Everything including the kitchen sink!
That pretty much sums this gig up…
We shot motion control time-lapse and high-speed on 35mm Arri-3. Underwater, jeep and bike on-board rigs on a Bolex, and action handheld, high-speed and aerials on a super-16 SR-2
Those 1950 vintage cast aluminum ‘diving-bell’ Bolex underwater housings are always a blast to use…we always stuff them full of tampons and test them first, this time at the hotel’s pool [always fun!], but riding the rapids on the Colorado River is a situation where prep is everything!
We rigged a Bolex all over Jeeps and bounced them all over Moab, Utah and then were chased by a shot-gun wielding ranch-hand when shooting motion-control time-lapse outside Bozeman, Montana...turns out we had parked and setup on actor Dennis Quaid’s ranch! After convincing the crazed guy that this giant rig was not a paparazzi system…and a few calls to Mr. Quaid, he gave us his blessing and then couldn’t be nicer.
We had some large sweeping crane shots in the Rockies that were just majestic, and then the director wanted the crane driven up to the top of a butte. Well, this is a Titan style crane which is a big heavy dude! Little did I know that the only route would necessitate the removal of several dozen trees! During the slow drive up the incredibly steep hill, the crane suddenly became very unsteady and threatened to flip. With all the vertical mass of the arm and the weight [liquid mercury?] the center of gravity sits pretty high…I cringed at the sight of this giant machine shaking side-to-side and teetering as it bumped upon the boulders. Thanks for the producer stepping in and stopping the madness!
Our incredible key grip: Chris Athy rigged some under water slide-n-glides so that the camera could dolly through a stream as Jeeps splashed through.
Chris also rigged a Bolex all over a mountain bike. Look closely at the on-board shots, that’s Chris’ shapely calves! Once rigged and counter weighted, the actor wasn’t ‘man enough’ to pump the bike!
Last, dragging a motor home through the desert of Moab was fun to watch…fun to watch the pieces fall off!
| Director: | David Dolle |
| Producer: | Joe Doria |
| Key Grip: | Chris Athy [the one and only!] |
| AC: | Alex Esber |