I am a Dolly Grip

  I am a Dolly Grip. This means that I am an expert in camera movement. I have a highly developed sense of spatial relationships. I can stand an actor up and sit them down consistently. I can repeat a move down to the millisecond. I understand blocking. I know where a camera has to be to make the shot work even without staring into a monitor. If a camera operator asks me,"Can you boom up and push in at the same time?" my answer is, "Can you pan and tilt at the same time?"  I can swing a Technocrane arm around inches over an actor's head, land on a mark and repeat it precisely. That's what I do. If you can't do these things consistently, you are not a dolly grip. If your signature move is to park the dolly, grab an apple box, sit down and open a paper or Facebook, but you can't stand up an actor, you are not a dolly grip. You are a pretender. And you make my job harder .Pushing dolly is a craft. It takes years,YEARS of work. You don't learn it overnight. You don't learn it by being the only guy available so you get the job. You learn it just like you learn anything else: repetition and time. It's not about a bigger paycheck. It's about the craft. Learn your craft. Learn your craft. LEARN YOUR CRAFT. I am tired of going onto jobs with operators I have never worked with before and having to audition because they are used to working with crappy Dolly Grips. I should start each job with at least the assumption that I am a competent Dolly Grip. But because we have allowed mediocrity to be the rule, I have to prove myself over and over again to new operators and DPs. Get off the apple box, pay attention, learn blocking and eyelines and basic filmmaking or do something else. It ain't hard, we are not doing brain surgery here. It just takes dedication and work. Every job I go on, I hear stories about how bad the previous Dolly Grip was. You should be every bit as good at your job as the camera operator is at his (or hers). I started this website to uplift the craft. To teach those who are just starting out, and to share tips among us veterans. But I'm tired of hearing horror stories from camera  operators about how bad their last Dolly Grip was. Here are some basic skills: Stand up or sit down an actor consistently; Know and understand eyelines; Repeat a move consistently; Do a compound move with the tilt wheel not being turned; Repeat a Technocrane move consistently and know how to find and remember an eyeline; Understand blocking and know the general shot before the op or DP tells you where it is; Know when dance floor or track is called for; For god's sake be able to execute a basic compound move. Guys, we have to do better, or we will always be the second class citizens they already think we are.  Anyway, rant over. Drink up and stay safe.
D

The Dolly Dock

  I received a cool little gadget last week that I've been trying out. It's called the Dolly Dock and it's from a company called Cinegack. It started out with a dolly grip friend of mine voicing his need for something he could use to mount his monitor and still use his push bar extension, as well as be an extra rigging point for lights, flags, etc. It has threaded holes for 3/8" as well as 1/4"20 on all sides.
One very cool feature is also that the pushbar extension can also be mounted vertically for better control of the dolly when doing a move in crab. It also features a quick release attachment for a 1/4"20 mount. It's basically a multi-tool for your dolly.

 The Dolly Dock screws into the threaded holes on the ends of the pushbar. The locknut allows you to fix it at any angle, and if you wish, the extension bar can screw into the other end.

  It comes in it's own plastic case.
   My first thoughts are that it's a pretty handy little device to have in your tool kit. As a matter of fact, we almost used it to mount a light on the dolly for the first shot the first time I took it out of the case. It's very well made, and if you like to mount a monitor on your pushbar, its the perfect thing. An inch and a half wrench fits it, although I have been advised by the maker that due to the anodizing, not all Chapman wrenches will fit it perfectly, but your personal ratchet will. They are coming out with a Chapman "master key" later that will fit it as well as other tools on the dolly.

  The Dolly Dock goes for 100.00.

You can purchase it and see more pictures of it in action at cinegack.com
 Check it out!


PS: That's not my cupholder in the picture.
D

Coming up for air

Just a quick intermission between shows, barely enough time to catch my breath nor catch up on sleep. It’s crazy stupid work wise here!

Next show, the operator has requested Fisher dollies for us to use. I’ll be the first to say “I’m a Chapman guy”, but I’ll also try anything -  once… I’ve done shows with Fishers which have been both good experiences and bad experiences.

The most recent Fisher experience was bad. Once again, the DP had suggested the use of a Fisher Ten. I had squeaky track wheels that I could not fix - Zep, Pledge, water, baby powder, locked wheels, unlocked wheels (not all at once) - nothing worked. I tried for as long as I could then finally the Key Grip stepped in and gently suggested a change.

I’m perplexed as to why I wouldn’t be asked what I feel comfortable using. Budgets aside, would production force one lens manufacture over another on a Director of Photography? Doesn’t a Gaffer have a preference of the manufacture of lighting fixtures? An operator be forced to use one fluid head over another? So why can’t I pick the dollies? (wow - doesn’t that sound like a six year girl whine!).

