Small Grip Package

Macville

Macville

Well-known member
So I am expanding my grip gear (not really, just starting) and have put together a list that is about a 1 ton grip package. Let me know if there's anything as a grip, that you'd like to have.

C-Stands 6
Double Riser Combo Stand 2
Baby Nail on Plate 2
Bead Board Holder 1
Drop Ceiling Holder 3
Mafer Clamp 2
Cardellini Clamp 2
Sandbag - 20 LBS 8
Appleboxes 4
Soundblankets 10
Flags/Scrim 18x24 Set 1
Flags/Scrims 24x36 Set 1
Flags/Scrims Open-ended 24x36 Set 1
Sandbag - 35 LBS 4
8x8 frame 1
8x8 China Silk 1
8x8 Double Net 1
8x8 Black Solid 1
8x8 Single Net 1
4'x4' Butterfly Scrim Set 1

I'm doing mostly corporate and smaller commercials.

Thanks,

Matthew
 
Hi Matthew:

I guess a lot of it depends on who DPs and grips your projects. If it's only you, you know what you need. If you hire DPs and grips, you need:

what about light stands? I would suggest an assortment of Beefy Babys, two and three risers and a shorty or two. American Grip is by far the best.
assume you have flag boxes for all?
at least four more C-stands (assume you have grip heads and 40" arms for all?), six is not enough usually unless really simple interview-type setups
A Gary Coleman with a 20" arm
some 8lb sandbags
some floor stands (Matthews makes these killer little floor stands that will place your instrument right about 2 inches off of the ground)
Cello and wood cucloris (I would recommend 24" x 36")
Cardellinis are great but you should also have 3-4 Bogen Superclamps with 5/8" spuds
Fill out your apples to two full sets (full, half, 1/4 and pancake) you can never have enough apples
Duvetine and lots of it?
couple of sheets of beadboard and foamcore
9' matte black boompole is a great investment for sticking a backlight where here is no other way to hide it.

I can go on and on, it just depends on what kind of subjects you are shooting, how big the electrical package is and how ambitious you are. I started about where you are 10 years ago and have now evolved to closer to a 2-3 ton package, generators, 20 instruments, etc. The overheads and butterflys are great if you shoot outdoors a lot but I found when doing corporate, 95% of was interiors so I never bought one, I just rent one when I need it. If you do a lot of outdoor stuff though, they are a necessity.

How do you plan on transporting all of this from your car/van/truck to the sets? I used to swear by the Rock and Roller carts, I had a great one. Someone ran it over and destroyed it and bought me a 'new' Rock and Roller and the new ones suck. The handles have bent, the pneumatic tires popped and the non-skid tape scraped right off. They used to be so great and now they went to a new supplier and the new ones are really cheap compared to the old gray one I had.

Best,

Dan
 
I can't agree more with Dan about the value of a good cart to carry all your gear. I own a magliner( www.filmtools.com ), and it has saved my back,a s s and neck many times.
Other than what you have and plan on having, and in addition to what Dan suggested, I would tell you to get Shiny Boards ( Hard reflectors) with one low boy combo stand and at least a double riser combo stand. Reflectors are indispensable for outdoor work. As far as indoor corporate work, I would add additional Chimera softbanks, especially with grids. Add more Drop ceiling scissor clamps, for hanging lights in an office, drop ceiling. More stingers than you think you need, even more sandbags than you want. A 6ft ladder would be nice, 8ft, even better, if you have the room for it. Dimmers, more grip heads, an extra gobo arm or two, TOOLS, like hammer,drill, tape measure, gaff tape, dulling spray, open frames for adding diffusion or gel color, plenty of diffusion and color correction gels,c-47's..duh...
You mention 35lb sand bags...great for outdoor work or overly extended c-stands, but I might add a few 25 lbs bags as well. Pony clamps or "A" clamps in all 3 sizes, rope, orange safety cones for blocking traffic or saving a parking spot, ...I could list a few dozen other items, but I'm hungry..good luck.
 
Couple of questions....

