ABSTRACT
What I’m about to tell you is common sense. Unfortunately, for some strange reason, people lose their common sense on a film set. I see it time and time again. I think the government is experimenting on Hollywood. It's the only logical explanation. So here are a few rules to use always.
Keep your tripod legs at the widest possible spread, within reason of course. There will be times that you’ll have to balance safety and the needs of the shot.
Always weigh down the tripod legs—sandbags are perfect.
Make sure the tripod is level before you attach the crane.
Make sure the camera end is sitting on the ground and weighted before adding or removing (especially removing!) weights.
When blocking the shot, take the crane through its movements slowly and look for any potential hazard. I’ve seen the weight end of a crane crash through a window, and the camera end bonk an actor.
Cranes do take practice. Not nearly as much as the stabilizer, but I’d really recommend trying some moves before the shoot day. The tilt mount does take a lot of practice. Try following an actor and tilting at the same time. It truly is difficult keeping your composition, and that's why crane guys get the big bucks.
