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How Cranes are Used in the Movie Industry

Cranes are excellent machinery when it comes to hoisting heavy materials to higher levels in construction. However, the much less known application of cranes is in the movie industry. As the level of direction and production of movies has reached to next level over the years, cranes are utilized to fulfill the creative needs of filmmakers, like capturing overhead scenes and constructing sets. Moreover, action movies swear by using cranes for more accessibility. There are many roles that a crane plays in the movie industry to become a behind-the-scenes lead player.

Let us look at how a crane can help your favorite superhero fly-

  1. The Russian Arm: The Russian Arm or the Autorobot is a gyroscopically stabilized camera crane mounted on top of the cars and other vehicles to capture motion scenes. It was first launched with the movie “Titanic” back in 1997 and has been increasingly used today. The filmmakers can remotely control the Russian Arm from inside the vehicle. Many action movie franchisees have employed the Russian Arm camera crane for their motion scenes. When you see car chases in movies like “Fast & Furious,” the thrill-filled scenes are all shot with the assistance of camera cranes. Autorobot or The Russian Arm allows flexibility for the cameraman to stay away from the sets and still take the best motion shots.
  2. Mobile Cranes: Mobile cranes are known for their multiple utilities. They are smaller in size but help carry heavy loads as efficiently as any other crane. Earlier, set builders constructed scaffolds to hold lights for a set. After the scene was shot, the stand was taken down and built at another location. This increased work for the crew members and the time taken for building stages every time was too long. Nowadays, the lighting team simply attaches the lights to a mobile crane using a telehandler attachment. Since mobile cranes can be moved easily and quickly, it has reduced human labor and time consumption on movie sets. Moreover, camera operators also use mobile cranes to attach cameras and capture shots that are not easily accessible. Taking overhead shots and motion shots have become efficient since cranes have been used in the movie industry.
  3. Large Cranes: Although they seem like they can be anything but part of the movie industry, larger cranes are also widely used in production and set creations. They can carry heavy loads from one location to another more efficiently than human crew or other methods. They are also used to construct sets that are higher for a mobile crane to reach. They have also been used in movies, like the crashing scene in Terminator 3, where a crane drives into police cars and an under-construction building. Directors also use the large cranes to get an eagle-eye view of the complete location to assess better angles for shots. They are also used to make fighting scenes where heroes and villains fly in front of the green screen.

About Skyline Crane Rental

Do you want a reliable crane rental company to take your movie shoots to sky-high levels? Choose Skyline Crane Rental that provides custom crane rental solutions for construction sites, movie shoots, and theme-park attractions. Call us today at (818) 400-2783 or reach us through our website for more details.

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