Those of you who are regular readers may have briefly caught a post I did last week entitled So You Want To Be A Dolly Grip. It listed some questions that every dolly grip should be able to answer or situations that a good dolly grip should be able to think his way out of. It was written under the influence of several Captain Morgans and inspired by a situation that I was irritated about. After reading it the next day, I deleted it. I didn't like the tone which came across to me as a little smug and a lot obnoxious, which most of you probably didn't even pick up on, but sprung right off the page at me. I deleted it and got a lot of emails and a few comments asking where it went and when I would rewrite it. Everything I write comes from experience and long hours of doing things the wrong way until I figured it out, or someone showed me the right way. There's no substitute for putting in the time and you can't learn it all overnight. I still learn things every day and am still trying to be better. Dollygripping is a craft, like any other that requires you to develop specific skills and a base of knowledge to solve problems quickly. You can't learn it in school but if there was a final exam, these questions should be on it:
Director wants to boom up from the lens at ground level to roughly eye height (or as close as you can get), what do you need? (No, it's on a dolly not a jib).
What is the inherent problem with pie pieces in a dance floor?
What are some things you can do to eliminate a track that is squeaking?
Track is on a wooden floor, the floor is popping under the weight as the dolly moves, what can you do to help eliminate the noise?
100' of track on a 300mm. It has to be smooth. What do you need? (No, Sanjay)
Crane track should always be ________.
You're doing a commercial and the company has rented a Fisher 10. What question have to ask? (after, "What's the rate?")
Director wants to pull an actor down a sidewalk with the camera directly in front of him. He can't step in the track and the director doesn't want to use Steadicam. What do you suggest?
A camera is to be placed looking directly down on an actor lying on a bed. What do you need?
Doing a haul-ass move on track with another grip helping push. You rig up a push bar on the back of the dolly. What shouldn't you do? Hint: If you do it wrong, the dolly can go off the side of the track.)
All right. There are some basic questions that a dolly grip should know the answers to. Smugness removed.
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Here goes :
Director wants to boom up from the lens at ground level to roughly eye height (or as close as you can get), what do you need? (No, it's on a dolly not a jib).
Hybrid / Hustler with a Lambda or remote head underslung
What is the inherent problem with pie pieces in a dance floor?
More joints ?
What are some things you can do to eliminate a track that is squeaking?
Lots of Mold release spray
Track is on a wooden floor, the floor is popping under the weight as the dolly moves, what can you do to help eliminate the noise?
Add wedges and wet the floor and wedges.
100' of track on a 300mm. It has to be smooth. What do you need? (No, Sanjay)
Ha ha ha ... ok, serious answer - get great track and Portaglides.
Crane track should always be ________.
Under the crane ?
You're doing a commercial and the company has rented a Fisher 10. What question have to ask? (after, "What's the rate?")
Who is the Dolly Grip here ?
Director wants to pull an actor down a sidewalk with the camera directly in front of him. He can't step in the track and the director doesn't want to use Steadicam. What do you suggest?
Offset the camera, or if its smooth enough go straight on with a vibration isolator, or if its not too long a run and you have enough track, build two sets of track and put the hybrid on sideways, with the wheels on the inner tracks of each run, which gives you track with no cross pieces, and it is the width of the hybrid - plenty of space for 2 actors.
Dragon Grips in South Africa also makes track that does not need cross pieces - triangular section, but its unlikely to be hanging around your truck :-)
A camera is to be placed looking directly down on an actor lying on a bed. What do you need?
Risers, offset (ubangi), tango, and a head that will tilt down 90 degrees
Doing a haul-ass move on track with another grip helping push. You rig up a push bar on the back of the dolly. What shouldn't you do? Hint: If you do it wrong, the dolly can go off the side of the track.)
Trip ?
All right. There are some basic questions that a dolly grip should know the answers to. Smugness removed.
