Peter Abraham

--choking-- I think I've been whooshed !!! It was a pun and no more. The only primer is Jerry Holway's Primer and at this point it is really required reading in our field. :) Peter

Thanks so much !! Just what I needed. Now, everyone, cut and paste this little RF Bible and keep it in the kit. :D Peter

Fortunately that leaves us in the clear when we cameo the other half of the crew. :D Show Blacks. Love them, embrace them, sometimes wash them. Reflecting is inexcusable, really. I've missed a few bits here and there and it always maddens me. Twice I made it to air, but luckily one was a quick moment of me reflected in the side window of a car whipping by. The other reflection.....lingered...agonizingly......for quite a few seconds. Show Blacks wouldn't have helped- the top of my head and a bit of vest showed in a small mirror that wasnt' cocked. Why? Because I didn't do just as Charles has wisely suggested: walk your course, know your frame and make sure it's clean. I walked the shot but was more worried about shadows and hot spots and the basics of the choreography and so I didn't see the mirror.My bad, as the Operator. Peter Abraham New York

I couldn't agree more. Many of us have struggled for years to get to know our sleds to the point where we can effortlessly communicate with them on a daily basis. God knows I tried all the old tricks and read all of the best books on the subject- Zen And The Art of Steadicam Maintenance, Five Steadicam Shots You Will Do In Heaven, The Seven Sled Tricks of Highly Successful Operators. I finally found the path by reading a slim little volume by Herman Hesse. It's called Sleddartha, and I highly recommend it. Only through careful effort can you truly get to know your sled. If the high road approaches fail, woo it with teflon lube and a fresh set of gimbal bearings. Some sleds are queens, some are whores. Know your sled. :D Peter " My Sled Left Me For A Muscular Handsome Man From Philly " Abraham New York p.s. He's right. Re-read the primer, and don't get ruffled that it doesn't make sense. It DOESN'T upon first blush, but the physics and applications are sound, and will work no matter what rig you own. Contrary to some vicious rumors, one can dynamically balance a Flyer. I did it two weeks ago at a workshop in NYC. Assuming you can X-Y at the top, you can balance the thing up. I never tried but suspect it woulda been a bitch to dynamically balance my Model I with only an X top stage, and a side to side shifting battery down below........

Thanks for that, Bryan ! I will be working with Kyle at the end of July in Connecticut, to get him up to speed ! Best Peter Abraham http://www.TheSteadicamWorkshops.com

People who don't run around with a Steadicam to work up a sweat. :rolleyes: I shot a Nike spot tooling around the Great Resevoir in Central Park years ago. We ran a western dolly and did quite a bit of long-lens stuff. Great fun. The most entertaining was not the preceeding but the parallel work shot below the running path, off to the side. Never run when you can ride, that's what I was taught. Peter Abraham New York

I used to have this list and cannot find it. I seek the chart that gives frequency equivalents for UHF channels commonly used by Modulus, etc. units. For example, let us say, Channel 34 makes use of 135-140 Mhz. ( No clue if this is true, it's just an example) I seek that chart listing frequencies and equivalent Mhz ranges. Anyone out there have it? I start a shoot this week with 5 Modulus units and we are shooting live music venues- bound to be tons of rf microphone systems around and we have to be able to steer clear. The Modulus units synthesize all of those channels of course, they do not really all have dozens of chipsets in them. If anyone has this info, please email me the lists? Send it to the following address: peter@TheSteadicamWorkshops.com Best to all, Peter Abraham New York

Hey Dan, Might I respectfully suggest that you combine the vest/arm bag? It's worked for many of us over the years. A padded sleeve for the arm, slip it into the vest bag or vest case. Either way, that arrangement allows for a LOT of the non-expensive stuff to be crammed in. Long day? Spare clothing, t-shirts. Running? Put your kneepads in there. Sucking up to Production? Put your custom silkscreened swag in there. :) Also, spare batts and other goodies if you are driving and not flying. Everyone "nests" differently with their gear, but it might allow you to cut out one case. Just a thought. Glad you've dove in so deeply, I knew when I met you last autumn that you were already addicted. Peter Abraham

