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Go here to see pictures and demos of our new Triolet http://www.chimeralighting.com/dspProduct.asp?productid=299
Go here to see pictures and demos of our new Triolet http://www.chimeralighting.com/dspProduct.asp?productid=299
Your favorite (if we're not, we should be) Indiana Lighting and Grip Rental facility has been hard at work cross training. No, we aren't triatheletes. No, we haven't made any shoe commercials lately. We're teaching each other. Alyssa Davis, our Office Manager, got to go on a shoot last week as part of our cross-training program. She's trying to make your lighting and grip rental experience a good one by learning more each day about the gear that we use. As many of you know, you can look at grip trucks every day and see grip equipment and lights hanging around the shop but until you see them in use you can't fully grasp their application. Seeing a camera dolly set up in some of the funkiest configurations helps tie together those seemingly odd requests from Key Grips. Seeing a studio full of lights helps define their application. So, we take Alyssa along. She gets a break from the offfice. Someone else learns to do her job (so they can fill in if she misses a day and so that they better understand the challenges that she faces), and she gets to see what we face in the field every day. Hopefully the next time you call to talk to Alyssa you'll get a taste of what we're doing here in the Midwest, that we're trying to be knowledgable about each others' work, and that we have the capacity to handle your every question with talent and speed.
Everyone here is rooting for the Colts to win the Superbowl this Sunday. We've had the pleasure of being part of (providing lighting and grip equipment for) a couple of commercials that will air during the Superbowl and several web and TV ads that pertain to it as well. Because of those pesky Non-disclosure agreements I can't give away any hints that would blow my cover but rest assured that we had a part in your Superbowl experience! We got to work with several Colts players and some other well known Indianapolis area atheltes as well as a couple stars that arent from Indy. Tune in On Sunday!
Hello Everyone!!!! So, I had the best opportunity come up last week. As you know I mostly sit in my office answering phone calls, putting orders in etc...... So Derek asked if I wanted to actually go on a shoot for the day. I said of course!!!! I'm always hearing the stories about different jobs, all the hard work they do, how these lights work for what project that is currently going on.
Yesterday was my day............ Call time was noon, location Stage 80, a webisodes spot for the Superbowl 2010. Of course the Indianapolis Colts are in the Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints. So we got to work with a great football player. I had the opportunity to see our Kino Flos and Tungsten lights and our 3 Ton Grip Truck in action. I learned alot about what lights work on this project. We had our 150w Dedo Light kit on this job as well. I have to say those are small lights but they do get the job done right when you just need that extra touch. I loved the opportunity I had on this shoot and I hope to do it again in the future!!
Yesterday was my day............ Call time was noon, location Stage 80, a webisodes spot for the Superbowl 2010. Of course the Indianapolis Colts are in the Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints. So we got to work with a great football player. I had the opportunity to see our Kino Flos and Tungsten lights and our 3 Ton Grip Truck in action. I learned alot about what lights work on this project. We had our 150w Dedo Light kit on this job as well. I have to say those are small lights but they do get the job done right when you just need that extra touch. I loved the opportunity I had on this shoot and I hope to do it again in the future!!
I can't believe its already the middle of January! We are looking for a good year ahead of us. We hope to have a new clientele that will swing thru Indiana all year long, plus all the local clients that we love to work with. I can't wait to see what exciting new projects will be coming up in the next year.
Also, at Hammer Lighting & Grip we are hoping to get some NEW gear in the future. So keep an eye on our websites and blogs for updates!
Also, at Hammer Lighting & Grip we are hoping to get some NEW gear in the future. So keep an eye on our websites and blogs for updates!
One of the necessary evils of operating a lighting and grip company is complying with the laws governing "heavy" trucks. I'll spend a total of more than 4 hours of my day today working on this one issue. I'm training two drivers today. Many people don't understand that almost any "commercial" truck (used in business) is required to comply with federal DOT regulations. Even pickup trucks and vans often qualify. Failure to comply can result in heavy fines and the potential for open-ended lawsuits should there be a traffic accident. This is why we cant let just anybody take a truck on their next rental. The freelancers that drive our trucks are trained professionals. They know how to drive a grip truck safely and how to comply with the regulations so that the truck can actually make it to the job. In Indiana we are the lighting a grip rental company that looks out for YOU. It's our job to know the laws, not yours. Just another added benefit you get from renting from the most buttoned up lighting and grip rental facility in the Midwest!