What is a "gary coleman"? Is it a stand? What size reflector do you normally use? Is 24x24 big enough? I'm also getting some HMI's, 2 575's and a 1200 par, plus some of Richard's kino diva knockoffs--just so you don't think I'm crazy to not be buying lights! Plus, I already have a small Mole kit for interviews, so I'm looking more for doing outdoor work (which I do enough of!)

Thanks,

Matthew
 
Hi Matthew:

Gary Coleman = 20" C-stand. Might be a Hollywood term not so popular on the east coast?

4x4 for shiny boards would be good, 24x24" would be a little small unless you want a point source.

Wow, you must be dropping some serious bucks into this package! All those HMIs...

Magliners are great provided you have the room in your vehicle for one and you get the right accessories for them.

I have four Chimeras, definitely need those. And I would make sure that you have speed rings for all of your lights and 40 degree egg crates.
 
Yeah, it's a hollywood term. Personally, I've never seen anyone around here use a small c-stand, but most of the stuff that's done here isn't very complex (alot of DIY, HGTV, and Food network shows are shot here because Scrips Networks are based here.)

In the end, I'm dropping about $10,000 with the grip and lights. Since I'm expanding my business with the RED, I decided it would be good to go ahead and expand my grip gear (I'm sick of not having the right tools for the job!)

I already have something like the magliner, and wouldn't do anything without it!

I like Chimeras, but I kinda feel it would be better to use the 24x36 silks plus the 4x4 for the times when I need it. Around here, most people only use Chimeras for interview work. I will probably hold off on them until I can make some money off this package. :) In reality, this package will be mainly used just by me and maybe one grip/gaffer--anything bigger I would probably hire a grip truck.

Matthew
 
Hi Matthew:

Most of the time, 4x4 frames are used on 'real' productions with big crews because you then have the necessary labor to do all of that flagging necessary to put the light where you need it. I use Chimeras all of the time for everything, mainly because like you, I often work alone or with a minimal crew. Chimeras, with egg crates are faster and simpler than 4x4 frames for most setups. I lit and shot an entire set that I lit by myself for a documentary I produced on Tinkerbell for the Peter Pan Platinum DVD that came out in the Spring. I used five Chimeras as well as 18 practicals and a lot of LED and nook lights. In that situation, I was able to work the Chimeras out on long boom poles and speed rail to position nice soft pools of light where I needed them. The same setup with frames would have been nearly impossible, considering the set only had 10 foot ceilings.

But to each, his own. I do occasionally just blast a 2k through a large piece of grid cloth, use frames, Kinos, whatever gives me the result I need. But I think most grips and DPs will agree that having Chimeras is very helpful, especially with small crews or doing it yourself.

Do you have large corporate clients? Shooting corporate on a RED? Wow, impressive. Most of the corporate clients I shoot for are clueless even about HD, much less shooting something on a high-end camera. I shoot a lot of television and theatrical using higher end cams like RED, but for corporate, it's usually an SD delivery so they don't have a clue.

Best,

Dan
 
I've heard Gary Coleman used as slang for a few different things--A Preemie Baby stand (I think that's what it was called; it was kind of useless really, if cute), the light stands that come in a 4-light Arri kit, and as puredrifting says a 20" C-stand.

EDIT: I'm sorry, Mini Preemie Baby stand.
 
puredrifting said:
Hi Matthew:

Most of the time, 4x4 frames are used on 'real' productions with big crews because you then have the necessary labor to do all of that flagging necessary to put the light where you need it. I use Chimeras all of the time for everything, mainly because like you, I often work alone or with a minimal crew. Chimeras, with egg crates are faster and simpler than 4x4 frames for most setups. I lit and shot an entire set that I lit by myself for a documentary I produced on Tinkerbell for the Peter Pan Platinum DVD that came out in the Spring. I used five Chimeras as well as 18 practicals and a lot of LED and nook lights. In that situation, I was able to work the Chimeras out on long boom poles and speed rail to position nice soft pools of light where I needed them. The same setup with frames would have been nearly impossible, considering the set only had 10 foot ceilings.

But to each, his own. I do occasionally just blast a 2k through a large piece of grid cloth, use frames, Kinos, whatever gives me the result I need. But I think most grips and DPs will agree that having Chimeras is very helpful, especially with small crews or doing it yourself.

