-
best way to span 15′ for China ball
I want to suspend a Chimera pancake lantern (with Triolet, 4.2 lbs) over a five-foot diameter table with people all around it. The scenario calls for lots of panning shots. I won’t be able to scout the location; I do have scissor clamps but may or may not have a way to attach the fixture to the existing ceiling.
Just in case, I would like to be able to run a pole or tubing across about 15′, far enough so the supporting stands are out of the shots.
I have one-inch aluminum tubing in 8′ lengths, and the Matthews ear fittings to join them (and attach to a grip head) but that fitting is rather heavy, and I don’t need the ear because I won’t be attaching it to a stand in the middle. I’m thinking of trying to find a long aluminum sleeve to join the tubing. But how long should it be, or is there a better way???
I’m just curious as to how you folks approach this kind of rigging problem.
Thanks.
Bob C
-
4 Replies
-
Yeah Bob, easy breezy… just head to your local Home Depot or Lowes and pick up enough 1/2″ electrical conduit to span your distance.
Very lightweight, dirt cheap, and strong enough to hold up the instrument.
I’ve not used it to span between two stands, but I’ve used it with one stand (and a counterweight on the other end) to suspend a China ball out about 8 or 9 feet. It might “swag” a little bit, but it’s strong enough to do the job.
And it’s cheap enough to just ditch on location if you don’t need it any more.
T2
__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
-
I like using Auto-poles for sure.
Another way would be to put some steel cable in tension and hang the instrument from that cable. I might do this with a pair of 2×4’s and a handful of eyebolts and assorted hardware. The 2×4’s stand on end vertically and are leaned against the walls out of frame to generate opposing tension, and chocked into place and weighted with sandbags or what-have-you. If you need to adjust the instrument, two stagehands just slowly let the boards tip back to gently lower the payload to eye level.
This kind of system I think could also be made to work outdoors to hang a light or even a camera.
-
Thanks Todd and Mark! Todd wins the Most Practical Award (aka “advice so simple I’ll actually try it”), but Mark takes Most Ingenious AND Best Illustration. Statuettes are in the mail.
I appreciate the help.
Bob C
-
I had several lengths of 1″ square tubing, so I bought a 4′ length of square tubing just big enough to slip over it, forming a long joiner. Very solid, and I already had the connectors for 1″ square tubing, so it was cheap too.
Got to the location and found I could easily hang the lantern from the ceiling after all… But now I know how to deal with this for the next time.
Thanks again!
Bob C
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up