My Sweet Home, Alabama

This post is different. It won't be about dollies, or track, or cranes. It's about something far more important.

"In the place where I was raised,
  clocks tick and the cattle graze.
  Time passed with Amazing Grace,
  Back where I come from."
            -Mac Mcannally


".....It looks like two miles of Hiroshima."
                        -Tuscaloosa resident and old friend Billy Field


       A couple of days ago, I awoke as I normally do, tired and cranky. I had a three o' clock call time so I had a few hours to relax and also watch my baby boy while my wife went to the gym. I sat down on the couch and turned on the tv and saw something extraordinary. I saw Concord, Alabama on my local Los Angeles Fox affiliate. What makes this extraordinary is that the only reason that Concord, a small rural hamlet outside Birmingham, would be on television in Los Angeles is that something really, really bad had happened. It had. I knew that there had been a storm and that tornadoes were in the area. I had, in fact, watched their progress on my Droid a little anxiously the day before as they bore down on my little hometown. I mentally went down the list of where my family members were at the time- daughter in Atlanta- good, Mom and Dad at home*- bad, sister and kids and various aunts, uncles, cousins and friends at home*- bad. I quickly made a few phone calls and put out a request on Facebook. Once I was assured that everyone was ok, I had to go back to work and didn't really have a chance to check back in for a long while. Now, I was looking at my television in sunny Los Angeles and seeing miles and miles of splintered trees, empty concrete slabs, and debris. It was unfortunately a familiar sight.
   In 1998, an F5 tornado roared in from the west and detonated on the Oak Grove-Concord area like a nuclear device. It left a swath of destruction a half-mile wide and took with it 32 souls. It left the wreckage of countless houses, trees, cars and my high school scattered for miles. I found out about that storm much the same way as I did this one. On my couch in Atlanta, watching CNN. My daughter was about two at the time and after kissing her and her Mother goodbye, I raced the three hours from Atlanta to Oak Grove to see what I could do. It was a sight I will never forget. I parked in a long line of cars just on a curve outside town and joined a crowd of other natives/onlookers walking slowly around the curve. As the town came into view, my jaw dropped. Helicopters hovered, firemen and policemen ran around shouting. Residents, people I'd known since I was born, picked through what was left of their lives. And as far as the eye could see was total devastation.

   Let me tell you a little about this area and her people. Oak Grove, Alabama lies in a cluster of unincorporated, and incorporated towns stretching in a line from the Black Warrior River to Birmingham, around 30 miles. They have names like Rock Creek, Concord (pronounced "COHN-coard," not "Concurd"), Pleasant Grove, and Hueytown. It's a mostly rural area with three high schools, Oak Grove (my school),  and about fifteen miles away, Hueytown, and Pleasant Grove in close proximity to each other. Students from the three relatively small schools mingled pretty freely. We all went to the same parties, hung out in the same McDonalds parking lots on Friday nights, and worked at the same grocery stores on the weekend. It is a place of green rolling hills, Sunday School, pine trees, and and a big wide river made for fishing and skiiing. In the Summer, the air grows thick and lazy. Summer nights are filled with lightning bugs and the sound of crickets. Fall means crisp air, Friday night football games, and blazingly colored leaves. Winter sometimes brings a little snow. And Spring, with the May flowers, also brings tornadoes. Tornadoes are a fact of life in the South. They're just something you live with and don't really think much about because they rarely affect you directly. As children, we were all subjected to monthly tornado drills in elementary school. We dutifully knelt under our desks, covered our heads and privately wondered how effective a twenty pound desk would be when the roof got ripped off. Other than that, we really didn't think much about them. It was a great place to grow up. I actually still know the names of most of the people I started kindergarten and first grade with. I know them because I graduated high school (a high school that was now a pile of bricks) with most of them in a class of about seventy, twelve years later. We would spend summers as kids exploring the woods and having stick battles, and as teenagers, building a bonfire  out on a rutted track known as Joe Berry Road, turning up the radio and having a party. We weren't rich, but we sure were privileged. Now, a town I knew like the back of my hand was gone.
   That was 1998, and now it's happened again. Not directly to Oak Grove. This time, at least, it was spared. Concord and Pleasant Grove, though weren't. It doesn't matter. For all intents and purposes, it's the same people being hit again just thirteen years after rebuilding. Only this time it was worse. An F5 descended from the west once again and cut a raw wound in this community. This time, along with Tuscaloosa, Pratt City, and a few more communities, the death toll is 250. Imagine ten or twelve random people who you saw at the gas station, sat next to in church, bought hardware from, people you'd known as long as you can remember, suddenly gone. And left in their place a pile of splintered wood and a homeless family trying to deal with the loss, not only of a loved one, but also their home.
  I don't want to get too maudlin on this subject, but this place and these people are my own. Although I haven't lived in that area for years, it's still "home" to me. My family still lives there. Everyone I knew from birth to the age of twenty lives there. They're good people. The finest I've ever known. They are tough and proud. They are bent, but not broken. So, here it is.... I don't like asking for things. The information we provide here has always been free and always will be. But, if you are doing well, if you have ten extra dollars in your pocket, please give to the organizations listed at the end of this post. If you're down on your luck, send along a prayer. They surely need it.

Roll Tide.

