Peter Abraham

This is always a tough one. I started out going out the door for about $ 750 a day, and that was 17 years ago- and I was considered low but not atrociously low then. ( NYC rates ). At some point ( pre-agent ), I stopped going out the door for less than about $ 800 a day for me + $ 500.00 for the rig. That was the threshold, and aside from a few true favors I wanted to do, I held to that. Best I ever did was $ 2,300 a day for 10. Blew my mind. The world has changed to a large degree since that day and I find it difficult now to figure out what rate is acceptable. The force of the studios and producers to make us lower our day rates and rentals is huge. I am not sure it's the influx of new ops, I feel it's more likely the overall pressures to reduce, reduce, reduce. The pity of it is, you still get what you pay for. They're just trying to pay less...... Peter Abraham, E.M.T.

Jason, if that were the case the recorded images would be pulled down badly as well. It does not sound as though this is the case.

Charles, I own a VERY small video D/A that can be powered by your sled, or a 9volt battery. I'll be glad to send it to you, to try out and see if that fixes the problem. It takes a video in, and delivers 5 separated 1 volt peak to peak video outs. Worth a try. You want to try it? Peter Abraham, E.M.T. for the time being.....

It took me more time to read the posts in this thread than it did to get used to adjusting a tilted head stage. :D Peter " God Bless Vertical Centerposts" Abraham

I used to get asked to do this. Turns out, at least to me, to be a tricky thing to have to do all day. Why? Because they wanted a shaky shuddering image with zero horizon roll. We've trained our hands to eliminate horizon roll, but usually with that comes very clean light hand work. Now we have to introduce more ham-fisted hand work- and still keep a clean horizon. It takes a lot of concentration, as it turns out. As Larry pointed out, there are ways to get through the day doing this where you are actively engaged in the emotion of the moment. Might as well be, because unless you throw all operating out the window, you are operating with great care, just not with great smoothness. Peter Abraham, E.M.T.

It actually makes perfect sense, my friend. It was a none-too-gentle reminder of the dynamics under which we operate on this side of the pond. One does not enter a post into a thread on a message board that is used publicly, demanding that others silence themselves. It is beyond offensive, and well into censorship. There is exactly one person on this Forum who is permitted to censor, and that is the Administrator who owns it. Unless we are all in for a hellacious surprise, Mr. Smith has absolutely no rights as an Administrator on this message board. Therefore, his demand was insulting as well as out of line. Of course it's an international forum. When did I say it wasn't? I was responding from where I sit, to what Mr. Smith demanded. From where you sit, by all means, respond accordingly. The beauty of the Internet. :) Peter

I'm in. Even if I cannot get on the boat, I love the idea. --adjusts jaunty cap, wanders off to examine ship's gimbal. I know why youse guys went for a boat over say, a go-kart. Boats have gimbals. ;) Peter " Swabby " Abraham, E.M.T.

This is why new Ops in a workshop don't see an image for a few days. You have to start to have the first inklings of what the PROCESS is, before you can think about framing. I've been lucky enough to sit on a dolly that Wil Arnot was pushing or pulling. I'm here to tell you that he almost never missed his timing. Almost. :P As for the focus puller with a monitor, I remember the first HiDef job I shot. My assistant wasn't anywhere NEAR me. He was with the monitor, turned sideways so he could SEE me from above, and watch me move and see my shot very clearly. His zen was astonishing, the boy only buzzed me once in 3 days of long hours of shooting at shallow depths of field. A monitor does have its place, but...... as Larry and others have said, it must feel right. Feel right...... Peter

Hey, Adam- you say I'm hard on gear, you should check out what Alec did to his vest...... :P I gotta post photos of that thing, lemme figure out how, ok Alec? Heh. peter

I don't know how to break this to you Howie, but this is the United States of America over here, okay? Allow me to acquaint you with the Fourth Ammendment of the Constitution of the United States. Google it. Go, read. You go onto a publicly accessed Message Board on the Internet and tell people to stop talking, because you have your doidies in a twist over words that have already been exchanged PUBLICLY, but now you don't like it and want them to shut up and go away so you can try to wrestle total control back? Look, you've got people who signed N.D.A.'s yapping all OVER the Internet about this invention of yours- and have for well over a year. And now this...THIS?.....gets your back up? Buddy, have you got a lot to learn. And not just about how to build camera accessories, either. Read this twice, in case it doesn't sink in the first time. Shame On You. Got that? pbalsdon, I asked for that weeks ago. Apparently this is not the kind of product where people are actually allowed to see what it does. Not we peons. Not in person. Not on videotape. Not on streaming video. Meanwhile, of course, I've already seen tons of incredibly detailed illustrations of the device............. Ever heard of the United States Patent Office? Oops, there's that whole Free Speech thingy again, jumping up and jes' getting in the way !!! :) Peter Abraham, E.M.T.

