rig breakdown
rig breakdown
Title:
Title:
Top Thrill 2 Roller Coaster Rig
Other
Other
Other
Other
about the rig
Rollercoaster rig for Top Thrill 2’s media day. This ride went 120mph and was Cedar Points newest and baddest ride. Camera pointing forward and another pointed backward at the news reporters.
Flew in with gear packed into pelicans. Travelled light but efficient with DP Jeff Nolde’s complete coaster rigging package.
Ratcheted all our parts to the coaster multiple ways, multiple directions. Coaster had holes under the seats we slid speedrail through and ratcheted it down. Hard mounted off that for added security. Ball leveling heads for the cameras and obviously an extreme amount of triangulation.
Behind the Scenes
Camera Rigging
Grip Equipment
key grip
Brendan Riel
the crew
DP:
Jeff Nolde
Grip Crew:
Jeff Nolde, Brendan Riel
built with
Speedrail, Ball Leveling Heads, 5/8 Rods, Ratchet Straps
by:
Brendan Riel
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rig breakdown
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Brendan Riel
My standard swatter built. Triangle truss with 1 steel. 8’ verticals for the goalpost with a 5’ horizontal. Wigs from the bucket to the tri truss. Kickers on the goalpost. 20’ kickers from the goalpost to the 20x20 frame. 2x belly lines to finish it off.
rig breakdown
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by:
Brendan Riel
My standard swatter built. Triangle truss with 1 steel. 8’ verticals for the goalpost with a 5’ horizontal. Wigs from the bucket to the tri truss. Kickers on the goalpost. 20’ kickers from the goalpost to the 20x20 frame. 2x belly lines to finish it off.
rig breakdown
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by:
Brendan Riel
My standard swatter built. Triangle truss with 1 steel. 8’ verticals for the goalpost with a 5’ horizontal. Wigs from the bucket to the tri truss. Kickers on the goalpost. 20’ kickers from the goalpost to the 20x20 frame. 2x belly lines to finish it off.
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The structure measured 14’x14’ OD and held two 12x12 frames: one with 1/2 grid and one with bleached muslin. The bleached muz was rigged with a pulley system, allowing us to raise or drop the rag when we needed to bring it into the scene as a ceiling element. We punched LiteTile through both rags for soft, consistent coverage.
For mobility, we mounted the whole rig on C&C Studio Services tri-casters.
rig breakdown
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by:
Brendan Riel
We built this mobile toplight softbox using 6" ModX truss to serve four different sets inside a tight studio space with limited overhead clearance. The goal was to keep costs down and avoid building duplicate overhead rigs or ground units for each set. So, we designed a rolling, double-layered softbox that could easily move from set to set—and double as an in-frame ceiling piece when needed.
The structure measured 14’x14’ OD and held two 12x12 frames: one with 1/2 grid and one with bleached muslin. The bleached muz was rigged with a pulley system, allowing us to raise or drop the rag when we needed to bring it into the scene as a ceiling element. We punched LiteTile through both rags for soft, consistent coverage.
For mobility, we mounted the whole rig on C&C Studio Services tri-casters.
rig breakdown
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by:
Brendan Riel
We built this mobile toplight softbox using 6" ModX truss to serve four different sets inside a tight studio space with limited overhead clearance. The goal was to keep costs down and avoid building duplicate overhead rigs or ground units for each set. So, we designed a rolling, double-layered softbox that could easily move from set to set—and double as an in-frame ceiling piece when needed.
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We helped art hang an 18’ tall 60’ length translight with some truss and motors. Went motors down so we wouldn’t have to run too much cable and picked to beams above with beam clamps.
We planned on doing everything with truss and motors but had to cut some because of budgetary reasons. So we went old fashioned with 2 runs of ladder truss, pipe and pulleys for more lighting points. The pulleys just served as line redirects and provided no mechanical advantage.
project BTS
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by:
Brendan Riel
8’x25’x4’ seamless bleached muslin softbox provided most of our soft top daylight ambiance for this spot. ModX top frame with pipe bottom frame. We wrapped the bottom pipe with plastic to protect the muslin from dirt. Seamless was important for car reflections. We baffled the inside of the box with 1/4 grid for added softness.
We helped art hang an 18’ tall 60’ length translight with some truss and motors. Went motors down so we wouldn’t have to run too much cable and picked to beams above with beam clamps.
We planned on doing everything with truss and motors but had to cut some because of budgetary reasons. So we went old fashioned with 2 runs of ladder truss, pipe and pulleys for more lighting points. The pulleys just served as line redirects and provided no mechanical advantage.
project BTS
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by:
Brendan Riel
8’x25’x4’ seamless bleached muslin softbox provided most of our soft top daylight ambiance for this spot. ModX top frame with pipe bottom frame. We wrapped the bottom pipe with plastic to protect the muslin from dirt. Seamless was important for car reflections. We baffled the inside of the box with 1/4 grid for added softness.
We helped art hang an 18’ tall 60’ length translight with some truss and motors. Went motors down so we wouldn’t have to run too much cable and picked to beams above with beam clamps.
We planned on doing everything with truss and motors but had to cut some because of budgetary reasons. So we went old fashioned with 2 runs of ladder truss, pipe and pulleys for more lighting points. The pulleys just served as line redirects and provided no mechanical advantage.
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Legacy Grip 2025 All Rights Reserved
By subscribing you agree to with our privacy policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.
Legacy Grip 2025 All Rights Reserved
By subscribing you agree to with our privacy policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.
Legacy Grip 2025 All Rights Reserved
By subscribing you agree to with our privacy policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.
Legacy Grip 2025 All Rights Reserved