Saturday, November 17, 2007

Gripping Basics

Someone contacted me recently and suggested I write a post on basic Gripping. Here are some tips:
Righty tighty, lefty loosey
If they ask for a double, bring a single too
When you set a 4x4 outside, use a combo stand
When you set a flag, put the big leg under the weight
When you set diffusion, fill the frame
Put the diffusion at the angle of the light
It will always start raining at wrap
If you tie a 12x12 off to a sandbag cart, turn it sideways to the rag
Gel closest to the light, then diffusion
Bfl (big f#$%^g light), big f#$%g flag
When laying track, level is good, getting the bumps out of the joints is better
Always, ALWAYS bring everything
If you bring a half-apple, also bring two quarters (and maybe a pancake)
Know your knots (clove hitch, bowline, truckers hitch, bohemian lesbian death hitch)
The "board stretcher" does not exist
Neither does the "air hook"
"T-stops" are not in the jockey box (they are usually in the workbox, second drawer down)
If you keep two seats on the dolly, you are a chump
The operator does not always need a sideboard
Seat offsets are for the weak-minded
Always look at the set from where the camera is, it's all that matters
Never fall asleep on an 8-step ladder
Safety everything
As my friend Ted says, never be afraid to break something.
Those are all I can think of for now...oh yeah, Murphy's Law applies more in this business than any other...if it can go wrong, it will. Never take anything for granted.


Anonymous said...

my jaw has hit the floor. No truer words have been written. I feel a T shirt coming on...

PIPER said...


Burbanked turned me on to your blog which is fantastic. Love this post.


And never fall asleep on an eight step ladder.

Hope all is going well despite the strike.

D said...

Thanks for the comments, gentlemen. If you make shirts, be sure to send me one.

PIPER said...

What size?

Anonymous said...

Nice list D!
If I may I would like to add...

Never be afraid to break something.

D said...

Thanks Ted. Your suggestion is added.

Keith's World said...

disagree with the gel closest to the light thing. if you put diffussion first, you minimize gel kick, (unless there's another light shinng at your light, which doesn't usually happen). Second, since correction burns out and diffusion does not, you reduce the burnout on your gel frame by putting it outside the diffusion. But of course, everything changes depending on the circumstances.

D said...

The reason to gel first is that theoretically, the diffusion becomes the light source, so you're coloring the source before it covers the set. You are correct that it would minimize the kick, however. Thanks for the comment.

D said...

I can see where this is going to come back on me so let me add to the gelling question that when setting diffusion, you should "fill the frame," setting it farther from the light. Placing gel at the distance of the diffusion effectively makes it thicker, thus changing the color value and possibly the intensity.