Alfeo Dixon SOC

My legal eagle just happened to step onto the set I'm working on. (great timing) I asked her and her response is that the Loan Out company to which the production has you 'loaned' from must provide your workers comp policy. You are an employee of the loan out company, so if its your company it's your policy. -Alfeo

Alec, With all due respect, the battle has been lost with our department heads and their neediness to hide in a dark room surrounded by the DIT's, 1st AC's and the Gaffer by their side. It's getting lonely out at the camera. I fight for wireless at every point and loose. I'm eagerly awaiting to test the IDX's WEVI which I hoping to free my rig. Just out of sheer agony I have considered to add this element into the kit so that I will have a solution that fits my needs and gives me the greater ability to operate the shot as it should be. I'm sharing this information to help the next guy not get screwed. -Alfeo

Actually the rods for the monitor and batteries are one foot each, giving the total spread of two feet.

nice commentary on Steadishots.org about this also. The movie its self was a bit wack... saw it dubbed in Japanese. -Alfeo "me speak no Japanese" Dixon

You can not invoice for your labor (i.e. 1099) and be considered and employee. No matter what they tell you. The IRS considers 1099 as contractors and not employees. You must go on a time card and through payroll to have employee status and more importantly, for workers comp coverage. Workers Comp is provided via the payroll companies and if you are 1099'd, you are NOT covered and by law are REQUIRED to carry your own policy. -Alfeo

Oooops.... that would be the "Holway" method... UPDATE: The audio guy gave me a nice gift yesterday... a new bundle with right angles and super flat Cat5 cable. Charles, this Cat5 he found is remarkably flexible and worked like a charm. We tested it yesterday and everything works great. http://shop1.frys.com/product/4227674;jses...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG I thought the other cable was flexible, but this is a hands down solution that is nearest to wireless. I may have to add this entire setup to my kit. Pics here: http://gallery.me.com/alfeo1/100106 -Alfeo

WOW, Alfeo...you really need to get into your next prep yourself. Confusing indeed. I have never bottomed out my G-70...Including flying a BL-4. Do you have any photos of what your set up was? This I gotta see! Also, why fly a battery on the camera? Especially that one??? Not knocking you but would love to hear the reason! Flying a HPX3000 with the rod weights and an extra batt for weight also (which gives quick access to battery changes) on the bottom to help and I thing I'm less than an inch in expanding the post... I'd would say those longer post may have been contributed by operator error and lack of learning my rig! And yes... I will now get a prep if I can, even if its on my own time and figure out a way to make production pay for it. I had to fly the battery because all the panazied crap and we had and issue of 12V supply and getting the 24V for the accessories. It was a crazy first day for me and the rig, so in short, we had to slap on the cameras AB Brick to supply the Accs. Long as hell... i would guess about two feet, but will measure tomorrow.

Hi Dani, Would you mind explaining this ESCROW process for us that have not experienced it. -Alfeo

Ick! Don't have the picture anymore... will have to re-upload the monstrosity tomorrow when back on set. The audio guy actually has a really soft one... even when cold. I'll have to get more info about it. It's working pretty well. I drop a 3ft spaghetti thin BNC off the back of the camera and couple it to a regular 6' or 10' coiled off the back of the vest for the HD signal back to video village. Then run the Cat5 using the "Hill" method. -Alfeo

Hey walls, Just wondering what options are out there for letting the Audio guys hook up to the HD cameras? The current solution I have worked out with the recordist, insisting that once one cable is connected, then one other surely wouldn't hurt... blah blah blah!!! He gave me a Cat5 as a jumper (Left, Right, audio monitor and return monitor) in between two small boxes. One Velcro'd to the vest the other to the camera. -Alfeo

no error. the channels repeat after channel 29. So channel 30 is the same as Zero.

Hey everyone, I got ten weeks on the Panasonic HPX3000. Any thing I should look out for or special needs? Tried to get the vfgadets handle for low mounting, but its not available until late summer. Are there any other aftermarket handles out there? Does it output both HD and Composite at once? -Alfeo

I just hope that guy wasn't the hard day... BJ's got your lube!

I have a pending job using the fujinon lens and my cable order may not be ready by then. Looking to borrow or rent one from june 4th to june 9th. -Alfeo

Very excellent. By far the C-Motion unit is my favorite with the exception of a few things. What frequency is the system using?

