Wag flags: Wack? Or something to add to your pack?
What is a wag flag :
It's basically a long rectangular metal frame with a ⅜ of an inch receiving pin (an inch - is some American bullshit. In metric it's 9,525 mm, let’s not go down that road). Anyways, this is the standard size for all flags and cutters. It will fit into any standard gobo head. The frame has specialized fabrics which have been cut, stitched and tailored to slip and hang from the frame. You can roll the fabric up and down to your desired adjustment. They come in 4 ft, 6 ft, or 8ft (1.2 meters, 1.8 meters, 2.4 meters.)
What you’ll find when you use them.
Speed - These suckers are a quick and clean way to set up nice looking shot.
You can and I recommend to already travel with your desired fabric rolled in the wag flag frame. On arrival to set, you can slide the pin into a gobo head on a lightweight stand. When using the 4 ft or 6 ft, make sure to hold one hand on the gobo and another on the frame. For the 8 ft version, I recommend placing the frame into a gobo on a heavier stand with a sandbag. Then stem or raise the stand so that the frame is just slightly above your shoulder. By doing this, the weight of the wag flag can rest on your shoulder as you slightly loosening the gobo head and unwind the fabric.
Lightweight - You’ll be greatly impressed and surprised at how light these are for their size.
Three things to consider:
Will you ever really need a 4 ft wag? Take 6 or 8 or both.
A 4 foot is so small and you can hang your cloth with a long gobo arm. You can buy the fabric built for the wag. But maybe don’t buy the frame.
Do you need to buy the fabric for the wag?
If you get the 8 foot wag, consider getting the ultra bounce fabric with it. As for other fabrics you might want to just buy 8 by 8 fabrics like a 1/4 silk or a magic cloth for example. They hang decently well from the wag and you can use them also when you use butterflies or t bars on other projects
1/4 silk tied to the 8 ft wag flag frame
Flexibility:
Unlike using a fabric in an 8 by 8 frame the fabric can be hung over a desk or other pieces of furniture next to someone being interviewed. Being closer to a subject especially with a diffusion almost always makes for a more appealing image.
Pros:
The metal frame is rather strong and a lot lighting than someone would expect
Easy to travel with. For those of you concerned about transportation. I have yet to have troubles transporting my 8 foot flag to shoots. If you're driving a Smart, perhaps it can be an issue. But maybe it's possible?
Cons:
With the ultra bounce you are bound to eventually be in a situation where you need to clip the fabric rather than slip it in over the frame. This is because the fabric sleeve is only opened on one side. For example I wanted to hang my ultra for a book light in a corner. Due to the dimensions of the small room, my stand and gobo needed to be where it was. When I slipped the fabric into the frame all I had was the black side. I had to then clip the fabric to the frame which worked just fine but looked like the floor of my hotel room on day 30 of a feature: messy.
Another con:
For anyone who's paying attention it's probably obvious that you also can’t angle the fabric like you could if it would be in a frame. The fabric is naturally hanging horizontal unless you shitty rig it. I have tied the fabric to chairs and what not.
Verdict:
If you're doing a lot of interviews and various video work which requires quick setups these might be a good addition to your kit. This is at least if you're looking to get more cinematic looking footage.