Its Fall !!! That means time to get your shoots in order for all those lovely fall colors! Our trees are starting to turn in Indiana we have some the the most unique places to shoot your commercials. Come visit us and we will help you with all your Lighting and truck needs!
If its getting too cold and you need a place to shoot inside. How about some of our wonderful Studios right here in Indiana.
www.stage80.com
www.dlimages.com
www.studiomidwest.com/studio_rental.htm
Prepare yourself for the 20 degree days by renting the winter essentials from your favorite Indiana Lighting and Grip Rental House! We have 10'x10' and 10'x20' EZ-Up tents available for you! When requested, they come with sides to keep that cold wind at bay. You could also keep warm with our portable heaters! They are 18,000 BTU heaters that are safe to use indoors and come with 16 ounce propane tanks. Each tank lasts 3 hours and is very easy to change.
If these heaters aren't enough for you, we also have the Salamander! This beast could melt the abominable snowman in seconds! It is a 155,000 BTU propane heater that will be sure to keep your clients and crew warm in any conditions!
We feel that as a Midwest lighting and grip company, we must provide the best options for keeping you warm in the winter! Don't forget the hot chocolate!
If these heaters aren't enough for you, we also have the Salamander! This beast could melt the abominable snowman in seconds! It is a 155,000 BTU propane heater that will be sure to keep your clients and crew warm in any conditions!
We feel that as a Midwest lighting and grip company, we must provide the best options for keeping you warm in the winter! Don't forget the hot chocolate!
Many people don't know this but along with all of the other lighting and grip rental equipment we provide, we also have Motorola GP300 VHF radios available. As a Midwest lighting and grip rental company, we stock a good amount of these and their accessories. With the rental of this radio, you have the choice of headsets, ear buds, speaker mics, and holsters available for you at no extra cost! (Most lighting rental companies charge extra for this!)
Another item in our inventory that people often forget about is the bullhorn! Why is this item so obsolete now? Do you not need to get the attention of the crew anymore? Don't let some dazed and confused grip walk through the shot... use the bullhorn to announce "ROLLING!"
For questions about either of these items, call Hammer Lighting & Grip at (317) 547-4747!
Another item in our inventory that people often forget about is the bullhorn! Why is this item so obsolete now? Do you not need to get the attention of the crew anymore? Don't let some dazed and confused grip walk through the shot... use the bullhorn to announce "ROLLING!"
For questions about either of these items, call Hammer Lighting & Grip at (317) 547-4747!
The staff here at Hammer Lighting and Grip has been busy over the last few weeks reorganizing the warehouse. With so much new equipment in the last two years we've found ourselves out of floor space so it was time to clean house, condense, and go UP. We bought a vintage 1974 Clark forklift (she's the same age as me) and rearranged our racking system. Julie has put all of the grip equipment in an awesome bin system that organizes each item into its own separate labeled (of course) bin. Sean rearranged some of the other lighting and grip equipment onto the shelves. We put our overflow stock up high and we made a lot of extra floor space. That means that all of our trucks still fit inside this Winter which means that we'll have fewer worries about trucks starting on cold mornings which means that we are the Midwest lighting and grip rental company thats looking out for YOU. It also means the many jobs that require lots of cable or other large heavy things can be loaded by forklift, keeping costs down here, which keeps costs down for you.
The lighting rental equipment here at Hammer Lighting and Grip is constantly changing. It is my job to make sure that we have every bit of information on the items coming in and out of our rental inventory at our fingertips at all times. I created what I enjoy calling the "Mega Master Inventory List" many, many months ago. However, I cannot seem to complete this project. We keep finding more rental gear to add to it. I never realized how much lighting and grip equipment you must have to run a rental house like this. Even just today I found a few pieces of grip equipment in our warehouse that was not on this list. There are so many things that have been custom made or ordered for certain productions that nobody even knows about! My goal is to provide our customers with all of the information on these pieces so they can take advantage of the specialty items that exist right here in Indianapolis!
