Popular Grips Rigs For Cinematic Camera Movement (Part 1)

INTRODUCTION

One of the keys to creating so-called ‘cinematic’ footage comes from the way in which the camera is positioned and from how it moves during a shot.

The grip on a film set is responsible for the technical execution of these moves using various rigs and pieces of gear which have become standardised across the film industry.

In this video I’ll look at a few of the most popular grip rigs which are used by cinematographers, how they move the camera, their basic setup and what kind of shots they are typically used for. 

FLUID HEAD TRIPOD

Let’s start with the most basic piece of gear that everyone knows about - the tripod. 

Film production tripods are split into two parts: the head, the upper part where the camera sits which can be panned or tilted, and the legs, the base which remains rooted to the ground. Typically, film productions carry two sets of legs, talls and shorts, and one head which is swapped between the legs. The required camera height determines whether talls or shorts are used. For shots with the camera very close to the ground a low boy can be used. 

Heads come in two different types, a geared head and a fluid head. Since it was introduced by Miller in the 1940s, the fluid head has become the most popular head in the film industry due to its ease of use and ability to do quick pans and tilts. They are operated by moving around the pan handle manually. 

Before their invention, operators could only use heads which were turned by gears meshing together and operated by rotating different wheels for pan and tilt. Some operators still prefer using geared heads such as the Arrihead 2 as it gives smoother motion than a fluid head.    

As mentioned, a fluid head can be used with legs, but is also compatible with other rigs such as a ride-on crane or a dolly.

It’s used in a tripod configuration for locked off shots where the camera doesn’t move or for shots which require panning or tilting the camera from a stationary position.

By far the most common fluid head used for film production today is the O’Connor 2575. However there are other brands used such as Cartoni or Sachtler.

To work the head, a baseplate is attached to the bottom of a camera by screws. This baseplate then slides backwards into the camera platform on the head and is locked by pulling the front camera plate lever across. If you release your hand from the camera it will now either be front heavy, where it’ll start to tilt down by itself or back heavy where it’ll tilt up. To rectify this unlock the platform release lever on the side of the head and slide the camera platform forwards or backwards until the head is balanced and it doesn’t tilt by itself.   

There’s a tilt lock on the side and a pan lock on the front. You can also change the amount of resistance the head gives when operated by changing the counterbalance. Heads always come with a bubble to check whether the camera is level with the horizon plane. To even out the head each leg of the tripod needs to be adjusted up or down until the bubble lies in the centre. 

DOLLY

Next up, a piece of gear which is probably most associated with achieving so-called ‘cinematic’ camera movement - the dolly. A dolly is a weighted, wheeled cart which is pushed by a grip or dolly grip to create smooth movement on a horizontal axis. 

They come with a hydraulic arm, which the camera sits on attached to a head, that can be raised or lowered smoothly by turning the valve control handle. The arm comes padded with velcro so that markers can be placed to signify a starting or end point of a hydraulic move. Dollies are steered and pushed using a handle.

This means the camera can be pushed forwards or backwards on an axis as well as raised or lowered during a shot.

A dolly comes with wheels which can either slot onto a track for smooth movement over rough surfaces or be used on even, stable ground such as on the floor of a house.

When using tracks, the DP will decide on a position and length of the move, a team of grips will lay tracks down and then use wooden wedges, packing or apple boxes underneath them to make sure they are completely level - with the help of a spirit level. Once the track is level the dolly will be picked up and placed on the track.

It can take up to four people to pick up a dolly, one person lifting from each wheel, since most weigh upwards of 127kg without a head or a camera. Their excessive weight may make them cumbersome to pick up, but it ensures maximum stability and smoothness when they are pushed.

Many DPs like to use dollies even for shots where the camera may remain stationary, as they make it easy to quickly reposition a heavy camera and find the perfect frame by wheeling it around or jibbing up or down.

It’s also possible to use the dolly without a head, for example with the operator sitting on it with a handheld camera or with the camera suspended from a bungee rig for a looser handheld feel that requires tracking motion.

Other rigs like a slider or a jib arm can also be mounted on a dolly for additional movement possibilities.

There are two brands of film production dollies - Chapman Leonard and J.L. Fisher. The PeeWee series from Chapman are probably the most popular used today. 

TECHNOCRANE

While the dolly allows filmmakers to achieve a wide range of smooth movements, a Technocrane or telescoping crane takes that to the next level. However, it does come at a cost, being one of the most expensive pieces of grip gear to rent along with requiring specialised crew members to operate it.

Technocranes allow camera moves on every axis. They can be mounted to a track with dolly wheels to move forwards and backwards on an axis. The camera is mounted on a remote head which can pan, tilt or even roll the camera. At the same time the crane arm can swivel around and jib up or down. And finally, it has a telescoping arm, which allows the camera to extend or retract remotely. This makes the technocrane suitable for large budget productions which require complex camera motion.

A technocrane comprises a base with four wheels used for transportation (which can be swapped out for dolly wheels) and an arm. 

Different technocranes come with different lengths of telescoping arms. For example a SuperTechno 30 can extend its telescopic arm by 22 feet. When the arm extends a weighted section moves backwards down the arm proportionately to keep the crane balanced.

Operating a technocrane requires a few crew members. A grip holds the back of the crane and controls how it swings and jibs. Another grip then holds a control in their hand that they push to either extend or retract the telescopic arm, kind of like a zoom in or out control on a camera.

To achieve complex moves safely requires skill, experience and communication - which is why the grip team and the DOP will usually communicate using wireless headsets during this process.

Some brands include the SuperTechno and the Moviebird, with the SuperTechno 30 and 50 being popular models. Moving around a technocrane is not a quick or easy process, with the SuperTechno 50 weighing in at over 2,500kg and requiring its own truck to transport it to location. 

This, along with their price tag, means they are usually used exclusively for individual, pre-planned shots rather than as an everyday tool for moving the camera around.

HOSTESS TRAY

Finally, let's look at a type of car mount which is used to film profile shots from the side of a moving vehicle. The hostess tray gets its name from its likeness to the tray stand that held food which used to be attached to cars at a drive-in.  This rig mounts a cheese plate to the open window of a car and is typically secured at the bottom by poles attached to suction cups which are mounted onto the car to form a triangle between the tray and the car.

A camera plate can be attached to a leveling head or directly onto the cheese plate and manipulated to find the desired angle and framing. The camera is then securely locked off so that it cannot move during the shot. 

This allows us to get footage with stationary framing from the outside of a moving vehicle. As it’s directly mounted on the car, any vibrations or bumps from the road will be felt in camera. This provides for a tactile car shot.   

Rigging a hostess tray to a car should always be done by an experienced grip to ensure the safety of all involved in the shot as well as the camera gear. 

There are different manufacturers of these mounts, such as Matthews Studio Equipment or Grip Tech.