Ok, here goes...
question 1:
Lots of options, but depends on how "close to eye height" we need to get. Underslung head only gets you about about 4' off the ground at top floor. You can put a 1' riser on and still touch the ground and get up higher, but it's still no gonna hit eye height. One of those upside-down-mirror lens attachments (I obviously can't think of the real name) is always a good thing for this, but it's not always carried by the camera dept. And lastly, tell the director the move has to start with a bit of a tilt up by the operator because he didn't do his prep and we should have a jib and a remote head to do this really well and make it great. Sorry I love blaming the ill prepared.
question 2:
unless you off-set all the seams as opposed to counter-covering them, the pie piece can never be overlapped.
question 3:
silicon spray. make sure all dolly wheels are aligned (often the problem). make sure track isn't scissored. never use Pledge!
question 4:
You can put planks under the track to spread the load, but mostly I just apologize to the mixer and then tell him to talk to locations about this shitty house we're shooting in.
question 5:
Luck, hope, sobriety when laying the track, a level, good eye sight, a sense of humor and it never hurts to know definitively where the highest spot on the run is!
question 6:
...left on the truck. As far as I'm concerned this is the only answer to this question.
question 7:
Is there a reason no one took ten seconds to call the dolly grip and ask them what dolly they'd like to use so he/she can be the best at their job to make your ridiculous commercial great for you?
question 8:
Depending on the location, there are numerous things you can do. Offsetting the camera is a quick one, but not often easy to operate in that situation. Dragon Grip Track is perfect for this and is pretty damn awesome anyway, but as the previous test taker said, it's unlikely to be on your truck unless you've purchased it from the Dragon himself. But I can't answer this one without seeing the location. We'd figure something out.
A camera is to be placed looking directly down on an actor lying on a bed. What do you need?
First thing we need is a director with vision and not one that wants to do the same shot that is in every fucking movie ever made. Secondly, you need a camera offset, an O'Connor head, a carabiner and daisy chain.
question 9:
First: Make sure guy helping push knows that if he pushes too hard from one side, the dolly will jump off the track.
Second: Make sure guy helping push knows that if he pushes too hard from one side, the dolly will jump off the track.
I have a hilarious story about this situation, btw. I may have to quickly tell it.
India. 100' of track. parallel to a woman running full speed through a courtyard in the pouring rain. Everything is soaked. Push bar rigged to the dolly. We do three takes. Key Grip is helping me push so we can keep up. All is well. Take four is upon us. Rolling. Speed. Key looks at me and says, "This time, at the end I'm not gonna help you stop and I'm gonna get on the dolly so it's heavier." I say, "what the fuck are you talking about?" Action!! Boom, we're off and running. Actress is tearing through courtyard. We're burning down the track. Thirty feet from the end, the Key jumps on the dolly and smiles. I dig in and plant the soles of my boots and we slide 20' down the soaking wet cement to the end and stop just at the end of the track. No one notices anything odd. We move on. Key Grip slaps me on the back and laughs and says, "Nice move!" I've happily worked for that Jackass for ten straight years.
Awesome post. Can't wait to read everyone's answers.
Ha ha ha !! I know the job GHB ... by all acounts I've heard that was not nearly your biggest adventure on that one.
And D, before you ask the Jackass was not me :-)
Q: Track is on a wooden floor, the floor is popping under the weight as the dolly moves, what can you do to help eliminate the noise?
What also helps is using a 1-2cm rope underneath the track instead of wedges underneathe the track. It divides the weight and prevents the floor acting as loudspeaker...
cheers
All right, somebody take a shot besides the vets (although they probably know the answers better than I do.)
Sure D, I'll give it a shot. Not a Dolly Grip, I usually do AC work or Electric work. But here goes:
Director wants to boom up from the lens at ground level to roughly eye height (or as close as you can get), what do you need? (No, it's on a dolly not a jib).
--3"/6" riser for height, Ubangi for distance, then underslung head
What is the inherent problem with pie pieces in a dance floor?
--Never worked with dance floor, but my guess would be: A "pie piece" probably has a point, and that point is probably prone to chipping
What are some things you can do to eliminate a track that is squeaking?