Thankfully I work in a market where there are choices, but in this case the choices are being made for me. What would you do? 

 

Hopefully once the dust has settled and the hangover has cleared, D will be able to deal with his technical challenges and share his most recent adventures!

OK, Here's My Explanation

Computer down. Typing on pad. I'll be checking in soon.

It's The Easy One's That Get You

  I've said it for years. It's not the five point dance floor moves or the swooping Technocrane moves that are your undoing, it's the seemingly easy moves that get you every time. I think it's because it looks so easy that the Director is thinking, "What's the big deal?" while you try to move with an inexperienced actor, that the really big moves (that you make look easy) get buried. I've talked about this phenomenon with steadicam ops and other dolly grips, and it holds true.

Our Thoughts and Prayers Go Out To the People of Paris

Guest Post

I received an email  recently from some filmmakers asking to do a guest post. I get a few of these every so often and usually discard them. This one, though, interested me. The director had written a short post about the movement in his film and I thought, "Why not?" I haven't seen the film, so I can't speak about it one way or the other, but I did find it interesting. So check it out....

Creating the Cinematic Camera Movement for LA Riots Short, April’s Way

By: Robert Nyerges, Director

Originally, April’s Way, my latest short about a Korean store owner struggling to protect his family and his market during the looting of the 1992 LA race riots, was conceived as one single shot. An evolving narrative, as well as location and budget constraints forced our hand to trim that concept down into a series of long sweeping takes with multiple hand-offs to help accentuate the multicultural collisions that are featured in the story. 

I’ve always been inspired by the Spielberg approach of turning two shots into one. Obviously, he adopted it from the old studio style of shooting movies but I think the impact and practicality still remains. I prefer to shoot my projects dynamically for time and efficiency’s sake. For example, one of the long takes early in April’s Way follows two characters down a grocery store aisle in a medium shot, until the end where they round a corner and dip out of frame. We continue the shot by introducing another character in a wider shot who eventually walks towards the camera to create a close up. End shot. 

Cinematographer, Nicholas Wiesnet, was also on board with this style from the moment I presented the project to him. “We are both very much drawn toward classic movies. We wanted this to feel grounded in reality but we also wanted it to feel cinematic.” Niko said of our similar preference for aesthetic. He even referred to the style that we both wanted to achieve as that of a ‘Movie-movie’. “By movie-movie, I just mean you’re enhancing reality. You’re making reality slightly magical so that it hits certain emotional chords. Whether that means starting on someones back and pushing in really slowly, etc…You’re enhancing the drama and just responding to the script.” 

To accomplish these types of shots, we knew that a Steadicam was the best approach. Our operator, Neal Bryant, was such a champ and definitely the right man for the job. He used the Steadicam M-1 with the Arricam LT, and we also had to cut all of our film down into 400’ rolls to accommodate the size and weight needed to fly the camera on the sled. 

Unfortunately, further location limitations, as well as technical issues with our camera and video gear resulted in an even further reduction of our cherished long sweeping Steadicam shots. Inevitably, only two of the long takes remain in the film and the rest fell into more traditional coverage to facilitate quick turn-arounds. Niko said, “We had limited time and didn’t have much time to improvise. We had to move fast. The fact that Robert storyboarded was really critical to us making our days and getting all the shots that we needed to tell a story.” We remained on the Steadicam for the majority of the shoot for the sake of speed and since our budget didn’t allow us to carry a Chapman in our arsenal. Poor Neal, with all of his talent, ended up feeling like a ‘Human Dolly’.

Overall, I think the style still shines through and we successfully achieved a cinematic look to the film that still feels gritty and down to earth. I’m super happy with the way the film looks and we couldn’t have achieved that authentically if we had shot on digital. 

We are currently in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign to finish the film. Please head to the link to support and share. every little bit counts!

