One was in Atlanta and one was in Detroit. The Detroit one disappeared when the producers apparently didn't turn in their paperwork on time for the incentives and lost them. They then decided to move the show to LA and shoot it as a "tier 3" production (think $19.00 an hour to key) My Key Grip told them they'd be doing it "MOU" (Mit out us). The other one just disintegrated when the director got fired. I'm fortunate enough to be working on one of the two studio features shooting in LA right now. It's a mixed blessing, however, because it's second unit and has quite a few down days while we wait for first unit to finish a particular stage or actor. So, I'm in the midst of an eight day layoff and the phone ain't ringing. Not for features, anyway. Television is going gangbusters though. Those same guys we felt sorry for when all us feature guys were working and they were off, during the writer's strike, are now passing us on their way to work as we walk to the mailbox. It is one of the most fun second units I've ever done though. We've had a Techno almost every day (if not two), and are doing actual scene work as opposed to just inserts of radio knobs or POV's of guns. I've made an uneasy truce with my dolly and am starting to get the feel for it. It had been a good ten years since I'd pushed a Fisher and was not happy at first, but it's getting a little better as I get reaquainted with it. The grips are all top notch and we have a good time. I probably have a better time than they do though as I watch them haul 40x40 greenscreens up to the perms.
I am getting some commercial calls and picked up a few days during this hiatus, but I need a full on first unit feature for about 4 months.
We go until October 6, and then who knows?

I Won the Contest

I won the "Best Wrap Party" story over at Script Goddess ( http://scriptsupervisorforum.blogspot.com). with my intoxicating tale of a night many years ago when I was much younger and hangovers didn't take three days to recover from. Check out her site and learn about the mysterious world of the Script Supervisor (a Dolly Grip's best friend).

Supersliders

The new website for Supersliders is up at http://www.supersliders.net. Check it out!

Quick Reference for Searchers

I can tell what a lot of people are searching for when they find this site from a search engine by checking my stats. To aid some of them and save them some time, read this...

You can't buy a Fisher or Chapman dolly, they are only rented.

There is nothing about Dolly Parton on this site (But maybe there should be).

The link for Doggiecam is to the right in the links section.

There is nothing meaningful about the Wally Dolly on here. I've never used it but it's Australian.

Key Grips on larger budget films make anywhere from 35.00 to 40.00 an hour. (In the US). Email me if you want to know general dolly rates. I'm not going into it here.

There's nothing on here about making dolly track out of PVC or making your own dollies.

I don't bad mouth people or productions on here. If I have a story to tell, I'll generalize it so that you can't tell who it is, but you'll get the point I'm making.

Dolly Grips deliver camera movement in the motion picture industry. We rig cameras on objects and keep camera crews safe.

Deferred Payment is a way to get you to work for free and make the producer feel better. You won't get paid. It's a scam.

There is nothing about moving furniture on this site.

I hope this saves some time for those who accidentally stumble on this page. You are still welcome to look around.
There is another new post below this one. It's two-For-One-Day!

Race Between the States

Hi all. Not much going on here this week. The SAG strike/non strike seems to still have most people in a state of confusion, me included. But work continues and there's no strike as of yet. I was suppose to be off for most of the week, but will be shooting some tests for a couple of days.

I keep hearing that the rest of the year will be busy. Around the country, Shreveport appears to be ramping up. Michigan is busy. And Atlanta, which just passed a hefty tax incentive package is poised to get busy. So continues the neverending race by the states to see who can pass the most giveaways to entice producers to shoot in their state. In a lot of ways, this is a good thing. In many of these states, the local technician pool just can't support two or three productions, so that means a rate and housing/ per diem for the rest of us. I benefitted quite well last year (Connecticut, Shreveport) and this year (Massachusetts) from this situation.What can get comical about this is the insistance by producers that you hire non-existent locals to crew up. We ran into this situation last year in Shreveport. With three other productions going on, the people just weren't there. Yet the producers insisted on hiring locals. Acording to the Best Boy, the conversation went something like this...Producer: "We want you to hire locals." Best Boy: "There aren't any. They are all working." Producer: I know, but we want you to hire locally." Best Boy: Yes, we understand, but there aren't any more." Producer: "Yes, but to maximize our tax breaks, we're going to need you to hire some local technicians." Best Boy: "If they aren't working right now, there's a reason. We can't find any more. There are three other shows right now." Producer: "We need you to hire locals." This supposedly went on for another 20 minutes or so.
Later, when one of the locals we did hire almost got run over by a bus he was lying under and another couldn't figure out how to open the does- all cart (lift the latch), more outside techs were brought in. This is a generalization and the order of events may not be exactly correct, but it all happened.
Here's the thing, I was a local on the East coast for years. I know what it's like and the good ones who are there will be the first to tell you when there aren't any more. I don't know if the local Film Commission is fudging the numbers when they tell the studios about the crew base or what, but many times they arrive in Ball Ground, Georgia or Natchitoches, La thinking the place is crawling with out of work top -of -the- line grips and juicers. And the deals they offer to bring you in are even more hilarious sometimes. Producer: "We'll give you 25.00 and hour and 100.00 a week living allowance. Best Boy: "That's against union rules and we wouldn't work for that anyway." Producer: "OK, how about 200.00 a week box rental and 28.00 an hour and you join the union there (we know a guy) and work as a local?" Best Boy: uhh No. Producer: "I'm sorry, but the prices you are asking are way out of line for _____________." Best Boy: "Well we're not from ____________. We can stay home and make our rate and go home every night."
Producer: "Allright, I'll pay your rate but you have to hire the locals that aren't working on the other four movies here in ______________." Best Boy: "There aren't any locals."
You can imagine the stories we tell.
So wherever you end up this coming year, be safe, have fun, and save your per diem.

Checking In

Still on 2nd Unit although we've shut down for a few days (I guess to let 1st unit catch up-ha ha) We move along pretty fast. Chris, who has written to the site several times, was working on the Sony lot on a commercial and stopped by to say hi, although we only had time to shake hands and say "Hi." It was good to see him. That's one great thing about starting this site is that I've made friends with a lot of Dolly Grips and Grips I otherwise might have never met. Dolly Grips by design rarely work together, but are starting to fraternize more than they used to. It's starting to be seen as more of a specialized craft than just something some guy bumps up to to get the rate, at least in my opinion, and the more we all communicate the better it will get.
I'm using a Fisher 10 on this one and as most of you know I'm not a regular user. The DP chose it before I got there though and I'm stuck with it. Other than his taste in dollies, which I have yet to bring up to him, he's a good guy, though , and I like him a lot. This dolly, though, is going to be the death of me. I had a push in and boom down on a doorknob the other night on a 65mm at about 4 ft to 3 ft with about 2" depth of field and it was a trial to feather the stop on the boom down. I remembered something from my earlier days on the Fisher, however, when someone told me to use the whole forearm rather than the wrist which should dampen it a little. I'm just used to the immediate feedback from the arm on a Hustler/Hybrid that you don't get with the 10.
Chris, it was good to meet you in person. If any other of you are on the lot in the next few weeks, please stop by and say hi.

Rocket Cars and Technocranes

Hey everyone,
Still on 2nd unit. Had a lot of fun tonight with the Griptrix camera car. We mounted a 15' Techno on it and raced down the stage following Tom Hanks. We also had the 50' Techno on a 20' platform swinging around above us, so it was a chaotic day. Herb Ault himself came in and drove the car and it was a pleasure to work with him (for those of you who don't know, Herb is John Toll's Key Grip).
We just got a set of the new Fisher skates delivered. I haven't put a dolly on them yet. I looked at them and just from that I think the wheels are too soft. They are certainly sexy looking, but I don't think they'll withstand a long period of sitting still before flat spots become a problem. I'll let you know after I get a dolly on them. The wheels come with a set of inserts for the 11 (god forbid) and are really nicely machined.
I hope you all are staying busy and safe.

Skate Wheels Etc,

Hi guys,
I'm still on nights so posts are a little skimpy. A discussion was started on skate wheels in the comments of the last post. Continue it here if you like. For newcomers, the older posts tackle everything from dance floor to Lambda Heads so if you're looking for info on these subjects, try the older posts. At some point , I will go in and rename and categorize them better so that it's easier to find a specific topic. The floor's open, I'm going to work so talk about whatever.
D

2nd Unit Cont'd....

30' Techno, 50' Techno, 3 cameras, 300 extras. But it went really well.

