Principal photography has just finished on the 2010 Liongate release Warrior, starring Nick Nolte and MSE’s monster light mover MAX handled the challenges easily.
One of the key sequences took place inside a Pittsburg hotel room. “Cinematographer Masanobu Takyanagi needed to get ‘a lot of light’ into the room,” explains key grip John Janusek. “It was either an elaborate truss and motor rig that was 2500 miles away in Los Angeles, or the MAX Menace.
“Once I talked to Matthews technical folks and Key Grip Richard Mall, who invented MAX, they assured me that MAX could handle the weight in negative configuration off the top of the hotel. Nine out of 10 times you would think to use that tool to get a light into a higher position,” says Janusek. “I was just thinking ‘laterally’, knowing that most of the gear on my truck has more than one usage.
“However, when we tested the idea – aiming MAX over and DOWN we got what we needed. Not only did we get the light in the windows, we saved production time, rigging, and lots of money in shipping extensive gear!
“Now, when I look at the MAX series of lighting support fixtures, I think out-of-the-box – light high, lateral and low. MAX can do just about anything.”
MAX allows placement of almost any light anywhere on a set and in places where lifts are restricted. MAX supports a 75 pound light up to 17.5 feet on the horizontal and over 20 feet in elevation. With the addition of eight feet, MAX has a capacity of 175 pounds. MAX’s horizontal plane can be adjusted from seven to 10 feet. MAX can be positioned parallel up to a 10 foot ceiling, and at a height of six feet six inches, goes through doorways. Easily moveable at full extension on level surfaces, MAX is fast and easy to set up and tear down. Designs and specifications are subject to change.
The MAX series of light movers is offered exclusively through Matthews Studio Equipment. MSE is a 39-year-old independently owned California-based manufacturer of high-quality, specialized hardware for the film, television, still photographic and theatrical industries servicing over 60 countries around the world. MSE was recently named “Exporter of the Year”, awarded by the Department of Commerce and was featured as a company of note in the Los Angeles Business Journal. MSE – Technology that complements your imagination.