Thanks, D

*All my immediate family on both sides live in the affected area.

Visit  Hands On Birmingham to make a donation or, if you're in the area, to sign up as a volunteer.

You can go to bamastuff.com and order a "Roll Tuscaloosa Roll" tshirt for 10.00. All proceeds go to relief efforts.

alredcross.org  for the Mid Alabama Red Cross to donate. Click on "donate" far right top. The Birmingham or Tuscaloosa areas were hit as well as the Phil Campbell area in Franklin County.

Text "red cross" to 9099 to donate 10.00. Standard text and messaging may apply.

Burnout

  Happy Easter! I hope those of you getting a day off enjoy it. I am taking Monday off also due to the fact that I can't bear the thought of going back after only three days off. I have reached the point of burnout. Five months of day in and out tv scheduling have taken their toll and I find myself caring less and less every day about the work or who does it. To help demonstrate how I reached this point, the following is a simple breakdown of a typical week on my show:

Monday- 7 AM call. Arrive at stage and the riggers have graciously unloaded the truck and moved it to the stage. They didn't have a chance to get to the dance floor cart, though. I can't remember where we used it last (We have a stage package that floats around to the six stages we occupy, and a truck package, a huge custom made beast that stays loaded on the truck for locations). Ok, we finished on stage one last week, all the way across the lot. The B camera Dolly Grip and I trudge across the lot and wheel it back to stage three. Get marks, Set up. A standard twelve hour day on stage follows.

Tuesday- More of the same except we moved all our stuff at wrap so it's already waiting for us on stage two, where we're working. We have a middle of the day move scheduled to stage four for three scenes. We make it at 3:00. After a 14 hour day, we wrap. Riggers will move us tomorrow morning.

Wednesday- Today is a double-up day. We have two full units shooting. My B-camera Dolly Grip will take A- camera on the other unit. Due to a call sheet mixup, my dollies and equipment have been moved to the wrong stage. The double-up unit dollies are outside the truck because the riggers didn't have time to get to them. I show up at the wrong stage, 20 minutes late due to the call sheet mixup (which happens on every double up day. The problem is, that I go to whatever unit my camera operator is on. He goes to whatever unit number one on the call sheet is on, unless there's Steadicam on the other unit. It gets a little silly and. sometimes whoever does the call sheet can't quite figure it out. Hilarity ensues). I spend a good twenty minutes figuring out where I'm going, and where my stuff is. I locate my fill-in B camera Dolly Grip who was also on the wrong call sheet. We push our stuff across the lot to the right stage. Get marks, set up, Shoot. After a 13 hour day, wrap. Tomorrow is a split, so we have a 2PM call and a long turnaround. I try to stay up as long as I can so that I'm not up at 8AM and asleep at midnight the next night.

Thursday- Shooting at a large ranch out towards Malibu where we have most of our standing exterior sets built. Arrive at 1:30PM, grab a burrito and load a stakebed. We are actually shooting in a cemetary we have built about 1/4 of a mile back in the woods. We'll need luma beams. Load, move, get marks, lay track, shoot. Cut, check gate, move on, tear down, get marks, lay track, etc etc ad infinitum. Move to ext. house. Load stakebed, move , get marks, lay track blah blah blah. After a 14 hour day we wrap. Tomorrow is a straight night. We have a 5PM call even though it doesn't get dark until almost 7.

Friday- We have a Moviebird tonight. Unload stakebed, find crane tech and say hi. Move equipment to forest clearing. Get marks, place crane, do shot. Move crane. Get marks blah blah ad nauseum. Crane is done. We now move to exterior house. This house is on a hill and trucks park at the bottom of it. We push dollies up hill and ramp up stairs onto porch. Watch rehearsal, get marks. This will take a floor. Lay floor, do shot etc. Turn around. Re- lay floor, do shot etc. We finish on an interior of the house. This particular house has about a four inch dropoff from one side of the living room to the other. We're going to need bucks. The Key Grip sends a couple of guys to the truck for some aluminum bucks. Meanwhile, I watch rehearsal, get marks, bring in dance floor and bucks. Lay floor, rehearse, shoot, tighter, check gate. Turnaround and re-lay floor on other side. Marks, shoot, tear down. We need an insert of a cellphone. B Camera is wrapped. Go get camera riser, do insert. Wrap to stakebed and then to 48 footer. The sky is turning blue so at least we won't wrap in the dark. It's 7AM when I get in my car. We have a 6AM call on Monday and we'll start over again with a new director and a fresh DP and AD crew.

 You can see my point.  I have unfortunately reached the point where I have a hard time showing interest and I'm starting to let little things go. I don't like working that way. So, four days off instead of three isn't really a cure, but it may bring me back around enough to carry me another couple of months. I hope the rest of you doing television have a chance for a little breather as well.
 Stay safe, D

**For those of you wanting more, Michael over at Blood, Sweat, and Tedium has a nice addendum to this post. Check it out.**

Mon, April 25-BTW, I just called the Best Boy and told him I would like to take tomorrow off as well. He said, "Awesome."

