The Burbank based manufacturer of camera and lighting support MSE has taken its years of experience to develop the first cases that fully address all the requirements of today’s C-stand owners, the KitBAGS.
Always present in film production, the C-stand is a support used for light modifiers or small light fixtures and sometimes to support other equipment that was not meant to be used by the early C-stands, or Century stand, a term that comes from the early days of lighting equipment, when the stand was used to hold a popular sized sun reflector, which was 100 inches square or “century”.
In 1974 Matthews Studio Equipment introduced the industry’s first folding base C-Stand. (C-Stand and Century Stand are registered trademarks of Matthews Studio Equipment.) Matthews now produces a wide range of C-Stands and related accessories to assist the motion picture, television and photographic professional in lighting and lighting modification support.
Century stands , ‘C’ stands or C-stands are an important component in the image makers arsenal of tools. These popular stands are available in many different configurations, lengths and finishes. The unique staggered leg design allows C-stands to be nested and therefore be placed extremely close to one another on set. The lower leg can also be slid under many objects.
Now Matthews Studio Equipment has developed KitBAGS, a new line of grip and lighting equipment bags, the first of which are designed specifically to ease the daily burden of transporting C-stands. With independent productions shifting to smaller crews and faster setups in multiple locations, MSE’s has taken its years of experience to develop the first cases that fully address all the requirements of today’s C-stand owners.
“The ability to quickly pack and transport a few C-stands has become a necessity,” says Tyler Phillips, Executive Vice President for MSE. “In the past, bags designed for this purpose have been very limited and lack the robustness and features required. Legs often protrude, and arms, when folded, make their size and shape awkward to carry and ship.”
MSE gathered years of feedback from the thousands of C-Stand owners to produce bags that are convenient, strong and affordable. The new bags, designed to transport several stands easily, feature ballistic nylon, heavy duty easy glide zippers, padded red interiors and high-density wheels to ensure performance and reliability. “The rolling bag has additional space for lighting stands or grip gear and an external zipper pocket for the Matthews RoadFlags II kit. Almost everything you need in one case,” Phillips explains.
It’s a world-class support in a heavy-duty package – including the little extras like business card name-tag holder, padded shoulder strop, grip handles, internal dividers and more. Never before has traveling with C-stands been so convenient and easy.
MSE’s KitBAGS come in Rolling style at $350 and Shoulder style at $250.