The Thing (2011)

  Or as they should have called it, Shit (2011), is a simply horrible movie. Every lazy filmmaking mistake you can make was made in this piece of crap. Sigourney Weaver lookalike? Lazy filmmaking. CGI creatures that were done BETTER thirty years earlier by Rob Botin with stop motion animation? Lazy filmmaking. Bland Swedish (Nordic? Norwegian?) character development ? Lazy filmmaking.The last twenty minutes when the characters are suddenly on the planet from Aliens? Lazy filmmaking. American hero (?) with a raspy voice? Lazy filmmaking. As a huge fan of John Carpenter's The Thing, I really was looking for something special out of this movie. What I got was bad CGI, worse acting, and even worse filmmaking. Blah blah blah and I'm done with it. So if you have nothing to live for or have absolutely no taste in movies, rent Shit (2011), or as it is marketed, The Thing (2011). 
  The Captain has spoken.

Better Early Than Late

  We are doing a lot of blind* Technocrane moves on this show with a very exacting director (and DP). As a result, I've recently become reacquainted with one of my old rules that I had almost forgotten: generally, it's better to be a little early, and fudge it in the feather-down, than late, because you can never catch up. This is a principle that usually comes in handy when you are trying to match to a certain passage of dialogue or land on a specific word in a piece of dialogue. As long as you don't get too far ahead, you can always stretch out the move in the feather to make it almost unnoticeable. If you're behind, there is almost no way to catch up and you end up just stopping short when the dialogue ends, running the risk of ending on too loose a frame. Usually, this is a function of actors getting faster in their dialogue as they get more comfortable with a piece of dialogue. Especially off camera dialogue. This happened earlier this week when the writer/producer (whom I've known for years)was reading off camera to an actor supposedly watching him on an iPad. Another actor was cued to walk in on a specific word in the off-camera dialogue and I had to be in a certain spot to see him walk in in the background. He read faster and faster until the camera was flying around to reach the specific point in the dialogue. At this point, the only way to not be late was to get there early, and slow it down into a creep to the number two spot before wrapping around the actor who walked in. It worked (although we still took around ten takes to get it right. So remember this: better to be ahead and slow down, trhan behind and rush to catch up.

* A blind move is one in which you can't see all the actors or set pieces because of your position on the bucket. Also called "flying blind." It often involves a little on the fly calculating combined with desperation and luck.

Technocranes

  Let's talk about Technocranes for a moment. I generally love them. As long as you have the right size (not too large, not too small), they make life a lot easier. You can hit multiple points in any shot without laying floor or track, and the shots generally become more creative just because you have the ability to go any direction in space (assuming you have the room). On exteriors, usually the bigger the arm, the better. It gets a little trickier on interiors. I have found that often you have more arm than you need. By which I mean you sometimes end up trying to thread a fifty footer around in a space where a thirty, or even a twenty would work much better. Here's the crux of the problem though: too much arm, and you are forever fighting the bucket end hitting walls, etc, and too little, you end up laying track for an extendable crane. Today, we had both situations. A large space to swing a fifty around in, but it wasn't quite enough to get us the reach we needed. So we ended up laying forty feet of track to do an extremely technical series of moves in a space where a thirty footer would have made life easier (because of the shorter bucket end swinging through doors etc.) By the end of the day I was exhausted. No, utterly exhausted. We swooped and circled, and dove in and quite literally missed the walls on the bucket end by sometime a half an inch. With a Technocrane, it's always a game of variables. On a normal dolly shot, you have a Dolly Grip, an operator, actors and a focus puller. With a Technocrane you add another: the pickle operator. So now you have six variables that all have to work together in a ballet of movement. When you add the extra variable of an interior shot dodging cars, and support beams, and lighting fixtures, it can become a little daunting. The only good thing about an interior Techno shot is the plethora of sightlines. Outside, you generally start high, which gives you nothing but the sky as a sightline. So I'm forever trying to remember that the matte box is straight up from the church steeple, and the sidebar is at hipbone height. I don't use lasers. I've got enough to watch for without trying to calculate if the laser is off the tape mark because the extension is off or I'm too high or low. This reminds me of a story, which I've told here before, of the dayplayer who informed me that I "shouldn't use the sun as a sightline because it will move." And with that, I'm out.
D