Spotting Problems

 By spotting problems, I mean seeing potential problems and fixing or avoiding them before they become obstructive, or even dangerous. The ability to know when something is or isn't a potential issue is one of the most important assets of being a Dolly Grip. Actually of being a Grip also. It's always been my own opinion, for what little it's worth, that a Dolly Grip makes his money in setup, not necessarily in the moves themselves. I think the moves come with practice and either you have, or develop, the timing and dexterity or you don't. Once you have that part down, you don't really think about it much, you just step up and do it. Setup is where the problem solving part of the job arises and where you try and head off the roadblocks before you turn the corner and see them screaming toward you at 80 mph. Most of it is common sense, some of it is just gut feeling, and some of it you've learned just from being around other really good grips. I'll give a vague example which is the only one I can think of in my fatigued state: we used a certain brand of jib arm on a show I did a few years ago pretty consistently over two or three seasons. Now I'm not a fan of this particular arm, but someone higher up the chain than me liked it, so we used it a fair amount of the time. It's commonly seen arm, one used by a lot of guys all over the world and it works fine. I just don't like it. The connections are all internal so I can't see what's actually going on with them, and it is always a pain to put back in the case at the end of the day. We had this arm delivered from the vendor whenever we needed it and would build it at the start of the day. One time we were building it and two of the pieces just wouldn't fit together, no matter how we coaxed and cursed. It got to the point where the DP was standing over me waiting to see if he was going to be able to use it for the next shot. In any case, we managed to get it together (by employing a pair of pliers and questionable means) and the show went on. The next season, it happened again. Same problem. Same DP standing over my shoulder. This time, I told him to postpone the shot if he could and I would get the vendor to run over a replacement part. Which they did. Now this is not a huge deal. Sometimes things get tweaked and don't fit right. But not the same thing. Twice. This tells me that there's either a problem with the shop, or with that arm. Either way, sooner or later, down the road, something worse than postponing a shot could happen. I went to the Best Boy and asked him to never bring that arm out again. Get me a Fisher Jib. I can see the connections  on  the arm and I've never had one give me a problem. Not even once. "Big deal," you're thinking. "Two problems in three years. You just got mad at the arm and didn't want to see it anymore." And you're right, to a certain extent. But mostly I was concerned. In twenty years of putting crane arms together, I've never had two pieces that were meant to go together that just didn't. Not that involved tweaking one of the connections with a pair of pliers.That tells me that this is, to me, becoming a safety issue. If it's happened twice in two years, what else don't I know about. And while it probably would have been fine, I don't want to take the chance with a jib over actors and stand-ins heads.
  Now this example, while admittedly vague, demonstrates a pattern. In my experience, crane parts not fitting together is irregular. Having to physically change a connector by force is irregular. I've now seen it twice with this arm. Get it out of here before something breaks loose with 40 pounds of camera and 120 pounds of weight over someone's head. That's what you look for. You look for patterns. You look for irregularities. You look for two threads on the castle nut instead of three. Potential land mines are everywhere and spotting them can be the difference between swapping out a part and someone going to the hospital.
  On a lighter note, yesterday I got in my car and halfway to work before I realized I didn't have any shoes on.
 Be safe,
D

JL Fisher Open House 2011

Just a reminder that the JL Fisher Open House this year is on Saturday, May 14 from 9:30AM til 4:00PM. Frank and the people at Fisher always pull out all the stops to have a great day and the beauty is, it's mainly a day for Dolly Grips. We don't get many so please come out and meet your fellow Dolly Grips for beer and bar-b-cue. There will be many returning vendors as well as a discussion featuring several ASC and SOC members and Dolly Grips. I'm going to try and make it (unfortunately, it always falls on the weekend closest to my daughter's birthday) and hope to see many of you there. For directions and info you can go to jlfisher.com and click on the "general information" tab at the top for the address and phone number.
  On the home front, I'm sorry about the lack of posts. I finally got my internet troubles straightened out and then promptly smashed the screen of my phone in the LAX parking lot. We also started the week out in a split and are now into full blown nights. Add to that a crying baby and a tired wife and that doesn't leave much time for discussions about camera offsets  or dolly track. But, sooner or later the noose will loosen and I'll have a little more time to devote to Dollygrippery. Please ask any questions or make any comments you might have in the message forum to the right or by email. I still read the thing, I just don't have time to post on it. Thanks D.

PS- I thought you guys might like to see the custom leather dolly seat my Key Grip and I had made for our camera operator. It's a beauty.

Internet Troubles

  Some jackass hacked into one of my email accounts and wreaked havoc with most of my contacts. I'm dealing with it so I may not post for a few days. Azurgrip is working up some things in the meantime. Otherwise, all is well and I'll be back soon. Thanks for your patience.
D

Workin' the line

Greeting from the fortress of solitude!

I apologize for leaving D to handle all the article duties around here, especially with a new one at home and working a TV series - hats off to you sir!

I have been in a TV rut - I'm not complaining about work - I've just done four cycles of TV series back to back. I'm currently enjoying my first real time off in some time before I start back on another cycle of TV.

The shows I've been working on lately have been mind numbing. Nothing new or exciting to get you up in the morning. Standard Mon - Sat am (Fraturday). STVC (Standard TV Coverage - Master wide shot, med two shots and close ups - Two cameras running all the time). The last show had a huge cast, so to "save time" most blocking would have them lined up at a table (what I called the "South Park blocking") and have cast come and go. Talk about a slow burn. Especially if you're stuck in studio for what feels like weeks on end. Then, when the unit does go out on the road, it's trying to get 12 locations in a day and ten pages of dialogue. What are they thinking?