Okay. It exists. Someone who signed a N.D.A. decided to Disclose anyway. Andyourpointis? My issue with the device is the gossipy way it has been handled for well over a year. Seems a bit unprofessional to tell folks in a public forum that they will just have to wait till a big trade show, where all questions will be answered. Then of course, not show it at the trade show. Aside from all of this, yes of course becoming a parent pretty much takes precedence over anything else- including haggling over equipment and whatnot. That is real life, and mazel tov to Howard and his wife. Peter

Just so we are all extremely clear here, I don't know Howard at all. My issue is with the way the supposed "secrecy" issues have been handled ( and, judging by David's last post, are still being handled ). None of my remarks are to be construed as a personal issue with Howard. Clear?

Apparently, the accepted answer in this situation is a large NO. Well, not for nothing Eric, but in this country we all operate under the same freedom of speech. Yes, that means I am allowed to say " I want to see something before I believe it exists, not be told it may or may not exist ".

I have accurately pointed out the simple fact that much ado has been made with veiled " I can't tell you but gosh do I know " comments in this Forum, in the last year or two. If I am not mistaken, there was a breathless day to day countdown about a year ago before some huge trade show that was the be the unveiling............then..............uh.............well. Vapors. If it is real, then where's the web site? Why the secrecy? One can hardly demand an NDA from the entire planet, either it is a prototype that should in no way ever be discussed in public ( a situation I am intimately familiar with ), or it is an item for sale. It's fascinating. The inventor says people have seen it ( unless your name is on the patent, Eric, I've got no interest in your claims of what it is, or whom has or has not seen it. ). That's neat. Where are these people? Why are they not showing photographs, talking about purchasing it, showing clips of what this device can do? It shows exceedingly poor marketing skills to spend more than a year allowing others to whisper down the lane about a product that is not presentable, then show it to people who may not talk about it- then tell the world " 30 people have seen this ". Shit or get off the pot. ( Having just read T.J.'s post, I will leave my thoughts as they are although they are a bit matched to his. ) And as a last thought in this post, I will say this as plainly as possible. Eric, if you think for one moment that saying, and I quoted you directly up there, that Cinema Products was not a house filled with real innovation is not inflammatory and insulting in the extreme, then sir you are sorely mistaken. I am honest and proud of my loyalties- I'd never think to attack yours. How very sad that you feel compelled to attack mine. As for not having anything nice to say about non-CP/Tiffen rigs, you're mistaken. A well-engineered rig is a well-enginnered rig. The process and behaviors used to obtain the ideas USED in the construction of a well-engineered rig, well....that's a different discussion. Anybody can steal and anodize. Cinema Products, and Tiffen are houses of honest innovation. I personally feel you owe an apology for that remark, but that's my feeling and may not be shared. So be it.

==Cracking up== Oh. Really. A variety of reasons. You're pretty darned articulate when it comes to every single other aspect of this vaporware. ( yeah, when people talk about something in concentric circles for a few years, then claim that they really can't "talk-talk" about it because it's very hushy hushy, that's vapor. A printed informational booklet outlining full specs and demos in major cities? That's UnVapor ). Everything can be made to interface with everything. But not this, huh? Stop biting your tongue and be as completely transparently articulate as you always are, and tell us- your Dear Readers- just exactly why. Because I gotta tell ya, after more than 18 months of smoke and mirrors, this thing just smells like haughty horeshit to me as much as anything else. If this toy is real then be a grown-up and type in a hyperlink to the Web Site that gives us streaming video demos, technical specs and details, photos and what not. Or, in addition to not working with most of the rigs on the planet, is it also "disallowed" from being shown on the Internet? Please. <_< Peter Abraham

Who? What Who? :P Did I see The Band? Yes ! Youse guys. Hey, YES is my all-time fave band, and I was in the position to put Jon Anderson's lovely wife Janie on live t.v. by posing them both at the head of a bumper shot in the E.S.P.N. Zone in NYC years ago. Jon not only sat and visited for about a half hour with me ( Yes, I was calm. No I didn't gush. Yes he was a fun sweet gentle guy ), but Jon took my name and said he'd leave us Comps and backstage passes for the show at the Beacon two days later. Which he did. It was a great show, fun time. Ahhhh, Heroes. Peter Abraham, E.M.T. for another 27 days. ..