2nd Unit

I start a second unit tomorrow night on a very large movie. It's with a Key Grip and DP I've never worked with. The Best Boy is an old friend of mine who called me for the gig. Anyway, I always dislike starting from scratch with guys I don't know and who don't know me. The first day is always like an audition. I always fear the infrequent but occasional personality clash (which has actually only really happened once in 20 years, but is always a possibility). A buddy of mine was supposed to push on it but decided he didn't want to be locked in to a 2nd unit for 3 months. I'll take it cause I've got nothing steady until possibly October anyway.
One of the music videos I did about 3 weeks ago is giving us money problems. They only sent half of what they owe and supposedly will send the rest later this week. I smell a rat. What is it with these guys? They made the budget and hired the crew and they decided to shoot a 16 and then a 20 hour day and now they don't have the money (or decency) to pay what they owe? I have never understood this mentality which seems to run rampant in the world of music videos. If we were plumbers and they didn't pay us they would expect to be taken to court (or the parking lot) immediately. But since it's the film business they think we're somehow so priviledged to work on their crap that they can't pay us the full amount even after a month? Gee, I wonder if the director got paid? If you want to hire people for free or only pay half of what you owe, take that crap to craigslist.

To Connect or Not To Connect

I've been working lately as a third, partly to get a little time away from the sled (and it's fun to set flags, something I had forgotten), and partly just because I'm in between jobs and I still have to make a mortgage payment. During this time, I've had a chance to observe other Dolly Grips at work, something I haven't had a chance to really do in quite a while.
I know a lot of you are of the "don't connect the track until it's level" school and that's cool. Everybody's got their system. After our earlier discussion, I thought I was in the minority because I actually connect it (preboxing is the key) and then level, usually by eye on long runs. A lot of guys still connect it first. I think it's about half and half. It's interesting to see the different ways guys have of laying track. A good friend of mine, who is presently pushing on Terminator 4 has recently gone to the dark side and switched to colored pads rather than wedges. I don't even want to know what he does first as I have disowned him and no longer speak to him (of course, I'm kidding). I'm just afraid he'll bring it up in one of our frequent phone conversations and it will get....awkward.
By the way. If you've been behind the dolly for 10+ years, and you go back to set gripping, it hurts. I'm not 25 anymore. Although I still try to throw a sandbag on my shoulder and grab a Mombo (stupid). My left arm will never be the same.
I remember, when I was a very young and virile grip, being proud of the fact that I could pick up a stack of 10 c-stands and carry it. If I saw someone doing that today I would berate them extensively. This reminds me of a story.......
When I was in high school I worked as a laboror for a brick and block mason. I weighed all of 140lbs soaking wet and got a daily ass kicking. Years later, I was a successful Dolly Grip and during some down time decided it might be fun to go back out on a Saturday and stack some brick. So, I called my old boss (whom I hadn't spoken to in 10 years) and asked him if I could come out and play. Bad move. I soon remembered why I had abandoned a career in the masonry arts. That's a little what I feel like now when I show up with my girly tool belt (yes, as discussed earlier, it's my wife's belt) as a dayplayer and all the regulars are asking, "Who's this guy?" Anyway, I have had the pleasure of watching some really old school Dolly Grips and I'm always up to learn a new trick or two.

PS- I tried carrying ten c-stands and one of the guys, who couldn't have been more than 25, berated me. (There's nothing quite like being yelled at by a 25 year-old who was still trying to get a date to his 6th grade Valentines dance when you were carrying c-stands).

Find a Door and Stand In It

Ever been to Vegas? There is a phenomenon that goes on there that I like to call the "moving block." It consists of crowds of tourists walking slowly through the casinos in throngs that take up the entire walkway as they stare about slackjawed. It is maddening. This phenomenon has a similar effect seen in film companies sometimes. Usually it shows up in one of two groups: extras, or directors and actors (there is a subgroup consisting of hair, makeup, and wardrobe and actors that I'll just assume is part of the larger groups for brevity's sake.) We've all been there. The 1st AD yells "Grip and electric's set!" then instead of actually making this so, the director decides to have a motivation conference with actors in the center of the room. Or, the extras wander aimlessly in clusters of befuddled wonderment at the frantic energy exploding around them. They seem to be deaf to calls of "Move or bleed," "Free dental work," or the ever popular, "Get the ##$& out of the way!" They'll even watch you, dumbstruck as you close in on them with a ten foot steel piece of track, wide eyed, yet unmoving as you approach.
After a couple of minutes (and a close call or two) I go to the 1st AD, who's merrily recounting some bit of tomfoolery with his 2nd and ask him to please remove the unnecessary personnel from the set. This usually works as he suddenly snaps awake and realizes that this is eating into his schedule. Unbelievably, there have been times when even this didn't work, at which point I start proclaiming loudly, "Double time's coming guys, this can take as long as you want it to." When this doesn't work, I simply go to my Key and explain the situation and tell him that I'll be sitting down on set until I have room to work without killing/maiming anyone with a piece of track. He will smile and nod. I'll pick a conspicuous place to sit down and invariably the 1st will spot me and ask if I'm laying track. I'll tell him I'm not doing anything until I have room to do it safely. This has always worked.
To me, apart from a safety issue, it's a matter of respect. When the actors and director are doing their thing I'm quiet, respectful and professional. I give them room to work. We should expect the same from them. Can you imagine who would get the boot if you happened to brain some actor in the head with an 8 footer because they were in your workspace?
Another favorite of mine is when the PA won't let you back on set. They've been told to guard the door and I've just run out to grab something and suddenly there's this 22 year old bruiser bodily stopping me (let me preface this by saying that PA's have a very difficult job and we'll all be working for them one day. I'm not talking about the veterans who are our best friends, but the newbies who haven't taken the time to learn to distinguish between the operator or dolly grip and the wandering extra) I try to explain nicely that I have to actually move the dolly during the shot and this has no effect. Depending on my mood, and what hour we're into, I'll give them a dismissive wave and brush them aside, or yell (I'm not proud of this one, but after 18 hours on day 5 you should know who everyone is).

Anyway, this is one thing that has driven me nuts for years so I thought I'd bring it up.

ah - here we go...

Hopefully this is readable. You may not want to see the specs as it is a little mind blowing...

An opportunity.

I've had an exchange of emails with Horst B over at TechnoCrane; he's looking into the future and is looking at the next great crane. They are hoping to start working on the prototype this fall with a roll out some time in late 2009...

The next beast? And I mean beast... the ST100. If I can I figure it out, I'll post the PDF he sent me with the specs they're hoping to deliver.

As it stands... 12' + of rise in the main column. At full stick, the top of the crane is 27' from the ground with a max lens height of 107' (!). Over 80' of travel on the arm alone!

Other than The Jolly Green Giant operating this behemoth, I can't wrap my head around how one would use this crane. What kind of base? You'd almost want to have it truck based (a la Titan).

In my conversations with Horst, he's graciously allowed me to bring the topic here and open it up to discussion. What would you like to see in Techno's next crane. Any suggestions on how to deal with the ST100 from an operator's point of view. Over time we can pull together thoughts and ideas and send them to Horst for review.

New Video

Check out the video called "My Russian Grips." I want to work with these guys. The other one just keeps popping up . It's a bunch of idiots jumping into thorns. I fear for the future of our country. I couldn't get it to go off, so you might as well watch it.

"Crane Operators"

I've noticed an interesting phemomenonon the internet over the last few years. There seems to be a train of thought (mostly among the uneducated on feature film production) that crane operators are a separate entity entirely from Dolly Grips. To demonstrate what I'm talking about, you can go to Wikipedia.org, type in "dolly grip" and then go to the discussions page. Granted, there are some operators such as "Jimmy Jib" guys who are their own thing. I've seen them on commercials and music videos and it's actually a relief to see them show up sometimes because they do it all themselves and it's a nice break. A jib isn't a crane though. I also noticed on an industry discussion board (mostly frequented by younger types still trying to break in) that another person who said she was a grip wanted to know how to become a crane operator and talked as if it were entirely separate from Dolly Gripping and even the Grip Dept. The only thing I can gather from all this is that these are people in another market than feature or television production (commercials, videos, etc). A lot of this also may have to do with the rise of the Technocrane and the techs who come with it. Some of them are very bad operators, and some are incredibly good. On commercials, a lot of times I, and other Dolly Grips I know will just let the techs do the move if we know them and know they're good. Movies are different, though. On a movie, I already have a relationship with the DP and director that will span a number of weeks or months. I'm familiar with their style and I also want to protect my moves (which sounds kind of strange, but you feature guys know what I mean). I was a little peeved at the Wikipedia page I mentioned before because one of the posts was left by someone who obviously had no concept of a Dolly Grip or the multiple abilities he or she brings to a production, and had apparently never seen one in action. I take pride (as all of you do) in being able to operate many types of platforms and being able to land a crane on a dime consistently. How many of us have "scraped the paint" on a car racing past or experienced that home run feeling when a camera lands at the exact split second on the exact inch of real estate we aimed for.
Dolly Grips and Crane Operators are one in the same.

Off Topic - Gear gone to Heaven

In a time long ago, I was a Key Grip. Pretty much a second rung guy, but still a medium sized fish in a medium sized pond. Out of all the gear I owned, my prized possession was my trailer. A 45ft moving trailer that I lovingly restored, added more belly bins to and was the talk of the town for a number of years. The photo is from the ad from which I found it. It was at the start of the move from rental house owned 5 & 10 ton trucks to personally owned trailers. Personal gear packages where and still are nowhere to be found, as no one has been able to compete with rental house prices & inventory, but trailers were one way one could make some money.

