So what the fuck is a C-47?

So what the fuck is a C-47?

  For those of you unfamiliar with the craft of filmmakerism a C-47 is a common name given by members of the film making community for a clothespin. C-47's are an extremely helpful tool on set. They have a myriad of uses but their main job is to attach sheets of diffusion and colored gels to the front of lights.

That shit gets hot

  Since lights get very hot a wooden C-47 is the prefect tool to use since a plastic clip would melt and a metal one would be to hot to be handled. Due to their cheap and disposable nature C-47's are often used up and rarely last very long, because of this they are commonly referred to as "Bullets" or "Ammo" by members of a lighting crew who will often "load up" by clipping  them onto their sleeves and tool belts.

Another busy day on set

So why the fuck don't you just call them clothespins?

  Cause fuck you that's why. Well actually there is no real reason why. Legend has it that an old Hollywood production was attempting to hide the cost of equipment from cheap studio heads looking to cut corners so they renamed the clothespins C-47 on the budget list to make it sound like something important. This story has never made any sense to me seeing has how a bucket of pins would probably cost you 30 cents back then and who would really be that fucking cheap right? But then again I wouldn't doubt a producer being cheap about anything.

Okay so why the fuck do you draw on them?

  Well for shits and giggles I suppose. It all started one day on set when we'd play this game where we would clip 47's onto the backs of fellow crew members to see how long it's stay on before they would notice.

Make-Up department make the best targets

   From there the next natural step was to write on the clips so as to leave a message for the unsuspecting victim to find when they pulled off their little wooden parasites. Ya know we'd write nice little things like "P'wnd" or "Fuck You".  It was then that I realized if I could write things like "Fuck You" then there was no reason I couldn't write something slightly more inspirational.

  At first I'd just write little phrases, anything that would have some kind of meaning for me. I'd use whatever was available on set which mostly consisted of a black or maybe red sharpie, not exactly my most fine tip tools for working on a canvas of such small size. One day however I managed to find myself a fine tip ink pen and shit just got crazy from there.

Oh Snap!

  This was what I consider my first real C-47. Notice it's not exactly in the best condition. That's because at the time these were working tools that I'd use and take with me from gig to gig so a little wear and tear was only natural. Since then though I have instated a rule that all clips must serve their time on set and would be retired after whatever I've decided to be an appropriate tour of duty.

You can see the evolution from left to right

  Anyways from there the designs grew and became more elaborate, ya see it's very much in my nature try and challenge myself. I made rules to follow such as I could only work with materials found on set and I would have to make clips in between takes and during downtime.

Lots of down time on set, also notice I'm the only one not wearing a face mask in the abandoned water treatment plant 

  Also the subject matter should be something referential to the movies and things that I love and have influenced me. Fuck all that abstract bullshit.

Fuck that abstract shit, give me a beer

  Eventually as the designs grew as I would try to top myself with each new clip. I started find my rules to hold a great challenge(which was part of the fun, I love a challenge) but they were becoming an obstacle for the greater and greater level of detail I was trying to achieve. So I just ended up saying "fuck that noise" and started making them at home in my free time (cause thats how awesome my life is).  I dropped the sharpies and picked up some acrylic paints and some fine tip ink pens it just grew from there.

Tools of the trade

  I wear these things on set and people really seem to like em. I've been told I should sell them online or do an art show. I'm not sure that my stuff is quite ready for that yet but I thought it might be cool to start this blog and see if there would actually be any interest in these things and to have a place to showcase my clips and some of my other bullshit art.