SOC's First Hands-on Crane and Remote
Head Seminar
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January 27, 1996 was an historic day in the
sixteen-year history of the Society of CameraOperators. Under
an overcast sky and cool temperatures the Society provided the
opportunity for hundreds of camera operators, directors of photography
and camera assistants to get their hands on almost every type
of crane or remote head available. Everyone had a chance to test
their skills on shots designed by esteemed directors of photography
while utilizing the Warner Bros. backlot sets of "ER" and "Lois & Clark."
It all began last year when camera operator
Michael Frediani added his own bit of illumination on the set
of "Weird Science" as he had a sudden flash of inspiration. Present
for this bit of mental lightning was cinematographer Rick Gunter,
who had stopped by for a visit. Gunter photographs the series
"Beverly Hills 90210" and owns Precision Camera Supports, which
distributes the Enlouva Crane. When Frediani suggested it might
be to everyone's benefit if Gunter held an open house for the
SOC to familiarize members with his crane, the entire crew burst
into a spontaneous round of cheering and applause! ... Well,
not really, but it was a really good idea nonetheless.
Unfortunately even good ideas must wait their
turn. Showbiz Expo '95 intervened and the 1995 Society of CameraOperators's
Lifetime Achievement Awards Banquet, no mere trifle, was in the
planning stages. In the midst of this hurricane of activity,
SOC members Tom "Frisby" Fraser and Bill Waldman fought their
way to the eye of the storm and offered their assistance to Frediani
at Expo, for any future events. Thus, a seminar was born.
The trio took the town by storm. Rick Gunter
quickly agreed to showcase his cranes. Russell Ofria SOC of Advanced
Camera Systems offered to demonstrate his Bodycam, and Andy Romanoff
SOC volunteered to attend with a Louma Crane in tow. (The Louma
Crane won the SOC's Technical Achievement Award in 1995.)
So began our journey, destined to take us to
a very "remote" place. A choice location was paramount to the
success of the seminar. Did we say paramount? We meant Warner
Bros., specifically their backlot. In August 1995, Ed Clare contacted
WB Studio Facilities and requested space on the lot for the seminar.
The catch: August is an extremely hot month in the San Fernando
Valley and it was wisely decided to try to obtain a soundstage
for the event in order to avoid decreasing the ranks of the SOC
by sunstroke. It was a brilliant, cunning plan but for the fact
that Hollywood experienced one of its busiest seasons ever and
there wasn't a vacant studio soundstage to be found.
Time marched on and our intrepid heroes never
gave up hope. Seminars such as this were the SOC's calling and
mission. To give up was unthinkable. Energies were temporarily
diverted toward other events, such as the Fall/Winter issue of
Operating Cameraman Magazine and the upcoming Awards Banquet.
October and November saw Frediani, Fraser, Waldman and now Terry
Harken SOC once again searching for a space big enough to hold
a growing number of cranes and several hundred people. Disney,
Universal and even Pepperdine University were contacted, but
none could spare the space for the event. Finally, after much
effort Warner Bros. agreed to let the SOC use their backlot.
The extra time obtained by scheduling the event
after the holidays allowed Harkin, Clare, Fraser and Waldman
to add substantially to the list of vendors committed to attend.
As the event grew invitations were extended not only to SOC members
but to members of the International Photographers Guild (IATSE
Local 659), Studio Grips (IATSE Local 80) and the American Society
of Cinematographers. Directors of photography Robert Primes ASC
(1995 Emmy winner, "My Antonia"), Marvin Rush ASC ("Star Trek
Voyager"), Chuck Minsky ("Kazaam") and Richard Walden ("Dream
On") volunteered
to serve as instructors.
Many experienced SOC members and others devoted
their time and experience towards making the seminar an educational
tour de force:
- Paul Babin ("Congo")
- Guy Bee ("ER")
- Joe Chess ("Star Trek"),
- Ray de la Motte ("Maverick")
- Anette Haellmigk ("Total Recall")
- Chris Hayes ("Little Princess")
- Norm Langley ("Color Purple")
- Fred Smith ("Last Action Hero")
- Ray Stella ("Jurassic Park")
This event would not have been possible without
the tremendous efforts of our key grip/crane operators:
- Albert Ramos ("Coalminer's Daughter"),
- Ted Rhodes ("Beetlejuice"),
- Chuck Schray ("Batman Returns"),
- Dan Smith ("Angels in the Outfield") and
- Paul Threlkeld ("Kazaam")
and all of the other dedicated men and women
who muscled crane arms around all day.