I took out my first loan (even prior to first house purchase) to purchase and outfit this trailer and was able to pay back the loan pretty quickly. That trailer was my workshop & my home away from home with a comfy office and bed for my lunch time naps. I always preferred to have a place to change into rain gear or cold weather gear without having to empty the truck first and maybe even a cold beverage at the end of the day.

As a grip, losing gear is frowned upon. It does happen - loaning your c-wrench to a locations PA to deal with propane heater tanks and never see him or the wrench ever again, or your personally painted pony clips showing up on electrician's belts all over town.

Fast forward a number of years later; the industry has taken a turn & times are tough. I've got a family & home. I'm forced to sell the trailer to a rental house who will give me the best bang for the buck. I keep an ear as to where and what the trailer is doing - it does one feature, then sits for the next year, which is not great for a trailer, so the rental house ditches it from it's inventory. I lost track of the trailer there.

Until over the weekend.

Five years later, I trip across my trailer! It's part of a traveling mall carnival. It's in pretty good shape. I couldn't get right in and see what condition was in, but it seemed to be more than road worthy.

Nice to see it's getting good use and in a "happy" place! My trailer had run off and joined the circus.

CineGear 2008?

I have yet to come across on the Internet any type of posting relating to the show; either manufacturer's release or visitor's reviews.

Did anyone go this year? And if so, was there anything new to be seen?

Putting Back on the Tool Belt- The Aftermath

It wasn't as bad as it could have been. The best part was, I couldn't find the belt to go with my tool pouch so I found one of my wife's old belts (a rather girly camo number that goes great with designer jeans) and wore that. The first thing I told the Best Boy was, "No, this ain't my sister's belt, it's my wife's."
It was kind of fun to work the set again. It was just plain old nuts and bolts series shooting, like they've done for 50 years. Some other guy was tied to the dolly all night, so I set flags, carried sandbags, built 12x's, and sat by the carts. We started with 5 guys (one of them being a "permit") . But by lunch, two of them disappeared (I don't know where and didn't ask) so me and a buddy pretty much hauled ass after that for the rest of the night. We laid 100' of track and all I did was throw out wedges. That part was strange. The Key said they had more days coming up and to leave my number, but I don't think I want to do that on a regular basis. I'm too damn tired. I'm sick of getting laughed at because of my belt anyway.

Putting Back on the Tool Belt

A friend of mine who's Besting second unit on a TV show has asked me to come on out and work as a third tonight for some car work. So I'm going to go down into the garage and see if I can find my old tool belt. Should be an easy night (oh boy, what was I thinking?)

Supersliders

It is true that I and a couple of friends have bought Supersliders. The owner, Tom Slocum, unfortunately passed away and a friend of mine (who was a friend of Tom's) was offered the company by Tom's wife. I, unfortunately, never knew Tom, but I have met several people who did and he is remembered as a good man who started a business and made it a success. The Superslider he created is a beautiful piece of work. Since I've become involved with it, I have become familiar with the care and attention to detail he put into developing this machine.
Our plans are to first, pay off the loan we acquired to buy the company, and then carry on Tom's vision of excellence in his company.
A few of you have enquired as to what the status of the Superslider is now. Right now, we aren't selling any sliders. I have several lengths (28", 3', 4' 5' 6') and we are renting them out to pay back the loan first. We're still in the process of trying to get it all set up and then we will begin making them again. It's very important to us that the Superslider continue to be made to the exacting standards Tom set forth and made the Superslider the best on the market. As soon as we have all our ducks in a row, we will begin to make them available for sale. To those of you who have asked, we're working on it.
Thanks to all of you who are fans of the Superslider and have asked about it.

I'll Never Do Another Music Video

I have been saying this for years, yet I keep taking them when I've got nothing better to do. I just finished a video in Las Vegas that was an 18 hour orgy of pain. We shot at the Red Rocks Casino (which is beautiful by the way) and the production shorted us a guy right off the bat, so I ended up Besting and pushing dolly ( I hate Best Boying. I hate dealing with the office and accounting etc. and I hate doing time cards). We shot from one end of the casino to the other with a Key and three and got our asses kicked because there was never enough time to catch up. Halfway through the night, someone got the idea to move the truck from the side of the casino where we started to the other side where we ended, ( a freaking half of a mile) leaving half of our crap still there for us to figure out how to get it to the truck at the end of the night. I was behind the dolly and didn't know anything about it until it was done. So, I ended up using my pickup truck to haul two loads back to the truck . Oh yeah, for all you production types, grip and electric sharing a truck doesn't save you money. It may look cheaper when you see the initial costs and are comparing the price of one truck to two, but the grips or electrics always sit around waiting on the other department to get loaded depending on who goes on first. My guys were waiting on electric to wrap about 2 miles of cable last night before we could load our stuff (at $100.00 an hour). If I hadn't gotten tired of waiting and used my own truck, they'd probably still be wrapping. And if you think we all pitch in together to help, wrong. I'm not an electrician. I don't know anything about electricity other than it makes lights glow, so I'm not going to muck up some juicer's wrap by "helping" him load 4 ought. I'm a Dolly Grip. You don't hire a plumber to put a new roof on your house, so figure it out. If you are too short sighted to have two trucks so the boys don't get beaten up at the end of an 18 hour day, I'm more than happy to take your money by sitting on the dolly and watching juicers wrap cable. I'm a helpful guy but I have my limits. Anyway, I didn't mean to get off on a rant, but it really was a ridiculously planned day. The producers were all very nice and I was treated very well with accomodations, per diem etc. I just hate to see someone trip over a dollar to pick up a dime and the working guys all get the crap kicked out of them as a result.
Now I'm much calmer.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all us Dads out there. I hope you're all taking a well deserved day off. I'm in San Francisco with the In -Laws, headed to the House of Prime Rib. Everyone have a great day.

New Video

Check out the Video Bar for the Travel Channel show Made in America's trip to Chapman/Leonard to see how the Peewee is made.

Staying Put

The one thing I hear most from other people about my job is,"I don't know how you stay behind that thing all day and never leave." The one thing I hear from most operators is, "You won't believe how many Dolly Grips just leave when the shot's over, and then they come back and I have to explain the next one to them." It's hard to stay there all day. Typically, you go from blocking rehearsal, to discussing the best way to do it, to laying a surface, to rehearsal, to shooting, to tear down, to blocking rehearsal. During the lighting and building phase, your camera buddies get to leave. You are the one guy who never can (except during the three favorite phrases: "Sticks," "High Hat," "Private Rehearsal").
It ain't easy, but this is what separates a lot of real Dolly Grips from the part timers. It can be grueling and tedious and sometimes infuriating but it's all part of it. I don't know how someone can leave all the time and know what's going on. I like being part of the process and making decisions about the best way to do a shot. Once I take myself out of that equation, I'm invariably screwed. Any time I've left and not been there for the discussion and set up, I've had problems with the shot. No matter how good the key grip is, if I'm not there to be in on the process, I've just made things harder for myself and had to redo what was done in my absence.
On dolly intensive days, I usually allow myself two breaks (not counting lunch). I take one in the morning at a slow period (actor discussion, lock offs, waiting on actors) and one in the afternoon. I just pick someone I trust to watch the thing for 10 minutes while I get away. There have been days when I literally never left except for lunch. It's hard, but this leads to the operator, DP, and director trusting you. They know they can count on you to be a calm voice of reason when things are starting to get a little wacko. There's also nothing like that chorus of PA voices shouting your name when they discover you're outside and they need you.
A lot of Key Grips count on you to be their eyes and ears when they're out doing something else too. The DP knows if you can't personally take care of whatever it is he wants done, you'll see that the grips know about it.
So, Stay Put (We always said this in the South, meaning, "stand still". I don't know if they say it anywhere else.)

It's Over

We finally wrapped. We shot our last day in New York City where I had the pleasure to work with some great grips (including Ted, who has written to the site before) It was great to meet someone who's actually written in.
Altogether, it was a great job to work on. The crew and the director were wonderful and the DP, Oliver Stapleton, was a pleasure to work with and top notch in every way. Jimmy McConkey, the "A" operator, and Dave Knox, the "B" operator were the best.
The main thing I learned on this job (actually I didn't learn it, I already knew it, but it was re emphasized) was the importance of checking out your dolly at the shop before it's shipped. This used to be a common thing, but productions no longer want to pay for it (unless you're getting your dolly out of the same town you're shooting in, then you can do it on a prep day) The last time I got a dolly out of Orlando, the production actually flew me down there for a day and back that night to check out dollies. The one I got this time was not good and I won't go into anymore details, I've covered it all previously, but the dolly was crap.
Productions just don't understand that the money you save in not checking out your machine will be lost and then some in down time and blown takes if you get a crappy one.
Anyway, enough about that, it's over and I made it work.
Another thing I learned: if you use a Euro-head, and don't have an adapter to Mitchell, a half-inch roll of camera tape works like a champ. I have a picture and will put it up when I get to my own computer.
Thanks all for the encouragement and the comments. Keep them coming. I'm headed home on Tuesday after a wrap day on Monday and I'll have more then.
D

Skate Wheel Talk

Thanks so much, guys , for keeping the discussion going. Internet is sketchy here so I'm popping in when I can.

