Christopher T. Paul- SOC

Hey Tom, Glad you came out of that one ok. In your camera's playback there is an interesting anomoly- I scrolled through it and there is clearly a shot of an inerior window in the clip at your point of impact, (about 1/100th of a second after you said to yourself, "Oh Shiiiiittt!!!". The only thing that I could think of is that perhaps you weren't using virgin tape stock, and that this was a previously recorded image that crept though. I know that this is wholly off of the point, and once again I'm really glad your ok- but the image had a kind of X Files twist to it with that window image underneath it. Did you notice this when you posted it, or perhaps it's another of my wicked acid flashbacks??? Way to shake it off, Chris

In the states it's called a Kipp handle- do a google search for a supplier near you. Hope this helps CP

You might get a faster response from Wolf-Seeburg in LA 310-822-4973.

Quite a deal building your own rig... rather impressive, so congrats! Can you pull of the eyepiece and mic from the camera in the picture to save you some weight? I always strip the camera apart to the barest of necessities so as not to carry around the extra weight. On another note... once you get onto a TV show or feature you may find that your stamina increases. Some days I don't feel the rig at all, but of course there are other days when I question the sanity of anyone who would do what we do because it feels so damn heavy! Best of luck from a fellow countryman! Chris

Hey This goes out to Ron Baldwin who posted a bit above me here. I have been reading with amusement this whole discourse, and I gotta say that I laughed out loud when I read Ron's line about the possibility of whats-his-name's shoes perhaps being confiscated by airport security and thus his no-show. That was really funny. just my .02 CP

While we are on the subject of character and reputation, let me thank you Jim for fixing my damaged cable so quickly. I got it last week, as promised, as usual at minimal cost. Chris "I LOVE my BFD" Paul

Hey Nikk, I just had one built, and I couldn't be happier with the results. It also strips down and fits into the trailer hitch on my truck. Here's a link, just go to "Production stills" and scroll down a bit. If you like this approach I could send you links to some of the parts. I had tremendous help from folks on this forum, especially David Allen Grove. Good luck, they are lots of fun. http://homepage.mac.com/cpaul_steadicam/iMovieTheater1.html Chris

Hey George, I am also a relatively "new" steadicam operator, (also in NY), and while the occasional roll in horizon or change in headroom did stick out a bit, (and it is worth noting that loosening your grip on the rig should alleviate that), I must say that all of your other skills came through the reel as well. You can tell that you have had editing experience. You use all of the skills you mentioned, and it comes through in the end product- that's your edge. There are plenty of technically proficient ops out there- so it's nice to see that you bring something else to the table- good for you. All in all I'd say it was quite impressive for a year's work- good for you getting to this point at 26 years old, (I'm forty!). Two critical points that I haven't yet seen mentioned yet: 1) The length of the reel- I felt that it was a bit long and could use some overall tightening, (my humble opinion since you opened the door), and, 2) You should boost your rate above the $900.00 you mentioned to keep from driving it down all around. Best of luck- Chris PS Nice that no one responded to the venomous attack that snuck into this thread!

Hey Folks, I'm strongly considering purchasing Walter Klassen's Dual mounted vest. I know that their back-mounted vest is supposed to be excellent, but I am wondering if anyone out there has first-hand experience with this new Dual-mounted vest. (I also think that I'll be posting my Master Series vest for sale here pretty soon!) Also if anyone is interested, my rickshaw is a few weeks from complete, (I think), and I'll post photos if anyone's interested. It will convert from rickshaw mode to fit into my trailer hitch. A big thanks to David Allen Grove for all of his help in this undertaking. Thanks in advance! Chris

Hey, Two folks asked me questions here, sorry for how long it took me to respond. Having antennas "cut to channel" simply means that your antenna itself is a certain prescribed length. At the given length that my antennas are "cut to", my channel range is from channels 30 through 50. This keeps it out of the range of my remote focus unit. A different length antenna would give me a different range. This is a simplfied explanation, and I'm sure more tech-savy folks could spin a much more detailed response- but this is the functional answer. I have not had drop-outs from my modulus since getting these antennas. The other question: re: the modulus in a hydroflex. Although it seems highly unlikely, the modulus was put on a Arri 435 in a deep-water hydroflex and put into 2 shooting conditions where it performed beautifully. The first scenario was in a hot tub, where it was submerged only three feet or so to do a reveal thru the waterline of people in the tub. The second and more demanding scenario was going down a waterslide, which was really long and winded around forever. The hydroflex was only in a few inches of water, but quite far from the receiver due to the nature of the shot. Again it performed beautifully. (This was all done on a cruise ship on a commercial). Another important tip during more traditional operating is to keep your transmitting and your receiving antennas facing the same direction. (i.e. both of them either perpendicular to the ground or parallel to the ground- not one perpendicular and one parallel. Although this seems quite basic, I am constantly seeing AC's futzing around trying to get better reception, and yet don't have a clue as to how the antennas were designed to work. I was just as clueless until Greg Bubb at XCS clued me in). Hope this clears things up. Chris

Hey- Wondering if anyone out there, who has successfully figured out the cabling in re: adapting the Archos video recorder to a sled, would like to chime in. I know that I will be looping signal out of my TB-6, but the connections on the Archos are funky at best. If anyone has had success with this and power cable adaptations, please share the wealth! Thanks in advance. Long live the memory of HST, he will be missed. Chris