-soft smile- We will have to agree to disagree, Eric. That's okay, not everyone is supposed to always agree and be in lock-step. I don't wish to turn this thread into a firefight, so I'll back away from the obvious debate your post could elicit. Peace, Peter

Oh. My. God. There's a difference between homage and frottage. I think we've just been shown a prime example of one of the two. It is depressing to me, because the name Steadicam implies an extraordinarily high level of precision machining, design acumen and serious thought. People are buying devices like this one, thinking they are going to be operating a Steadicam. They are not. When one fights ones own gear on a daily basis, one never gets out of the starting gate. How heartbreaking to find this out too late....... Peter Abraham, E.M.T.

Damn, that is one handsome "student"............ :P His hand form was spectacular too !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The new production run of Zalex Tally Lights is finished, and roughly 5 have shipped so far, including one sold today to Alec Jarnigan. There are about 37 left. Due to a great idea/request by Adam Keith, the power/circuit box is now up top near the optical sensor. The red Tally LED is at the end of a thin flexible cable with nothing else near it. Much nicer to tuck into a sunshade or velcro next to a monitor. Get em while they're hot :D Peter Abraham, E.M.T. ( for another 30 days........ :unsure: )

Oh dear me. You've gone and become a Goofy Foot? I'm so terribly sorry. I can't have anything more to do with you. What a sad, tragic thing you've gone and done. :lol: :lol: :lol: Talk to you soon, Mike. Peter

As one might suspect, walking onto and off of a moving escalator is akin to being on a moving elevator with a Steadicam strapped on. We're reminded of how isolate a thing it is. With that in mind, practice the step-on and step-off quite a few times with a stand-in in place. The moment you step off is rougher than the moment you step on, because you are descending. The step-on is easier, you just ease the arm down slightly as you go and you are behind the actor anyway. Stepping off at the bottom is trickier- the rig wants to keep plunging downwards- on a diagonal to boot !!!- as you step flat and move onto the floor to do your switch. To me this sounds the single most complex moment of your entire move, and so were it me, I'd do that part over and over again until I had the muscle memory set for that transition. Good luck ! Sounds like a fun shot. Rent Carlito's Way, the Brian DePalma picture. Larry McConkey's work in it is amazing and the escalator sequence near the end may give you a lot to think about and offer you some pointers. Best Peter Abraham, E.M.T.

Variations on the theme. This sounds very interesting, I'm sorry I don't live close enough to attend. Submitted for perusal, yet another theory and application that is helpful. It's done a lot to help me think about how I do what I do, and why, and how to isolate and improve movement. The Alexander Technique is another approach to using the body more efficiently. Please share afterwards how this went, and what it is like? I'm very curious. Peter Abraham, E.M.T.