Scripts are boring (who watches this stuff?), directors are boring (who hires these guys?), and productions don't want to spend money. Every once in a blue moon a crane comes out for an establishing shot. No one wants to use it - as it's perceived to "take up too much production time". Don't get me started on the money waster of hiring a SteadiCam Operator & rig and not use it (SteadiScam as I've taken to calling it).

On the last show, the floors in our stage were actually usable. I think we pulled dance floor out once(?) during the entire show.

It just happens to be our market here. Feature films are poking their heads out of the gopher holes, but with the world economy, one doesn't expect the return of the feature film as a staple of the locale industry. I'm thrilled to be working as much as I have over the last two years, but it's really starting to feel like a assembly line job.

What do you do to help combat the monotony? Other than flipping for paycheques. As our boys in the photos up top - one can go a little looney.

Sound Issues

  This was a post that was suggested by my friend Larry, one of the best boom operators in the business. Thanks Larry.
 
  Something that comes up frequently, but we rarely ever think about as Dolly Grips is sound and how our actions affect it. There's nothing quite like setting up a shot, complete with dance floor or a rail and doing your move, on a particularly emotional scene, in an otherwise silent set only to hear an excruciating, wince inducing creak. You try to ignore it, the actors are trying to ignore it, the boom guy is shaking his head as you power through it.
  The main problem with the whole scenario, is that the set is usually too loud while you're rehearsing to hear any offending creaks or pops and they aren't noticed or even thought about until they pop up during the first take. Hardwood floors are particularly offensive. I did a movie last year (it actually opens next month) in which we were shooting on the back deck of a house that construction built on the side of a lake. It was just an exterior set, the inside was gutted, and we set up a shot on the deck. I laid a floor, we hefted the dolly up the stairs, and on take one, there was a dialogue killing shriek of wood on wood as we rolled across the floor on a slow lateral move followed by a push-in. After a brief powwow in which several options were discussed, including shoring up the deck, we decided to just go Steadicam and be done with it. So, we humped the dolly back down and I relaxed as we shot it on Steadicam. Even though it wasn't really my fault, I hated the fact that I couldn't fix it. Here are some tips to keep this from happening.
  If at all possible, when on a wood floor, work with the sound department and ask that the set be quiet for one run- through before actors get there.
   Distribute the weight. If you're just on plastic, adding a plywood base will help spread out the weight and tone down the noise. Better yet, if you're on a hardwood floor, always lay a plywood subfloor, not just plastic.
   Ask the sound department if you can borrow some carpets (or keep some of your own). They usually have the 3x4 carpets like the ones you see in department store entrances. If you distribute these under your floor (butted up together, not overlapped), it can help dampen the sound. I predict they will never turn you down.
    If you are on track, and the wedges are creaking, try pouring water on them. As strange as it may sound, it swells the wood and can help. You can also add more wedges under the actual rail, not just the crossties, to distribute the weight.
    If you're doing a dance floor move, choose the correct moments to turn your wheels. Always try to do it between lines or on an actor's lines whose back is to camera.
    Squeaky wheels on track is an age-old problem for the Dolly Grip. We all used to use Pledge furniture polish for years. The wax in it lubricated and quieted the rubber wheels. The problems with Pledge are that it builds up and leaves a slimy coat on the track and after too much of it, the wheels just slide, and don't even turn anymore, yet still squeak. Several years ago, I switched to Zep Par Mold Release Spray in the orange can. Chapman sends it out with their dollies, but you can order it. There is a grip selling it on our Forums.
   Sometimes, no matter what you do, you just can't get the squeak out. It's the nature of the floor. Exhaust all possibilities. If you can't fix it, then you can't fix it, but you can usually minimize it to a workable point.
   The Sound Department is your friend and they will work with you. Let them know you are trying your best and take any suggestions they may have. They'll remember you for trying to make their job easier. I can't tell you how many times I've had to borrow sound carpets to help build up a dance floor to match a rug etc.

Congratulations!

  Dollygrippery would like to congratulate a few friends for their Lifetime Achievement Awards from the SOC last night! Frank Kay, who does a fantastic job with JL Fisher, David James, one of the finest stills photographers in the world, and Alan Disler, a great Focus Puller and always the funniest man on set. Although I don't often work directly with Fisher, I have spoken to Frank through email a few times. He has always been great and answered any questions or agreed to help in any way he could, even for someone who uses another dolly. Thanks Frank and congratulations! You earned it.

  I've done two movies with David as stills photographer and he is one of my favorite people. Soft spoken and cool under pressure, you would never know he's there until he walks up and hands you a picture that makes you look like a movie poster. I'm proud for you and your great family, David. Congratulations!

  I did a job with Alan a few years ago and he is one of the best. His prowess on the focus knob is exceeded only by his sense of humor. Congrats Alan!
  The Local 80 Grips won the Presidential Award and it was accepted by Russ Norstedt. The SOC was very appreciative of the role and skill of the Dolly Grip and his contributions. Congratulations Local 80!
  I've said many times that Camera Operators are some of my favorite people and I count several very good ones as friends. It's hard not to become friends with someone you spend that much time laughing with. Last night I had the opportunity to be in the room with some of the best and it was a pleasure to see many of you again (some literally a decade later.)  Here's to you!