Finally, Something To Do

   I've been a little lax in the posting duties lately. Mostly it's because we have not only gone into straight nights, but also have entered a dialogue phase of shooting where the camera isn't mounted on a car, so I actually get a chance to swing a Technocrane around, or push a dolly. As a result, I'm a lot more tired than I normally would be, so forgive the rarity of posts.
   Don't forget the Fisher Open House on May 18th from 9AM to 4 PM. have a beer tell Frank Kay hi for me.
   Well, it's pissing rain (a continuation of the rain I stood in all night). I've got cheeseburgers from Five Guys, a jug of Captain Morgan, and the beginnings of a six day work week starting at 11AM in the morning. Life is good.

Help Out!

   A student at UC Santa Barbara recently contacted me about a three part workshop they are having on Sunday April 28th. They have a Fisher rep, and an SOC operator lined up, but are looking for a dolly grip to come in and take part in discussions with the camera operator about their working relationship. They also would like the dolly grip to give a short how-to on basic things like marking and track laying. I don't know if there is any financial remuneration, but if I was available, I'd do it just to help out. Shoot me an email if you are interested and I'll put you in touch with the interested parties. Thanks.
D

Hello From Northern California!

   I'm two weeks in on a fourteen week show and I've had....one day of dolly work. Since it's a movie about a cross-country race, most of the work is, as you may have guessed, Interior Car. Since we have, not only the regular grip crew, but a crew of three car rigging grips, I don't have a lot to do. I've never felt more like a Steadicam operator in my life, (or a Standby Painter). Although they have been sending me to splinter unit a little more lately, I spend a lot of my time just trying to be useful among the nine or so grips we have rigging cars already. Today was a little bit more excitement since I got sent off with the second unit to do some introductory dolly shots of actors and beauty shots of cars. After that, I spent a lot of time waiting. Mostly on this show I wait. So, here I am....waiting. Who needs a wrench?

Wheels. Wheeeeeels.

  I recently was asked a question on Twitter about wheel setup. As a Chapman user, you have a few options and the questioner wanted to know what works best where. Well, things are always changing and what is in favor at one time is out of favor a few years later. Back when the Hybrid was Chapman's signature large dolly, I would always put on the pneumatics and leave them on for the run of the show. By design, they work on both track and floor. Later, when I became a Hustler 4 user, we would combine both the track wheels and the pneumatics (I always put the air tires on the outside and the track tires on the inside) which seemed to give the best of both worlds. Although I doubt there is much difference in where you put them, the pneumatics on the outside seemed to make more sense to me. My good friend GHB does the opposite and sets up the track tires on the outside. I can't argue with success 'cause he's done well for himself. As far as the Hybrid goes, a lot of Camera Operators I work with began to complain about the bouncy nature of the pneumatic tire on floor, while some thought it was fine. After using the medium softs, which I found to be very good on dance floor, I began to agree. As far as the Pewee goes, I always switched out the hards for pneumatics for floor, but switched back to the hards after the shot because the air tires make the dolly so much wider and hamper maneuverability. I think it boils down to communicating with your Camera Operator. He/ she is your best source of feedback for what is happening in the lens. If the pneumatics are causing problems, try the medium softs. I do what I know until I'm told it isn't working. Unfortunately, now that we are doing more and more HD work, the little bumps that we used to get away with seem to show up much more vividly than they did in film. It's a more unforgiving medium in every sense.
   As far as Fisher dollies go, you have two choices: the standard air filled or the round track wheels. I also have no idea why Fisher refuses to let go of the old square track/ bogie wheel setup. I haven't seen, much less used square track in at least fifteen years. Who are you catering to? The music video market? If I'm wrong, please fill me in Fisher users/ insiders/ Wick?

Fisher Open House 2013

  It's that time of year again. Frank Kay of JL Fisher sent me the latest update about this year's festivities. I can't really say enough about this event. It is truly a day for Dolly Grips, and we don't get many. I've only been able to make it once over the years due to location work, etc. but there was beer, barbecue, beer, and good friends. Fisher pulls out all the stops and puts on a great show. If you are in Burbank on May 18th, do yourself a favor and drop in. Do me a favor and mention Dollygrippery. I won't be able to make it once again because I'll be in the middle of a show but represent for me and I may send you a t shirt (coming soon).

