Whether you're storing them or wrapping them up and wrangling them, knowing how to handle cables is an important part of filmmaking, and one of the most important things to be aware of is how to safely secure them to surfaces.
Anyone who has ever spent time on their hands and knees with a roll of gaff tape taping cables down knows that this is no easy task. It's time consuming, frustrating, and hard on your body (if you do it enough). However, this product by GaffTech aims at solving all of these problems with the GaffGun, which straightens cables while laying tape over them. Oh! And you can stand while you do it.
Video is no longer available: vimeo.com/108641197
Granted, if you don't have to deal with cables on a regular basis, you probably don't need to spend your hard-earned cash on something like this. However, the GaffGun looks like it just saves so muchtime and effort -- and being the moderately lazy person I am, I love the fact that you don't have to bear crawl all over the place to make your set safe for people to move around. Don't work hard; work smart, but dropping the money required to buy one may not be all that smart of an investment for some, since the GaffGun is $200 a pop.
But if you're ready to get your hands on one, you can pre-order yours now and receive it when they ship sometime in December. Check out the GaffGun website to learn more.
Your Comment
18 Comments
This is freaking brilliant.
October 13, 2014 at 6:43PM
I think this is worth the cost. Nice!
October 13, 2014 at 7:29PM
I think it's amazing, but.... $200? Really?
October 13, 2014 at 10:51PM
Awesome but I think I would go though gaff 29X faster because I wouldn't be able to stop using that thing!
October 13, 2014 at 11:30PM
Pretty much just makes me want to build my own gaff tape roller. Seems like you've gotta pay extra if you don't want to have to use their proprietary tape. I can live without the cable alignment feature if a buddy is willing to hold the cables taut.
October 14, 2014 at 12:55AM
Pretty sweet idea from the creator's standpoint though. It'll probably sell
October 14, 2014 at 12:58AM
Pretty cool...er...$200? Expensive proprietary tape? Hmmm, not so much. I think I'd rather spend the money on an assistant! :-)
October 14, 2014 at 6:17AM
Damn, that thing's cool. That's a ton of tape, though. I'd probably settle for the cheap way out, though, and buy $100 worth of floor mats to throw over cables instead.
October 14, 2014 at 7:47AM, Edited October 14, 7:47AM
What about the poor bastard who's stuck pulling up gaffer tape during a unit move? Isn't it much easier to sling down a few mats and call it a day, rather than spending $200 on a machine that will end up rinsing your cables with adhesive and making you spend more of your time picking at carpet pulling your cables up after you move?
This thing sounds great, but practically it's anything but.
October 14, 2014 at 5:06PM, Edited October 14, 5:06PM
Wow, was impressed with this awesome $20.00 gadget. Did they misplace a zero somewhere? If you can't come up with something similar for under $40.00, then you need to rethink your career choice. Being a filmmaker or video producer is all about creativity and problem solving.
October 14, 2014 at 9:55PM
Yeah, but selling gear to filmmakers is all about the markup on low-volume items. Gaff tape would cost half as much if people used it more outside of film and stage.
If the price bugs you that much, just wait a couple months for the Chinese knockoff.
October 15, 2014 at 7:50AM
Looks like it works well, also their tape doesn't seem more expensive than normal tape, maybe a dollar or 2
October 15, 2014 at 2:35AM, Edited October 15, 2:35AM
Very useful. ;D
October 15, 2014 at 8:38AM
We have been using basically the same thing for years to lay down Marley Dance flooring. The guides on the front to round up the cables is smart.
http://www.stagespot.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab335...
October 15, 2014 at 5:29PM, Edited October 15, 5:29PM
I think a DIY tutorial on how to make exactly this would be looked upon favorably by all
October 17, 2014 at 5:35PM
My brain thinks the price is a bit steep but my back and knees scream "Buy it."
This is a brilliant tool for selling gaff tape (kind of like cheap ink jet printers that make a fortune selling expensive ink). What would be amazing would be a tool that REMOVES the gaff tape, and puts it back into a roll for re-use. Yes, I'm cheap and known to actually re-use gaff tape!
October 18, 2014 at 8:15AM, Edited October 18, 8:15AM
I'm not normally doing any work that requires cables to be secured to the ground, so have 0 experience with these kind of things, but I saw someone doing it who claimed that it was preferable to use two pieces of tape (1/3 on 2/3 off the cable, one on each side) as it makes it a lot easier to remove at the end without a sticky mess? Never tried so I wouldn't know! I suppose it does use twice the tape, though.
December 21, 2014 at 3:06AM
Tape is good for smooth floors, but expensive and you have to throw the tape away when done.
If you are covering cable on carpet, you might look at a reusable option called Safcord Cable Housing that is a 30-foot x 4-inch nylon fabric with velcro along both edges that sticks to the carpet. No adhesive. Reusable. $119. Available at Amazon at higher cost.
http://www.universalpart.com/Safcord-Cable-Housing,-4in.-X-30ft.-Gray-81...
Another tape option is called Tunnel Tape that comes 3" or 4" wide and has adhesive only alone the edges so it comes off the cables easier. a 40-yard roll of the 4" is $40. 3" is $30.
www.amazon.com/Marian-Black-Tunnel-Tape-yards/dp/B00BSXAD8C/ref=sr_1_1?i...
March 28, 2015 at 8:28AM