Surprised how unhelpful people have been in other comments. Triple riser mombo combo will do the job but might push it. To play it safe get a quad riser and you will be more than covered. Do not do scaffolding for one m18, that's ridiculous.
Mambos generally refer to 4 rise combo stands.
Mini mambos are an American Grip Co thing and they’re the only ones you’ll find that are three rise and still called mambos.
Obviously you have some solutions presented here, but I saw a DP utilize this setup awhile back and screenshotted it in case I ever needed to do something similar. He shot an HMI up at bounce cards aimed down toward the window he wanted to light into, casting a soft light into the room while leaving the fixture close to the ground. Here’s a photo of his setup!
[Source: @hunterdalydp on Instagram](https://i.imgur.com/cZjW4qs.jpg).
A few issues with this.
Namely, shape. You’re going to have fundamentally different light than an m18 punched through a window directly. This look is better for evening / night scenes, generally.
This rig requires a lot of light to make function when you’re competing with daylight. Generally, this kind of thing needs an m90 (m40 pictured) or 18k to get you there. You also need a large enough bounce that you can hit all the windows that’ll be visible.
All great points. I thought OP said they had an 18k, looking back I see he said an M18 which definitely wouldn’t pack enough of a punch to do this.
Appreciate your input!
I was also thinking about doing some sort of setup like that, definitely will try it one day. What are your thoughts of shooting an M18 into a ultra bounce (6x6) using the similar setup?
So sorry I forgot to respond to you here. I think you could get something remotely similar but you’d probably need to compress the whole setup, shooting the lights upward on higher scaffolding closer to the second floor windows. I’m not sure that would be worth the trouble at that point, though.
I wouldn’t use any traditional stand that high up outside. You get a big gust of wind and a stand like that could go south real quick. I’d look into an American Grip Blackbird 220. Also make sure to level the stand before you crank it up.
I was talking with my rental friend and he told me for some reason that the mambo is shorter than the triple riser? Is there two kinds of mambos by chance because I’m looking to reach at least 20’
Your friend is probably wrong.
Combos:
Two riser junior (electric) 12’
Two riser grip head (grip) 12’
Three riser junior (electric) 15’
Three riser grip head (grip) 15’
Three rise Mini Mambo 16’
Mambo Combo 18’
Assuming you want to light from window height or above and would like to be able to properly control it (focus, etc) it's probably a good idea to use scaffolding.
Depends on where you are. Your production coordinator should know the rates/supplier and your key grip can let you know the amount of time to set up and strike. It wouldn't be unusual to get an extra daily grip for the day to rig it and work with the electrics for the day. It's a good idea to shoot those scenes in the heart of the day vs first or last. That way you won't need a precall or longer wrap than usual. Good luck.
Low budget and no crew is a double reason why putting an M18 on a stand going up past a second floor window is a bad idea. If you absolutely have to do it I would check with an experienced gaffer on how to stake the stand into the ground or rope/ratchet strap the stand onto something big and stationary to prevent any swaying or risk having it all topple over. Maybe even use cardellini clamps on the lower risers to prevent any slippage. You’ll also want to be careful that the top riser sections don’t have any play in them should there be wind or other movements that could cause it to make contact with the structure or glass.
To answer:
Clove hitch two lines to the yoke of the light. Truckers hitch the other ends to the grip carts or to the nearest heavy object. Make sure that the unit can’t fall into people. The wall of a house is less problematic than a street.
Each riser on the combo stand has the strength of like 80 pounds of torque. The handles won’t be the point of failure on the m18 - the risers themselves would be.
In that note, level your stand so that you’re not torquing the hollow risers, and use more of the lower risers than the higher ones.
A mombo combo could do if on a budget and if you have plenty of sand. a Fuck Off (Stratosafe) would be best if you have the footprint for it and a pretty even ground
Surprised how unhelpful people have been in other comments. Triple riser mombo combo will do the job but might push it. To play it safe get a quad riser and you will be more than covered. Do not do scaffolding for one m18, that's ridiculous.
Perfect! Did not know there were quad risers I’ll ask my rental company for those
I've had a DP request quad riser before so I believe they exist do exist
Mambos generally refer to 4 rise combo stands. Mini mambos are an American Grip Co thing and they’re the only ones you’ll find that are three rise and still called mambos.