The details:

JL Fisher Open House

Date: May 18, 2013

Place: 1000 W Isabel St

Time: 9 AM til 4 PM

Don't miss the Moving Camera Seminar hosted by George Spiro Dibie ASC.


 Moving right along, I just wrapped myself on my latest show. No, I didn't quit. I was always going to leave a week early to start the next job with my regular crew. As most of you know, I never use real names here, but I have to thank Mitch Lillian. I learned so much from you and understand why you are truly one of the great Key Grips.Words fail me. Best Boy, Paul Candrilli, you were a gem to work with and kept us laughing on those long rainy days. You are a real prick knocker. "A" Camera Dolly Grip Bruce Hamme, you're one of the best in the business and I'll be your guitar tech any day.To one of the finest grip crews I've ever been a part of: Sonny, Pat, Danny, and Jimmy, you made me proud. Finally, thanks to our DP, Mr.Robert Deakins. It was a pleasure to work with you. I never saw a man do so much with unbleached muslin. I hope to see you down the road.

D


PS- Stop emailing me. Yes, I know his name is "Roger."

A Little Help From My Friends

  I've been having a little, okay, a lot of trouble lately, coming up with good topics for posts. Over the last  six years we've covered just about every imaginable aspect of the craft. A look back at previous posts lists everything from dance floor to track laying, safety to handheld support, car rigs to lens flagging. I've expounded long and drunkenly on various theories and philosophies of moving a camera. Frankly, the well is dry. Also due to the pressures of work and family, time has also been short. The writing has gotten sloppy and not up to my former standards. Thanks to a couple of friends of the site, I have some new ways to attack things and some good inspiration and encouragement. Michael from Blood, Sweat, and Tedium gave me a much needed pat on the back and some good advice, as did our friend Onno from Solid Grip Systems.  Onno suggested that I revisit some of the older posts and give them a fresh perspective. Although I had loathed the idea of repeating myself, I think a lot of this stuff from a few years ago could certainly be updated and rewritten with the benefit of age and a little more wisdom. Mitch, the Key Grip I'm working with now has also given me some good ideas as has Danny, my frequent B Camera cohort. So hopefully over the next few weeks, I will have a little more interest in this little project and be better able to translate it to the page. My next job involves a lot of location work so I will also probably have more time to devote to it from my hotel room(s). As always, suggestions are welcome here from those of you who are old-timers, and also those who are the up and comers. Till then, I'm thinking. In between all the other crap.
  Tomorrow is my last day on this job. I'm leaving a couple of weeks early (this was planned from the beginning, although back then it was only a week early). I'm taking a week off and then getting on a plane. You may not hear from me for a few days while I tie up loose ends. Hopefully Azurgrip will throw something up to keep you busy.

D

My 3D Experience

  Wick recently suggested a post involving 3D and how it affects us as Dolly Grips. To be honest, I don't have that much experience with it. A couple of years ago, the powers that be on a series I was doing decided to that we should reshoot a scene we had already done from the current episode. Only we were going to redo it in 3D.  So, all of us gathered on a Saturday to take a half-day seminar by the 3D techs (nerds) to better acquaint us with what was coming. I found the whole thing very interesting. We learned about "Convergence Points" and "Racking Convergence" and "Neutral Zones"  and basically a lot of very compelling things with cool Star Trek names. I don't remember much of it at this point (let's be honest, my eyes started glazing over at the first mention of "points of convergence.") So we all learned a great deal about 3D, but I was concerned about the nuts and bolts, which would directly affect me.
   I don't recall when exactly the shoot was, but I think it was after an intentionally short day. My first thought upon seeing the huge 3D rig was something along the lines of, "Oh $%&*." This thing was huge. It was a large red case of about 3' high by 2' wide. While interested, I was also wondering how I had suddenly stepped back into the 40's with blimped Mitchell cameras. I then began to consult with the director and operator about recreating the shots we had done in regular 2D a few days before. The first shot was a dolly through a doorway. And therein was the first snag. "Unless you want the lens at four feet high or take the top of the door out, we can't do it," I told the operator. So, we compromised. This was not the first compromise of the day. I then discovered that all the dance floor had to be double laid because the rig was so top heavy that every seam was transmitted through the arm, resulting in a dolly move not unlike what one would see while dollying on a dirt road or doing really bad handheld. So, we brought in more plywood. The next snag was when we needed to place the camera high and wide in a corner of the room. Again, the rig made it impossible to get high or wide enough to get the exact shot we needed. So we compromised. Later, we needed to go into low mode. I soon discovered that this doesn't work either without orienting the dolly the only way it will work, to the side, making the shot we wanted to do impossible because of the geography of the room. So we compromised. By the end of the day, we had spent at least seven hours reshooting a scene that took around four to shoot originally And I was exhausted from double laying everything and constantly redoing things which we discovered didn't work. "I don't know how anyone ever finishes one of these things," I thought. Then, I thought, it's just a different piece of equipment. You adapt. We've gotten so used to cameras and equipment that are streamlined for camera placement and movement, that you truly do have to put put yourself back in the age of Citizen Kane, when the cameras were huge, to make it work.
   Again, this is only my short experience. After all the compromises, the final product, when I saw it, was extraordinary. It looked fantastic. But I don't think I would want to do it for four months.