True Grit

  I'm a huge fan of The Duke. True Grit, along with The Searchers and Big Jake, is one of my favorites (the dolly-in on Ethan's reaction in The Searchers as he enters the asylum and sees the women who have been brutalized by the Comanche has always stuck in my mind). So it was with some trepidation that I went to see the remake by the Coen Brothers (remake isn't entirely accurate. The Coens went mostly with the Charles Portis novel which has a different ending and a different point of view altogether) I just couldn't see anyone taking the place of The Duke in the role of Rooster Cogburn, for which Wayne won his only Academy Award. I was wrong, on many counts. It's good. It's real good. I knew going in that technically, a movie made in the sixties would be inferior to a modern retelling, but in my opinion, everything worked much better. The story flowed much more naturally (as it should if it followed the novel) And of course Matt Damon as LeBoef was light years ahead of Glen Campbell's stilted performance in the original.The star of the show, however is young Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross. No one really liked Kim Darby in the original, but Steinfeld's Mattie Ross runs away with the show hands down. If she doesn't get an Oscar for this one, no one should get one. But enough about the cast. There are more than enough reviews out there to cover that sufficiently. Roger Deakins and company have turned out one of the most beautifully photographed movies I've seen in years. On a crisp digital projection, it's jaw- dropping in places. Dolly Grips Bruce Hamme, and Rick Marroquin did truly beautiful work with sweeping crane shots and understated push-ins. Gentlemen, this is the one we all wanted to work on*. Dollygrippery  salutes you. Your contributions helped make True Grit a beautiful piece of work.

* A buddy of mine heard that I was working on a Coen Brothers picture at the time this was being shot. After bombarding me with baffling texts wondering if I could help him get a spot on  True Grit, I made it clear that I was actually working on a Farrelly Brothers picture, and while I love Bobby and Peter, I would have gladly left for a Dolly slot on Grit.

Update

  Not much to report. It's TV, which basically means that you start every Monday somewhere between 6:00 and 7:00am, depending on how much of a precall you need to build cranes or load stakebeds, or whatever the puppetmasters have pre-ordained for you to do. By Wednesday, you're probably coming in by 10:00am at the earliest; and by Friday, it's either a split, or a straight night. Which is what we have. We seriously started on stage on Monday, worked on stage all week until Friday, which is a full night exterior in Long Beach. Now, those of you from Los Angeles will immediately know that Long Beach is a peel job. Those of you who aren't, will have to have it described to you. Long Beach is the one location, besides Palmdale, that all Angelinos roll their eyes and sigh wearily at when they hear it. It's far. From everything. There is literally nowhere in Los Angeles close to Long Beach except Long Beach. And if you happen to live in Long Beach, it still sucks because Long Beach, no matter how pretty it sounds, is a hole. You know those TV shows that always end with a shootout at the docks because a drug deal is going down on some boat of Liberian Registry? Long Beach. Every episode of NCIS or CSI:Miami that involves any kind of shipping container of dubious contents, whether it be kidnapped immigrants or Columbian White? Long Beach. So, tomorrow at around, oh, the beginning of the Los Angeles rush hour, I will begin my trek to Long Beach. To shoot the non-descript exterior parking lot of a bar that you could find replicated hundreds of times over in the environs of the San Fernando Valley. But I digress (because I have now had three rum and cokes). What I meant to say was that I sent my dolly in for servicing because three weeks of dusty, crappy locations had rendered it pretty near unusable. As most of you know, I generally prefer the Hustler 4. It's not really the best location dolly, but is the most versatile. For my show, a Hybrid with roundy -round would be ideal, but as it isn't available yet, the stoutness of the arm combined with the versatility of the roundy steering of the Hustler 4 make it the best choice for now. I'm going to digress here again- I love the Hustler 4. In my opinion, Chapman has created the ultimate dolly- for studio work. I can put an operator anywhere on it. I pushed a Hybrid for years but when the Hustler 4 debuted, it literally changed what was possible as far as where I could put a camera or an operator on a set. The biggest drawback in it is, its' low ground clearance, and the exposed rails the arm rides on. I could drag a Hybrid sideways behind a stakebed through the swamp for weeks (and have) and it just wouldn't stop. The Hustler 4, however, is more of a stage dolly. Anyway, I sent my dolly in for servicing and Chapman gave me a replacement. True to form, the replacement is better than the one I sent in for servicing. So here I am, Mr Big Time TV Show Dolly Grip, insisting to Chapman that I get my dolly back once it's serviced, and he sends me this one. Number 4* (yeah, like I'm going to tell you which one it is). It practically booms itself. I think I could call it on my cell phone and tell it when to boom up or down and it would do it. It's that good. So now I have to figure a way out to tell the Chapman tech that I want to keep this perfectly tuned machine after I've made an ass of myself insisting that I want the dolly that I'
ve done two shows on, that he's having serviced, back. The funny thing is, I m pretty sure I've had this dolly before. Back, long ago when I used to do movies. I remember you number 4*. And now you're mine again.
Anyway, I'm beginnig to ramble. But you get the general idea. That being, I made a big deal of insisting to my Chapman rep that I get "my" dolly back, and the temp replacement being better. Anyway. I 'm going to make another drink, so have a good night. See you in Long Beach.

