Matthews Studio Equipment has recently joined forces with dolly grip James Saldutti to produce the Dutti Dolly at its Burbank facility. “While there are many different kinds of dolly configurations on the market, James has come up with a unique approach that fills a need in today’s fast-paced market,” said Robert Kulesh, VP of sales and marketing at MSE. “Not only can it help crews multi-task, it is also light enough to move quickly and works low enough to get into places many other dollies can’t.”
When Saldutti was working with DP James Muro, he became aware of the cinematographer’s desire to shoot many low shots. “The dollies out there rest too high on track,” explained Saldutti. “To make shots work for James, I had to get lower – so I came up with a configuration that I thought might just work for one film. Who knew that would become his go-to piece of equipment on every project he does.”
Saldutti’s solution not only enables the camera to be lower, it also is configured so that it can be carried much more easily, saving a grip’s back, and offer potential time savings for break down and set-up.
Muro commented: “I put the Dutti Dolly on top of the table in the White House situation room for HBO’s The Brink. It sits on track on the floor for a self-motivated situation with a one foot or two foot riser. It can, obviously, fit in much tighter space than a conventional dolly. It simply makes for an intuitive operating experience, where there is not a lot of discussion not a lot of laying track, not a lot of big equipment. With the Dutti Dolly I can be in and out of the location quickly and still have a massive amount of production value, just as if I had all the big gear.
“On the television series, Southland, we were always trying to have smaller simple solutions to get the camera crew in and out of the locations within two to three hours,” he added. “A couple of 12-ft planks and the Dutti Dolly and various sized sliders are pretty much all we needed. The dolly ended-up being the staple of the camera movement on that show.”
Kulesh noted: “James has managed to pack a whole lot of punch in a small, light, stable and efficient dolly. It can get into extreme low angles or can carry a bazooka or tripod for other heights. The stability gives the operator the ability to whip pan and quick tilt. It rolls directly on the ground or can be mounted on stands or track and can be over or under slung. It can fit in places where conventional dollies cannot fit – airplane or bus aisles or even church pews. Dutti Dolly is great for long takes, stunts or poor man’s process and more.”