Gripworks had a question about whether Porta-Glides worked for large dollies. The answer is yes. They are the same as other trough systems as far as that goes. I use Hybrids and Hustlers on them as well as Peewees (and Fisher 10's). I would be hesitant to put anything extreme like a dolly with a Fisher 23 jib on them (although I've done it) just because of the swing arm system they use. The wheels aren't directly under the troughs, they are extended out from them on swing arms. Like I say, I don't know that you shouldn't, I just didn't want to until I got the specs. As far as the wheels go, as Azurgrip says, they are different size wheels interspersed across the track, which keeps a smooth wheel always in contact with the rail, eliminating the bumps from flat spots. I mainly love them for this reason. It takes the headaches and second guessing out of moves where long dialogue necessitates sitting in one spot before tracking. I love 'em and the redesign sounds interesting.

Thanks CB and Megamoose for the play by play of the Fisher Open House and the panel. Sorry I missed it.

Sanjaya sent pictures and I'll go through them and post when I can.

Keep the discussions going. That's why we're here, to learn from each other and advance the craft.

D

Sitting on Stage

Hi all,
Sitting here on stage and finally got a minute to break away ("B" only shot). We're on airplane mockups all day so I expected a relatively dolly free day until they decided to build the crane and jam the arm down the aisle. I'm still having dance floor problems. The lumber up here (which is pretty crappy to begin with) seems to swell and contract. I'm getting floors with 1/32" lips at the joints, even with double laying everything. we ordered a whole new batch of birch and it all doesn't match, so it's been a nightmare but we're making it work. The rest of the show is mostly on stage until the last two days when we go to New York. I hear LA is extremely busy gearing up to the SAG strike.
I'm curious as well about how the Fisher speed wheels perform, but I can't see trading in my Porta-Glides for anything.
I hope everyone is well. I'll have more to post when all this is over.
D

New Pictures

Just because I haven't posted in a while, I added some new pictures just of various grip crap. Mainly to let you know I'm still here.

JL Fisher Open House

This post was written about the 2008 Open House. I'm writing this from the future. It's now 2009 and I noticed some searches for the open house leading here, so wanted to help you guys out. The Open House is on Saturday May 16, 2009. The address is JL Fisher, 1000 Isabel St. Burbank, Ca 91506. Please come on out. You can also visit http://jlfisher.com.

Since the both of us are on the East Coast now and are a few time zones away from L.A. I was wondering if anyone was going to the JL Fisher open house this Sat, May 17th. I would love to go and am disappointed to miss out on the "Movement of Camera" panel. If you do go, could you please drop us a line here and tell us about (the panel, any new products, etc)? Thank you kindly!

Cranes on Boats

This job involves a good amount of water work. We've had both the Techno 15 and the Phoenix on boats. I've learned two things- It's freaking cold in New England in May; Sightlines on crane shots change as the tide comes in (or goes out). The first two weeks of the show, everything I laid track on moved (docks, crappy carpet dance floors). I'm constantly tweaking my track because it moves. Anyway, we got some great crane stuff on the water, and we have one more day of it (I hope). Our cranes are mounted on a boat called a "Flight Deck." This thing will fly.It's not easy muscling around 2000 lbs of mass when you're flying and you can't feel your fingers. Hope everyone's doing well.

Just Checking In..

Hi everyone. I'm just adding some pictures to show a little of what we've been up to. It's all going well so I've got no complaints. Internet access is a little sketchy so I haven't been posting as much. The grips and a camera operator all got a beautiful house on the ocean and moved out of the crappy hotel, so at least we have a nice place to stay now. Everyone stay safe and send along any questions/comments.

The Endless Scene

We've all had them...the scene that comes last in the day that just goes on forever. It usually involves dogs or cats or some special effect. Yesterday, mine was a three sided mirror. We shot the master from one side. Two actresses standing in front of a three panelled mirror in a twenty by thirty room. We did a slow push in on them, switching from the mirror to them as we crossed their profiles. After two hours of endless miror tweaking and lighting, we switched to the other side to do a complementary push in ending in a complementary over. More mirror tweaking. The catch was that the room was smaller on the other side so we couldn't get as much movement in before blocking our lead actress before we were supposed to cross. Add timing all this to dialogue and you have yourself a recipe for a meltdown. We got it, though. At the end of it, the operator and I were pretty much done. The director (a great lady) came in and gave me a hug. I needed it.
Keep the comments and pictures coming. Going out to dinner with the boys.
Later

Update and New Pictures

We've been getting our asses handed to us for a couple of days so the posts have been a little few and far between. I've added some new pictures from the last couple of days work so you can see what we've been up to. Cranes, water, insert cars, and 9 hour turnarounds are pretty much the routine we've fallen into. It's cold up here too. Especially on the ocean trying to muscle a Phoenix crane around on a boat at high speed. Anyway, I'm tired and turning in. By the way, one of my hard track wheels fell apart (the bearings fell out as I was changing tires around) and one of my pneumatics has a leak. The hits just keep on coming. I'll catch up with everyone when I get a chance.
Later,
D

And The Brake Sucks

That pretty much sums it up.

Week One Over

Week one is over! The first three days were a little rough due to some equipment issues but since then, I've found my rhythm and it looks to be a fun show. This DP (who is a complete gentleman) likes to work the dolly. We use a lot of dolly and boom shots which I like. The operator, Jimmy, is first class. One thing I like about this cameraman is that he doesn't turn dolly shots into Steadicam shots because he thinks they're faster (see "Steadicam is Not Faster" 11/24/07). Dolly shots are dolly shots and that's how we do them. In answer to a question from earlier this week, I have used the cedar shingle shims. I think they're fine. It's more a matter of what works for each person. I have a pack or two of shims that I keep with me in case a crosstie is too low for a wedge (esp. on carpet, the weight of the dolly makes them kick up and hit the wheels). They're not the wide shingles, though. They're about 2" wide by 6" long. The wedges we make ourselves (or have made by someone).
I know the blog has been a litle sloppy and sparse lately. I'll try to get more done when I can. Azurgrip asked earlier this week what those of us who go on location a lot take with us. I think it's an interesting question, so let's see some answers. (This isn't what Azurgrip had in mind, but I take my Xbox 360)
I hope all is well where you are. Stay in touch.

Checking In and Laying Dance Floor on Carpet

Hi all. It's been a rough couple of days. I finally got my dolly issues taken care of. Chapman sent a tech out from LA and he tweaked the arm. It's pretty good now. At least I can tell where the detente is (the neutral space in the arm between up and down). It was non-existant before and the up has been taken off hair trigger. It's still slightly "on-off" for my taste but still night and day from what it was. We also are shooting in a large office with uneven floors and thick carpet. Normally (always) you double lay the plywood when on thick carpet and screw the top layer into the bottom.. Our dance floor moves were so large that we didn't have enough plywood for two layers, though. So after a couple of attempts (the plywood layer "walked" about 10 inches after only three or four takes) so we had to go to Steadicam until a shipment of ten more pieces of ply showed up today. The first shot, before the ply showed up, which we were able to do was a push in and turn through a 30" doorway chasing our lead actress into an office and then dancing around some more in there. It was a little tense when the plywood wouldn't stay in one place even after spiking it into the carpet with screws and simpson plating it together as much as we could. We managed to get the shot though. So the two headaches of the first day have been resolved and everything's starting to go better. There's nothing like that feeling that you can't give the DP what he wants (even though it's really not your fault) and everyone's looking at you. Unfortunately in this line of work it happens every now and then and there are some tense moments. It all worked out though.
I hope you all are doing well and working. I know Gil is working and Azurgrip is starting a pilot. Hope all goes well.

Hello From Boston

Hi all,

Spent the day prepping. I ran into a common problem (well, unfortunately it's common today). A lot of shows no longer want to pay a dolly grip to check out his dolly at the shop. Many times now, you arrive at location and your dolly has been shipped to you after being picked at random from the dealer. This can lead to a few problems. You might not have all the accessories you need, and the arm might not be what you like or need.I'm using a Hustler 4 and a Peewee 3. The Peewee is fine. The arm on the Hustler, however, is not quite what I would like. Most Dolly Grips like their arms a certain way. A certain amount of resistance and the way the arm actuates are a big deal when you are looking at spending 12 hour days for 10 weeks with a particular machine. The arm I have has a great, smooth action all the way up and down. It's a little faster than normal on the up (which I actually like, even in the "Normal" setting) but it has a hair trigger. The feather in is very sensitive and goes from 0 to 60 in a very small turn. It's also a very loose arm, almost no resistance. I like about a half inch of turn before actuating with a slow feather in and a little bit of drag on the turn. I spent the day on the phone with Chapman and they were wonderfully helpful. I ended up cracking the thing open and loosening the nut on top of the gear a little which gave a little more play before the start and seemed to slow down the start a little. Since I'm in Boston, I'm a long way from the nearest other Hustler. The arm is workable (at this point it's just becoming a matter of taste) but it's still not the way I would like it. I'll give it a couple of days to see how it responds and then see what my options are if I'm still not happy with it. It just seems silly to me that the machine you plan on shooting your movie with isn't checked out by the guy using it. It always makes for more headaches later. Anyway, that was my day. Hope yours was good.

