Matthews Studio Equipment known for creating innovative state of the art Technology That Complements Your Imagination for the entertainment industry recently came to the rescue when Key Grip Michael Pizzuto of Bulletproof Grips needed to make a unique shot for a new series called Guest Book.
Pizzuto (Blunt Talk, Secrets and Lies, The Goldbergs, Vegas, Necessary Roughness) and his team at Bulletproof Grips are always being challenged with unique situations. “This time my DP Chad Persons wanted us to get a shot over two set walls, spanning 14’,” explains Pizzuto. “The first option was to use a Technocrane, which is very expensive.
“I’m always looking towards Matthews for just the right product to help me get the shot needed,” he adds. “This is it was the new Dutti Dolly.” Buy using 2” square aluminum stock in conjunction with the MSE universal track brackets as the dolly track, they were able to add a Cartoni Lamda head and move the camera underslung.
“I own other cheese plat type dollies but they always feel like they want to fall off the speed rail track,” Pizzuto admits. “The Dutti Dolly is much more stable and its movement is effortless. It gave us smooth tracking. And, the new wider base makes it better for weight distribution.”
Pizzuto is no stranger to Matthews support. “I find the Mini Math booms very handy to arm in a light very quickly when space is limited,” he explains. “This year, I also purchased a Max Menace Arm. This genius piece of gear allows me to get a light in anywhere I can think of. It’s quick and easy to move around.”
“Working with Michael is incredibly cool for me as he is always working on something epic!Like the shot him and his best boy, Ivan Gonzalez planned over the two set walls on Guest Book, or throwing up backlights up in weird places with the Max Menace Arm. Michael, Ivan and the rest of his team are always pushing boundaries, and we’re always here to come up with creative and safe rigging solutions for them. And I have to say, chatting with him is a lot of fun given all of his experiences as a key grip. Just ask him about Austin Powers. Yeah Baby!”