  Many of you have much more experience that I do with this technology. I know Gil has done at least one whole feature in 3D and many more of you probably have as well. What are your experiences? What tips can you give the rest of us?

Major Award!

   Dollygrippery would like to congratulate my friend Brad Rea for receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for Moving Camera Platform Operator from the SOC. Brad is truly one of the best Dolly Grips in the world with "A" camera credits like Memoirs of a Geisha, A Walk in the Clouds, Armageddon, Angels and Demons, and  Star Trek: Into Darkness on his resume. And the list goes on and on. Brad is like a rock. Nothing rattles him and he's a great guy to boot. Congratulations, Brad! No one deserves it more than you!

    Meanwhile back at the ranch, the show is going well. I spent today in the freezing rain (all man made) which, luckily I am used to since I've also spent much of the last month and a half in the freezing rain (both real and man made).  Unfortunately I will be leaving a week or so early to start the next epic which I hate doing, but don't really have a choice in. This is truly one of the finest grip crews I've had the pleasure to be a part of. And we have our wrap times down to about fifteen minutes, tops. I have about three weeks left before I have to fly to Northern California to prep the next job, which is basically a remake of Cannonball Run without Burt Reynolds, and with $150,000 cars. I hope all of you are staying busy and staying safe. Try to remember that making movies should be fun. My first Key Grip told me many years ago that when it stops being fun, it's time to get out. Oh yeah, he also said never get in a helicopter. So I try to remember those two things, especially the fun part. We're blessed to be able to do the things we do and work with the people we work with.

'Til next time,
D




PS:
   If I don't post often it's because I am having a problem coming up with ideas. Over the last six years of Dollygrippery, I've pretty much covered every aspect of this craft. Give me some ideas. Is there something you would like to suggest? Send it in at dollygrippery at gmail dot com.

Too Many Options?

I happen to be lucky enough to work in a town with many options in telescopic cranes. I'm missing at least one manufacturer's but in defence of the town's rentals houses, at no time will all the telescopic cranes available be working on one day. I've got TechnoCranes, MovieBirds and Scorpios at my request (and all sizes except for the Scorpio 64 and the Techno 100).

Like the Chapman vs Fisher debate, this is something that's totally a personal preference and may take a number of beers to convince other of which is best ("Taste Great! Less filling!" comes to mind…).

I had one rental house rep ask me what was my preference. I believe it depends on the shot. I tend to prefer the SuperTechnos. All though they are the heaviest of the bunch, I feel that they are not as fiddley to balance and keep in balance no matter the length. When I swing into the final position, I want it to stay there and not drift off. I'd like to be able to take my hands off for two second while I scratch my head or grab a swig of water and not have to worry if it's going to wander off on me.

The Scorpios is the finickiest. Lighter all around, but requires the most tweaking to keep in the optimum performance. The computer brain is very cool to take the arc out of some shots, I haven't played with the motorized lead sled for quickie compensation. Plus that's only a feature on my 23' here. Hoping they get around to getting on their 30+7'.

