Thomas English

Walter gave incredible advice on this and offered to send me different back plates. Fantastic service. After a good period of using a straight backplate (with a straight klassen arm), swapping out with my 3a vest a little and using as a foam roller on my oblique I am pleased to say that I am fully fixed! There does seem to be a difference in how a socket block at an angle due to a different back plate and a socket block at an angle due to the two screws being set different seem to effect the body differently. Conclusion: The is a lot going on in biomechanics.

Its really good to do gym on your legs. Squats, Lunges, Calves and possibly leg extensions. Mostly to help balance the leg and back muscles out and to protect against injury. But if you are working 2 to 4 days a week of hard Steadicam days; and it is important to have rest days. This leaves no place for Leg Gym and rest days, Especially considering its not good to smash your legs in the gym before a Steadicam day. Is there even a solution to this? Have any of you worked out a workaround? Maybe a light leg workout at the end of Steadicam days if not booked the next day? Would this be "overtraining". Certainly I am pretty exhausted after solid Steadicam days. Properly smashing your legs on Saturdays on the basis that you don't shoot on Sundays? A proper leg smash can leave me unable to walk for two days. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts and what you like doing on legs. Certainly I had a period of hitting the kettlebells but I've ducked out of that. A little too hard on the body but great for C.V. as well as leg/lower back strength.

Do you think your Bars would be strong and long enough for Panavisions Primo Anamorphics? They are heavy lenses with a mounting point that is a long long way away from home. But the XCS plate is very stiff and because of the weight distribution would be very far forward. I think the DoP that had me out on these yesterday is keen to use them more often.

I operate one handed all the time: Running, on stairs holding the bannisters, on some hard mount setups and whilst on the phone. I am sure you will have fun. Stop thinking about it, buy a flyer and let us know! On hardmounts I often take a bit of sash and tie the end of the second bone to the start of the first bone. This stops the rig from getting away from me and stretching right out in emergencies. I don't know if that would help with one handed operation? Since you don't have the other hand to catch the rig. Good luck mate. Where one door shuts another opens. Try it out. You've got nothing to loose. Buying a secondhand flyer will hold its value for as long as you've decided if it works for you.

Sydney... er... yeah I am stupid. Thanks. I was getting confused because it was not keeping me logged in because of my security settings. I am happy now.

Thanks Mike, View New Content is cool but nothing actually allows me to see what has been posted since my last visit. Sure you can set 24 hours or one week etc but I felt the last function worked quite well.

I am a little dim. My teachers first noticed this at a young age and I am consistently reminded by girlfriends. So you'll all have to excuse me if this is an obvious question: On the old forum there was a button to view all posts since last visit. This is a great way to catch up on all the Steadicam gossip. I can't seem to find how to do this on the new forum. Thanks guys and gals Thomas

I know Ron, I do; but the ones on Saturday that I do carry would only fit the Low-Mode Bracket ?! Panavision reckon I might have had a random bad LW plate as they insist it is always the same screws. To be honest I remember using those screws on the bottom plate before so I too am miffed. We don't use Panavision Cameras a quarter as much here in the UK as you do in the states I don't think. They should include the screws that work. As we know P+S Techniks have come out with a version for the sr3 or sr2. I'm just not sure at all if it makes sense committing that kind of wear and tear on registration pins etc. But there is also an Optical view finder which is nice. I wonder how long those little batteries will last digitally. I do like Aaton cameras though. Images from this camera at NAB.

Thanks mate, I got a call from Walter today full of really good advice. I have put my straight setting on rather than the 7° tilt one (back mount arm angle) and I am going to start swapping sides and using my old 3a vest for a few shots a day to surprise my legs. Walter really does set examples for kit suppliers. He deserves a medal for his customer service. I am feeling confident about this. My issue is I do a lot of music videos that are straight Steadicam for 16 hours. Often long long shots. I have removed all evidence of music videos from my showreels in the vain hope of getting more "serious" work. Thanks for the advice.