Leaving Town

Hi everyone! I hope you're all busy and doing well. I'm leaving town tomorrow morning to start a movie in Boston so I may be quiet for a couple of days. Or maybe not, depending on how crazy it is when I get there.
Speaking of slider use, strangely enough, today I did a push in on track as the operator slid left and then poked a snorkel lens through a hole in a piece of hard gel for a French perfume commercial.
Anyway, I'll check in later.
D

Calling Your Shot

I was recently on a website that is production oriented and someone had asked how to accomplish a particular shot. Along with the shot he gave a link to a similar shot as a guideline. Several recommendations were given by various professionals, as well as mine, and all would accomplish what he was trying to achieve. This got me in mind of the Dolly Grip's role in the practicalities of a shot. If we're really lucky, a DP will describe what he wants, where he wants it, and then leave. Then it's up to us to decide the fastest, safest and easiest way to give him what he wants. Most of us have done this every day for years and are experts at accessing, and attacking a particular problem. A shot is thrown at you, you listen carefully and as the DP is talking, you are already running various scenarios through your mind,listing pros and cons, and deciding which plan is best. One of the answers given on the website offered more versatility, yet would have been a little awkward to operate. Another one was a little bit of overkill. This is the line we tread. How much is too much? I gave a scenario that would give the DP exactly what he asked for, but left little room for adjustment if the shot changed. Another person gave an answer that offered versatility, but would be inexact and hard to operate dolly-wise. Somewhere between the two is the correct answer. Generally, we tend to overthink things and make them more complicated than they have to be. Actually, it wasn't that complicated of a shot, something any of us would have come up with an answer to right on set in about 5 minutes. The beauty of experience is knowing that that simplest answer WILL work, and throwing it out almost off the cuff, because in your mental file, somewhere you've done the shot or something similar sometime in the past. After thinking about it, I still like my answer the best. I was shown a shot and asked how to duplicate it, and I gave the easiest answer, not one that would accomplish multiple variables of shots, but the one I was asked about. I don't think the other guys believe me, but that's ok. It beats the hell out of the idea the guy had about using the crane to do it.

Using Sliders

Sliders (or overkeepers) have their place, although, like Azurgrip, I tend to prefer to hold overs myself ("overkeeper?, I AM the overkeeper.") My sentiments exactly. Sometimes they do come in handy especially for confined spaces. I often will help the operator use one and apply tension by sliding my thumb along the bottom of the slider and the top of the rail. I can help him hit exact marks in this way. As a financial necessity and because every job has one now, I've acquired a few in different lengths (with a partner) that I can bring with me. I have a 6', 4', 3' and a 2'. (We basically bought a company that had them). They also come in handy for shots when a lateral move is needed during a move and you are on track. I have overcome a little of my reluctance to use them and see them as just another tool for camera movement which has it's place. They can save you if used in the right way. They can also be a nuisance if you're working with a director or DP who doesn't really understand what a dolly grip does. They can be unweildy, and tend to sag at one end or the other as the camera moves, making it necessary to support the ends. The main thing I'm trying to get across is, don't forget you have it as an option when you have a tricky move. It can save you if you know how and when to use it.

Hi Guys

I'm still around so keep the comments or questions coming. I'm doing a lot of commercial work so I'm checking in every day even though I'm not writing much. Thanks all for your comments and participation. Again, if anyone has any ideas for good articles, send them along. I'm just too tired at the end of the day to think of and then write a long article so I need your help. I'm doing a perfume commercial right now with a lot of round track, circling around Naomi Watts. Anyway, thanks to all my Dolly Grip brothers and sisters for making the blog a success (we just rolled over 10,000 hits in about 5 months!).

B Camera and You

I've thought mainly of B camera over the years as a training ground for A camera. You can learn all the logistics of the dolly with less pressure and you get a move every now and then. Personally, I really don't like doing B camera. Mainly because it's boring. Often the B camera dolly grip is also treated as a third and has to work the set when his camera isn't working. Every job is different though. Some treat both cameras more or less equally (even though one is still B camera) and you just have two dolly grips. I take B jobs (especially if I like the operator) if no A camera jobs are available. We recieved a question as to how to act as a B camera dolly grip. Treat it like you would if you were on A. Take care of your operator, protect the lens, keep your eyes peeled. You may not do as many moves (or you might depending on the show) but there's still plenty to do. Mostly, though, if you're moving up and plan to do A camera some day, treat it as a learning opportunity. Watch the operator, learn lenses, learn the dolly (usually a Peewee). Become the A camera dolly grip's right hand man.

Busy, Busy

Sorry the posts have been few and far between lately. Between getting my taxes done and commercial work and a freebie for a friend of mine I've been pretty worn out. I acted as camera operator on a festival short for a gaffer buddy of mine and it was three nights of work, but it was fun to be on the other side for a little while (and to leave at wrap). I'll be back with some more posts later this week. Please put up any ideas/questions you may have for posts in the comments section.
D

It's Back

I've been getting a lot of hits from people looking for the Track Jack, so the video's back up.

Dolly Grips and the Camera Dept.

"Dolly Grip Job Description"

Those of you finding this by searching for "Dolly grip job description" should see my post http://www.dollygrippery.com/2010/01/dolly-grip-job-description.html.



I'm not really in the mood to write anything but I know I need to so here goes:
The story has been floating around the business for years that Dolly Grips may be/should be/will be absorbed into the camera dept. I've heard it from operators, ACs, Key Grips, and even a gaffer or two. First of all, let's get the obvious out of the way. It makes sense from a camera standpoint. We tend to work more closely with those guys than we often do with our own. We rig the cameras, carry the cameras, level the cameras, even carry a case or two if we really like them. Operators slap us on the shoulder and say things like,"You really made that shot," or "You are a camera operator too." (Too bad we don't get paid like one). They even have their loaders bring us coffee. Most of us even know where the camera is going before we place it. I turned it into a game a few years ago to see how close I could line up the camera to it's final frame before the DP looked through it. As the years went by, my average got better and better.
Having said all that, I think it's a bunch of hot air. We're too firmly entrenched in the Grip dept for it to ever work. With all the rigging we have to do, we'd have to come up through the Grip dept anyway. I guess that's the only way it ever could work. You slave in the trenches until you get enough credits/experience to make the jump and then plunk down your money for a camera guild card. Techno techs already do something like this anyway.
I don't know the specifics of why or how the Dolly Grip started in the Grip Dept but I have a theory. In the old days (30's and 40's) cameras and dollies were monstrous. Moving the camera involved not just brute strength, but a good bit of ingenuity, both traditionally the areas that Grips excelled in. They started there and, as equipment got lighter and more versatile, they stayed there. Now, there's a new crane to learn how to put together or operate or a new dolly to master every year it seems. More is expected of Dolly Grips than ever before from the camera dept. I think MTV started it.. Back in the day, camera moves seemed to be more effective and made a bigger impact because they were used more sparingly. It was a bigger deal to move the thing. You got a push in here or a lateral track there complemented by a big crane shot every now and then. Now, we're constantly swooshing and pushing in and turning the camera upside down and flying it over trees and any other place they can think of to stick it. And we deliver. Unfortunately, our pay (or status) hasn't gone up as much as the demand. So we're stuck in the neutral zone between two departments. Our heart belongs to one, while our brain belongs to another. Anyway, these are just idle musings on my part while I kill time to the next epic. When I'll start the swooshing and pushing and upside down over the trees crane swishing (I hope).
So what do you guys/girls think? Would it be a good idea?

New Pics

Azurgrip sent two great pics. They are up on the right.

Out of Town

I've got to go to Phoenix for the weekend for a wedding. I don't know if I'll be able to post until Monday. Talk among yourselves.