The MovieBirds fall in between. I had the opportunity to fool around with a 30' at open house and the latest generation feel a lot better than what came out a couple years ago. Peter Adamiec (the gent behind MovieBird) was on hand to explain all the nuances of the latest generations. Also note, that a lot of the MovieBirds are custom tailored to their market, so you may not come across the same machine in two different markets.

Ofcourse on top of all of this is the human element - the "pickle guy" - the crane tech. No matter what crane you have, the tech can either make or break your experience with that crane.

It all takes time to work on any machine. You might spend years on a Pee Wee, being able to pull off ten point dance floor moves with three booms but find yourself on a Fisher Ten and you can't stand an actor out of a chair.

What's your preference?

The Micromanager

   A colleague of mine recently sent me an email with an idea for a post. It concerned what you do when you work with a new operator who consistently thinks he has to micromanage your every move.  We've all been there. You start a show with an operator you've never worked with before. As we all know, as a Dolly Grip you're already starting from behind. Most operators, especially the "A" list ones are fine. After a couple of shots, they realize you actually know what you are doing and before long you're working like you've been together for twenty years. Then there are the other ones. Usually they are the younger, more inexperienced operators, but not always.The first clue is usually the need to start asking for sideboards or offsets before you've even had a chance to decide the best way to do the shot. Next, they start telling you what surface to use, how to lay it, and how to orient the chassis. These are the same guys who say "Woof" when they want you to stop booming up during a lineup. You generally just grit your teeth and push on, until they get really obnoxious, or they realize you actually are serious about your craft and good at it. Luckily, these guys seem to be few and far between. I think there are a couple of things going on here. One is that there are an awful lot of horrible dolly grips running around out there. Men or women who have been bumped up to the position by the Key Grip even though they have no aptitude for the job. Guys who have been thrown into the position before they are ready for it just because no one else is available; or guys who are just lazy and have no interest in actually excelling at their craft. These operators have probably never actually worked with a good Dolly Grip and aren't aware of what one can do. These are the same guys who keep a slider on the dolly for the whole show because they've never had a Dolly Grip who can actually compose an over-the-shoulder. I've had these guys. I find that at some point I have a conversation with them in which I inform them that I can actually help them if they'll let me. Usually they begin to loosen up and are amazed that a Dolly Grip can actually do most of the work for them if they'll just let him. I find that I have to have this conversation before long. I just can't function for weeks on end not being allowed to practice my craft and being treated like an imbecile. Those of us who have spent twenty or more years working to perfect our skills tend to get used to being treated with mutual respect by camera operators. They depend on us and we enjoy being able to solve their problems. When you get one that immediately dismisses all that work and experience with a wave of the hand and a "Get me a sideboard," it rankles you. So that's what I do. I take it as long as I can. If it's a short job, I tough it out for the two weeks and just make it about the paycheck. If it's going to be a long haul, though, I have to pull the guy aside and have a talk with him along the lines of, "Look, we're a team. I'm here to help you. I can do that if you'll let me. Just give me a chance to do that and if it doesn't work I'll shut up, but I know what I'm doing and you don't need that seat offset."

   This reminds me of a story I recently heard regarding a buddy of mine who was pushing on a big movie. He was working with an operator whom he had been with for a while but for some reason a new operator had come in and for some reason was working on a shot with him that day. My buddy missed a mark or a cue and the new operator barked at him. The regular operator, who was standing nearby said, "You realize that that guy is one of the best Dolly Grips in the world, right?" Apparently the new guy was soon gone.

  For more on this subject, see my post here. Also see this. And every camera operator should read this.

The Week in Review

This is how my week went (Stream of Consciousness):

12X's, 8X's, beams, track, rain, sleet, cold, night, splinter, dance floor, rope, hills, truck, jib arm, bounce, gold, candle, too many carts, Skoal, drink, boxes, doorway dolly, level, Guv', epk, twitter, dark, more dark, 250, Hampshire Frost, tent, "What are you guys doing?" move the truck, new boots.