The more we chip away at Charles.....the weaker he gets. :D

Boulder, CO. September 9th and 10th. 2-Day Steadicam Flyer Workshop to be held at Boulder Digital Arts. Instructor: Peter Abraham. Pre-registration insures a spot in the class. Group limit: 9 students. To enroll, visit http://www.TheSteadicamWorkshops.com and follow the links to Reserve A Workshop. For driving directions or local housing info, contact Boulder Digital Arts directly at (303) 875-8480. Any questions regarding this or other workshops, or to talk about Steadicam Flyer units, email Peter at: peter@TheSteadicamWorkshops.com Best to all , Peter Abraham

Ok Peter, I think I have half the answer. Ron Vidor operated the Stunt Man. At least so he claims. Though there is no operator listed on IMDB, I believe Joel King was the operator for The Stunt Man, but I don't know who is in the shot with the Steadicam - 35. -bruce greene Yeah? I dunno- that looked a heck of a lot like Bob Crone to me, right down to the jaunty hat. Hmmm. Peter

We really ought to talk to the Moderators about locking this thread and banning this joker.

" The new BarTech......." Uh. Yanno, there isn't a single joke that is all appropriate for this Forum that rises up in my mind. :blink: Jim, your product placement powers humble us. What'd you net on that deal? I notice the "Camera Run" blue l.e.d. is showing- perhaps they were testing for epilepsy as well? ;) Peter " I Am Going To Hell For This Post" Abraham

Dear Dan, This is cleary a situation where a Microwave transmitter set-up would be mounted on the camera's back end instead of a Tri-Ax back. They've been around for quite a few years and at this point deliver pretty rock-solid images as we turn, leap and twirl. I suspect that would be perfect for the Segway setup.

I dunno about that Jerry. When I bought my first rig, a Model I and chased around the neighborhood, I got some highly suspicious glares from the Greek Orthodox Priest at the church down the block from me. :D

I also got to try the Buzz at Jim's booth. Quite the wonderful thing. The variations on speed control are finally at a point where no matter WHAT the on-lens lower threshold is, we can now slow it down even more and make for an incredibly gentle ease in and ease out of zooming. Me, I loved my J-7. Still do, on the rare days I get to use it. This is a whole new feel. I'm buying one. Peter Abraham New York

First of all, Alex that's very kind of you. -warm glow inside- I operated a variety of large rigs for 14 years, then I broke my back. Had nothing to do with Steadicam. Just an accident at home, like lots of folks have. When the X-rays and MRI's were passed around, the consensus was that -although I have always been a bit hefty- I should have damaged a lotta stuff. The fact that pre-accident I'd been working almost nonstop for 6 months and was in fairly nice shape with those muscles and ligaments incredibly well-toned only served me in good stead when the accident happened. Prior to The Big Fall, I'd never had serious pains. I had fallen twice, once while running full-bore in Don Juan. ( Charles, that was for you. :P ). The running fall sprained a ligament in the middle of my back. It healed, I worked, life went on. The other fall was of no consequence aside from a cut shin. Never flew an IMAX but I flew everything else back then, including many days with a BL-IV and a 535-B. Proper form, attention paid to the small stressors that some of us either were never taught to tend to or forget about as things get tired and hairy...... these things preserve us. We had a thread a few years ago about protecting the body, chemistry, electrolytes, etc. I remember Dave Knox writing a great post. Proper form. Maintaining the pads. Hydration. Considering the most elegant and therefore least stressful way to accomplish every single shot. Now? I fly a rig that is basically what the Flyer has become. Very light sled, and a Flyer arm and personally designed vest made of carbon-fiber composite honeycomb. The vest spar weighs 14 ounces. :) The rules are the same, as others have said above. Doing it right won't do any aggrevious damage to your body. In fact as near as I've found, it never harmed me at all. I am highly careful about how I move, lift and Operate now. Can I shoot all day with a 15 pound camera on my rig? Yep. Am I injured as a result? Nope. The broken back is a stable thing, carefully watched but not tempted with dangerous activities. Weird as this may sound, the break in the bone has not altered how I move or operate- it has only limited the weights I can strap on my body. As I said, the rules apply up and down the line. Doing it cleanly and properly, one would face a dauntingly long career. Having said that may come as a slight to anyone reading who has had to stop or notch back the work load. With all due respect, everyone's body is different. An anecdote. A pal I know started out with an EFP. He is an ex-Marine and keeps a weight bench in his home. The man doesn't know from body fat and it's many maaaaaany years since he was a Marine. He was eager to dive in, got an EFP, and started working. ( He was already a seasoned camera op). He wrecked his hip socket. I love the guy, but he refused to take a workshop or follow basic advise. The fact that he's a rock doesn't matter. He ultimately stopped using the rig and sold it to another friend, who has flown like an eagle with that thing ever since he started. When I showed a production photo of me in my Master Series Elite to the third Dr. I worked with ( the one who actually treated me successfully ), he was slack-jawed. He told me my days hauling it around, as well as my days of being an EMT and carrying unconscious people around, were over. I am delighted to be proving him wrong. :) Almost 5 years with the light rig, still chugging along and lovin' it. And yeah...... I did put on the U2 Rig at NAB for about 5 minutes. I knew my limits. God that thing felt NICE to have on. No damage done, docked it and walked away grinning like a kid. Mr. Bittner, I just read your entire post again before posting this up. Your words are honest and quite sobering, and I too thank you for sharing it with us. I know that look in the eyes of other Ops- but you know...... I've only had support and encouragement from all quarters as I've tried to get back. Folks have been incredible about it, actually. Email me. You might want to put a Flyer on and give it a try. Peter Abraham New York