I intended this morning to do what I call my "MASR,"   pronounced like "laser" or "Morning After Sober Rewrite." But, I've decided that the Captain (Morgan)'s writing style has a certain creepy charm that I rather like. The run-on sentences and awkward examples give it a flavor all it's own. So I've decided to leave it as-is, with apologies to Long Beach, Palmdale, NCIS, CSI:Miami, my high school English teacher, and anyone else who reads this random, seemingly pointless post.

Ouch!

  As most of you know, we have a new addition to our little family. Jackson is now at twelve pounds. As I was sitting on the couch last Saturday with him, it occured to me that he would make a good workout partner. I could do three sets of twenty reps of lifting him straight armed off my lap to just over my head. So I did it. A few hours later, I bent down and turned to pick up something or other and BAM. It was like an electric cattle prod  was jabbed into my lower left back. I somehow made my way to the couch after several minutes in a frozen position. There I stayed. For two days. I have now missed two days of work and tomorrow will be my first day back (the doctor told me I could stay out until Thursday, but I think I can make it back tomorrow). I've probably missed ten days of work in twenty years. I hate missing work. I will now have to endure endless jokes and jabs- "You got that old man?"- and, of course next week's check will be a little lighter. I've carried three hundred pound dollies up stairs, lifted dollies onto track, hauled plywood into sets and rarely had a complaint. It took twelve pounds of lift to put me on my back. I blame the boy.
  As I was recuperating, I had occasion to rewatch The Ring. I saw it in the theatre when it came out and was impressed with the production value, but it soon fell out of my memory like so many things do nowadays (Where are my keys,? where is my car,? Where did I leave the dolly?). Watching it again, I was struck by how well it's made. Forget the story. The Ring kicked off the craze of American studios remaking Japanese horror flicks- The Grudge, One Missed Call, etc., most of which were inferior to the original, and at least one of which, I was Dolly Grip on. The story is implausible at best. The beauty of The Ring is the atmosphere. Every frame is infused with dread. Much like Seven, the rainy, dreary Northwestern American coast is used to full effect. The dolly work by Mike Brennan is beautiful and flawless. You won't see any clumsy crane finishes or bumpy push-ins here. And the dolly work adds to the dread. Watching it for the second time, I was able to see it purely on technical terms. They took a story which they had to know was clunky and made the atmosphere the star. So check it out if you get a chance.
 Anyway, I'm back to work tomorrow and hope I can fake my way through another day.

PS- We recently crossed the hundred thousand hits mark. Thank you all for reading and contributing your knowledge and stories. As my wife reminds me- If I had a dollar for every hit.....

I Have To See It Once.

 I did a post a while back for camera operators showing ways that they could help make their Dolly Grip's life easier ( it's here). One of the points I brought up was I have to see it once. I did a show a few years ago where the camera operator would constantly verbally correct the first run-through. As in, "Too slow, too slow." or, "Boom up quicker when he stands, we didn't make it." This nearly drove me insane. Finally, I told him, "It's the first time I've seen it. I know how to do it, I just need to see it once." I think a lot of people don't realize that besides just seeing it, we also have to get the feel of it. We're getting upwards of 800 lbs of dolly, operator, and camera moving and stopping with a person* and often simultaneously booming up or down, and trying to get our timing right as well as hit a mark. Remembering how it feels to do a particular move is often just as important as remembering how it looks. Those first run- throughs are how we learn what is going to be required as far as how much strength to use to get the whole thing going and stopping again. If I'm too slow in one spot on the first rehearsal, that's actually a good thing because it tells me what I have to do to make it work. I can remember how much pull or push I used and tune it up on the next one.  The actors always do it differently than the stand-ins. This is one reason that I don't like to do too many rehearsals with stand-ins because the feel of doing it a certain way gets ingrained into your muscle memory and then you have to completely recalibrate it all with the actors. So if the first time with actors is a little off, you don't have to tell me. Believe me, I know when it's off, and where. I'm just figuring out what I need to do to fix it.
  * Or whatever we're tracking. In the last six months alone, I've had to keep up with an owl, a falcon, several cars, and fire. (yes, fire).

2010- What We Learned

"You shouldn't use the sun as a sightline. It will move."
                          - Day player to me earlier this year as I was working out a crane shot.

   2010 was a big year both personally, and at work. Our family lost a Mother, and gained a son, both within a week of each other. Work- wise, it was very busy. I did two series and a feature. Here's what I learned:

1. Although I am philosopically against cup holders on the dolly (that's all I need, one less seat receptacle and something else to lose just so you can have a place to put your coffee), a bicycle style one zip tied to the push bar is fine and completely unobtrusive. I take mine black.

2. When it comes to technocranes, the right tech is the difference between pass and fail. I knew this already, but it was reiterated on a very long day this year)

3. Keep extra wheel clips in the work box. The Hustler cart does a number on them.

4. In cold climates, be sure to run out the arm, and plug in the dolly at wrap or in the morning it's "No boom for you!"

5. Having a list of good Dolly Grips in your phone is invaluable. Unfortunately, they are always working.

6. Computers should have breathalyzers that you have to pass before you can get on the internet.

7. I need bigger cabinets for all the metal water bottles I now get as wrap gifts.

8. 1x8 dance floor pieces come in handy. Always cut one.