Laying Pipe

I had another column up that I wrote last night but it was so badly written I took it down. It involved the rumors in recent years of the Dolly Grip being absorbed into the Camera Dept. Those stories have been around awhile and deserve an honest look, but not the one I wrote. It was bad. So I'm going to let that one stew awhile and put up another.
In checking my hit counter, I've lately gotten a lot of "1st time visitors" from Google Search.
I enjoy clicking on the referring page link because it shows me what they were looking for when they found my page. I get everything from "castle nut wrench" to "stairway dolly" (two very common ones). The next most common seems to be "Wally Dolly" which is apparently some Australian sled type dolly and also the name of one of my posts which is actually about skateboard wheels. Most of the hits give a lot of insight to the searcher and most appear to be from beginning Dolly Grips searching for info before they start a job ("crab dolly steering", "Fisher 10 camera dolly"). I enjoy these the most because I genuinely like offering something that might help someone. My beautiful wife seems to think that I'm "giving away my secrets" and no amount of discussion can dissuade her from this belief or the fact that nothing I, nor anyone else, writes on this site will make you a better dolly grip tomorrow. It takes a lot of real world practice and there aren't really any secrets, just a few basics. Lately, there have been a few searches for "laying dolly track." So here's a little primer. (everybody does it a little different, but here's my way).
Lay it out, connect it, find the high point. Once you have the highest point located, level that rail from one end to the other, at the joints, until it's all level with the high point. Next, go side to side bringing the other rail up to match it at the joints.(I go side to side at each joint as I'm leveling the high rail, but it's a matter of choice.) Next, before filling in, get down on one end and sight down it, tweaking the imperfections (have another grip take up or let out joints that need it)Do this to both rails and fill it in.
This is just a rudimentary, easy way to do it for someone who's new to it. After a few years, you get a lot quicker and can recognize when you don't have to be level every time and can go with a slight slope or just do it by eye without a level and slam it in, saving a lot of time.
Wedge your boxes. Make sure they don't rock then wedge on top of them if you have to.
There are a lot more things to learn about it that only come with doing it over and over such as when you get 3 feet off the ground on one end, Aluma beams, how the dolly should be oriented, crane track, when to use skates, etc. that I won't go into.
Tips anyone? Leave them in the comments.

New Video

Check out the new video on the video bar. It's a Steadicam on an Akela Crane. Pretty cool!

Your DP and You

I've been doing some commercial work lately with my feature DP and it's gotten me thinking about the relationship between the Dolly Grip and the DP. Most Dolly Grips have one or two DP's they work with on a regular basis. There's nothing like working with a guy you know well and have mutual respect for. I've been very fortunate to work with some phenomenal cameramen who are also great people who I genuinely enjoy being around. Of course there are sometimes people who you just can't get along with, no matter how hard you try. It may be a personality conflict or maybe you remind them of their brother-in-law, whom they despise. Or they may just be jackasses (you may be a jackass too, but this forum will assume that the Dolly Grip is always right. Dp's have their own sites). As with every business, sometimes not-so-nice people rise to positions of power. In this business, luckily in my experience, they've been few and far between in the DP department. I've only had one cameraman who I just could not please, no matter how I tried. It was probably a political thing more than a personal one, but he made it personal and it turned into a miserable experience. The worst thing was, he was a cameraman whose work I admired. In situations like this, you have two choices: decide to grit your teeth and hang on as long as possible, or decide you don't need the job that bad and life's too short for this crap and walk.
It mostly boils down to two things- trust and respect. My feature DP and I have a great working relationship because he trusts me. He shows me where he wants the camera, what he wants to do with it, and then goes away to light the set, leaving me to figure out the logistics. I never tell him "No, I can't do that." I may tell him, "There's no way to fit the camera in that space and do a move, but what about if we go two inches this way it's almost the same thing." Usually, I just tell him, "We'll figure something out." and he leaves. He doesn't yell, or throw a fit. Our energy is spent on figuring out the shot, rather than finger pointing and hysterics.
The unfortunate thing about this business is, if you work with a new DP on every project, you spend the first few days proving yourself all over again. It's like auditioning constantly. This is where you build your trust. My job is to make the DP and camera operator's job easier. I worry about the million little things they don't have time to worry about so they can concentrate on executing the shot. You have to show them you're looking out for them and deliver. Once they see that you're dedicated, not just some yahoo who got the job because it was his turn to bump up, you become a team. This is where Dolly Grips have gotten a bad rep for so long. It's a high pressure specialization that people end up doing just because they're grips. They don't just pick someone to operate just because they're in the camera local. Operators practice and study and work to become operators. Dolly Grips are the same (or should be). You've got to earn the trust of the DP that you're a pro, who pushes for a living.

New Video

There's a new video in the video section. It's a pretty cool time lapse of a bunch of grips building a track for a Technocrane. See if you can figure out which one's the Key Grip.

Interesting Question About Snow

I got an email from a dolly grip who has a question about laying a long track (50') with multiple curves in the snow. (This is in Chicago, so it's on city streets I assume, not the snowy tundra). Luma beams aren't in the budget. Those of you who live and work in snowy locations (Toronto, NY) will know best how to answer this. Leave them in the comments.
Thanks, D

Hustler 4 Brakes

It's been no secret of my affinity for the Hustler 4. It's just a fantastic machine. But it's not perfect. Case in point: I've had the same problem pop up with the brakes twice now. As I've said here before, I've never been a fan of the 4's brakes anyway. Last week, I did a commercial and everything was going fine. I had been pitching the 4 to the DP all day (a Fisher guy) and had him convinced that the 4 was the way to go. Then I noticed that the wheels seemed to be dragging when I pushed forward. It's like they were winding up and getting tighter as the dolly moved forward until it would hardly move. I called the Key over and told him to get Chapman on the phone, because this was the second time this had happened to me on this dolly. A rep showed up, and explained to me that the brake shoes had siezed up and needed to be replaced on two wheels. He showed them to me and they looked pretty trashed. He explained that if this happened and I couldn't get service, to just find which wheel was giving the problem, remove the brake assembly from that wheel, and it would work fine until I could get it looked at. If I was on location, he said I could ship them the old one and they would also ship a new one. So the show went on fine. So if this happens to you, now you know what to do. This may be from water getting into the brake assembly. The bolts that he took out of the affected ones looked pretty rusty. Anyway, that's what I found out about the Hustler 4 brakes.

High Speed (and Low)

I did an interesting commercial last week Every shot was at 48 fps. A couple of weeks before that, I did reshoots on a movie that had a push in at 3 fps. Normally, I can judge, from what the shot is, what kind of speed I need to go. An actor has a revelation, generally leave on a look and depending on what the revelation is, you'll know what speed to go. High speed (overcranked shots) especially screw with your timing. You generally have to figure out what you would normally do and go twice as fast to get the same effect at 24 fps. Go too slow, and the move will barely register. Normally this is a one shot thing, meaning it's a special shot that you'll do once and then it's back to normal. When you do it all day, for two days, things get a little surreal, because you're screwing with your natural sense of timing. After two days of doubling speed on everything, I could no longer tell what I was supposed to do and had to just rely on the director (who was great) to tell me faster or slower after playing it back at normal speed. The 3 fps shot was another set of problems. High speed shots tend to be very forgiving in terms of surges or stalls or even bumps. Undercranked, especially extreme undercranked shots require you to creep, probably the most difficult dolly shot there is, and do it very consistently. Any surge or variation in speed will jump out when the shot is played back at normal speed. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I cheat a little on undercranked shots. I lay the track on a slight slope and then let the dolly's momentum carry it at a consistent pace while I just offer resistance (you can't always do this depending on how the shot is set up, on say a tight lens on a particular object, unoperated.) It all depends on what the shot is but generally you can get away with it. Anyway, usually, when the director says, "same thing at 36 fps," or 48, or whatever you will automatically increase your speed to match ( but not always. Always ask the director first. Sometimes he (or she) will want the move to be slow motion also). As a dolly grip, you get used to thinking in percentages of speed (as in take 15 percent off) and this helps. I hope this isn't too confusing. Please add any insights you may have to the comments.

Kevin sent me to his website which has some beautiful high speed work. Check it out at http://studiobattlerattle.com. He does really high speed work (1000fps). I've never done a shot at that speed before (generally speeds like that are for effects work) and I suspect it would be motion control at that point but I'm willing to give it a shot. Check out the site. There are some really gorgeous water shots.

I'm Still Here

Hi guys. I know I've been a little neglectful lately, but I'll have more this weekend. Upcoming topics... timing for overcranked (slow motion) shots, What I found out about the Hustler 4 brakes, anything else I can come up with.
Thanks for Reading,
D

Zen....

This article has been floating around the web for awhile. It was written by Frank Dellario. It pretty much sums it all up and I don't think anyone could do it better. Thanks to Azurgrip for passing it along. Enjoy.