The event was opened by seminar co-chairman
Terry Harkin, who introduced SOC president Michael Frediani,
who in turn welcomed the large crowd gathered at the base of
the enormous Warner Bros courthouse facade. "Some of the equipment
assembled here has been around for years because it's the best
in the business," Frediani declared. "Equipment that may be new
to many of you is destined to take us to new cinematic heights
and will be with us well into the 21st century!" Frediani concluded
by stating, "The whole idea for this event is to offer all of
you the opportunity to gain more knowledge of the tools of our
trade. The keywords for today are knowledge, camaraderie and
SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY."
George Spiro Dibie ASC president of the International
Photographers Guild congratulated the SOC for putting on an event
of such magnitude and asked that the equipment suppliers offer
regular workshops so that grips and camera crews could learn
to use their equipment more effectively. Concluded Dibie, "You'll
get your equipment back in good shape if you just show us how
to use it properly. If we know how to use it we can push our
production managers to rent it and then we can work with it comfortably
when it arrives. It will make more money for you in the long
run."
Ed Clare, president of PERA had
this to say: "In
1996 we are seeing the twentieth anniversary of the film "Bound
for Glory," shot by Haskell Wexler ASC who won an Academy Award
for his efforts. That film marked the first commercial use of
the Steadicam™. The changes that the Steadicam™ brought to
the industry are still with us today. Remember the scene where
Garrett Brown SOC started a shot high on a crane, rode it to
the ground, stepped off and walked through the crowd? Well, in
the intervening twenty years many of the devices that you see
here today have been developed.
"My point," stated Clare, "is that the development
of this technology is an ongoing collaborative effort between
equipment vendors, directors of photography, camera operators,
assistants, grips and many technicians. So on behalf of those
vendors I would like to thank all of you for your efforts, for
your comments, your criticisms and your suggestions. Keep up
the good work, because we need you to keep our industry moving
forward. Additionally I would like to thank the SOC, because
without their efforts we would not be here today."
Bill Hines, SOC member and corporate liaison
took the stage and presented a plaque to Richard L. Thomas and
Ron Koch of Deluxe Laboratories, one of the Society's newest
corporate affiliates. Thomas stated, "Deluxe is proud to be associated
with the Society of CameraOperators. We have a long history,
over 75 years, of working with cameramen and camera operators.
We hope that in the future the SOC will be able to hold a seminar
at our newly updated facilities. Thank you very much for the
honor."
Terry Harkin reminded the crowd that there
was a 14-page information packet available to all participants
outlining safety measures compiled during recent years by the
Industry Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee. The packet covers
everything from animal handling and stunts to pyrotechnic special
effects and insert car guidelines. Harkin noted that nowhere
could he find safety information regarding cranes, particularly
crane/insert car combinations and he expressed hope that workshop
participants might contribute recommendations in this area.
Harkin spoke of the enthusiasm during the planning
meetings of our lead cinematographer/instructors Marvin Rush,
Bob Primes, Chuck Minsky and others. "It's made us really remember
what got us to come here from all over the world; to work with
some of the greatest engineers and their innovations every day.
It has been very inspiring. Ironically, I have probably worked
on this lot more than any other in Hollywood in the past twenty
years and it is where I have come closest to being severely injured
during a scene.
"The shot was very simple," recalled Harkin, "one
that you've seen played out a hundred times before. Two cowboys
ride into town, tie their horses to the hitching post and walk
into the saloon. In the script it states that this takes place
on July 4th and the director, unbeknownst to anybody, decided
that it would be nice to see fireworks reflected in the saloon
window. Well, nobody told the horses and nobody told the crew!
It was pretty scary, to say the least, seeing those horses drag
the front of that saloon down the street with the cameras and
the crew scattering to safety! We must never forget that even
with the best crews and the best equipment we can lose it all
in a minute ifwe don't emphasize safety."
Fred Smith, one of the most highly respected
feature film operators in the industry picked up on the need
to develop safety procedures when using cranes on moving vehicles.
Smith was nearly killed during a shot on The Last Action Hero
and spoke of the necessity of "staying highly focused on what's
going on around you at all times. Don't assume that nothing bad
can happen to you."
