A brief guide to the mighty C-stand…
C-stand legs open in a variety of ways depending on the manufacturer. Some are spring loaded with a detent and snap into the correct position. Other’s have metal stops the catch on each other as the legs are rotated. The bottom line is make sure the 3 legs are evenly distributed around the stand every 120 degrees.
C-stands have 3 legs of different heights to allow for folding flat, but also to allow the legs of one stand to go over or under the legs of another to stack stands close together. This can be useful when moving a flag or scrim close to a light for instance.
On some C-stands the tallest leg can be slid vertically up the stand to accommodate uneven surfaces such as on steps, hills, etc.
A gobo head and arm are an invaluable addition to any C-stand for holding light modifiers or small spotlights out over a scene. To rig the head and arm properly the payload of the arm should always be positioned so that gravity works to tighten the gobo head. Remember lefty-lucy, righty-tighty. Always rig the gobo head so that as the arm takes more weight it rotates in a clockwise direction as seen from the locking handle. Failure to follow this rule results in very dangerous outcomes as lights or flags come crashing to the ground.When setting up a light on a gobo arm or other “front heavy” fixture, place the large leg underneath the load. Sand bag on it or near neck, never touching floor