TV Studio Stuff

[Tom]

I've just seen the model for an upcoming show to be set in a TV Studio.

 

I'm therefore trying to source some bits and bobs - in particular:

A camera snake (chunky red cable)

Any TV Studio looking lights (practical would be great but not essential)

Not sure of the technical term for the drop down rigging systems common in TV Studios.

 

If anybody knows of a good source for this, perhaps a disused or little used TV studio who may lend... do let me know.

 

London or surrounds would nice.

 

Thanks

 

Tom

[Bryson]

The scissor thing is called a pantograph if that helps...

[paulears]

If it's a paying job, Jim Laws Lighting will have everything you need - but finding this kind of kit just hanging around (no pun intended) is a bit doubtful.

[peternewman]

The "camera snake" is called triax, again if it helps. I imagine you could probably imitate it with orange hosepipe or something similar, its about the right diameter, triax is very glossy, but I doubt many people would notice.

 

Lighting rigging wise also look at drop arms such as those Doughty sell. Although to be honest lighting wise, just multiply all the wattages and number of lanterns by five and apart from the pole op fittings (the little plastic cups to allow focusing from the ground), there aren't really any/many differences.

[bruce]

Plenty of that sort of kit (mostly damaged or obsolete, but visually OK) ended up in the skip when BBC Scotland moved out of Queen Margaret Drive about 6 months ago. If only we'd known then...

[Tom]

Thanks all for the correct name - though the one the designer had seen was a single pole with a cable wrapped around it - bit like a Unicol projector drop bar.

 

Any way - any further thoughts appreciated

T.

[peternewman]

Thanks all for the correct name - though the one the designer had seen was a single pole with a cable wrapped around it - bit like a Unicol projector drop bar.

That definitely sounds like the drop arm I mentioned above (now with added link goodness), or are you talking about something that telescopes automatically? The ones in our uni TV studio had some kind of internal and outer part, so you could vary the height as well using a pin I believe, without quite the expense and flexibility a pantograph would give.