In a nutshell, the previous list pretty much sums up most of what ran through my brain over the last five days. We have basically taken over an entire subdivision and are shooting in or around six houses there. None of them are close to the others. Great crew. Great DP. I spend most of my days in confusion switching between set grip, doing things I haven't done on a daily basis in at least fifteen years, and Dolly Grip, walking in and not really knowing what the shot is about before doing it. Still, we're having a great time and getting some really beautiful shots. I'll be back with more later.
D

Answers to Questions I've Been Asked...

  Here are some answers asked by various emails, search strings, personal experiences etc.

You can't buy a Fisher/ Chapman Dolly. They aren't for sale except under certain conditions involving those of you living outside the US.

If you're using a single sheet of plywood, you don't need a plastic top (unless the DP doesn't like the light bounce off the plywood)

Wedge the boxes first. Make 'em stable.

Please stop trying to wedge the crossties between the joints before I level the joints.

Don't fill in behind me until I ask you to.

No, I didn't bring the starter track. I have enough to keep up with. Pick the dolly up the four inches it requires to get the front on the track or get me some wedges. Sack up and be a grip.

No, I don't have a cupholder.If there is one in the hole I'm trying to put the seat in to set up your shot, I will throw it across the room.

Yes,  I have a seat offset. You are now the subject of my next post.

No, I do not want a clamp on the end of the track.

Get me a clamp for the end of the track.

It's not a magic vibration isolator.

No, these wheels will not mark a wood floor.

I don't know how you can become an extra. Believe me, you don't want to.

No sir, you said fifteen seconds. I timed it on my watch.

I don't know where it is. I think it's over there.

Yes, I started when he did. (I really didn't because I was checking my Twitter page).

No, I can't get you a stinger.

Day 48 out of 51

  Hi all. I just finished my first week on the new job. As I said on Twitter earlier today, "They didn't fire me yet."  So far, everything is going smoothly, minus the usual first week craziness as the company settles into a rhythm. This job is especially unusual for me. First of all, I'm not the "A" camera dolly grip, or the "B" camera dolly grip. I am the co- Dolly Grip under the "A" Dolly Grip and also the local Best Boy. Let me explain, because this is complicated. The DP on this movie (who is up for an Academy Award this year) has his own dolly grip who travels with him on every show and has for the last twenty or so years, including the movie he did last year in the UK for which he is nominated. This cameraman operates himself and mostly shoots off of a jib arm with a remote head. His Dolly Grip operates the arm while I operate the chassis. There is no "B" camera.  The Key Grip, as well as his Best Boy, has also been with him for many years, and is a highly respected name. He is also old friends with my Key Grip, for whom I have been pushing for many years. This show comes to town. My Key Grips talks to the other Key Grip. I go to work for the new Key Grip who also asks me to put a crew together for him and act as kind of a local Best Boy. Cut to- now when I'm not on the chassis (we also carry a Fisher Eleven for tight quarters, of which there are many) I'm stringing up twelve and twenty-bys and helping coordinate equipment and manpower. And I really enjoy it. The Key and Best Boy are the absolute best, and I am honored to work with them. The crew we have is truly one of the best I've ever had the pleasure of working with. These guys know their stuff, they work their asses off, and never question or complain. And it's nice to not always be on set and also to re-acquaint myself with the nuts and bolts of gripping. It's exhausting and a little bewildering to switch back and forth from set grip to dolly grip as the need arises, but it's a great challenge. And it's also an honor to work with such a well regarded DP. I'm always up for learning new things, and I hope to learn some new skills from all these guys. Many of us tend to work with the same Key Grip or cameraman over and over, so it's always good to get out and see what the other guys are doing. So that's about it for now. The first week was spent in the pouring-down rain and mud, followed by a day of shifting twelve-bys around to block the sun. In between, I worked on some cool shots and had some laughs. I'll have another report in a week or so. Till then, stay safe and work smart.
D

PS- I have a tradition here of not really ever naming names. It's not that difficult to figure out who I'm talking about, though. Many people have asked how this DP is. Here is an indication: More than once after a shot I've heard him turn to his Dolly Grip, who has been with him for many years and is a great guy, and ask, "What do you think? How was that?" The guy is a gentleman, meticulous about his compositions, and respects his Dolly Grip's opinion.That's how he is. Think about that next time you work with some jackass who treats you like a mindless  cog in his machine. This guy, roundly regarded as one of the best in the world asks his Dolly Grip what he thinks about the shot.