Please call us at 317-547-GRIP if there is something in particular you are looking for or visit our website at www.hammergrip.tv! Check back often because as I said before, it is constantly being updated!
Please call us at 317-547-GRIP if there is something in particular you are looking for or visit our website at www.hammergrip.tv! Check back often because as I said before, it is constantly being updated!
Well, we have them! We have a variety of Production supplies that you might not even think a Lighting and Grip company has. We have from 6ft to 8ft tables, to metal chairs for you catering needs. We have EZ-UP 10x10 and 10x20 tents for those Indiana rainy days or hot summers. How about radios? Well we have those too. There are Motorola GP300 VHF Radios for $15.00 each. This package comes with extra batteries, headsets, security headsets, speaker mics as requested. As well as the 6 radio charger to charge the extra batteries while you are shooting away. Come check out our website for more Production supplies options.
Hey everyone! I just wanted to write a quick post about the past 3 weeks here at Hammer Lighting & Grip! Like my last post I wrote I said I loved May because we are always really busy with all the pre shoots with all the drivers. We have had a great time working with some of the best people at ESPN.
We got to first work on what we all call the the "Indianapolis 500 Tease". You ask "what's that mean"? Well, turn to your TVs to WRTV 6 on Race day for Pre-Race between 7-8pm and then at 8:00pm right before the race actually starts you will see an introduction for the race. Derek ended up working on that job and on the last day asked if I would want to be an extra. Of course I said yes. When do I ever get an opportunity to leave my normal job here and actually see what all my work goes too! So my husband and I headed down to the Speedway to be extras on the 70's version of the commercial. So look out Hollywood here we come!!
We got to first work on what we all call the the "Indianapolis 500 Tease". You ask "what's that mean"? Well, turn to your TVs to WRTV 6 on Race day for Pre-Race between 7-8pm and then at 8:00pm right before the race actually starts you will see an introduction for the race. Derek ended up working on that job and on the last day asked if I would want to be an extra. Of course I said yes. When do I ever get an opportunity to leave my normal job here and actually see what all my work goes too! So my husband and I headed down to the Speedway to be extras on the 70's version of the commercial. So look out Hollywood here we come!!
As we all know the month of May is finally here. In the Midwest this is a pretty big deal! I have to say this one of my favorite times of the year. There is just something about the Indianapolis 500, the people, and the events around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway .
There are also many other events that go on in May's such as the Indy 500 festival which includes a Parade in downtown Indianapolis, the Mini Marathon and the opening of the summer concert series!
This is also one of the busiest months at Hammer Lighting and Grip. We have plenty of gear around for any of your Lighting and Grip Equipment needs. So come on over to our shop or give us a call we would be glad to help!
There are also many other events that go on in May's such as the Indy 500 festival which includes a Parade in downtown Indianapolis, the Mini Marathon and the opening of the summer concert series!
This is also one of the busiest months at Hammer Lighting and Grip. We have plenty of gear around for any of your Lighting and Grip Equipment needs. So come on over to our shop or give us a call we would be glad to help!
GRIP GEAR IN A TRAILER? BRILLIANT! My most recent assignment here at Hammers House of Lighting was to turn an empty 6x12 cargo trailer into the best new grip package in the Midwest! In my mind, this was a excellent idea! We've had this trailer for years and at first it was a great way to transport gear and supplies around town but with the acquisition of so many other vehicles, the use for this one became obsolete. Should we sell it? No!
I loaded the trailer with a C-stand cart, 3 combo stands, and 6 baby stands. There's a grip cart with cardellini's, mafers, grip heads, quakers, apple boxes and other common grip equipment. You'll find a flag cart with a basic supply of cutters, nets and silks in sizes that range from 18"x24" to 48"x48". There is also a 42"x42" silver reflector, a 48"x48" bead board, and a 8'x8' frame with a solid, silk, and ultra bounce. And of course you will see stingers, shot bags, furniture blankets, expendables, and a ladder. If you need anything else, we'll throw it on for you!
The fact that this package is in a trailer gives you options! You could bring your truck or van here and pick it up. You wouldn't have to hire a driver. Or, we could drop it off at your location for you. If you would like to rent a truck with it, of course we have that too. There are many options here but the point is... this package is light, compact, and perfect for your next production!
