Quote:
Originally Posted by Malcolm Hamilton
Hi there,
I shoot solo, so space and weight are a bit of an issue, but I need to complete my lighting kit. I've followed as much of Walter Graff's advice as I easily could (just ordered smaller stands, so I can fit them in a case that I can get, width-wise, through an average doorway) but I still need to get a cukaloris... Do I make this myself? Just with a piece of foam core and an exacto knife? Any advice?
Also, I know I'm going to find myself in situations where I need clamps—I just haven't found myself in enough situations yet to know what clamps I'll need when I find myself there.
I did get some scissor-ceiling clamps, so I can attach a small light to a dropped-ceiling, so I'm all set for that next time I'm in that situation.
But what other clamps are the really vital ones to own?
I've looked on some web sites, but either all the clamps start looking the same, or I just can't figure out what I'd do with them, or both.
Any advice?
Thanks, malcolm
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While items like superclamps and putty knife clamps are REALLY useful, most often in terms of GENERAL clamps/clips. Most of us also carry two classes of general purpose clips/clamps on every shoot.
"Grip clips" is the generic "video specific" term for standard Home Depot spring clamps that are sold for woodworking. They typically have orange (sometimes other colored) latex pads on both the handles and the jaws. Smalls and the next size up are the most useful, but a couple of the larger clamps come in handy as well. Medium Grip Clips are what you'd use to clamp a background drop cloth on a stand mounted pole to form a backdrop. (along with a thousand other general purpose tasks) There are cheap versions or the standard "nice" ones. Buy the nice ones. The springs tend to rust on the cheapies.
The other must have is a bunch of common wooden clothespins. (For obscure reasons they're often referred to as "C-47s" in the industry - probably so that all of us video "insiders" can get a chuckle by asking a hapless assistant to "grab me a handle of C-47s" and then watch them struggle to mentally process the request. Kind of a "right of passage" thing.)
C-47s are mostly used to hang gels and/or diffusion on lighting instrument barn doors in quick and dirty lighting. (Some lights have actual metal gel holders, but they're a pain in the butt to use, and hanging a larger sheet of gel over the front of the whole shebang is a lot easier and quicker.)
Hope that helps.