Decorating your Rig

[Alex Kolb]

Hi all,

 

Just a survey of sorts for all the operators here. In my meeting up with local operators wherever projects may bring me, I've found that a lot of them have a personal touch on their rig. A decoration, a stuffed animal on monitor bracket, etc (perhaps a hip flask in some cases!).

 

Just wondering if you guys have anything non-technical that you keep on your rig for one reason or another?

 

Best,

Alex

[Sam Morgan Moore]

Steadicam operators are tedious individuals constantly holding up production with their dumb requests.

 

For example a Steadicam operator may express a desire to spend the time to recce a rubble strewn bomb site, or poolside, before walking across it backwards.. how annoying.

 

Of course a rig needs something to show humanity/humour from such a health and safety zealot.

[Jerry Holway]

I go the opposite way - suits me and my approach to all this -

 

I black out all logos, lettering, etc. on the sled, arm and vest. I never wear logo clothing on set, just dull greys or black. Nothing outlandish or distracting. My feeling is that all the gear and operating is enough of a circus act and a distraction as it is.

 

My smile, face, etc., is all that's required - for me - for the humanity/humor thing.

[Brad Hruboska]

I'm sort of in the Jerry camp, but i do keep a small superman logo on the back of my harness, one of my assistants gave it to me yeas ago and its discrete. I used to have a red welsh dragon on the now retired, TB-6 monitor, and a few memorabilia stickers,panavision etc.

I did have an instance where the superman sticker, that i really had forgotten was there, create a respnse from a higher up, that DC comics were bullshit, ( hes a Marvel guy 100%) and I had to retell the story. Jerry is right, everything can promote weird criticism from anyone, you just dont know. I once got a derogatory remark form a director, now passed on so i can relate the story, that I was still flying just a greenscreen, meaning my TB-6. I told him that i owned a LCD but preferred the greenscreen for opeerating in strong daylight. This is a buisness of weird personalities , and inflamed egos, unfortunately.

 

Brad.

[Jessica Lopez]

I have this everyday I fly. Which is a constant reminder of the art and beauty of our profession. Can't take all the credit, previous owner Evan Barthelman started the signatures and I added to it.

 

 

[Jerry Holway]

Jessica- I forget where that label is. Looks discreet enough to me... my signature is fading.....

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

Don't distract the actors; they have enough to deal with and don't suddenly need to ponder "is that a sticker of Wonder Woman being banged by Super Man?" in mid-shot. That said, every vest I've owned has had a small smiley face on the back of it to remind people to lighten up and enjoy what we are doing. Of course, when people comment on it, I'd tell them that it turns into a frown face after hour 14. My model 3a sled and Jerry-Rig both boasted a "Panic" button on them as they were exceptionally camouflaged on those designs. When someone noticed it, they inevitably asked what it was for since it looked real enough - my response varied depending on the inquisitor: AC, "It gives you 3 seconds of auto-foucs, but you can only use it once." DP, "It gives you an extra ten minutes of daylight, but you can only use it once."

[Robert Starling SOC]

Decals and graphics don't play well for live work either. As Alec said in so many words our physical presence should be as close to invisible as possible.

 

Robert

[Kris Torch Wilson]

I have a couple of rubber bracelets and a miniature badge of Uncle Frank reminding all, "Safety First." We lost Uncle Frank a couple of years ago and the bracelets honor a young man close to our family who lost his life recently. These items remind me of what's important and that despite what many would love to believe, we are not saving lives. These items are on my vest and as important to me as the socket block.

[brett.mayfield]

for blacking out logos, what kind of tape or material can be used that wont leave a lot of residue but will stay on for a long period of time? black paper tape? i black out everything on all clothes shoes, etc, but dont really wanna take a paint pen to my rig just yet...

[Victor Lazaro]

Use black paper tape and reapply a new one when the old one gets old, cut it nicely with scissors.

[Peter Abraham]

I'm the only person on my crew wearing show blacks. Nobody else is in danger of being seen but me. Head to toe, all black. I leave the rig undecorated. Since I don't wear the t shirts given to us by production with the show logo on it, I made small black ones and affixed them to the upper front and back pivots of my Exovest. They're subtle, hard to see but both the star of the show and audience can see them up close.

Otherwise, nothing.

For many years I flew my Model I vest regardless of what other arm or sled I had. The evening that my first rig- the Model I # 22 ( Old Smokey ) arrived, my now-Ex and I went out for a celebratory Chinese food dinner.

 

I took the fortune from that meal and taped it to the back of the vest. Amusing and prescient, it read:

 

 

There Is Yet Time Enough To Chose A Different Path.

[Melissa Smith]

I bedazzled the back of my steadi vest. In rhinestones it says "ESPN." You know how much we love branding at the worldwide leader. Nothing wrong with a little bling to ID the girl vest.

[brett.mayfield]

I think that post requires a picture.

[Janice Arthur]

Hi all;

 

With all the ops on multi camera and audience events they should sell the back of the vest as ad space and cut us in on it !

 

Wow a whole new income stream!!

 

Janice