9. Don't lock yourself onto track if you can help it, or get away with it. Again, reiterated.

10. Soap works as well on dance floor as powder, and doesn't leave a mess. In fact, theoretically, it should clean it!

11. Luvs and Huggies leak. Pampers don't.

12. I don't let my friends know enough how much I appreciate them. Aww.

13. Cheaper ain't usually better.

14. When in doubt, use the force. It's better than the monitor.

15. Don't let well-meaning DPs who are used to working with crappy Dolly Grips talk you out of what you know. I love ya, but let go of my ears. I know what I'm doing.

16. If you convince said DPs to do it your way, you better damn well be right. I was.

Thanks to all of you for a great year and your inspiration and suggestions. Have a great New Year!
Dollygrippery.

Crane Do's and Don't's

  Our last day on the show before we shut down for the holidays was a big crane day. We had a 17' Moviebird and the shots necessitated moving it around in a relatively small space among a lot of people. This always makes me a little nervous. Besides the obvious dangers of swinging an arm around, over, and among a crowd of actors, background, and the usual suspects (vanities, 2nd AC's and AD's) you have the added variable of quick extensions and retractions. And that's what a lot of shots boil down to.... the variables. You want to decrease the number of them as much as possible. A crane shot involves a lot of them. At the least, you have a Camera Operator, a Crane Operator, and an actor.With an extendable crane, you add in a pickle operator and now you've got four variables that all have to work safely together to execute the shot. A crowd of background actors increases the variables by that much more. Earlier this year, Greg Brooks did an excellent post on Crane Marking. As I was threading the arm through the crowd last week, it occured to me that we had never really done a post on crane ettiquite. I'm going to do it in list form, making it easier to read, and for me to keep track of the points:

1. Scout the location. If you're outside, know where any possible hazards are. This especially includes power lines. There are specific distances that have been set up industry-wide for crane operation. They are here:  http://www.csatf.org/pdf/25ADDENDUM_A.pdf.

2. Know the space. Know how much room you have to operate. Don't forget to include room for the bucket swing.
3. When you are building a crane, it's the nature of the beast for everyone to want to pitch in. Don't let them. Most cranes can be assembled with two or three guys. The more hands that are on it increases the chances that something will get done wrong. A bolt won't be tightened or a piece will get left out or put on backwards. It's standard operating procedure to designate one of the guys as a wrench man, meaning it's his/her resposibility to tighten whatever bolts are used.
4. Inspect your handiwork. Once it's assembled, go over it piece by piece. Is everything tight? Are all the levelling arms connected properly? Are any pieces missing? A lot of times, a rigging crew will put it together for you before you get there. Always check the work. There are some cranes and jibs that have the connecting mechanisms inside the arm or obstructed from view (the Aerocrane Jib, the Phoenix Crane). The levelling arms on the Phoenix are connected in such a way that if you don't know what to look for, you can't tell if they are properly engaged. The AeroJib is the same way. The connections are inside the arm. Make sure they are tight and that you know how to put them together. This is one reason I like the Lenny Arm. There's no mistaking whether a nut is tight on a bolt. Support the crane as you build it. This means, don't build the arm and then attach the support rods last. Add them as you go, especially on the bucket end, until the arm is fully built. An unsupported arm can break or buckle.
5. When you are rolling a built crane into position, approach any curbs or bumps head on, square to them, never at an angle. A crane can quickly become unbalanced and flip.
6. Check the bucket latch. Fewer things can cause a cardiac arrest quicker than seeing all your weights sliding out of a bucket. It's happened to me. It ain't pretty.
7. Safety the camera. Most head techs will hard safety it anyway but always ask them if they need a safety or if they have their own. Sometimes they don't. A daisy-chain webbing and a carribeaner to the head does the trick. Don't forget to safety the matte box. Don't send a camera up on a remote head without a safety.
8. People rarely ride cranes anymore, but some do. Many operators just prefer to look through the eyepiece for focus, bogeys, etc. Buckle them in. It's not only for their safety, but also to keep them from absent-mindedly stepping off the crane and killing your bucket man. There's nothing like diving to catch an arm to get your blood flowing. When the platform reaches the ground after the shot, step on it. No one gets on or off without your say-so.
9. Know where your weight is. Stay in contact with the camera department and let them know when you are weighing in a camera or operator. I've had at least one AC take the camera off after it was weighed in. He won't make that mistake again.
10. Level your base. It's not only for safety, it keeps the arm from swinging on it's own.
11. If you're on track, it's a good idea to but a clamp or bag at the ends, especially if it's well off the ground. A dolly going off is one thing. A crane makes a much bigger, and more dangerous splash.
12. Don't let people absent- mindedly loiter under the arm while it's up. People love to stand under crane arms. I don't know why.
   These are some basics. There are many more tricks to crane work which I'm sure I've left out. Please leave any you may wish to add in the comments.
Please have a safe and happy Holiday Season, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. My year end round up is coming.
D

 
 