MOVING THE MOUNT
Frank Dellario on the art of the dolly grip
Unless you're planning to emulate Ozu and barely move the camera on your first indie feature, you'd do well to introduce yourself to the world of camera dollies and the dolly grip before shooting. While any director knows he or she has to have a crack first assistant cameraman to ensure that the director of photography's images are in focus, fewer realize how important a trustworthy dolly grip is. What may seem like grunt work -pushing the dolly across the room or along a piece of track -is actually a skilled craft, requiring not only muscles but an intuitive knowledge of camera operation, a sensitivity to actors and their line readings, and a balletic sense of movement.
Zen and the art of dolly gripping
The ability to introduce camera movement into a scene is an important tool that no filmmaker should be denied. Successful dolly moves occur through careful interaction and timing on part of the director, actors, D.P. and the dolly grip. The dolly grip's role is simply to move the camera from point A to point B as smoothly as possible and at the proper speed. Depending on the complexity of the move, there may be more points, or positions, and varying speeds. A relationship of trust between the D.P. and the dolly grip is key to the smooth execution of these moves. Besides focus, the movement of the dolly is the only aspect of the camera that the D.P. does not have direct control over.
If you ever get a chance, watch the dolly grip performing a move. It's a very zen thing - or what some people call "being in the zone." Dolly grips totally tune out everything from distracting noises, the grimaces of an angry producer in overtime hours, or the flirtatious glances of smitten P.A.s while they concentrate on executing the move. Depending on the shot, that could be just the wheel, which they stare at to maintain a constant speed while watching for their marks. Or it could be talent, who they have to track with in order to maintain the framing of the shot.
A dolly move, no matter what the speed, must be eased from a dead stop into the desired speed of the move and then eased back to a complete stop. This slowing down and speeding up process is called "feathering" and is one of the toughest parts of dolly gripping. Another important aspect of maintaining a smooth move is the way in which the force generated by a dolly grip's legs pushing on old mother earth is transmitted to the dolly itself. If you think that's simple, just try it sometime with a really tough D.P. shooting with a 300mm lens.
The intermittent steps and shifting of the grip's weight from one leg to another must be transmitted into the smooth constant movement of the dolly. This understanding of camera movement is one of the reasons it's a good idea to let an experienced dolly grip drive any vehicle that you will be shooting out of (not
feathering to a stop in a vehicle really upsets the D.P. and it's important to keep them happy).
Dance floors
A dance-floor move refers to doing dolly moves... on the floor. It doesn't necessarily translate into a cheap setup because if the location's floor isn't level or smooth, a better dance floor must be built.
Doing this kind of move adds flexibility to camera movements -you're not locked into following the track rails. Action doesn't always follow a straight line and can be chaotic, especially when shooting unrehearsed action. For example, a shot requiring a winding move through a crowded party scene is difficult if the track doesn't wind. And even if you can lay down winding track, people may trip over the track or you may see the floor in the shot.
Now, what if the floor isn't level or smooth? You may have to put a floor down. Generally, in Hollywood, a dance floor means laying a double layer of 3/4" plywood with the seams offset, topped with masonite for a smooth ride. This usually means nailing into the floor and clearing the camera side of the set, not just of people but furniture. This can be very time consuming especially if you have a lot of coverage and reversals. It's often easier to move furniture than people (especially executive producers -they tend to stand right where the most work is being done because they like the view). If the floor isn't level, which is a common problem in old buildings with wooden floors, you'll have to build a level floor on top of the existing floor by building a platform called bucks -2'x4' frames skinned with sheets of plywood (provided of course you have a nice high ceiling). Not always a cost-effective method for the independent production, so choosing a location for its floor can be pretty important if you intend to do any dance-floor moves.
Now even if the floor is in good shape, if it's made of old planks you may have to lay down a dance floor anyway. As soon as you get a dolly with a D.P. and
A.C. on it and quiet the set, the creaking begins. Those wonderful sound problems! Laying a plywood dance floor not only gives you a smooth dollying surface, it also spreads the weight of the dolly out across the floor, thereby minimizing these sound problems; it's usually the small areas that cause the creaks. But again, in the independent world, this may not be a choice. One possible solution is to wet down the floor prior to shooting. Moisture causes the wood planks to expand, helping to alleviate creaking.
Track
Track is most often used in dolly shots as it ensures the smoothest move; the dolly grip only has to pay attention to the move itself because the track guides the camera from point A to point B. For the most part, track can be laid anywhere. The rougher and more off-level the terrain, the longer it takes to level the track. Sometimes, you're rushed for a shot and you may ask the dolly grip just to throw down some track and forget about leveling. Not a good idea.
Even if there's only a slight upgrade, pushing a dolly, take after take, is hard and exhausting work resulting in unsteady dolly moves. With each step, the dolly isn't coasting, it's trying to move back downhill. As the dolly grip transfers his or her weight while pushing uphill, that brief movement of switching over is going to be seen (or felt) in the move. Remember, an important thing is a bump-free ride. You will rarely be off-level enough to see it, but bumps are always noticed on screen.
It's rare to find a piece of track perfectly straight; it may have been run over or fallen off a truck, been over-torqued, or be suffering from metal fatigue. Though each piece of track may be level end-to-end, the pieces when put together may not come together in a straight line. If two pieces of track are put together but each rail is slightly bent, you'll get a bump. This is why it's important and, ultimately, cost effective to get the best-quality track possible if you plan on shooting a lot of dolly moves. One item that helps, which is becoming more and more common in dolly grip packages, are skateboard wheels. Instead of switching out the dolly wheels for skateboard wheels, the dolly rests on a pair of C-rails that lay horizontally on the track. Each C-rail has a pair of eight skateboard wheels allowing for much smoother moves because instead of having the weight on eight wheels, the weight is now spread out over 32, thus minimizing the effect of any bumps. It's also efficient. The dolly is lifted onto the C-rails and that's it, no assembly required.
Occasionally, even with track, you'll run into that old floor creaking problem. A real problem because moving the track is usually not an option. The trick is to add a lot of wedges so the weight that was centered on that noisy spot is now spread out.
Why a Peewee today and a Fisher 10 tomorrow
How does a dolly grip pick the right dolly for the job? Dolly grips choose the biggest dolly they can get into a location. If you think of it as a car, the bigger and heavier, the smoother and more comfortable the ride. Another advantage of using a larger dolly is its larger boom arm, allowing for a greater boom range, larger weight capacity and ability to handle larger jib arms.
Most grips consider the Chapman Super Peewee to be the most versatile location dolly. It has a variety of leg configurations for increased maneuverability. This means you can get it into a lot of hard-to-get-into places. If you can have only one dolly, pick the Peewee. It is not as heavy as other dollies and has a smaller wheel base. The only drawback is that the Peewee is not ideal for big exterior tracking shots.
The next size up of popular dollies are the Fisher 10 and the Chapman Hybrid. The Hybrid is pretty much a larger, heavier version of the Super Peewee with a longer and higher boom range. The Fisher, on the other hand, is quite a different animal. Weighing in at 420 pounds, it is considered the Cadillac of dollies. Unique features exclusive to the Fisher are the square track it rides on, ice skates and roundie-round mode. In the roundie-round position the wheels
are positioned in a circle, allowing the dolly to spin on its own center and permitting the camera to be spun in a tight circle about four feet in diameter. Grips either love or loathe the square track, especially when using curves. Fisher curve track does have one thing going for it either way. The widest diameter circle that can be laid with standard curve track is 20 feet (outside diameter using eight sections of 45-degree track) while a seventy-foot diameter circle is possible with Fisher's thirty-degree curve track (12 sections complete a circle).
An often overlooked dolly that can be valuable on set is the Elemack Cricket dolly. The Elemack is great for dance-floor moves. Conventional dollies are steel rectangles with four wheels and a hydraulic boom arm where the camera is mounted on one end. The Elemack on the other hand, is a hydraulic column center mounted on four legs in the shape of an X. Having the camera center mounted means the operator can easily pan 360 around the dolly. Center mounting also gives a better ride on dance floors because the weight is evenly distributed over the wheels. The sacrifice? Minimum lens height, because the telescoping column can only go so low. A Z-bar can be used to lower the camera height, but it defeats the purpose of centering the weight and is hard to operate. If the need arises, the Elemack can be put on rails by switching out the wheels for bogie wheels designed for track operation.
The Doorway Dolly and The Western
Talk about your unsung heroes. On the majority of sets, this dolly is left to the back breaking task of hauling sand bags and feeder cable. Once in a while it makes the grade and gets to actually carry the camera for a shot. The doorway dolly and western (a larger version of the doorway) are generally used for camera moves on jobs when the man power and money just aren't there to handle a full-fledged dolly and its track.
The doorway dolly is good for interior shots on smooth floors. Make sure the wheels are fully inflated and if they squeak, a little baby powder on the floor and wheels should do the trick. If the floor is a problem, Matthews now makes skateboard wheels that pop right into the doorway dolly and can run on regular track or on PVC. Yes, PVC pipe.
Another popular dolly that you've used quite a bit if you've shot anything in film school is the pipe dolly. PVC pipe makes up the rails and a piece of plywood with skateboard wheels makes the platform. They actually work fine though leveling can be a problem. The lack of boom capabilities can be made up for with a small jib arm on sticks. A number of models are available for rental as the video world uses these highly portable rigs all the time. Media Logic of N.Y., Trovoto MFG and Cinikinetic are a few of the companies that make these products. Some people may feel that using such non-big-boy type dollies may be below them but the idea is to get the shot and when you're on a budget, sometimes you have to swallow a little pride. As long as their limitations are understood, these products can give you the shot you need.
For exteriors, these dollies can perform a number of uses. For those long tracking shots on streets, sidewalks or other rough terrain when you can't afford a steadicam, the western dolly, given that it's larger, wider and heavier than the doorway dolly (the big car effect again) will give you a smoother ride. One trick that helps on these shots, besides making sure the wheels are fully inflated, is to fill the cracks and crevices in the street or sidewalk with the finest sand know to man: fish tank side. If you can't find an aquarium shop, bags of sugar will work in a pinch. A western or doorway dolly can also be used in conjunction with a location dolly like the Peewee when working on terrain too rough for conventional dollies where boom capabilities are required. Basically, the Peewee is placed in its smallest wheel mode and ratchet strapped to the western or doorway dolly. Great for boom shots out on a sandy beach.
The dolly grip always has his or her eye on flexibility, picking the dolly and equipment that will allow the D.P. and director to get the shots they need. You may think you're saving money on equipment by renting cheaper equipment but you may be limiting flexibility. Not having the right dolly for the right job may take longer to rig. Also, on many independent jobs, you often have a D.P. and director working together for the first time and having no idea how to work together. Getting the right shot may mean moving and resetting the dolly track several times. Any equipment that limits the dolly grip's flexibility will hamper this process. Knowing what the frame is as soon as possible will speed up any shot as one of the biggest wastes of time is lighting and manipulating what the camera never sees.
Thanks go out to Paul Nickason for assistance on this article. A dolly grip with over ten years experience, Paul is well known for his unique solutions to many common problems grips have run into on set. He's dolly gripped on numerous features, including Where The Rivers Flow North, White Lies, Search and Destroy, Kama Sutra and Amateur.
Frank Dellario is a key grip working in New York and the publisher/editor of FilmCrew Magazine.