Do you have large corporate clients? Shooting corporate on a RED? Wow, impressive. Most of the corporate clients I shoot for are clueless even about HD, much less shooting something on a high-end camera. I shoot a lot of television and theatrical using higher end cams like RED, but for corporate, it's usually an SD delivery so they don't have a clue.
Click to expand...

You got me thinking, and your right--a softbox is much better for what I need than a 4x4 frame. I do alot of work in interiors like that which I would need to also put a soft light up high. What do you think of this: http://www.photoflex.com/Photoflex_Products/Large_CineDome_Pro/index.html I'd rather avoid chimera just for price if at all possible, but need something that will support a 1200 watt HMI.

Right now, most of my corporate clients are high end car dealers and banks, so I need something a little higher end for them. Hopefully, I will be able to get people seeing the quality difference not just in resolution but also DOF and lighting. We'll see how that goes! But I'm also shooting commercials, so the RED will help with that. We'll see what me, a grip or two, a focus puller, and some on-screen talent can do.
 
Hi:

Buy the best, buy once. Buy something that may not be the best, buy multiple times. The simple fact is that the PhotoFlex and other soft boxes are fine but are disposable compared to a Chimera. I own a PhotoFlex box. It yellowed far sooner (actually all of the Chimeras are still white, even after a decade), the seams split (none of the Chimeras have). As far as quality of light, to me, a softbox is a softbox. I have even made softboxes from foamcore, the end result looks the same. So it's simple, if you want to purchase something that will last a long time, buy a Chimera. If you want somehing cheaper that won't last nearly as long, buy the other brands.

They all work well, you are just paying for durability and standardization of accessories. Some of the other brands of softboxes don't always have common speed rings, sizes or egg crates available.

Make sure you buy softboxes rated for hot lights and you will need the top of the line to stand the heat that a 1200 watt HMI puts out. Some guys somehow end up with still photo boxes rated for strobes, not hot lights and they sometimes catch on fire and or melt.

Make sure you get the egg crates too, you will need them.

Dan
 
puredrifting said:
Hi:

Buy the best, buy once. Buy something that may not be the best, buy multiple times. The simple fact is that the PhotoFlex and other soft boxes are fine but are disposable compared to a Chimera. I own a PhotoFlex box. It yellowed far sooner (actually all of the Chimeras are still white, even after a decade), the seams split (none of the Chimeras have). As far as quality of light, to me, a softbox is a softbox. I have even made softboxes from foamcore, the end result looks the same. So it's simple, if you want to purchase something that will last a long time, buy a Chimera. If you want somehing cheaper that won't last nearly as long, buy the other brands.
Click to expand...

I wish I could buy Chimeras (as I do love them) but alas, one that would work with a 1200 HMI costs over $1,000. The same for photoflex is $250. For right now, I will have to go with the photoflex:( If I get 3-4 years out of the photoflex, then I got my money's worth.

Matthew
 
Just don't let yourself or any grip/gaffers let the panels of the box rest on the body of a hot light. My medium Chimera was burned through when a gaffer let the panel rest on the body of my 1200 watt HMI PAR. Cooked a hole clean through it.

This is the one I use with bigger instruments http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/105291-REG/Chimera_8435_Quartz_Plus_Softbox_.html

It's only $642.00, not $1,000.00 though. The speedrings aren't cheap though.

PhotoFlex will be fine, just don't expect it last forever. Not the end of the world, I like buying new gear sometimes.

Dan
 
puredrifting said:
It's only $642.00, not $1,000.00 though. The speedrings aren't cheap though.

PhotoFlex will be fine, just don't expect it last forever. Not the end of the world, I like buying new gear sometimes.
Click to expand...

Does that actually work well with a 1200 PAR? My HMI's are all going to be fresnel so I was looking at the Daylite Chimeras because they are deeper, but the price jumps to $1k because the med. Daylite only handles up to 1,000 watts:( Hopefully, I will be getting some more high end projects that I'm having to rent a grip truck with nicer gear.

Matthew
 
Hi:

Direct from the specs...

"the Medium Quartz Plus is designed for use with large open-face hot lights. It is rated up to 6,000 Watts and diameters from 9 to 21.5 inches."
 
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