So, I have a long commercial shoot all week and I definitely didn't want to show up on set with a card board box. In Denver, we have a company called Atlas Cases that sells and stocks any pelican you can think of. I took the Movi box and foam over there and they did a few measurements. The 1640 is where we landed, and I think it's a great option, especially if you want to keep the foam that came with the Movi (why the heck not?). The case itself is almost the perfect size for the Movi foam when talking about length/width dimensions. I did, however, have to shave about a quarter inch off the left and right sides of the foam to get it to fit. Underneath the Movi foam, I have a variety of accessories, including the Redrock kit, paralinx kit with dual receivers, chargers, and all the power cables, HDMI cables, screws, tools, and connectors that one might need. I'll admit that my cardboard box isn't very elegant, but it's just a bunch of cords in there. I'm considering just losing the box and putting all the cables and misc. stuff in the hole that I made for the box. Anyway, we'll see how this works! Happy to answer any questions!
Looks great, Jonathan, thanks for sharing. However - I´m always having a hard time thinking about putting very lightweight equipment into pelican cases, etc. This one weighs 38 lbs (17.24kg). But I know there´s nothing out there that is lighter :-(.
Yeah it's kind of comical how big the case is, but how light it is when you pick it up. Definitely feels like overkill, but I am anticipating needing to travel with the gear regularly, so I needed something that would withstand unfulfilled baggage handlers.
After a week long shoot in NYC, as I fly back to LA, I am very conflicted with a case design. As we traveled out here, it was desired to have something small and light that would make moving the case easy, yet have all the parts and pieces to work. But once we started shuttling back and worth to set each day, it was easier to leave everything fully built. That made us think a case that would take a out of the box ready MoVI would be a better option. Obviously intended use is a key factor, but since its so new to the market, even that is speculative. The short we finished used only the MoVI, so speed was critical. Other shoots might not be the same, but I tell you this, once a productions starts the MoVI, they rarely want to put it away.
What I have done is exactly that. Having a case you can break down for easy airline transport, etc. is great. While on set and going to and from set I have left it fully built, sometimes without the camera and lens and sometimes with the Epic and no lens... based on who Im working with. Not too much trouble and its always within a min or two of being ready to go.
Love this quote! My arms and back can attest to this. I have gone on many shoots so far where we were supposed to just provide a 'specialty' shot and they end up shooting on the MoVI non-stop! Tabb
Ha! Mine has even been turned into a MōVi-Pod. Instead of going back to sticks for a static shot, I just set the stand on a table, dropped the MōVi onto it and Bamm, Static shot (with remote pan/tilt head).
Hi Mike. If you're concerned about the weight, you might like to have a look at Storm Cases, their considerably lighter than Pelican, have a lifetime warranty and are waterproof etc etc. They're actually owned by Pelican I think. I have an IM2975, which is bigger than the Pelican Jonathan has got, for camera gear and lights thats been all over Australia, Asia and sun-continent lots of times, and its survived the Aussie airline "bag tossers" handling without any damage. The IM2975 weighs 29.5lbs with foam, against the Pelican's 38lbs. I suppose its a matter of what suits your needs best. Whether you want something thats military tough like Pelican, or something thats just bloody tough for more "ordinary" rough handling like Storm. I'll be getting another Storm IM2975 and will get the interior foam custom cut in layers to house everything for the Movi kit. Being a bit longer I'm pretty sure I'll get it all in. With current airline restrictions on number of bags/cases and weight, I think this will be the most efficient way of transporting everything when flying, and also for more local work by road. Cheers Garry
well done Jonathan - thanks for sharing. We shall pretty much follow what you've done here as we've all the same gear and just found the same size case based on your recommendation. I'll post any follow up thoughts in this thread if any arise as we put it together. Thx!