When I get back from shooting my left hand Oblique (Outer leg from IT band up to pelvis: fascia lata to gluteus medius ) seems to have done all the work. It muscle aches as though I have been in the gym. This got so bad on a job recently that I had difficulty walking during the shot. I have since started a robust stretching and rolling out regime of this massively hard muscle and its ok but... What is going on? Why is only one of my legs doing all the work? I have a Klassen vest and I operate with the sled on my right hand side. I do have my klassen socket block (residing on the left of my body) adjustement quite far onto my left (top screw in bottom out). If I send it out to the right it makes the problems worse and if I send it to the left it does the same. Am I throwing one of my hips out? If so which one? I can't work it out... No amount of staring in the mirror or watching footage of myself operating helps. I am hoping someone else has had experience of this phenomenon. Its ok now but I reckon 10 years down the line it could be a career breaker. Thanks guys Thomas

Its not for Steadicam Marko. In music videos we are using DSLR cameras as B-cameras on body rigs, on cables, on remote controlled cars, time slice rigs and k clamped to anything that moves so there may be options there but its tough competition out there with the hocus focus etc being launched. Just as a minor deviation. I hate that current moving through focus look that is currently so prevalent now with monkeys operating DSLR s. I am banking on it going out of fashion as soon as possible.

No doubt, with my luck, I'll be on a job soon having to do muddy running shots on a DigitalMag Panaflex Platinum with the entire sliding baseplate because Panavision forgot to include those blasted little screws again.

I am not sure Fabrizio, can you not turn the PRO topstage backwards? or the base backwards?

Thanks guys, I'll scrap that idea and send the one gyro up over the front (back of the monitor) as I do already. Nope, I have not got an AR but I do have lots of sockets and plugs for one.

I made this little film when testing/chucking about the P+S Technik rig. It statically balances fine and I have a strategy to dynamically balance it next time I get my hands on it. http://www.vimeo.com/9585255

MK-V definitely have some kind of finance deal available.

I stand corrected. Apparently there is a range of lenses possible in the Paradise FX. I am getting conflicting reports from different facilities houses.

Sometimes on 3D you have to carry a lot of cables!

I don't know if we will have the option to use the Paradise FX rig that often which is going to be marketed as the Elemental Technika Neutron in the second quarter of this year. Currently you can only use the Schneider 8mm C-Mount lens and possibly a Linos 25mm C-Mount lens although hopefully this will change when ET market it. This is due to the distance to the glass etc.

So was the Pace F23 rig able to hold on your arm? Or did you need to add extra muscle to hold it up. It does seem incredible that you were able to fly two F23 s.

I've been complaining over here as well. I suspect to no avail.

Kenyon Gyros. The cables that send them their power seem pretty small. Is there a minimum AWG rating to send this power down? 115v at 30watts and 400 Hz Is there any reason (interference) why this cannot go down my coiled cable inside my sled? I want to send one of these down the AR connector in my MK-V sled. I like having a Gyro on top of the camera and one at the bottom of the sled. Sure I could just have a front cable but this is an interesting idea. Thanks

Yeah, I am interested.

So what day is Operator Drinking day? Tuesday? http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/place?cid=59...027874&z=16 Certainly I'll be there Tuesday. Thursday I've a music video and I don't like to drink the day before a job. So i'll be in the neighborhood Tuesday and possibly (sober) on Wednesday. Text me when your there on Tuesday! 07970 025 389

The important thing here is that twisting on the platform. You and your rig standing (with a CG 1m off the ground) is imparting a twist or moment of 110kg on the front bracket when decelerating at 9.8m/s squared (equal to the force due to gravity). Once you are 3m in the air and raised somewhat your moment is now 330kg (equivilant). That sir is a lot of kg. Especially if you consider the fact that the car is going to have to slam the breaks on because a small orphaned child is running across the road to save his only football. You could start imparting a twist of multiple times that even when slowing down from walking. Mate... I don't know. I don't get on the front of a quad without a seatbelt. Sir, this is what I think you are doing. Sitting on the front of a slippery plastic quad seat with a soft mounted rig. Do not be alluded by all the metal. It better just be walking pace and I wish you luck. I think Gyro's would help.