how to boom a softbox or Kino?

N

nickbeef

Active member
I've tried using a large soft light source as a back light for an interview setup, and because of the wide shot, I needed to put the c stand as far out of the shot as possible requiring the boom arm to come out at less then a 45 degree angle. The problem is that with the weight of the lights (I use both Lowel Rifa's and Kino Diva's) the lights just sink down by the weight of gravity, if I remember correctly, at the point the light connects to the c-stands baby pin.

Here's a pic of NBC's setup interview Netanyahu, doing just this successfully:
20Netanyahu-master675.jpg

Perhaps the Kino Diva and the Rifa 88 are just too heavy? Above, they seem to be using a smaller size softbox, perhaps even an LED with a shallow diffusion box? Any suggestions on preventing this light sag?
 
There are a lot of long boom arms out there that use a counter weight just as shown here.
I have a lightweight aluminum one that cost about $35 and when I put an ARRI 650w fresnel on it I can extend to boom out to about 4-feet before the bend starts to scare me.

And this is from the $50 el-cheapo chinese boom arm I got on Amazon. A "real" version on a boom arm should perform far better.

The weight of the light doesn't matter because you use a counter balance weight on the other end. Bending under the weight is the only consideration.


EDIT: Here's your guys -

http://www.samys.com/p/Lighting-Boo...l;jsessionid=F71BFBAFBBC93B693003A81AE5428DBF

http://www.samys.com/p/Lighting-Boo...l;jsessionid=F71BFBAFBBC93B693003A81AE5428DBF

In fact I think the IMPACT boom (the first link) is almost identical what's actually being used in this interview shot. I think the one in the photo is the Matthews version.
 
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Instead of using an off-the-shelf boom you could build a small Menace Arm, or Goal Post.

This video demos the basics of building a menace arm.

https://vimeo.com/47451056

Another alternative is to fly a lightweight bounce board & hit it with a Leko.
 
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sorry if i wasn't clear, guys. The problem isn't that the C-stand is tipping over, I fully understand the concept of counter weights, the problem is that the light itself is rotating on the baby pin, or that the boom arm is rotating in the grip head. This is because of the weight of the light is pulling it down, and the light is rotating downward, not that the c-stand is falling over.

I hope this is clearer.
 
The swivel pin, I hadn't seen. Thanks. I have that Avenger arm. It's good on a bagged beefy or bigger, definitely not a C stand. You can also hang a bag on that hook or I have even tied it down like a menace arm. It's pretty heavy duty. It's good for a fresnel or a light soft box. I wouldn't hang a kino on it and I've tried. If you're going to do that it'd be good to try the menace arm or goal post.
 
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Junior pins/receivers are your friends for booming. If you can swap out the existing mount on your light's yolk, for a combined 28mm-pin/16mm-reciever TVMP, and then get a boom arm (or a wicked stand like the Avenger A4050CS) that has a junior receiver - you can mount fixtures much more securely. I use that trick all the time to boom my Area48s (which are fairly hefty), and it works a treat.

The Swivel Mount is a decent alternative, but 16mm pins/receivers are difficult for any kind of off-axis mounting.
 
Most times I've seen a light armed out on a C stand it'll be mounted in a drop down pin in the gobo head, not simply on the arm. This gives you the ability to pan the light much more easily and prevents it from drooping down. A Rifa 88 shouldn't be too much if you use this configuration.
 
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