--Not sure. Heard of baby powder, pledge, other sprays... Isn't round track less susceptible to this?
Track is on a wooden floor, the floor is popping under the weight as the dolly moves, what can you do to help eliminate the noise?
--Lay plywood planks under the track to spread the weight?
100' of track on a 300mm. It has to be smooth. What do you need? (No, Sanjay)
--Time to get it perfectly level, with no joint bumps. Skate wheels are smoother, right?
Crane track should always be ________.
--Never worked with crane track... PERFECTLY LEVEL?
You're doing a commercial and the company has rented a Fisher 10. What question have to ask? (after, "What's the rate?")
--Do all the accessories come with it? Is the marking disk on the lift post broken? Square track, or round?
Director wants to pull an actor down a sidewalk with the camera directly in front of him. He can't step in the track and the director doesn't want to use Steadicam. What do you suggest?
--Ubangi
A camera is to be placed looking directly down on an actor lying on a bed. What do you need?
--Standing Platform, Lots of Risers, Ubangi, head that can tilt 90 degrees.
Doing a haul-ass move on track with another grip helping push. You rig up a push bar on the back of the dolly. What shouldn't you do? Hint: If you do it wrong, the dolly can go off the side of the track.)
--You should never rig the push bar to the steering handle. If rigged there, and one grip pushes harder than the other, the dolly can lose the track. Push bar must be rigged to push posts.
My guesses. Don't be too harsh now.
Just a casual reader, not much experience in film... here it goes...
Director wants to boom up from the lens at ground level to roughly eye height (or as close as you can get), what do you need? (No, it's on a dolly not a jib).
---You get a jib.
What is the inherent problem with pie pieces in a dance floor?
---You call a PA to clean it up, someone spilled pie on the dance floor.
What are some things you can do to eliminate a track that is squeaking?
---Shoot a silent film
Track is on a wooden floor, the floor is popping under the weight as the dolly moves, what can you do to help eliminate the noise?
---ADR
100' of track on a 300mm. It has to be smooth. What do you need? (No, Sanjay)
---Switch to a 30mm lens
Crane track should always be ________.
---Connected to the other pieces of crane track
You're doing a commercial and the company has rented a Fisher 10. What question have to ask? (after, "What's the rate?")
--When and where?
Director wants to pull an actor down a sidewalk with the camera directly in front of him. He can't step in the track and the director doesn't want to use Steadicam. What do you suggest?
---Teach the actors how to skip dolly track
A camera is to be placed looking directly down on an actor lying on a bed. What do you need?
---Build a set so the wall is the floor, tape actor to wall.
Doing a haul-ass move on track with another grip helping push. You rig up a push bar on the back of the dolly. What shouldn't you do? Hint: If you do it wrong, the dolly can go off the side of the track.)
---Take 5 to do some pushups and drink some 5 hour energy
Heh heh
From Blighty:
1. Risers to taste, offset (we don't know what you mean by ubangi. Here, we have 'tongues' - the little flat ones that come with the dolly kit - and 'twin-tube paddle-mounts' - a pair of scaff tubes with female and male Moy mounts at each end. Mainly we use this. Usually we actually say "twin-tube paddle-mount" to each other. We should probably say "twinnie" or something, but we haven't thought of that yet), Ronford-Baker Atlas 7 head.
2. As above - can't do proper geometric joint overlaps, just the shit 2" offset type.
3. Put boards down, put track on boards. Sound department will be throwing endless carpet at you.
4. Use good track. Level it, eye the joints (mini-rant: do not 'rock the bubble' on the joints.)
5. Like, really wide. Wide enough that you look like a knob when you carry it.
6. Pretty sure we never had square track over here. In fact, a (dolly)grip I work with often and a good friend thought that the little wheels were "to make the dolly steer round curve track better". I showed him a picture of a Fisher on square track. We both had a good chuckle.
7. If we've got some kind of desert dolly, I'd see if we could use that. Or offset the camera. Or get one of those little tracking vehicles that Bickers do if production are throwing money at you.
8. Push the dolly off the side of the track.
- Ed
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