Brad Grimmett

In addition to Erwin and Alec, I'd like to suggest Jamie Silverstein and Charles Papert. Both of them always seem to have level heads and don't get involved in the bickering. I think three or four moderators is the minimum considering the odd schedules we all keep. There may be times when a moderator can't check the forum for weeks at a time if he/she is working.

This just isn't the case. The results are everything. But people DO have first impressions on operators based on the gear they have. There is a reason the top operators in the world all fly one of the three or four "big rigs" (as Eric puts it).....because those three or four rigs have proven themselves over the years, and most of the famous steadicam shots has been done with one of these rigs. And if you show up on a job without one of those rigs people will automatically question how good an operator you are. It's silly that people are judged on this type of thing before they even put the rig on, but that's just the way it is. There's no getting around it. Also, some of the people involved in this discussion are looking at things from a wildly different perspective. Some have done big hollywood movies and tv shows, and some are working on smaller projects outside of the hollywood system. This doesn't necessarily mean one is better than the other, but their experiences are certainly different. In Eric's case, he works on bigger projects where the whole crew is very familiar with steadicam, and inexperience can be spotted from a mile away by anyone on set, so appearances are very important. In other cases, some of the crew may never have even seen a steadicam before, so the rig you are flying doesn't really "say" anything. As long as you do your job well no one will care what you're flying. In any case, the operating is certainly the main thing, but from a business standpoint we all need to be aware of how we are perceived. If your operating is good but the bosses perception of you doesn't coincide with your operating, then you may not get another call from them. So while we may agree that the brand of rig doesn't make that much of a difference in your operating, we should all realize that perception and appearance are indeed very important and something to always consider.

Sounds interesting Chas. I had a similar experience on a feature last year (Dirty) that featured zooms throughout. Every take would start pretty much full wide (17.5mm-137mm in S16) and end at the long end of the zoom. We never zoomed out, only in. The same was true when we used steadicam. Since we were doing staccato type zooms by hand when on dolly and handheld, I gave the DP my Bartech iris slider to remotely do the zooms when in steadicam mode. I thought this would appropriately match the zooms that we were doing by hand. My first day, and first steadicam shot, started at the wide end of the zoom, tracking from left to right as two characters enter from the far left and sit at a bar closer and to the right. As the characters sat down the DP zoomed all the way to the end of the lens in one fell swoop! Neither myself nor my 1st knew to plan for this, so I just picked one of the actors and stayed with him, and amazingly my 1st held focus the whole way. This kind of stuff is a lot of fun. It was even more liberating and fun to know that the DP and Director wanted a searching and imperfect type of look. It really took the pressure off and allowed me to relax and be creative, as oppossed to worrying too much about keeping composition perfect all the time. It seems like zooms are coming back into fashion a bit lately. I can't really say whether that's a good or bad thing for us as steadicam operators, but it sure makes for some interesting shots and situations.

Wow. They're scrapping the whole movie? That's too bad. It's nice to hear that the director and his producer were standing behind the crew. I know the people that you'll have to get that travel money from.....good luck! Meanwhile a lot of that local crew will grovel at the feet of NXNW hoping that they'll have the honor of being taken advantage of on the next one.

Geoff, I'm not surprised to hear about the situation up there. As I think you're aware, I did a movie for North By Northwest and Millenium last year. The simple truth is NXNW are very slimy (they refused to pay me my travel money to get home....just one example) and they should be held responsible for their actions. I understand your unfortunate situation concerning the union, but a movie that has a budget over $10 million should be union. The movie I did with them had a $20 million budget, and still managed to stay non union (because the producers managed to make the union believe their lies), but they siphoned off so much of the money that it seemed like a $2 million movie. The lead actor actually apologized to me 6 months later for getting me involved with those people. Unfortunately, I doubt they'll turn the show union. They're such liars and so unconcerned with their crew that I can't see them making any concessions that might help the crew. I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully this time will be the exception. I'm actually very surprised that they're still managing to convice people to bring movies up there. Eventually the word will get around enough and no on will want to shoot up there anymore. Anyone who's considering working for NXNW should run away.