This Flyer Workshop is now sold out. Another one will be scheduled shortly. Please keep an eye out here in this Forum for futher details on another Glendale Steadicam Flyer Workshop. Best to all, Peter Abraham

................ once again proving that every time we try to provide props from our Steadicam kit, we get screwed........... -rimshot-

-Beaming- I am pleased to say that I taught Brant how to operate in D.J., as he took my Rockport Workshop approximately 2 thousand years ago. Charles is right- I am a huge advocate of it. I use it frequently and since I was taught that the rig doesn't give a rat's ass which way you are standing in relation to it, as long as the operating level is clean and fine, why not D.J. ? Unless pressed to, I hesitate to do it on live t.v. events because switching with cables is a hump. I did some D.J. work for the Atlanta Olympics Opening Ceremonies- but had a minute or two between shots so that I could re-orient my cable for the position. I would never argue with the fact that it is a visual compromise as well as a physical irritation. However, since I have used it for as long as any other technique, and rely upon it heavily, I can't imagine NOT thinking of D.J. as an option for many shots. Different strokes- if the shot works and the work is clean, then hey! Go for it. Best to all, Peter Abraham p.s. Charles Papert is just as fun as always to hang with. p.p.s. His girlfriend is staggeringly lovely. Bastahd. :P

No idea what my responsibilities are to the folks I am working for at the show, but if I am free I'd love to attend on Tuesday. My cel is 917-453-1219. Best to all, Peter Abraham

That would be so great, thank you !! Best Peter

I'm looking for a J-7 for a client, ASAP for a Steadicam they just purchased. Tiffen still makes them but is currently out of stock. These guys are jammed, anyone have a J-7 with Canon and Fuji jumpers they can sell? These guys will pay new price for the set, they're not cheap. I just need this fast. Please call my cel, 917-453-1219 with any info. Peace ! Peter Abraham New York

NEW YORK CITY. June 19 & 20, 2006. Hosted by B&H Photo, 34th St. & 9th Ave. I'm instructing this. Full two-day Flyer Workshop, using the best cameras on the market and state of the art Flyer rigs. Convenient to get to from anywhere in the greater NY area. In order to reserve your spot, follow the link below. Go to Reserve A Workshop- quick and easy. Note: This class is limited to 9 students. First come first served. More workshops will be scheduled as soon as this one fills up. E-mail me to confirm reservation and get further details, once tuition is paid. Web link- The Steadicam Workshops Email at- Peter's email Best to all, Peter Abraham New York

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice !!!!! 4 Utilities ? Jeeez. Most I ever got was three, and that was at Madison Square Garden. Glad you had a blast. :)