Hey Bob, Your Modulus 3000 is pretty much the industry standard here in the States, and you should have no problem selling it in the classified section of this website, (which obviously has an international reach). As for pricing, check with the good folks at Abel CineTech in NYC @ http://www.abelcine.com to get an idea of what they go for new, and then take it from there. You should be able to get price quotes online if you email them via their site. You probably want to verify somehow that it is in fact still working before you sell it off to one of your pals in the community- as it tends to be a small world that operates on karma. Good luck! Chris

Hey Bob, How great for you that you found two directors who remain that loyal. Indeed, I have clients that go back 8 or 9 years as well, but I am a bit nervous keeping all of my eggs in one basket. I started out working as an AC in a table-top motion control company in NYC, and it was a great experience, but upon leaving 3 or so years later, I discovered that I only knew one or two staff producers, one or two directors, and only one or two DP's. After three plus years in the business I had to then start building up my client base all over again. (This was back in the 80's). My approach since then is to of course make your repeat clients as happy as possible, but also to get your name out there far and wide, and operate from the broadest client base as possible. Getting my reel to folks who wouldn't otherwise see it is one of the goals behind getting an agent. It may be naive, but that was my thinking. Thanks for your response! Chris

Hey Will, Yeah, you pretty much covered all of the bases there, thanks a lot for taking the time to get back to me. I'm just finishing up the reel, and hoping to shop it around in February. Hope that you're busy and well, (how's the new vest? I think I'll splurge this year and get one!), Thanks again, Chris

Ummm... yeah Eric, thanks. Perhaps I wasn't clear. I was hoping that folks might chime in with agents whom they liked or had heard good things about. My apologies, however, for posting this to the "Sleds" category- that was unfortunate, and I don't know how to fix it.

Hey, This is for Peter... Being one of your students at the Philly workshop I can assure you that the generosity does live on- you were very understanding and incredibly helpful the entire week. I can't think of a better tribute to your friend's memory than to keep that openness and sense of sharing alive. Thank you! CP

Hey All, Wondering if anyone would like to chime in with their experiences with Steadicam agents? Are there any who deal exclusively with Steadi Ops, or are they mostly DP agents who will also take us as clients? Are there any based in NY, or are they all in LA? Does anyone have anyone they recommend? What is their cut? What is a typical deal with them involve? Thanks in advance, and sorry if this is redundant inflammation, but I haven't seen this addressed recently. Cheers. CP

OK, the concert's over and I can walk again. Actually the only strain I felt was on my left shoulder after the 3 1/2 gig. This was probably the hardest physical exertion that I ever experienced in my life. I would once again like to thank all of those who pitched in advice, (and gear), which made all of the difference in pulling off this show sucessfully. Indespensable advice for any who do multi-camera concerts would include: - a second monitor on the rig that show the "return" or which camera the director is using at any given moment- as mentioned above this enables you to do your thing without comprimising any other camera's shot. - a large supply of water - a triax to BNC adapter. Unfortunately the engineers could not figure out how to work mine, (i.e. didn't know how to convert their gear to accomodate my adapter), and I had to fly with triax. - above all Peter Abraham's tally light - a proper respect for the crews who work the house day in and day out. I asked first and found that they wanted to bring my cart into the venue after it was downloaded from my truck, and they also wanted to wheel it back out to the venue door at the end of the show. The fact that I asked in advance made for a smooth show and a very helpful house crew. Had I just wheeled my stuff in with attitude would have been suicide.

Thanks to all who posted with the good advice- in my opinon this forum at it's best. Thanks also to Peter Abraham for the quick turnaround on the tally light, and to Alec Jarnigan for his tri-ax adapter. Hey Jeff Muhlstock- I took over for you on "Prime" as B-op and Steadicam, an interesting gig- I bet we both have some stories from that one. The last day I Operated the A-cam because Ted had to get back to LA. Thanks again to everyone for their kind words. Chris Paul

Peter- this all sounds like very good advice- thanks! See you tomorrow for that light! CP

Thanks Will, I've got a Transvideo 4" that I thought I'd use for the live feed so that I knew who was up and when I could monitor other cameras- good idea, thanks. Hey Anthony... I forgot how long you were going to be in town, when do you leave? I'm free next week at this point, and will be in LA from 12/12 to 12/21 on a show. I'll look you up there if I miss you here- and I'm going to try to vist Greg at XCS if he'll have me. CP

I have XCS's Ultimate with the 2" post, and had tried the Pro and the entire line of Tiffen/Steadicam rigs, and have found no comparison. Vibration is non-issue with this rig, and I have two posts, one fixed-length, and one telescoping. Even fully extended I have never had a problem. Greg at XCS has also been quite generous in sending out a loaner for people serious about purchasing. Call him- he's incredibly knowledgable and helpful. CP

Howdy All, I am facing my first concert as a Steadicam Operator, and wonder if any out there would care to offer any tips. My largest concern is being "on" and making shots for the 80-90 minute performance. I have operated a good number of concerts in the past- but never as a Steadicam Operator. The first thing I did was contact Peter Abraham in order to get a tally light for the rig, but short of this I am open to any suggestions as to how to get through the event in one piece. It sounds like a massive endurance test. Thanks in advance! Chris Paul

Sorry Steve, but just to be clear: It wasn't Garrett on a superpost, he was on some type of vehicle, and I overheard that he was in low mode while standing up, but again- I wasn't there. Perhaps Will Arnot has some insight here- I don't want to ramble on about something I didn't see myself. CP

Yeah, Steve, That was how they did the opening shot- and I agree it is beautiful, and quite a long take. The whole film can be noted for long takes- one of the reasons I appreciated the film. CP