Don Cropper, a camera assistant on the film
The Twilight Zone stated, "It is our job, whether we are in the
camera, grip or production departments to give the director what
he wants. That's our goal. That's our purpose. But on some occasions,
particularly when working with certain second unit directors,
the director wants too much. In that wanting, safety can be jeopardized.
I have known camera people who died because a car pushed them
over a cliff. Rodney Mitchell died during an insert car accident
on The Dukes of Hazzard. It is up to us to speak up if we think
we are in danger and to refuse to do something that puts us in
jeopardy. Sometimes you've got to walk away."
Key grip Chuck Schray took the microphone and
noted that "a good grip always looks high. That applies to everybody
today. When you see the front of the arm move, don't forget that
there is a back end of that arm that swings as well and that's
the part that weighs the most. It's also the part that hurts
the most. So be aware," cautioned Schray "because these things
don't stop on a dime when you want them to."
Bob Primes closed out the opening statements
by recalling a tricky commercial sunset shot that he had accomplished
some years ago. It involved two cars passing each other, one
at high speed to emphasize the advantage of its particular brand
of gasoline.
"We were shooting on a crane arm from an insert
car. We had three cars abreast and we had to get the timing just
right so that as one car passed the other car the crane was in
the right position. Well, it took a lot of coordination and synchronization
and finally the light was just right. I was up on the crane operating
the camera when suddenly the camera moved in the wrong direction;
the framing was thrown completely off and the camera was not
where it was supposed to be. I was very upset about this. It
took so long to get this shot just right and it was ruined! I
turned to the dolly grip, about to say something like, 'What
the hell is going on?' and he just pointed back down the road
to a truck that was parked on the shoulder. During the shot he
was watching both ends of the crane arm, not just the front.
The back end of the crane arm would have smashed into that truck.
He told me that if he had done that shot as planned, I would
have been killed! We must remember that the dolly grip is the
pilot of the crane. He's got the responsibility, he's the chief
and he's in charge of our safety."
Primes then encouraged the crowd to take part
with enthusiasm. "This is a chance to learn more about cranes
in one day than you could possibly learn in any other way." With
that the assembled crowd moved eagerly to the different stations
to try their hands on the various equipment available.
Chuck Minsky explained to a group of operators
and assistants that sometimes a shot just doesn't work as laid
out. This set-up involved a Chapman crane with a mounted Lenny
arm starting at ground level on the far side of a wrought iron
fence in a courtyard. As the stand-ins walked across the courtyard
and out the gate the Lenny arm was raised up and over the fence.
The operator had to follow the stand-ins from above, ending on
a wide shot of the courthouse square. First attempts created
frustration for some operators.
"Especially with a double-arm setup, you have
to get your face out of the monitor and walk over to talk to
the two grips on the boom arms. You need to communicate carefully
with them. They need to tell you exactly when they are starting
their arm movements and you need to watch what those arms are
doing. With two arms moving, you must remember that you have
more than one axis to work with. It changes things a lot."
All the equipment in the world won't do you
any good unless you have something to shoot. A large group of
professional stand-ins, skaters, stuntmen and even doo-wap singers
volunteered their time as compositional elements. At one end
of the street, a Shotmaker insert car with attached crane gave
operators a chance to track riders on horseback.
Simon Jayes, SOC of
Technocrane had his popular equipment set up directly over the
entrance to the Metropolis Subway. Operators were able to design
elaborate moves that started at the bottom of the stairs below
ground level and ended twenty feet in the air on the opposite
side of the street. You could see the excitement on the faces
of the operators as they successfully completed their complicated
moves. Mike Ferra SOC demonstrated his
Ferraflex Minicam system nearby. "Ferra has taken Eyemo cameras
and done fantastic, wonderful things with them," noted operator
Robert Kositchek. He and assistant Maricella Ramirez took turns
practicing shots in several of the Ferraflex's different configurations.
Andy Romanoff of Louma Crane brought two AKeLA
cranes and set them up next to the EL train set used by the hit
series "ER." Many eager participants who had previously only
dreamt of trying this new technology put the 85´ cranes through
their paces. Romanoff explained to Russian DP Yasha Sklansky
that the
AKeLA Crane could be set up in two hours by two Louma techs.
