Who's your favorite SECOND UNIT DOLLY GRIP?

[Robert Knecht Schmidt]

My vote is for Pete McAdams, for his breakthrough work in The Perfect Storm.

[Rob Lohman]

I don't think a lot of people know that many second unit dolly
grips. Heh. I vote for the guy that did Matrix 1 dolly work.

[Brian Huey]

This should be a worst second unit dolly grip list, I always seem to find their work to be sub-par. Course, I haven't seen the Perfect Storm...

[John Locke]

You, Robert. Thumbs up to ya.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Robert, I think your sarcasm may be lost on some people.... but I appreciate it! :-)

[Dylan Couper]

2nd Unit Dolly Grip
My vote goes for the guy on Vista Valley PTA. One of my top 20 favorite movies.

[John Locke]

So, Boyd...what you're really saying is that these people need to get a grip?

[Charles Papert]

Well, not in the spirit of the first thread but at least specific to the subject matter: I was fortunate to visit the set of "The Perfect Storm" as they were shooting next door to "The West Wing" where I was sequestered at the time. Curiousity and a wee crush on the cute redhead camera loader on the show led me over there on a regular basis. The stages were jaw-dropping, in particular the one with the water tank and full-scale Andrea Gail ship mounted on a gimbal that could hoisted and turned every which way. The entire stage was painted blue. 1st Unit would work for 12 hours, then 2nd Unit would take over for the next, so that stage hummed around the clock. OK, I never met the dolly grip, but that sure was a hard-working crew. It might be worth mentioning that the dolly grip is the lead man on a crane when they are used, and there was a lot of Technocrane with the Libra head (gyro-stabilized remote head) in use in that film, so I'm pretty sure Pete McAdams can take credit for specific moves on-screen!

Of course I know this post was meant in jest. These days, I'm finding the effects credits to be the ones that go on endlessly, and there's all kinds of arcane and obscure titles handed out to animators of different stripes.

[Robert Knecht Schmidt]

That's 2 votes for Pete! Keep 'em coming!

Chas, while you were hitting on the camera crew on Stage 19, did you get to see the wind machines, water canons, and dump tanks in operation? If I recall correctly, they took some hours to refill, and all that water had to be purchased at a premium. The enormity of the whole operation must have been quite a sight to behold.

[Rob Lohman]

I saw some behind the scenes on the DVD. Massive is the only
word I can use to describe that. Lots of water too.

[Nicholi Brossia]

Pete has definately earned his time in the spotlight, and I don't mean to take away from that, but I just wanted to say that Robert's first post was hilarious. Now, please return to Pete.

[Charles Papert]

I feel like finding out Pete's email address--I wonder if he'd be flattered by this!

I saw the dump tanks but not in operation, sadly. Really an impressive operation. Too bad the movie wasn't that great.

[Robert Knecht Schmidt]

Well, it managed good critical reception, and the studio was pleased with it (it beat The Patriot at the box office on their opening weekend, after Mel Gibson had turned down the lead role in The Perfect Storm, giving Wolfgang Petersen imaginable satisfaction). It might be as good a movie as could have been adapted from the source material...

[Charles Papert]

Another TOTEM anecdote from that time: I was hanging out on the lot on night chatting to other West Wing crew when a lady with a little girl clutching her hand approached me and asked directions to the commissary, which I then gave her & sent her on her way. A few minutes later, the conversation turned to "The Perfect Storm" which had just started shooting in those adjoining stages. Someone asked who was in the movie, and various names came up: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg etc. When Diane Lane was mentioned, I said "Boy, she's pretty--wouldn't mind meeting her!". The guy next to me said, "well, you just did". Guess I wasn't really paying attention when I gave her those directions...!

[Robert Knecht Schmidt]

LOL. Did you hear her joke on Letterman, wherein she stepped out of her trailer on her last film and thought it a bad omen when the words "Fire Lane" were painted on the street?