Enter HighBand

Getting a Grip [Interview]

Mike Romans couldn’t get enough of The Los Angeles Film School (LAFS). He originally received his certificate in Film from LAFS in ’08, but returned for his Associates Degree in ’09. “I came here thinking I’d be a director and came out a business owner,” he laughed. Mike parlayed his “grip” knowledge into a business venture; he makes inexpensive dollies for crews specializing in low-budget films and videos. Mike says he wants to “facilitate art” for movie-makers.

A suggestion from a friend at a Fourth of July party to make “sliders” got the Cleveland native’s wheels turning. Mike went back to Ohio with the idea of making low-budget grip equipment. Mike quips, “I didn’t like how expensive equipment was.” He was an Editing major and Cinematography minor, but was always working as a grip. He says that “every time someone was shooting anything, I was like, I’m your Dolly Grip.” He gained invaluable experience on LAFS’ Fisher Hydraulic Boom Dollies.

His experience earned him high praise on many of the sets he worked on. Mike says, “I had a set of skills [that were] pretty useful for some of the shoots because of the level of equipment we have access to here at The Los Angeles Film School.”

Although his company, Romans Cine Gear, is doing well, even sponsoring a small indie film festival, Mike doesn’t plan on giving up on his directing dreams. He freelances as an editor and grip for low budget indie films and has done some corporate promotional work for Sony and Panasonic, but plans on directing videos and eventually some shorts. He knows that he has the knowledge to thrive, stating that the “LA Film school teaches you every single part of how film works.”

When asked what his words of advice were for the up-and-coming filmmakers, Mike says, “If Hollywood is going to put you down, make it yourself.” Indeed. Spoken like a man with a good “grip” on his life and his future.

www.romanscinegear.com/