Check it out here: http://kck.st/1MRUKrU

A Little Down Time

  Hi all. I actually have a couple of weeks off before I start the next one. This comes after a marathon of about 22 weeks with only a couple of days off (and sometimes not that) between jobs. Now I sleep until noon when I can and drink long into the night. I say things on Twitter and Facebook under the influence that may go viral at any time and end my career (not really). Anyway I'm still here, just not in the mood. My wife has given me a "honeydo" list of 16 items that I am to complete before I go back "to work." Let me read off a few: New kitchen sink faucet, fix screen door, fix wall under stairs, move the couch, take BBQ to Goodwill, fix hole under fence, help me paint the chair, and these are just a taste. So you all can see what I'm up against. As I'm a notorious cheapass, I recently found myself taking apart the freezer accompanied by a Youtube video on appliance repair. I was, of course, successful but it took four hours. Therefore, my posts have been few and far between as the demands of family (wife) have left me with precious little time for writing about the intricacies of pushing dolly. Please forgive me and don't stop checking in. Also, if your freezer is leaking water onto the floor I can totally fix it.
D

Still Here

  Still here, guys. Working a Tuesday thru Saturday schedule on a twenty day shoot with a bunch of kids. On a farm. It's also over an hour drive to work every day, so I'm a little pressed for time. Once all this has died down in a few weeks, I'll be back as usual. Until then I may have a couple of guest posters. Stay tuned and be safe.
D

Rhythm

 (I had to look up this word like, three times to spell it correctly, and I'm a spelling freak.)
 Rhythm is a very important concept when talking of camera movement. Now you may think I'm speaking of the beats of a move or any such high-minded ideas ( what an awful sentence. I really have dranken too much,). I'm talking about the rhythms of the set. In other words, the flow of work from one take to the next. When you do a difficult shot, with many variables- focus, framing, actors, dolly-, you get into a rhythm.  You rehearse, and get 50% of it if you're good. If you're really good, you get 90% of it on the first take. By the second or third take you nail it. Unless the rhythm is off. Twenty minute delays between takes are a killer.  I know the director needs to talk to actors and lighting needs to be tweaked blah blah blah. But you have to establish a rhythm to the shot and once it is interrupted, it's hard to get it back.
   I'm doing B camera on a show now. It's basically a fill-in job until my next one. But the concept of rhythm has really been re-emphasized on this one. It's what allows us as dolly grips to pull off a multi-point dance floor move. It grounds us and keeps seemingly impossible shots from becoming overwhelming. I've always said that the way to master dance floor moves is to think of them in separate chunks of movement. If you try to visualize the whole move at once, it will freak you out. Establishing a rhythm is just as important. Once it's broken, by a wardrobe malfunction, or a lighting adjustment, it's hard to keep it. That's where the true pro shines. Remembering the speed twenty minutes later. Work on that.

D

The Captain has spoken.

New Stuff

Very tired. Little time for myself. I love you all. Drink Up. Lay it straight. Lock the boom handle when you wrap it up. Put a safety on it. Check the "Jesus Pin." Bring it all. Remember your eyelines. Flat stock sucks. Strap it up. Cinch it tight. Don't "Flatten out" your booms. Suck it up. Check your lenses. Blah blah blah. Have fun. Making movies should be fun. You're lucky. God bless. Call me if you need me.
The Captain has spoken.
D

Joe

  We in the camera movement community lost a good friend this week. Joe Cuzan, who was a tech for Cinemoves, was killed on Friday while working on his truck. I first met Joey in 2003 on Big Fish. He was a big, smiling man who was quick with a joke and never got frustrated or angry. I remember on that job we were pulling a 50' Technocrane through mounds of sawdust at the circus set at wrap, trying to get it to the trailer. It was about 5 am and we were tired and ready to get back to our hotel rooms..  At about a hundred feet from the trailer the steering handle sheared off, making a long night even longer. Joe didn't curse or get upset (unlike me). He calmly got down under the base and figured out how to fix it. That's how he was. He knew there were more important things than this business. I just happened to see him Thursday night on a job after not seeing him for a year or so. He shook my hand and gave me a big hug with that smile he always had. We later made a joke about a PA telling him where to stick his paperwork. At the end of the night I shook his hand, said  "Thanks Joey," and left. The next night we learned that he had left us. He was a good dude. Those of us lucky enough to have worked with him will miss him. Scott Howell and the whole Cinemoves family has stepped up to help support his children, Sebastian and Isabella. A fund has been set up in Joe's name at http://www.gofundme.com/joe_cuzan.
 Please give if you can.

   Joey, "Fancypants," I'll miss your smiling face buddy. See you down the road.

                                          The Cinemoves Family. Joe is in red on the left.

