Video production on the famous High Roller at the Linq.
While only a few years old, the High Roller at The Linq has quickly become a very popular attraction for tourists and cameras alike. Whether you're hitting Sin City for some fun, or, filming a commercial, television show, or the like, the Linq provides excellent views of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip.
It's not just a matter of stepping into a pod with your crew and talent and hitting record though. First, of course you'll want to contact the fine folks over at the Linq (they're nice folks) and make sure it's cool to film; here's where you'll not only get permission, but you can also see if they can make any concessions for you. Once you get into your pod, you'll note that there is no power available- so, bring batteries. Second, there's not a ton of room- while you're not in the coat closet, you won't be able to put that jib up. Next, depending on what time of day you're in there, you may have quite a battle on your hands with the sun. During the day, your view is less than stellar... while Vegas tries valiantly to make everything look nice when the sun is out, we all know this city looks best bathed in neon. So, you may be thinking to yourself, "Okay Jim, no problem there, we'll shoot at night.", well, after availability, you'll want to remember that those pods do reflect something fierce, so you'll need to get creative lighting your talent. Once the sun goes down, and the strip lights up, it's absolutely stunning (for about 15 minutes at the top).
I can go on, but, you're probably bored to death if you've made it this far. So, instead, go give it a shot, or, let FiveSix Productions do it for you- no fuss, no muss. Put your beloved video shoot in the hands of the best Las Vegas video production company!?
Mathematics Infiltrate Our World
Mathematics are terrifying, there's all those numbers and letters and symbols... It gives me the night sweats just thinking about it. Photographers and cinematographers are artists, and last time I checked, there isn't a lot of long division involved in finger painting; however, despite being artists, we should understand the science and mathematics behind what we do so we don't look like a bunch of phony-bologna, amateurs. Our good friend, and rock star DP, Clayton Moore (CMDP), talks a whole lot of crazy about footcandles, lux, lumen, watts, etc., and normally it's a "smile and nod" situation, but perhaps he's on to something. I was on the youtube getting my morning fill of puppies and otters when I came across a video about the Inverse Square Law; now, don't get me started on how dull, and horrible that sounded, but I accidentally clicked the link, so I was in for the long haul. For those of you who don't know, you're lucky, it's horrible, useless knowledge that is in no way practical or worth 15 seconds of your time. If you however, enjoy punishment, you can watch this video and learn all about how lighting works over distance. Believe me though, I guarantee no one in Hollywood or New York gives it a second thought.
Think Outside the Box
Even when you think you've brought too much gear, and have items you'll never use for a particular shoot, there's always the chance unexpected challenges will arise. Last week, we were shooting a single talent, stand up, short script via teleprompter, and we were outside. The biggest hurdle seemed to be getting clean audio despite a busy roadway only fifty meters away, however, lighting ended up becoming a bit of a hurdle too. With the call time in the early afternoon, and photography not starting for a few hours later, we had to play with the sun sinking behind the nearby building. In order to incorporate a couple iconic resorts and the recognizable Spring Mountains in the background along with the busy local neighborhood, we were limited on adjustments we could make with camera and talent placement. A 6'x6' diffusion gave the talent a nice, soft wrap around light, but as the sun sank more and more, we weren't getting the fill light we were hoping for. Not having time to run power and do a proper lighting setup, our DP quickly had our 1-ton grip van pulled up to use as a bounce! The van is new, so it is still shiny and vibrant. This unconventional, but quick solution was just what the doctor ordered, and did a great job filling in light. We set up a small "video village" for the director in the back of the van, so it all seemed perfectly normal and convenient. Just goes to show, you never know what can be used as a great tool!
Building a grip truck
Ok. So our production team has been using a pickup truck and a minivan to accommodate all of our different productions. The shoots have gotten larger, we have added a ton of new gear, but the cars have always stayed the same. It's time for a change.
We just picked up a Ford Transit 350 to build out. The question for us is how do we outfit it? After careful consideration, we have added 2 sets of shelves, some wall mounted E-track and a floor mounted E-track. We have a custom flag/bounce box being built and are looking forward to seeing this all come together.
Here are some photos of our work in progress.
Grip Shelving System
Grip Setup Overview
Keep an eye out for our 2 ton grip package cruising the mean streets of Las Vegas.