Kit Focus: iPads on Set

As far as my ten year old is concerned the only use for an iPad is Clash of Clans, FIFA 15, True Skate and Fruit Ninja but I’ve been finding a lot more use for the iPad than gaming or idle surfing on the sofa.

Capture Pilot from Phase One has been no secret for the last five years and Hasselblad’s Phocus mobile wasn’t far behind. Since then I’ve been using both Apps mainly for client playback. As the Apps have become more stable and I gained confidence in the Retina iPad with the release of the fourth generation at the end of 2012 I’ve found over the last 18 months I’m rarely without an iPad close to hand while I’m lighting.

It’s often impractical to walk back and forth from the set to the laptop or monitor when you’re adjusting lighting ‘hands on’. Capture Pilot on the iPad is an invaluable tool that speeds up the lighting process massively. With the added benefit of remote camera control it means you can even carry on working alone when everyone else has disappeared to stand around and drink yet more coffee!

As digital continues to increase the pace of most shoots, it is essential that I can review the images coming in and make immediate adjustments to the lighting without diving in to the mosh pit around the monitor to elbow it out with the Client and Account Handler so I can catch a glimpse of what’s going on.

I like to run two or more iPads on a shoot as you can offer creatives and clients the option to rate images as they are shot on one, whilst using the other for checking lighting, styling and hair/make up. It’s also a great way to show your talent how things are looking without having them step off the set.

I’ve missed the 10x8 Polaroid so much these last few years and though the iPad can't compete with those beautiful colours, in some ways it can be just as useful.

It’s surprising how quickly an iPad can chew through its battery and how long they take to recharge so I recommend always having a charger on set and plugging in whenever possible. 

Download Color Cards from Les Herstik or Focus Chart from distant blue and your iPad just gets more and more useful. Not to mention Helios, Sun Seeker and the host of other apps out there, waiting to make our lives easier.

Right now though, I'm getting back to beating my daughter's Fruit Ninja score!

Northern Lights

Gripvan only uses the best Photographic Assistants as drivers and crew and Jack Boniface is no exception. Jack had a busy year last year on various Gripvan adventures whilst continuing with his thought provoking, poignant yet playful, personal work.

The Artificial Sun was a project on Blackpool Illuminations with an accompanying exhibition at A Pop Up Gallery at The Old Rock Factory in Deansgate, Blackpool. Completion of the project was made possible through a successful Kickstarter fundraising campaign that also gained him a wider network of support and admirers of his work.

Jack 'wanted to illustrate the beauty of each lamp and how each is a direct example of man’s struggle to control and manipulate his environment.' He did so by shooting uprooted illuminations in various generically familiar settings in the surrounding area at the disorientating hour of dusk.

Shooting on large format in sometimes unpredictable environments posed a few logistical and technical hurdles but with some sound advice from Gripvan's Andrew Howe, Jack was able to get the shots he had envisaged.

We really liked the results and have included a few of our favourites but you can take a look at the whole project for yourself here.

Jack will now be working closely with the Arts Council on a project to encourage participation in the arts in the Blackpool and Wyre areas so we wish them every success!

www.jackboniface.com 

Welcome to the family!

Like many people Gripvan made a New Year's resolution to trim down in 2015, but for us it wasn't from our waistline!

We've noticed that many location shoots suffer from restricted height clearance, meaning kit has to be lugged from an external carpark to set. Gripvan are all about saving time and keeping crews working efficiently, so we set out to solve that problem! Introducing Gripvan 04...

First impressions, it drives fantastically. If your shoot is a long way from London this van will ensure your crew arrive refreshed! Sat Nav, Cruise Control and other driver aids make the journey fly by. Once at the location, reverse sensors and a concealed reverse camera mean that even the tightest parking spaces pose no issues to this, the youngest member of the Gripvan fleet.

GV04 is decked out in Gripvan's recognisable orange livery and is available to hire with crew as part of our mini grip package (perfect for when you're shooting in a multi-story car park), as an additional Location Equipment van, or to deliver specialised kit such as our Phase One Underwater Housing to your shoot.

Merry Christmas from Gripvan

2014 is drawing to a close, bringing to an end a busy year for Gripvan. 

We will be closing for Christmas on December the 23rd and back on 2nd January 2015. The team will have access to messages during this time, so for enquiries between Christmas and New Year please call 020 3002 9130 or email info@gripvan.com and someone will get back to you as soon as they can. Please check the timetable below if you require Gripvan during the holidays:

Christmas Eve - 24th December	Closed	Lines Closed
Christmas Day - 25th December	Closed	Lines Closed
Boxing Day - 26th December	Closed	Lines Closed
Saturday - 27th December	Closed	Lines Closed
Sunday - 28th December	Closed	Lines Closed
Monday - 29th December	Closed	Phone Lines Open
Tuesday - 30th December	Closed	Phone Lines Open
New Year's Eve - 31st December	Closed	Lines Closed
New Year's Day - 1st January	Closed	Lines Closed
Friday - 2nd January	Closed	Phone Lines Open

We would like to wish all our clients, crew and suppliers a very Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and the very best for the New Year.

Kit Focus: Gitzo GS 5562 GTS Giant

This month Andrew takes a look at Gitzo's gargantuan GS 5562 GTS 'Giant' tripod, full of new features, some of which he loves, others less so!

The first thing I noticed was the new top casting - the bit all the legs bolt on to. Gitzo have redesigned it and the new triangular shape both looks and feels really good. On a practical note it's also lighter than the older casting.

Anyone who has used a Gitzo will be familiar with the modular system that uses a bolt to pinch the various columns or plates into the top casting and with the classic 10/13mm pressed steel ring spanner Gitzo supply to do the job with. Well not anymore. Perhaps the most useful feature of the new tripods is the integrated ratchet locking lever which you operate with your thumb, no spanner required. I have found though that the spring loaded thumb lever is quick to jam up in dusty or salty conditions and wiggling it loose again can take longer than delving in your bag or case for the good old spanner, so keep your tripod clean and dry.

Another feature that suffers with dust and dirt is the safety catch which now holds the plate or column into the top casting. The catch is released by pressing a spring loaded button in the bottom of the casting and the button can become jammed due to the ingress of dust or grit. Even with the top casting left undone I can't imagine the plate or column falling out unless the tripod was upside down and I feel this safety catch is an unnecessary complication that I could easily live without.

The leg angle selectors work in the same way we're all used to with Gitzos but they've improved and have a more positive action and are quicker and easier to use. The same is true of the "G-lock" leg locking collars which only need a quarter turn before they positively lock the leg at any given point.

There are three options for the tripods feet and I needed all of them on the first job I took the tripod on. The rubber feet, perfect for concrete, hard floors and interiors simply pull off exposing spikes underneath which are good for grass and softer surfaces. I was interested to try the sand feet supplied by Gitzo and the 2nd section of the job was all on beaches - perfect !  Fitting the plastic sand feet involves unscrewing the spike from each leg pushing the sand foot on and screwing the spike back into the leg. A bit more than a two minute job but still quick and simple. More importantly they worked really well and prevented the legs sinking in the sand. 

Overall it's a great tripod with good stability and torsional rigidity even at 2.77metres with all 6 leg sections extended. It's easier and quicker to use than the old aluminium versions I've been using for the last twenty years but the way I handle it and the techniques my muscles have learned are the same because it still feels like the same tool.
 

The Gitzo GS 5562 GTS is available as an addition to any of our Gripvan Packages, just request it when you call or email!

C-Stand Ninja Skills

We thought we knew everything about how to get the most out of a C-Stand… until we saw this from Video Gear, CA