Some of this is common sense but when it comes to safety that's not enough. Best practice grip discipline is typically passed through apprenticeship process, either as best boy or photographers assistant. Surprisingly grip manufacturer's like Avenger and Matthews don't offer much instruction and most grip companies like FilmTools only provide trade resource links at best. In the biz, resources, training and experience are generally assumed. Things are changing somewhat these days as independents become more prevalent and active. I see manufacturers assuming more of a educational leadership role in the future, as in the case of Lowel with their EDU section of their website, as a way to address safety vs. cost concerns.
This topic would be an excellent opportunity for some ambitious Key Grip to step out and share his knowledge along the lines of Chuck's excellent toots, but unfortunately I can't repeat what my grip friends would say if I ever asked them to do this. Let's just say they are a salty lot.
IMO the most overlooked resource for grip is your nearest rental house. These counter jockeys don't get near the respect they deserve. Try renting a few different stands and booms and let them train you. There is a reason why grip is best learned hand to hand and not so much out of a book or a forum. Be sure to tell them, "boom boom" sent ya'.
I have the D650, and it's the one piece of photo gear that could kill me in a thoughtless moment. With 25-lb fixture and counterweight, the mass over my head is 60 lb. Lengthening the boom requires an iterative sequence of loosening and tightening screws, moving the boom over the stand, moving the counterweight, and extending tubes. I can't even raise the boom without a third hand (shoulda got the MSE Crank-O-Vator ).
Carmen Miranda wrote:
IMO the most overlooked resource for grip is your nearest rental house. These counter jockeys don't get near the respect they deserve. Try renting a few different stands and booms and let them train you. There is a reason why grip is best learned hand to hand and not so much out of a book or a forum. Be sure to tell them, "boom boom" sent ya'.
Good luck.
Abundant gratitude, Carmen. Tho I did spend a few years working on feature films in the 90s doing visual effects; all the practical and stage folk regarded me with open hostility because i was bringing computer simulation into the mix which they saw as threatening. Now that i'm nothing more than a curious bum who enjoys discovering the wisdom of the hudson river school painters by lighting a bit of landscape, i am poor and travel is limited.
there are no rental houses in my neighborhood that i know of. So i usually accept gifts of gear when people want to show their appreciation. Figuring out how to use the gear is a bigger problem. i'll order the books you mention.
The stand is plenty heavy enough to support a strobe head and any size light modifier. The boom is 9 feet long and comes in 3 pieces so you can use 1 or 2 sections if you need to. At 9 feet you can hang a BD right out in front of your subject and keep the stand well out of the way of reflectors and other light sources. It comes with a counter weight and wheels. I have owned two of these for 22 years and have never had issues with them supporting any light combo I stick on them. They do make a 9 foot adjustable head version but I prefer the 9 foot 3 section boom for portability....Show more →
wow that pretty much solves the problems. of mix and matching.
how much weight (sandbags) do you mostly use to weigh down your stands? I'm just trying to estimate how many bags i'll need to purchase and how much sand/pennies/whatever to get as well.
ok I went ahead and got the Avenger A2030D for now. If i need bigger I'll buy later.
But my question now is how does a strobe mount onto the grip head? The alienbee I'm using has the light stand adapter built into it but I'm not quite sure how it would attach to the grip head safely.
A grip head is really meant to hold a million different things, but mainly scrims and other items that have pins sticking out of them that can slip right into the grip head. So to mount a light, you need a pin in the grip head, OR you can stick the light on the other end of the grip arm (directly on the rod), and have the grip head on the other end.
Remember, for safety, only place the light or the load on the same side as the direction you turn the knob to tighten the grip head.
So if the grip head's tightening knob is facing you, you tighten it by turning it to the right, so you must place the load/weight/light that's on the grip arm to the right side of the stand.
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