Lay The Room (in dance floor)

   I'm just finishing up the latest epic. nine weeks of dance floor and crane work and I'm worn out, and strangely elated. I love dance floor work. It really is a disappearing art in a lot of ways. In a world where most young directors just want to bring out the Steadicam (or "Crowd Pleaser"as an operator friend and I call it), I think a lot of younger dolly grips aren't familiarizing themselves with the craft as we all used to. There was a time when dance floor moves were just a regular everyday occurance that you had to contend with. Dolly grips learned how to lay it, overcome problems with thresholds and carpet, etc., and not get freaked out as the combos got bigger and more complicated. Now, dance floor seems to be only infrequently used, and then mostly in tv work. As a matter of fact, I now use dance floor work as a benchmark of mastery of the craft. I once had a very young grip tell me that he had taken set gripping as far as it could go and was considering putting himself out on the market as a dolly grip (after I had just shown him how to put on the low mode). "Oh really?" I asked. "Can you do a five or six point dance floor move with three booms in it and nail it by the second take?" He had no clue what I was talking about. In that spirit, here is a short primer:

1. Lay to the wall. In other words, don't try to lay to the angle of the move. Lay the floor parallel to the set walls. You'll see why if you don't.

2. Try to lay the floor in pads or squares when possible. Avoid tailoring the floor to the exact move in "L's" or other irregular shapes.

3. Accommodate the actors. Don't have them half on and off a floor. Lay it bigger.

4. Learn the move in chunks. If you try to envision the whole move in it's entirety, you'll get freaked out. Let the actors tell you where to go next.

5. I tend to worry more about the plywood joints than the plastic ones. They tend to show up more. Try to run the plywood with the direction of the move.

These are just a few hints to help make your dance floor life easier. There's a lot more to it, but this is basic.

Good luck,
D

Which Wheels?

  A long time reader sent in a request for a primer on wheels. When do you use pneumatics? When do you use hard wheels? The answers are fairly simple and I won't belabor the point here. P.neumatics or air filled tires are used pretty much for dance floor. The softer, more forgiving surface of the wheel tends to soften out the seams in dance floor. Pneumatics also tend to help out on soft grassy surfaces as the hard tires dig in more and make for harder pushing. Years ago, when I was pushing a Hybrid, we put on the pneumatics at the beginning of a show and just left them on. For the Hustler 4 we mix and match and leave them for the run of the show. I once had a DP who shall remain nameless who insisted that I install soft compound tires (the solid, very soft tires from Chapman). I told him that either he would have to wait for me to change them out for exteriors or they would get chewed up and he didn't care. The show bought a new set of soft compound tires at the end because ours were a mess. This DP was a half wit. If you ask me by email I will tell you his name. Soft compound tires are virtually never necessary. A good set of medium hard and a set of Pneumatics will get you through pretty much any show. The bottom line- On a Hybrid, put on the pneumatics and leave them on. On a Hustler, mix and match. On a Fisher, use what came with them and use skate wheels on track. The Fisher round track wheels are a pain in the ass to keep changing out. I've used these wheel combinations on literally over fifty movies, including some very high profile ones and they've worked fine.
The Captain has spoken.
D

Shooting Film

   Yes, we're actually going back to a 19th century technology to shoot our latest epic. I had looked forward to it. After a couple of years or digital movies and series, I had longed for the simple, mechanical whirr of the film camera. It's kind of like missing an old girlfriend after a few years. All you remember are the good times. Remember chart lights? Yeah, we do 'em. Remember gelling windows? It's back. 85 filters in the camera? Every day. But then you start to see the bad side. Camera jams. Hairs in the gate. Horrible video taps. All in all, I think it's about an even tradeoff. Now that I've gone back to it I can see that there are advantages to both.

What's Going On

  Not much to report this week. I've been working some long hours so I haven't had a chance to think up a topic and nothing has really pissed me off lately so, no rant this time. I'm in the second week of a medium to high budget studio picture. It's a comedy about suburban life, spies, and marriage. I'm with a DP I love working with, one of my favorite camera operators, my regular grip crew, a good director and some funny and nice actors. So life is good right now except for the Fraturdays. If you have a particular subject you would like to see covered/debated in this forum, just email it in. If you are in the LA area, don't forget the JL Fisher Barbecue on May 16th. It's a really good event to attend to see old friends and catch up on what's new in the dolly world. Also there's beer (or at least there used to be.) I assume no one has made a jackass of themselves and ruined it for everyone yet (remember the coolers of beer on the tailgate that production used to provide every day?) Anyway, the kid's asleep upstairs, the wife is still at work, and I'm on the deck having a cocktail, having a drink, and listening to some blasts from the past. Be safe out there and don't be a stranger.

PS
I'm thinking of having a Dolly Grip dinner here in Atlanta for all the Dolly Grips in town, either on location or local. Those of you who may be interested leave it in the comments or email me. Otherwise I'll just go by myself and drink myself into a tizzy.

JL Fisher Open House 2015

Clear The Frame!