New Picture

Gil Forrester (Elf, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Last Mimzy) has shared this photo with us. Thanks, Gil. Great shot.

Skimpy Posts

Sorry about the shortage of posts lately, I'm in the middle of a five day commercial and I'm pretty wiped by the time I get home. Every shot is a dolly shot and I am constantly working. Phil Joanou (Rattle and Hum, 3 O'Clock High) is the director and he doesn't screw around. We move fast all day. High mode, to low mode, 30 feet of track, back to high mode, move the track over here, let's go. Which is actually good because I was getting a little rusty. I'll have more time after Monday. Which gives me an idea for a post about timing for overcranked shots. I'll be back. Azurgrip, if you've got anything, fill in the space (I would also like to get your take on overcranking).

Change of Video

It was due for a change so I put up a shot of DeNiro jogging. Whoopedy-doo!

New Links

I'm adding a new link to http://griplife.org./ It's a site put up by some enterprising grips in Pittsburgh. Amish Jim has a lot of stuff planned so it should be interesting.
There's also a new link to Cranium, which is a company started and owned by a Dolly Grip who went out and bought himself some cranes. Nico Bally has built his business into a great company. I've used their stuff for years as have most of the Dolly Grips I know. Cranium has Giraffe, Phoenix, Foxy, and Galaxy cranes as well as remote heads. I did a reshoot on a movie last weekend and Nico showed up before call, built the crane, left, and came back at the end of the day and took it apart. Now that's service. Check them out at http://cranium.tv/.

Making Dolly Track

I found this article online from Ron Dexter at http://rondexter.com/. In it, he describes making dolly track in the 60's. The article goes on at the website to give instructions on how to build your own, but it's a little dry reading even for this site. The whole aricle can be found at the site as well as a LOT of other stuff.



Making Dolly Track.

In the 60's I built my first portable dollies using ball bearings at 90 degrees on pipe track. For sound I tried wheels flat on the top of pipe and idler wheels to keep the dolly on the track. I didn't come up with the skateboard wheel idea for sound. I think Pat O Mara Jr. might have. It has become a standard.
I like track wider than 2 foot Elemack track in the field and on dirt. It's more stable, easier to level and can be made in longer lengths that reduce the number of joints.When we were making and selling track we used mahogany for ties not considering that we were cutting down rain forest trees to get it. Mahogany is an ideal wood as it is light, doesn't warp and low grade varieties were cheap. Seasoned Douglas Fir will work fairly well. It would be nice to find a substitute for mahogany or any of the threatened woods.We and others track builders tried metal ties, but they don't work as well in the dirt and with wedges. (See Nesting Apple Boxes) Sections of pipe or tube and even PVC pipe will work without ties on flat surfaces, but don't try them on dirt or uneven surfaces. It is very difficult to level the track.
When laying track it does not have to be perfectly level side to side, but should be laid out in so it lies in a plane. On a slope one side can be a couple inches lower. One person can "eye ball" it into a plane from one corner as others wedge it up to level or in a plane. Use wedges or boxes under each tie and not a plank under many ties to raise one side. You want separate support under the end of each tie. If you are working with a crew that is used to leveling track with a level, don't fight them with your own different method. It will take longer.
Shingles work well on stage for smaller adjustments. Place wedges or shingles under the ties to avoid stepping on them.
Circular Track
Tom Ramsey, the key grip ,got me going on circular track. We ended up with radii from 4 feet to 60 feet. The longer radii are hard to set up with long lenses. They need a very solid base and to be perfectly level. Joining large radius track for long lenses is also tricky. Small bumps show up more on long lenses. I stepped my radii out so that each outside track was the same radius as the next inner track. So except for the outside two tracks, two pipes were bent to the same radius. In a fixed set up the middle tracks could be eliminated and the outside of one #1 track could work with the inside track of #3 Etc. Label each track and make a diagram of radii and dimensions. It will help in planning what track will fit in a location.The beauty of circular track is a subject in the middle of the radii stays in frame and in focus making it much easier for the operator. Moving super close ups are possible.To go from curve to straight the dolly trucks have to turn and change gauge (track width) easily.For one-time situations on a flat floor that you can screw into or where you can put a floor down that you can screw into, consider 1" PVC screwed on radii drawn from a center point. You can't do this on the dirt or uneven surfaces.You can also curve PVC pipe with a rope and get approximate circular sections. Try this before committing its possibility to the director. 1" PVC works.Making aluminum track.Get together with others who want track to pool resources and skills. Cut notches in 2" x 4" x 36" wood ties. Cut them accurately on a large table saw or radial arm saw. Make them all identical. Bill Bennett says the Hollywood gauge is 31-3/4 inches. I started at 32". Round the edges, drill two holes 5/16" center of where the pipe goes and countersink the holes on the bottom side. Paint the ties with a good exterior paint, varnish or sealer.

Tough Locations

I know I said I wasn't going to post much this weekend, but I decided to anyway. Meg gave me an idea for a post.
A tough location can mean many things: Mud, rain, gravel, ditches, stairs, basically any place that makes your job harder. Personally, the one's I dislike the most involve mud. It gets in everything, especially the tires. I always try to keep the dolly on a western dolly in these situations to save the tires as much as possible, but if you're going to be there for weeks at a time, it can be hectic and sometimes it's better to just give in and push the thing through the mud and deal with the consequences later. Western dollies are great, but they can be hard to maneuver into the exact spot if you're in a hurry. I always roll the dolly off the tailgate onto it with the head facing backward, throw a strap on it, and then I'm free to tow it behind the 4-wheeler. On locations where the truck is far from the set, we have a trailer set up for the dolly with a speedrail cage built around it. Luma beams and track go on top, and the dollies and accessory cart roll underneath, along with boxes, wedges, etc. and the 4-wheeler tows it.
Luma beams are life savers in muddy or rough terrain situations. Thy're simply aluminum beams with a wooden insert in the center for screwing track down if you need to (although I rarely do).We have them in 20' and 10 '. In mud, they can keep the track itself out of it, and they can be used to easily cross ditches or come off of high mounds, curbs etc. They only have to be supported in the centers and the ends so it eliminates a lot of boxes, wedges, etc. They are connected with precut speedrail pipes so the end result is a nice base to lay your track on. (For cranes, they should be supported more than just in the center, though). Level them like you would track and then lay track on top. For dollies, some people use 4x4 wooden posts, and I have too, but they're not as good.
Getting the mud out of the dolly is a pain. Really, the only way to do it is with a hose. This seems to horrify some Chapman reps, but I don't know how else you would clean some of the dollies I've had. Try shooting in Louisiana, or Mississippi after 2 weeks of rain and figure out how to get the mud out in an hour without a hose. I've never had any adverse effects from doing it other than one time years ago when the bearings in a peewee wheel got water in them and froze up. Now, as soon as I've finished the hosing, I spray silicone in all the areas that might be affected (wheels, wheel tabs, outrigger pins, etc) to stave off rusting. The bottom line is, in some locations the dolly's just going to get wet. It won't hurt it if you keep an eye on it and take preventative measures, just keep the seats dry. I also go over the (steel) track with steel wool and silicone if it starts to show signs of rust.
That's all for now. More next week.

Slow Posting

I'm out of town visiting my daughter this weekend so posts will be a little scarce.I'll be back next week. Keep the comments coming.