A customer asked me yesterday, "How do you wash this green screen?" He had just rented our 20' x 30' Chromakey green screen and hung it in a studio downtown Indianapolis.
This question made me laugh because it just so happened that we had washed it 3 times in the past week. It originally had some footprints on it and hadn't been washed in a while. So we took all of the strings off of the edges of it and called our friends at Classic Cleaners. They pick it up, wash it in one of their super-sized washers, and deliver it back to us in a plastic tote so it doesn't dry out. Then we retie all the strings on it, build a 20' x 30' frame in the shop, and carefully hang the green screen without letting it hit the floor! We hang it on a frame while it's still wet to keep the fabric from shrinking.
After doing this once, we noticed a mysterious stain right in the middle of it. So, after repeating these steps not 1, but 2 more times, we finally got the green screen spotless and ready for its next job.
This time-consuming process might explain why we like to keep it as clean as possible! Dirty grip boots are prohibited!
I've spent the last few days working on one of our three generators that we offer for rent. It's an older unit with a long history in our market but, as with all of our gear, we're constantly efforting to bring you the highest quality Lighting and Grip rental equipment in the Midwest. We've given it a bit of a facelift, gone through all of the mechanicals; added a newer, better fuel tank, and performed the usual periodic maintenance. Why? Why would I want to get my hands dirty and play mechanic when I could hire it out? I do it because it gives me an intimate relationship with each and every piece of gear that we own. When it comes to generator rental in the Midwest, we're the ones you can count on!
Did you know that we stock all of the most commonly used lighting and grip expendables right here in Indianapolis?We have a display room filled with all kinds of globes, gel, rope, and tape (like the 2" black gaffers tape pictured here). If you venture on into our warehouse you'll find different types of showcard and foamcore amongst our lighting and grip equipment.
Why hunt these items down and ship them from L.A. when we have it right here for you? Just stop by and pick it up before your next production! Or give us a call and we can have it on your doorstep in no time.
Midwest winters can take a toll on a lighting and grip rental company. I was out taking a stroll after lunch today to assess the impact of this winter on our grounds. We fared pretty well aside from a few landscaping tasks. As I was walking along I noticed a crawdad who was apparently just waking from a long winter nap. I picked him up and noticed that he was missing a claw. As I examined the claw I realized how much some of our grip equipment looks like that claw and how strong both can be. Pound for pound, that little crayfish is probably way stronger than any grip clamp. However, it's hard to get a truck load of crayfish to work and they small far worse than a bunch of grips (hard to believe, i know). So, your only consolation is to call us. We have grip trucks from 1 ton to 5 ton and a couple in between. They're loaded with clamps, pipe, wood, and a whole lot of other goodies just waiting to hang, clamp, span, dangle, or suspend anything on your next job. Think of us as the "do anything that anyone else on the crew can't" guys. Yes we're grips. No, we don't smell like crayfish.
Hey Everyone!
I know its been a long time since I wrote any blogs. We have been so busy. One minute its Christmas and the next its the end of March! The weather is turning for the better. So we are excited to be able to open our doors and feel the spring air!!!
Our last two months have been so busy with work locally and out of state. We have done some pretty cool jobs. Like going to Mississippi to shoot World War reenactments, Music Video shoot and we will be doing some independent films soon.
I wanted to let everyone know that we all have been working really hard on getting our full warehouse inventoried and all our Lighting and Grip trucks lists up to date. We wanted to be able to make it easy for everyone to just go on our website, choose the package you want and call me with your order. I can't wait to hear what's coming up next in the film business right here in Indianapolis, Indiana!!!
I know its been a long time since I wrote any blogs. We have been so busy. One minute its Christmas and the next its the end of March! The weather is turning for the better. So we are excited to be able to open our doors and feel the spring air!!!
Our last two months have been so busy with work locally and out of state. We have done some pretty cool jobs. Like going to Mississippi to shoot World War reenactments, Music Video shoot and we will be doing some independent films soon.
I wanted to let everyone know that we all have been working really hard on getting our full warehouse inventoried and all our Lighting and Grip trucks lists up to date. We wanted to be able to make it easy for everyone to just go on our website, choose the package you want and call me with your order. I can't wait to hear what's coming up next in the film business right here in Indianapolis, Indiana!!!
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