Shaving Grams: Venice Rig Update

We’ve got a corporate gig down in London next week. Nothing wild— a straightforward job, clean setup, no frills. So I’ve been tweaking the Venice, chasing simplicity and dropping dead weight.

First off, no ARRI top plate. I know, shock horror. But hear me out. The solution is the default Sony top hand and rod support. Elegant. Minimal. Saved myself 300 grams, and I prefer the clean look of the camera. I’ve reverted to the Sony stock handle too which maintains the forward and aft adjustment, but the handle feels more solid and also saves some weight.

I swapped the tops rods out for 6” Bright Tangerine Drumsticks—the titanium ones like on the bottom. Light as hell, tough as nails. The lens support is also gone. The PL mount on Venice is incredibly secure and with the DZOFILM Catta Ace’s weighing approx 2kg, it was adding clutter.

Rear of the rig is carrying a DJI transmitter on a Tilta V-Mount plate, and it’s working well. Clean, secure, no drama.

Newest addition is the Anton Bauer V-Mount Micro Plate. Dual V-locks. Hot-swappable. Power all day, no shutdowns, no cables snaking into bricks off-camera. It’s one of those things that just works, and I trust the Anton Bauer stuff more than most. Feels like someone actually thought about the user when they built it.

Now, the mic setup’s still in flux. Just need scratch audio for now, so I’ve got a CSS-50 Sanken stereo mic rigged up—5-pin XLR into camera. It’s slapped on a hacked-together cold shoe mount connected to the rods. It articulates a little—up/down, left/right if you spin it—but it’s not a long-term fix. Still, it works. It’ll get us what we need without overbuilding or balancing a mic out on some ridiculous limb.

There’s always more to refine, more to streamline. But for now, we’re in a good place. If I can post any BTS shots, I will. In the meantime, if you’ve got questions or want to swap rig ideas, you know where to find me.