Date Night

  An unfortunate, and somewhat ironic, by-product of working in the movie business is that you have little time to see any actual movies unless they're late night bleary eyed cable or Netflix offerings. I hadn't been to a theater in probably a year or more before my wife and I hired a babysitter and ran out to see The Bourne Legacy, which I actually liked. Not as much shaky-cam and a good performance by Jeremy Renner made it quite enjoyable. I still haven't seen The Dark Knight Rises, and only got out to see the incredibly disappointing and overblown Prometheus while I was on location and had a free Saturday afternoon to fill up. Luckily it was one of those theaters that also doubles as a bar, so after the first plot hole, I started downing gin and tonics. It's a shame, really, because I still love the movies. I've had the great fortune of working regularly with a DP whom I admired before I even knew what a dolly grip did exactly. I just knew this DP shot movies that I really liked looking at. That he later became a friend and frequent coworker is one of the coolest things that could happen in my career.
 There's still nothing quite like a darkened movie theater when the previews come up. I still get a little excited and it also gives me a chance to see firsthand what my fellow dolly grips have been up to. My buddy Azurgrip, who helps me run this site, had been telling me about the movie he had been doing last year involving multiple Technocranes and miles of greenscreen. When I saw the trailer for Pacific Rim, I suddenly understood what he had been talking about. I like watching the results of my friends and colleagues' labor. Too often, our contributions to the final product are lost in a sea of red carpet events and award shows, so I like seeing their work and knowing what long hours and years of expertise went into it, because only those of us who do this every day really recognize it when we see it.
  On the same note, I recently managed to hire the babysitter and take the wife out for a night at the movies again. We saw Jack Reacher. I had long been a fan of the books by Lee Child so was somewhat jealous of my friend Bill Wynn when I learned he was doing it. Bill is a veteran with such credits as Talladega Nights and The Town. Billy and I worked together once a few years ago when I came in and did B Camera on some reshoots (This very reshoot as a matter of fact). We have a lot of mutual friends and have kept in touch over the years.  Jack Reacher was great. It totally captured the spirit of the books, and Tom Cruise was a great Jack Reacher, though he is physically not anywhere near the 6'5", 250lb Reacher of the books. He nailed it with attitude and an understanding of the character. Bill did a great job. I texted him soon after watching and told him what a great movie it was and what a great job he did. He probably hates this but that's what this place is for, to recognize good work. Great job Billy!

Merry Christmas!

  Well, we've almost made it through another year. The 21st came and went without incident, so I've gone ahead and lined up my next job. I may as well go ahead and do my End of Year What We Learned Post because I will need to start sobering up soon.
Here are a few things the year taught me:

1. Handheld sux. But it sux much worse in tv than on a feature. I did one of each this year- a totally handheld pilot and a totally handheld feature. Though neither was a particular joy work wise, I did meet some cool people and a new camera operator whom I really like. After the pilot almost threw my back out, I had some trepidation about repeating the painful, dreary chore. The feature actually wasn't that bad. It's the pace that gets you in tv. It was one shot to another without much of a break, but the slower feature pace allowed me to rest a little between setups and saved my back. Of course the worst thing about handheld is that for a Dolly Grip it's simply monkey work. You have no real input into the process and nothing much to offer except a strong back. But, you can at least earn some respect if you know what you're doing which leads to my next post...

2. Experience wins out. Act like a professional. Stay alert and let your camera operator and DP know you are there for them. You may be a monkey but at least they'll realize that you're a trained monkey.

3. You're not 25 anymore. It's ok to let the younger guys take up some slack every now and then. It gives you a break and lets them get familiar with handling a camera. It also gives you an opportunity to teach them about things like keeping an operator safe, looking ahead to future obstacles, and paying attention.

4. Always use equal force when getting help on a chassis move, or when you have a couple of guys moving a crane chassis. I knew this already for dollies but it was brought home on a 50' Techno move in which more chassis guys were on one side than the other. The crane, all 6000+ lbs of it skipped off the track. No harm was done. A quick application of the Pettibone set things right, but it hammered home that you have to pay attention to everything.