Dealing With Surge

  I've done posts on choosing your surface before, but some of the work I did this week gave me the idea to do a refresher post. It was going to originally involve surging, the bane of all creep moves. The choice of what surface you roll on for a creep has a huge effect on the execution of the move. The more I thought about it, I decided to go ahead and include other moves as well.
  As I've stated before, and every Dolly Grip knows, creeps are the hardest, most grueling moves you can do. There's nothing quite like trying to make two feet of push-in last for two pages of dialogue. It can be mind numbing. And one thing that can make it harder is surge. Surge is the point in your beautiful, dramatic push-in where you meet an imperfection in the surface you are rolling on that causes the dolly to pick up speed or stall. It can really draw attention to itself, especially if there is a prominent foreground piece that suddenly seems to move faster or slower in the frame. Do yourself a favor, pick your surface wisely. I always try to do a creep on track. A lot of Dolly Grips use planks (usually 1x12 clear pine for example) for simple moves. I'm not a big fan of planks. In fact, I rarely use them. They just have too many imperfections that can ruin or make a creep harder. I always try to go on track when possible for a creep. It eliminates the variable of steering, and has the least imperfections of your choices, cutting out surges and stalls and allowing you to concentrate on the move and your timing. Always try to use the surface that suits each move and what you're trying to accomplish. If a lot of actors are walking through my trajectory, I'll go with floor. If the existing floor is flat and even enough, I'll go with just plastic. If it's not in the way and is just a move on a fixed plane, I'll go with track. I did make a conscious decision on my current show to go with floor in almost every case on interiors. The shots just evolve too much to get locked onto a piece of track. Foreground actors move around too much and directors always want to change the shot a couple of takes in and go tighter or wider at one point and a floor allows me to accomodate this. If the shot is a "special," though, and I know it won't change, such as a push-in on an object, or a solitary actor doing a long speech, I'll almost always go with a rail. As I've said before, one of my favorite shortcuts is to use two of my 2x8 dance floor pieces as planks for shorter moves. They have lower surge, they are easier to get in and out of sets than a 4x8, and still allow for versatility if the shot changes a little bit.
  I'm now three weeks into my show and it's been exhausting, so I haven't posted as much lately, but keep checking in. Stay safe. Till next time, and in keeping with our ongoing series of pretty actresses with dollies, this comes to us by way of Wick. It's European actress Justinia Sieniawka with a Fisher 11. Thanks Wick and Justinia! Keep 'em coming!

D

Back to Work

   I mainly wanted to get the Thanksgiving turkey off the top of the page, because the longer it's up there, the more neglected the page looks. I'm still in the midst of semi-invalid wife/ infant care, only now I've added the responsibility of work to the pile. My series started back this week. They always like to do an episode or two before the holidays to get a jumpstart on the year and provide us all with Christmas/ Hannukah (diaper) money. So I'm back in the land of dance floor and night exteriors for the time being until we shut down for the holidays. I've got some ideas for columns planned, I just need time to get to them, and maybe this coming year we'll get around to that podcast we've been planning forever. (and maybe even some t-shirts). Till then, I've got a 3PM call time and a baby screaming downstairs, so I've got to run, but I'll be back very soon. Thanks for still tuning in.

D

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm still dealing with a screaming infant most of the day and night so posting time is still scarce. But I do want to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday. Don't let the TSA get you!

PS- Don't forget to use our forum on the right. Just click and start a conversation.

A Brief Pause

I will be away from the computer for a few days to handle some family responsibilities. Talk among yourselves. Here's a topic to help you get started..."Luma Beam Levellers-Friend or Foe?" on second thought, that one's putting me to sleep already. Let's try "Beer- The Great Equalizer." Be back soon.
D

Everybody Wants to Be a Dolly Grip

Including the lovely Laura Dern. Thanks Laura.

All right. Who's next?

The Indurberator

   "Indurberator" is what a DP I worked for many years ago called the "RO" or "rotating offset." This piece of equipment which we all take for granted goes a long way in saving our butts in a lot of situations. If you are against a wall and need that extra six inches to the left, just loosen a knob, or flip a lever if you're a Fisher guy, and BAM!, problem solved. It's really an ingenious idea that most of us never really think about. You just automatically factor it in when laying track or a floor and don't often even realize the stream of consciousness reference to it: "Ok, if I offset the RO to the right, I can set the track a little more to the left and get around that corner and still hit the number two mark. Now, where'd I leave my tape measure?"  I usually set it at about 45 degrees to the right on the inside if I'm on the big dolly and the same on the Peewee, only to the outside, to keep the operator more centered over the dolly. I have, over the last few shows, however, had some camera operators complain about the Chapman ROs'. You know, the new style (not really so new anymore, just the "newest") Hustler 4 and Peewee ROs' with the center knob and the pin under the levelling head. I'll admit, they are a pain, and light years harder to deal with than simply flipping the lever on a Fisher RO. I've turned quite a few operators on to Chapman dollies in the past few years, but this is the one sticking point: they don't like the RO.  I was at Chapman today loading in a show and spoke with an engineer about it (Leonard and Christine weren't there) and told him what I needed. He scratched his chin for a minute and said, "We'll take care of it for you." That's what I call service. So hopefully, we'll soon see a different option for the Hustler and Peewee in the Indurberator department. I'll keep you posted.

Dear Paul Maibaum, is it strange that I still remember this word after 15 years? You've coined a term!