Thanks Jay !! Yes, the website is almost up but not quite. Those curious can email me at: peter@on-campus-steadicam-workshops.com MikeB, it sounds like my program would be perfect for you. Now, as for the O.P. I'll once again stand outside the room stamping my foot and insisting that Don Juan does really have its place at the table. I do it, I love it, I do it frequently. I always have. Here is what really got me to a place where I felt I could Don Juan with impugnity and not have my frame suffer. It's something Garrett said to me when I trained with him, and something I've mentioned a lot to people I train. We are watching the edges of the frame. That's our job. If Al Pacino delivers a stellar performance, that's lovely. If his acting sucks eggs, too bad so sad. How does that affect our work? Not one iota. We're working the frame edges, from morning till midnight. If I approach my work in this manner, that I am focused most heavily on the frame edges, then I am freed from the worries of having my monitor slightly blocked sometimes when I am in Don Juan. Not flying blind- that's lunacy. But as one shifts and moves sometimes I'll lose a corner. So what? Who knows? The practice it took early on to be able to not only Don Juan carefully and cleanly on The Line, but moving down steps or around corners has paid off in spades. If moving slowly, backing up with a spotter is fine if one wishes to back up. I would offer the thought that backing up very rapidly or over uneven terrain ( curbs, stairs, impediments ) becomes an awful nightmare. Early on I was not flying in the Sweet Spot well enough when in Don Juan- something I highly suspect is the problem with our visitor who has started this thread. Here is what I suggest to you , sir. Turn off your monitor. Put on your Steadicam, making sure that you have taken the time to adjust the vest and arm socket block so that the rig hangs effortlessly in the proper place. If you are flying the rig cleanly in one position, it stands to reason that you can do so in the other position. This brings up a position I've been paying more and more attention to in the last few months when I've taught workshops. For lack of another term I am calling it the Linear Tracking position. You're not in Missionary or Don Juan, you are in fact flying the rig in front of your body, and the lens is pointed directly off to one side or the other. Dealing with this kind of a shot is something we all do a lot, and don't really address as a separate kind of operating even though I feel it is in many ways. Like doing stairs, half the time you're golden and half the time you're fucked. If you operate normally with the rig on the left hip, then you turn the rig so that it's facing off to the left and bring it around in front of you. The arm is out of the way, and it's very comfy. If you're unlucky, you have to do a linear tracking shot pointing to the right, and then the arm is folded back on itself and doesn't feel quite right. In this situaion, I simply go backwards and keep the rig facing the way that feels best. Backing up in the linear tracking shot position is also a dream because in stepping backwards you reduce the chances of kneeing your battery. In doing a linear tracking shot, I draw the rig in very closely. ( This is typically not a running shot, although I saw an incredible behind the scenes shot of an Op running full bore next to a moving subway car, doing a linear tracking shot ). You run the risk of hitting your knees into the sled, but aside from that life is beautiful in this position, and the physical strain is greatly reduced because the rig is so close. Just something else to ponder. :) ( Aside from thanking Jay for the props, I would beg you to attend a Workshop very soon. You have to get training in early on, or you risk developing bad habits that you will struggle to overcome for a long time. Check out the Workshops Forum in this Message Board for info. There's a 3 day Ithaca Workshop in August that's a good one. ). Now you have your rig on, you are standing in Missionary. Facing forwards, camera facing forwards. Turn the rig around, so you are in Don Juan. Still no monitor. For the moment, divorce yourself from worrying about the image, since right now it's your undoing. Walk the rig around. Think about how you are moving. What are you doing differently? Perhaps you are reaching your arm around to grab the gimbal in a way that is forcing strain to transfer diagonally to the opposing hip socket? Might be. Anyway, walk the rig for a few moments. Then stop and spin it around to Missionary Position and walk it around again. Why does that feel better? What are you doing there, that you are not doing in Don Juan? Or, that you are over-doing in Don Juan? Even lacking formal training, you're smart enough to micro-manage how your body is working with this machine. Try to suss out what the differences are in your work. To me, there is virtually no difference but for a bit of an arm angle alteration. I tuck in my elbow so my arm doesn't block the monitor, and have learned to operate cleanly with my hand resting into the gimbal at a slightly different attack angle than I use in Missionary. Otherwise, operating is operating. Doing a lot of Don Juan has forced me to trust my fingers- if I am framed and lose view of a bit of my monitor well hell, as long as my hand is clean and I haven't moved anything awry, the shot will still be clean a split-second later when I regain full view. Garrett shows this wonderful trick that I will pass along- it never occurred to me to try this till he showed us. ( Frequently the way this stuff goes ). We have enormous peripheral vision to the sides, much less so from top and bottom. If I am in Don Juan, instead of rocking my head to and fro from looking at the monitor very directly ( a bit of a neck twist there.... ) to checking out where I am heading and then whipping back again, I've been trying to do what G.B. suggests. Drop my head down do my nose is basically facing the battery. Straight down head angle. I can now either glance to the left to see the monitor, or glance to the right to see where I am headed. It works very very well, and eliminates one source of strain that is unique to Don Juan operating. Good luck ! Peter Abraham, E.M.T.

What if I'm a humorous Op with gobs of cash? :lol: The idea of having a time period for returning with no financial hit or hard feelings is a good one. These are highly serious investments and being tied to any major purchse when you've made it sight-unseen is brutal. We can look at the Sauve-Klassen Vest thingy ( I don't wanna piss anyone off by using just one name so I threw in both ) as an example. Lots of Ops talk about the customized method of having those vests built, a few have said they have returned the vest and no hard feelings. I find this practice to be admirable. Peter Abraham, E.M.T.