5. Use more of everything than you think you need when it comes to safety. Again, this is something I generally practice anyway, but I was reintroduced to the concept when I had to harness in a camera op  to the bed of a speeding pickup to do an actor POV over the cab of the truck as it careened down city streets. I had four points on him, but neglected to do the one extra that I thought of, but discarded, that would have pulled him into the back of the cab. Add one nervous actress behind the wheel and your omission quickly becomes apparent. Take the time. Do it right. Do more than you think you need. No one was hurt and I quickly added it on the second take but it was a painful learning experience.

6. I actually am not that bad on a Fisher Ten. A long time ago, a great dolly grip told me that I had to be good at both dollies. I, of course, knew this but if you use one dolly consistently over the other, getting behind the lesser used one can be uncomfortable. I filled in for a buddy of mine for one day on a very big movie earlier this year. I thought he was a Fisher user and dreaded it for a week before the day arrived. As it turns out, he was using my old friend the Hybrid, so it was a non-issue. But I did get pressed into service on a Fisher Ten on a couple of other shows, and you know what? It was fine. I tend to be very particular about the boom setup on my dollies and the Fisher just isn't comfortable for me personally, but after a couple of shots I got into the groove and soon began to enjoy the difference in timing. It's not bad, just different. I started out on a Ten many years ago on In The Heat of the Night  (the tv show not the movie) and had not really been behind one more than a couple of times since. The timing for the action on the arm is a little different. You have to actually do everything a split second earlier, but my friend was right. It does make you a better dolly grip. I no longer dread the Fisher Ten.

7. It's not the destination, it's the journey. Enjoy the ride. We all end up in the same place anyway, so have fun, laugh, love, don't sweat the small stuff (and it's all small stuff).

That's about it for the list.

   Everyone have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Life is good. I'm not rich, but I'm sitting in a cozy house having a cozy drink as the rain falls outside. My children are safe. My wife (inexplicably) loves me, and I've got it pretty good. And I have a lot of friends, including many of you whom I've met over the years on Dollygrippery. Some of you I've never met in person, but I feel like we're old friends just the same. I will one day have a drink and a laugh with you in some bar in Toronto, or Atlanta, or India, or Los Angeles, or wherever, but till then I thank you for your friendship and raise a glass to you. Stay safe and stay in touch.


D

PS

Azurgrip blew his own horn earlier for a show he did last year. Here's one of mine (although it's not as cool as his.) Check it out.       Beautiful Creatures. And you get to see the back of my big head!   More of the back of my head. And my actual hands. For about a half second.
  I would like to reiterate that teenage witches can in no way compete with giant robots rising out of the sea, but you can see the back of my head. And a hellacious boom up. Which I F'ing nailed.

Just a little horn blowing. The trailer for the movie I was working on last winter has just been released (I think it's also running at the start of the Hobbit in the theatres).

Pacific Rim was an all time mind blowing experience to work on and looks like it will be in the theatres. Working with Guillermo Del Toro was a blast and a half!

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/pacificrim/

Another One In The Can

  We just wrapped our latest epic. Eight weeks of handheld work is over. I actually didn't think I would be able to bench press an Alexa for that long, but it actually wasn't that bad. We did have two crane shots, one was a 50' Techno and the other was a 35'-45' Moviebird, but other than that, it was all handheld. Over the last eight weeks I've been shot at multiple times, smoked out, blood spattered, and heard more incarnations of the "F" word than I knew were possible. I've met a former governor, stood in a lake in 37 degree weather at night, had the flu, laughed a lot, cussed a lot, and made a fair amount of money which is already gone. My impressions are that handheld sux, and the Moviebird is a great crane. I just like the thing. The bearings in the arm are so sweet that I marvel at the action on it every time I have to finesse an over-the-shoulder at forty feet .One handed. Overall, a tough show but possibly a good movie. Or a s&*%ty one. Hard to tell. Now for a few weeks off before the next one.

  My heart breaks for those babies in Newtown tonight.Please keep their parents in your prayers.  Those of you who are parents, hug your children and keep them close. The wolf is always at the door.

  I got my .com domain back from the crazy lady. At some point in the coming days, you'll be able to use it. So at least there's that.

   Look out for each other. There are some evil bastards walking the streets.

         D