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16 foot Fisher Boom Pole


Guest Eric Lamontagne

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Guest Eric Lamontagne

I saw this on the Coffee site and wondered: would anyone ever use this now? It's really only a 16 footer which my large poles handle just fine. What sort of projects might this be useful for? Has anyone on the group had experience with this equipment? Would you need your own union (read IA) dolly grip to move it around during setup or shots? How flexible would it be for a moving (or multiple) target?

http://www.coffeysound.com/product.php?productid=753&cat=122&page=1

Just killin time....

Eric Lamontagne

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What sort of projects might this be useful for? Has anyone on the group had experience with this equipment? Would you need your own union (read IA) dolly grip to move it around during setup or shots? How flexible would it be for a moving (or multiple) target?

Eric Lamontagne

This 16 foot Fisher Boom used to be used on almost ALL projects, even when we have fish poles that go out to 16 feet or more, the Fisher Boom is a totally different deal (and no, you don't need a Grip to push it around although in the past the grips have helped out when you need to "make a dolly move" with the Fisher. The whole Fisher Boom idea is having a resurgence now as more and more productions are going HD where you can have a continuous take of over 40 minutes! Your fishpole may go out to 16 feet but can you hold it out there for 40 minutes --- I don't think so. With more and more HD work allowing directors to just "keep it rolling" while they stroll onto the set to have a script meeting with the talent, we are going to have to change our procedures. Bill Kaplan told me a story about one production he was on where they had a day where there was a 20 minute period between "roll camera" and "action" and then the take was 15 minutes long! I know that many sound teams are dealing with this by putting ALL mics on the actors (because they have to stand there for the whole take) and so shots that could have been easily boomed in the old days are not boomed (and of course they now generally do not sound as good but the people who care about those things don't really have a voice anymore. I am hoping that the Fisher Boom will get back into the game --- but of course it is going to be vital that all the new people get trained. Nowdays when a Fisher shows up, lots of people think it must be a prop --- are we doing a period move?

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

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Hey Eric, the 16 ft fisher boom is an outstanding tool that all boomers should learn to use because no other tool lets one cue a scene as well as a fisher. As JW points out the HD world that is emerging all but makes this tool a must when working with directors that don't cut. It takes a lot of pratice to be great w it, but not a lot of time to be average. At the price, it is a good deal IMHO.

CrewC

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     How are they selling a Fisher? Did it get released by Fisher? Most of their stuff is lease only. That is true for the Dollies.

     Scott.....

I've seen fisher boom's for sale at the 695 website before... they're still in use daily at Telenovelas Cathedral Televisa in Mexico City,  & if you watch closely you can probably spot one on the Jay Leno show or STL...

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Fisher make's and maintains booms in different sizes and configurations for many applications, and most are for rent only this is true and that is a good thing by n large cause they do need upkeep. Some have made it to the open market like this one. Jim Webb had one that he owned and we took on our adventures in filmland. As I recall, when I worked w Jeff n Don, we had one on the truck as a matter of course. As a boomer I used one in about every kind of scene one does on a sound stage set, but I really dug it on ext. masters. If you get off in keeping actors on mic and want a better way to do it, learn to use one. They rent for next to nothing and most Prod. Co's pick up the dolly from fisher anyway, so if you work in L A try one and learn about a great tool. For H D work on stage it is almost a must the way some cats work.

CrewC

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I'm sorry to say that I can't recall the boom operator's name, but on a series I did back in 1987, this boom operator did every single shot from the 16' Fisher Boom.

It might have been Vic Good or Jim Utterback (or actually, any one of a number of guys). Lots and lots of shows used the Fisher on every shot unless there was something that made it impossible to use (usually not the case since everyone else on the crew, including the production designer who built the set, knew that the Fisher would be used).

Regards, Jeff Wexler

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Does Fisher still make these?  We used to have 2 or 3 available in the SF area but they all disappeared years ago.  The point about long rolls in HD is well taken, that certainly has been my experience.  I wonder if I'd be able to convince the clients of the need for it--they would likely not understand why I didn't just wire everyone.  Still....an intruiging idea....  Aren't these still used on sitcoms?

Philip Perkins

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