Hey All, Just wanted to share about a 4min short that I DP'd for a director friend of mine that is in competition. If you have a few minutes to watch, please do so. The title is IRIS and is in the category of Love. http://www.thedoorpost.com/?film=8035d18cf...61c8df57c86a748 Thanks for you time... -Alfeo "humbled by your critiques" Dixon

Chris, I checked with my JVC sales rep here and while recording in HD, he said that Composite is SD and Component is HD. I would double check but that's what I seem to remember. I was not flying it so I really didn't have to much hands on... It was on a short I DP'd. -Alfeo

But at what price point for what we will really need... sounds like Bartech will still trump this one Not bad at all, but would require a heck of alot more field testing to become my backup. Preston still has issues and same with the Bartech. But atleast you know your getting years of problem solving, field testing and great service. And what did the motors say Luis? Just messing with you... that's a great question... Jim? If these guys where not inclined to think about us needing focus, iris and maybe even zoom all in the same shot, I doubt that they thought ahead about making the motors compatible with other systems. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see another solid & affordable system out on the market. But I have to know that if my Preston is having issues that my backup is going to save my ass. -Alfeo

Hi Chirs, If I remember correctly, the JVC HD line has a built in downconverter for composite or component SD output. You can set the output to auto / composite / component within the menus. Alfeo

OMG did i pay to much???? No Job, It's a typo... he meant to say "Unfortunately, professional steadycam CABLES cost around $1500"

Since you called me out... as Chris stated, I was watching the screen as he demonstrated a move and I looked back to see him in Don Juan. I was baffled on when and how he made the switch that I actually made him do it three more times. But then again... give me around 28 hours in the saddle and I could make sweet moves too. Thanks for the ride Chris :P

I was one of the operators brought in by Steadicam to help with demo's and I believe the motorized top stage is an upgrade. By all means check with Steadicam. It is a very nice rig. We actually put a movie cam compact on the 324. But the top stage is not as wide as the Ultras and you might not be able to fly your bigger cameras.

i've been hacking mine since before 1.1.2 and it so easy now a 5th grader can do it. A lot of people have had problems with Ziphone... I use Independence and the only real issue i've had is having to reboot once the iphone has not gotten a signal for a while it will get stuck in the No Sim status and you will have to reboot. Not reset, just a boot. I'm also using a dual sim adapter to hold my LA Sim and my ATL Sim. Can set to auto switch where it will switch Sims every few minutes or just do it manually. This way I don't have to carry two phones. Downside is that you have to cut up your sim cards to get them to fit... Viva T-Mobile!!! -Alfeo"Never again AT&T" Dixon

Ssshpt, ssshpt... Alan, in theory yes. But the reality of what the view experiences no. We move the camera with purpose, steadicam allows to viewer to experience a space intimately with an actor. The way we are taught to operate is to move with and when the actor moves, keeping the exact speed and distance of the subject. This movement allows for a transparent experience. The key is experience. What the view will experience. In regards to the shot in Philadelphia, yes without acceleration this shot could have been a static shot and would convey the exact same message off the pages of the script. But, would the view experience the same feelings from the two shots? No. The following question of the experience is... Static: where are they? Steadicam: where are they going and where did they come from? Even more relative to your question of acceleration. What would be the impact of that scene if the four men accelerated faster than the camera and drifted further and further away from the camera vs. the opposite and we (viewer/camera) start at a distance and accelerate to catch up with them. Three totally different experiences. The cool thing about movement is that we do experience movement. A long straight highway in the middle of the desert, for example. If we look out to the horizon, the vanishing point of this highway is the same. It's still along fcuking way off to no where. Now we have the setting, but how do we tell the story... Static shot of a man standing in the middle of the highway and we experience that its going to be awhile before he gets to anywhere. Steadicam of this man walking in the middle of the highway... same experience, but at least he's now on his way. ahhhhhh, :cough: -Alfeo "I'll pass... Chris, just say no" BTW: http://video.aol.com/video-detail/green-sc...layer/997951900

Just be careful, a lot of RED users are skeptical of outside sources for power supply, a few cameras have gotten fried from some bad juice. I told my guy that I wanted to test a power cable out and he looked as if I had just asked to take his 1950's Jaguar out on a race track. I reassured him that mine was build by Steadicam with instruction from RED. -Good luck