Truss, tripods, ...??

[Jon T]

Hey. We are putting on a film and at this time I am decding on equipment to hire. We have a budget of £2,000 for rigging, truss etc. Now this set up has to come up and down every night. So somethign simple but also professional. Any recomendations??. It will need to hold moving heads, lanterns and chain hoisted speakers. It is being filmed in a middle of a field. So something very sturdy.

 

Cheerz

Jon

[kalmatthew]

Now I would say that this probably falls into thre catagory of:

 

If You Need To Ask Don't Do It

 

hire some profesinals, If you rig it and a Mac falls on someone's head, do you have the PLI to pay, would you be deemed competent by HSE?

[Jon T]

Yes we do have PLI., and I am asking here because I wont to know! I have lit many things using macs etc but never on a location such as a field. so therfore I wanted some advice on what support to use as this is a new experience. For the set up of truss we are getting professionals in to do that yes.

 

Jon

[gareth]

I'd agree with Kal. The fact that a proportion of the shoot is outdoors, and you're talking about rigging structures to support some relatively hefty kit (speakers, moving lights) takes it into a whole other ball park. Trussing structures and high winds do not mix very well.

[kalmatthew]

Yes we do have PLI., and I am asking here because I wont to know! I have lit many things using macs etc but never on a location such as a field. so therfore I wanted some advice on what support to use as this is a new experience. For the set up of truss we are getting professionals in to do that yes.

 

Jon

If you want to learn how to rig then go on a course, with the best will in the world people on the forum can give hints and tips but you need to be competent allready.

 

Since you are allready getting in the pros to rig, why not ask their advice on what to do. Surley this is what you pay them for.

[gareth]

A public forum is NOT the place to be asking how to do this stuff. If you're thinking about delving into the world of rigging, you need to get properly trained, and proper familiarisation with the kit you're going to use. Don't ask here, go and talk to your rigging supplier, tell them what you want, and have them come and do it for you.

[Ike]

Despite concerns over competance you dont actually say why you are trying to fly the stuff and required height etc and therefore make it imposible for anyone to suggest where to look.

[Big Dave]

In my very limited experience of working on TV/film, I have yet to find any production (apart from concert/'theatre records etc) that use movers at all on location.

 

This seems to be a question that appears more and more on here. From a sound point of view, outdoors we would normaly have a specialist company in to deal with the structure that we need.

 

Anything I've been involved with that is going to TV/film requires a very different approach to lighting, sound and video. Even when working with OB crew we have to adapt what what would be considered normal working practices.

[Ike]

OK I just read you other post over in lighting and will try and give a bit of advice, if I have got the wrong end of the stick feel free to shout at me as I'm in a bit of a slow mood.

 

Most of the lanterns you would probably want for outdoor filming would be best mounted on individual tripods, these can be hired from the lighting hire company suppling the lanterns. From a safety point these are pretty straight forward however you need to use common sese, don't winch them up to far and cordon them off to prevent joe public knocking them over or being underneath one should it fall. Keep everyone away from them who doesn't need to go near them, you may want to counterweight the base however be careful as many are not designed for this and the unexpectedly large forces on them could cause damage/failure.

 

If you want to get things higher up I would suggest using aluminium scaffold towers with tripods on however I would strongly suggest you get training in there erection and use if you haven't already done so.

 

Bear in mind the effects of the wind and changes in ground conditions (eg rain causes mud!) when doing a risk assessment.

 

My last point is about speakers, if they have to be raised off the ground a single point flytower such as those sold by LITEC would probably be your best bet, I know other companys supply them its just they're the first that sprang to mind.

 

Sorry if I upset anyone by not simply typing 'IF YOU DONT KNOW DONT DO!',

 

Hope that helps.

[Guest lightnix]

Furthermore, PLI is not some kind of "get out of jail free card". In the event that the unthinkable happens and a claim is made against you, the insurance company will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. In the event that they decide that you have acted negligently, they may well sue you for any payout they have made.

 

Neither will PLI protect you from HSE prosecutions.

 

Even if you do hire "a professional" you will still be responsible for ensuring that they are competent to perform the task, although I'm not certain how you would do this or what qualifications you should ask for (roll on the National Rigging Certificate).