He added that his Louma Crane could be set up and camera-ready
in one hour flat! Even long-time SOC member and two-time Academy
Award-winning cinematographer John Toll ASC admitted "There is
equipment here that I have never had the chance to use on a set."
Jim Weatherill, former UPM and now with Precision
Camera Supports, stated that this event should be a must for
working production managers. "They could see all of this equipment
first hand and see its potential. More importantly, they can
ask the people directly responsible for setting up and using
this equipment what kind of time is actually required to get
it running. This way they will have a better grasp of the tools
available to them with time vs. costs factored in."
Bill Weaver and Maryanne Schwartz of Weaver/Steadman
displayed their equipment and remarked that this event was superior
to many trade shows they have attended in past years. Schwartz
noted, "The atmosphere here is very relaxed and we are actually
able to show our equipment in a setting conducive to real life
productions: The backlot."
Simon Jayes agreed by adding, "The SOC has
devised an event whereby the equipment vendors know exactly who
is attending this event: the people who intend to use it on the
set."
All those attending gave this event an enthusiastic "thumbs-up" review.
As Andy Romanoff told Frediani, "You guys have put together a
first-class event. Now you have to do it again next year!"
At the conclusion of the event Bob Primes summed
up the entire affair by stating to the seminar organizing committee, "This
is the greatest event in the history of the SOC."
CREDITS
We would like to give special thanks to Gary
Credle of Warner Bros. and to Danny Kahn for allowing us to employ
their fabulous facilities. Additionally the event would not have
been possible without the generous time and effort of many volunteers
as well as the equipment vendors and suppliers:
- Video assist was provided by Cogswell Video Services, Wolf
Seeburg, Location Sound Services and Hollywood Rentals.
- Cameras were generously supplied by Panavision and Otto Nemenz
International (SOC Corporate Affiliate members), Clairmont
Camera, Birns & Sawyer and Hollywood Camera.
- Cranes & Remote Heads were supplied by SOC Corporate Affiliate
Members Chapman-Leonard Studio Equipment, JL Fisher Inc., Precision
Camera Supports and Shotmaker Dollies & Cranes.
- Other vendors included Geo Film Group, Innovision, Louma
Crane, Stanton Video Services, Summit
- Crane, Swiss Crane, Technocrane Ltd., Telescoping Crane Co.,
Tyler Camera Systems and Weaver/Steadman Co.
- SOC Corporate Affiliate Matthews Studio Electronics provided
additional equipment, as did Advanced Camera Systems, Cinema
Products, Equipment Broker, Ferra Camera Mounts, and PRO Camera
System (George Paddock).
- David Anderson, Greg Burns and Janet Nicholson, dancer/stand-ins
from The Faculty; Leland Sun from M.A.S.H.; Bobbi Bates and
Valerie Jean Miller, former Tracey Ullman dancers; and Patty
Walsh from Weird Science each acted as stand-ins very expertly.
- Scott Blackwood's crew from Stunts Unheard Of came in, as
did R.J. Frost and Dennis & Gidget Reese from the Stuntmen
Corporation.
- Models Lina & Lilly Hu ("The Hu's") bravely donned their
roller-blades.
- Singing cowboys Mike Mahony and Brantley Kearns performed
Bob Wills classics during a morning country & western sequence.
- In the afternoon the music segued to the 'a cappela' doo-wap
singing of "Jon Do" for a simulated rock video.
- On the south side of Embassy Park a Shotmaker insert car
with its crane attached gave operators a chance to track champion
rodeo riders Kermit Samples and Dale Gibson as they 'high-tailed
it out of town.'
- Thanks also go out to SOC volunteers David Robman, Harvey
Genkins, Howie Block, Michael Little, Lance Fisher, Steve Essig,
Dan Fetler, Joe Epperson, Bill Gahret, Bill Hines, and medics "Big
Mike" Escobosa along with Linda Draves.
- We hope to take what we have learned from this event (maybe
make a profit next time) and expand upon it in 1997, making
it the premier event of its kind for all industry members.
The list of attendees will include not only those crew members
on the set, but those people in the production offices who
have the desire to learn about the most up-to-date equipment
in the world.
- SOC members Michael Frediani, Art Adams and Terry Harkin
contributed to the writing of this article. Photos by David
Robman, Bill Hines & Michael Little.
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