  I opened up a can of worms with my comments about crossing the lens or standing in front of it. A commenter named Sarah asked, " When should I use crossing?" This is a confusing issue, since a lot of people do it every time they walk past the lens. I was taught to do it too when I was starting out. After I started pushing dolly I realized that it drives a lot of camera operators and DPs crazy. If you must cross, do it when no one is looking through the eyepiece, or when we aren't trying to line up a shot. There used to be a short block of time (before digital) when the operators, stand-ins, dolly grips, and AC's had a chance to actually line up the shot and see what we were seeing before the set was swarmed with ladders, grips, juicers, art department and everyone else. Now as we try to see the shot we have to look through an army and often don't see the complete shot before we roll. I know everyone has to work and has a job to do. Crossing the lens is unavoidable. Just duck under it or do it quickly if you must while we are trying to see the shot. Yelling out, "Crossing" just draws attention to it and a lot of operators will growl, "Don't say it, just do it!"  The big grievance is literally just standing in front of the lens oblivious to what is going on. I've seen department meetings, people on their phones, or people just standing around in front of camera while we are trying to put 2nd team through their paces to see the shot. This has always been a little bit of an issue and always will be as long as we have several departments trying to all do their job quickly. I get it. But it seems to have gotten much more prevalent over the last few years and I think it's because no one is teaching the importance of not hanging out in front of camera. There was a time when I would get my head bitten off for it and everyone was aware. Now it seems no one is. When I was younger I was taken to the side and many of the rules were explained to me. I don't think that's happening anymore. Anyway, I'm not trying to bite anyone's head off myself, I'm just trying to draw attention to a problem that maybe we can all be more aware of.
Now move it!
D

Repost For Young Grips.

This one is a repost from 2008. It's still relevant.

 I've been getting a lot of comments and emails from young grips just starting out which I'm kind of surprised about. I haven't seen many young grips starting out in the last few years and wondered if people just weren't going into it anymore. So here are some general tips from my own experience and from working with younger grips:
Ask questions. Don't act like you already know everything because if you're 22, we know you're lying and it just makes us want to screw with you.
Keep your dialogue to a minimum. Chatterboxes just get on our nerves.
Watch and know where your Key is at all times. If you see him or the DP waving their arm in front of a light, get a stand and flag ready to run in. You'll eventually get to a point where you'll know what a light needs when you see it, but not in a year.

Be on time. Better yet, be 30 minutes early.

You'll be the victim of some good natured (and some just nasty) jokes. Laugh louder than anyone. They're testing you.
Setting a flag isn't generally a two man (or three man) job.
Deferred pay is slang for "free." You'll probably do a freebie or two (I did). Treat them as a learning experience and chance to practice. Don't believe that crap about paying you when they make money. They're full of it.
The long, low paying crappy movies you slave on now will make some of the best stories and memories later. It won't last forever and no, there really isn't a difference in how huge movies are run. The pay is better, there are more toys to play with, and you'll rub elbows with bigger names, but the process is the same. It'll just take 4 months instead of 3 weeks. Now is the time to learn, while the stakes are lower. And you won't learn it all in a couple of shows. Gripping involves a lot of things; rigging, lighting, construction, engineering, camera movement, safety, and a little art mixed in. You want to learn as much as you can now so when you're on the 120 million dollar picture with Brad Pitt and Vilmos Zsigmond, you'll know what you're doing. You'll find a niche that suits you. I'm not a rigger. I can bolt truss together and build a car mount but I can't walk on a stage and know where and how the truss goes (well, I could, but just not as well as a Key Rigger.) You might want to be a Key Grip, Dolly Grip, Rigging Grip, Best B oy, or stay a Set Grip. But you'll generally find yourself gravitating to a certain area of expertise.
Join the union. No matter what your politics are, in the US at least, you'll need the turnaround, overtime, and insurance protection they provide. Plus, all the big movies are union. There's nothing wrong with low budget indies if that's your taste, but if you want to do bigger budget work, you'll need to work toward this. I was non-union for a while at the beginning and resisted, but eventually got in and my career got immediately better.
Allright boys (and girls), stay at it and drop a line every now and then.

Here's an addendum: You aren't a grip if you spend the majority of the day at the carts on your phone waiting for the Key Grip to call for something. Not too long ago, we assigned one guy to the carts and the rest stayed on set. Now, it seems the entire grip crew can be found vigorously Facebooking at the carts while the Key and Dolly Grip are on set. You aren't grips, you are gofers. Once you learn lighting, rigging, set discipline, blocking, and rudimentary camera rigging, you can relax a little. Here's a tip: you can't learn those things in a couple of years. Get off your ass and learn the craft. Or you don't belong here. 
 D