Clairmont makes a saddle mount for this purpose. Here's a link to an old thread about the same thing. http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums/index...nter&f=4&t=1506

No problem. Here ya go. David Hable-604-254-8619

BJ, I recently had some problems with my modulus and I sent it to Dave Hable at Cramped Attic. I won't receive it back from him until tommorrow, so I've yet to use it since the repair, but his customer service has been really good. He did the repairs and an upgrade quickly, and didn't charge an arm and a leg. I just thought you might like another option when looking for a place to get your unit repaired.

It was probably Dave Eastwood. I saw his name in the credits, but there may have been other steadicam operators as well.

Nothing sets off more alarm bells than a producer saying, "It'll be a really easy day for you. We only need you for a few hours." Every time I hear that I plan on at least 12 hours with the rig on. It never fails. At least you got a good amount on flying time with the new rig.

Congrats Dan! One question.....why the super long cable flopping around on the topstage? Come on man! You sure do look excited though!

That's funny, because I've read some of your posts on the steadiforum publicly bashing THIS forum and some of the members here. Here's what you posted: "Some people such as Rob Van Gelder have too large an ego to let that stop him, hope someone brings him down to size eventually, I had to tone my post down on the Steadicam Forum as it was .... but he's definately one of the ringleaders over there, no wonder people don't visit there now.... Aren't you glad you're on the Steadiforum Jason __________________ Jason Williams Steadicam Owner & Operator Lancashire, UK http://www.steadivideo.com/ Mobile : +44 (0)7984 458903 That certainly seems like bitching and back biting to me.....correct me if I'm wrong. And now it just appears that you want to use this site to advertise your own site. I believe that most of the "bitch fests and back biting" started because someone asked a question and didn't want to hear a truthful answer about their sub-standard equipment. Members here aren't going to just tell someone what they want to hear, such as..."yes, a basson is just as good as a Pro". Also, a certain amount of etiquette is expected here, and many new posters are rude and obnoxious right out of the gate, and then they get upset when someone tells them off. I understand that that type of behavior is tolerated all over the internet (and ppossibly on your forum), but thankfully it isn't tolerated here. I'm glad you've been sucessful with your forum, but please be aware that people pay attention to what is being said on other forums as well as this one. It seems that your attitude and demeanor is a bit different here than it is in other places.

Tom, I guess I didn't actually answer your question. I don't think a dual BFD Master bracket exists, but I could be wrong. I've never heard of one. I know that Tom Gleason has made many different types of custom brackets.....so if one doesn't already exist you may be able to figure something out with him. In the meantime, try the velcro and/or zip tie method.

Nice work Afton. I'm curious how this has affected your dynamic balance. Do you end up having to pull the original battery a lot farther from the sled than you did before?

I use velcro. At first I figured I'd just use velcro until I found a bracket, but after years of mounting two Bartech's with velcro I've realized that I don't need a bracket. I've never once had a problem mounting them this way. Of course I check them periodically to make sure they're not loose, but they always seem to be secure.

Merrell makes a pretty good variety of waterproof shoes and boots, and they're super comfortable. The waterproof styles are also very warm.

The Red Lion is a cool place. Count me in. It'll be nice to see you again Alec.

I've seen two used AR's for sale in the last few months. If I remember correctly one was being sold by Chad Persons. I can't remember who was selling the other one. I don't have contact info for Chad, but I'm sure someone will chime in. Good luck.

That sucks. What a scumbag.

I think you should remove the closeup of the woman. It's not rock solid and doesn't show off your steadicam skills, so you should lose it. Otherwise, the reel is much tighter and better than before.

I agree with Matt. Too long and too many shots that you don't need on your reel. It seems like you're over-controlling the rig a little. Loosen up a bit and trust yourself and I think your shots will get even better. Overall, nice stuff.

Thanks Fred!

Do you have any contact info for David Hable?

Patrick, I believe Lentequip recells steadicam batteries in Canada. Not sure where they are located, but that's worth a shot. I've heard of Rathbone before and never heard anything bad. The problem is you have to ship them your batteries, which adds to the cost. I have my master series batteries recelled here in Los Angeles. If I were you I'd call Lentequip and ask them if they can help you or know somewhere closer to you. I believe the name of the person you want to speak to is Emory. He posts on the steadicam forum sometimes. Good luck.

That's sounds great. I wonder why I can't get a phone call returned about repairing my modulus? I'm currently looking for a reasonably priced replacement. Any ideas?