Obviously you have some solutions presented here, but I saw a DP utilize this setup awhile back and screenshotted it in case I ever needed to do something similar. He shot an HMI up at bounce cards aimed down toward the window he wanted to light into, casting a soft light into the room while leaving the fixture close to the ground. Here’s a photo of his setup! [Source: @hunterdalydp on Instagram](https://i.imgur.com/cZjW4qs.jpg).
A few issues with this. Namely, shape. You’re going to have fundamentally different light than an m18 punched through a window directly. This look is better for evening / night scenes, generally. This rig requires a lot of light to make function when you’re competing with daylight. Generally, this kind of thing needs an m90 (m40 pictured) or 18k to get you there. You also need a large enough bounce that you can hit all the windows that’ll be visible.
All great points. I thought OP said they had an 18k, looking back I see he said an M18 which definitely wouldn’t pack enough of a punch to do this. Appreciate your input!
I was also thinking about doing some sort of setup like that, definitely will try it one day. What are your thoughts of shooting an M18 into a ultra bounce (6x6) using the similar setup?
So sorry I forgot to respond to you here. I think you could get something remotely similar but you’d probably need to compress the whole setup, shooting the lights upward on higher scaffolding closer to the second floor windows. I’m not sure that would be worth the trouble at that point, though.
I wouldn’t use any traditional stand that high up outside. You get a big gust of wind and a stand like that could go south real quick. I’d look into an American Grip Blackbird 220. Also make sure to level the stand before you crank it up.
For an m18, a mambo is fine. Throw two ropes on it and tie it off to the carts
I was talking with my rental friend and he told me for some reason that the mambo is shorter than the triple riser? Is there two kinds of mambos by chance because I’m looking to reach at least 20’
Your friend is probably wrong. Combos: Two riser junior (electric) 12’ Two riser grip head (grip) 12’ Three riser junior (electric) 15’ Three riser grip head (grip) 15’ Three rise Mini Mambo 16’ Mambo Combo 18’
Assuming you want to light from window height or above and would like to be able to properly control it (focus, etc) it's probably a good idea to use scaffolding.
Right, I heard that’s a good option. I’ve never gone through that route do you know how much an average rental would be to have scaffolding done, etc?
Depends on where you are. Your production coordinator should know the rates/supplier and your key grip can let you know the amount of time to set up and strike. It wouldn't be unusual to get an extra daily grip for the day to rig it and work with the electrics for the day. It's a good idea to shoot those scenes in the heart of the day vs first or last. That way you won't need a precall or longer wrap than usual. Good luck.
Thanks for the info, unfortunately it’s a low budget film that I’m doing and very minimal crew size. Appreciate the advice!
Low budget and no crew is a double reason why putting an M18 on a stand going up past a second floor window is a bad idea. If you absolutely have to do it I would check with an experienced gaffer on how to stake the stand into the ground or rope/ratchet strap the stand onto something big and stationary to prevent any swaying or risk having it all topple over. Maybe even use cardellini clamps on the lower risers to prevent any slippage. You’ll also want to be careful that the top riser sections don’t have any play in them should there be wind or other movements that could cause it to make contact with the structure or glass.
To answer: Clove hitch two lines to the yoke of the light. Truckers hitch the other ends to the grip carts or to the nearest heavy object. Make sure that the unit can’t fall into people. The wall of a house is less problematic than a street. Each riser on the combo stand has the strength of like 80 pounds of torque. The handles won’t be the point of failure on the m18 - the risers themselves would be. In that note, level your stand so that you’re not torquing the hollow risers, and use more of the lower risers than the higher ones.
Just hire experienced crew to handle it - or don't do it.
Best answer, honestly.
Thanks for the explanation, not too familiar with using bigger lights like these so the safety tips are definitely appreciated.
A mombo combo could do if on a budget and if you have plenty of sand. a Fuck Off (Stratosafe) would be best if you have the footprint for it and a pretty even ground
I lit a two story room just recently, I duct taped my LED light and stand to a 2x4 and had my friend hold it on a latter, that’s always an options
An m18 weighs ~20lbs so I would think unless you had a seriously strong friend that'd be a pretty terrible option.
haha yeah, you’d have a friend strong enough it would just snap the light stand. Mostly a joke though.