Jason Torbitt

Hi, I have some grip work this coming weekend, basic dolly work, using a Fisher 11 dolly. I've not used one of these before, anyone used it? Any tips? There's a rigging / prep day scheduled so I have a day to get to grips with it and familiarise myself, so I'm not too worried, but any insight would be useful, thanks Cheers Jason

Yeah, you got it; it was an interesting find, makes life more difficult to operate with the Klassen, but if you have found your way round it, then that's good to hear That makes 2 of us...one of those 'never again' mornings

Hi Alec Yes, good question but yeah we adjusted the arm, tried the optimum level of tension, tried it with dialling some out, and tried with dialling more in. Very strange behaviour

Hi all, We had an interesting experience today which I thought may be worthwhile sharing. I've had a service of my arm down as 'one of those things that is on the list of things to spend money on', but an issue arrived today that was interesting... I operate with the usual Master front mounted vest. I went for a practice spin with Rick Lewis, who was using his Klassen back mounted vest. For me in my vest, I have no problems with the arm, full range of movement for booming, set the correct tension and away we go - it's what I'm used to, so no problems. But with the Klassen, the two sections of the arm are naturally closer / tighter together, obviously due to the positioning of the socket block on the carbon arm of the vest being different to that of the front mount. For whatever reason, this illustrated the problem that my arm was suffering from a common-ish problem with the MS arms, sticking at the bottom and top of the range of its travel; looks to be caused by the slow ageing / wearing of the rubber bumper stops inside the arm casing. The section does make contact with the bumper, but not enough to prevent it sticking in position, and therefore leading to a jerk movement when an attempt is made to boom the arm up or down. I should add that wearing my usual vest, I can quite happily take the arm to both ends of its travel, and the arm respond fine, no sticking or jarring is apparent, which made the experience even more difficult to comprehend. I hope this makes sense to anyone reading in - it was an issue I wasn't previously aware of in my arm, until it was used with the back mount vest. So now it's time for a repair and service before I make the investment in the back mount! I always check the gear ritually for safety before I leave home, but its definatly worthwhile checking the arm more vigourously more often. Interesting...

I use velcro strips which are permenatly stuck to the underneath of the stage. Looks neat and tidy and works well.

Shuddering at the very words "low budget feature"... If it is a true HD package, e.g. Sony 750, primes, remote follow focus, the works then it will have to be open to negotiation between the operator and production. The good news is that it is 4 or more weeks of guarenteed work, so it would be a nice job to pick up. The best solution is for production to decide exactly what camera they're on, and what rig and accessories will be needed, then they can hammer out a deal with the operator.

I'm also in Manchester if you need any help. A good google search for Steadicam will haul up some good stuff, there's a 'Steadicam FAQ' which might answer some of the questions you may have. Joe McNally might also be a good person to speak to, he has some interesting reading on his website, www.joesjibs.co.uk, click on Steadicam.

Hi Thomas I have something very similar to this, ebay Item number: 5876118608 Tiny thing, a bit fiddly due to the fact it takes those 9v duracell batteries, but you can adjust the lens to get good close focus, so it should work for you. You'll just have to shop around on ebay to avoid getting stung by massive shipping costs! I keep this and an XC-75, never know when they might come in useful in an emergency situation

Hi all, I'm looking for an FMG-6 motor with gears for Canon, Fujinon, film etc. Please get in touch if you have one to sell. Thanks! Jason@steadicam-facilities.co.uk +44(0)7749 961 604

Glad to hear you enjoyed your day and it all went well ;)

Whenever I shoot 16:9, I also use the frameline generator to flag up the 14:9 safe zone, it also helps to have a definate frame to concentrate on when moving with the rig, and helps me constantly maintain a well framed shot (expecially useful for dialogue, or 'walk and talk' shots, looking space for people etc) Although with the current breed of HD cameras, you can normally access a good frameline / cross from the 'test out' BNC I don't find it essential to have a frameline generator, but it can be handy to have, and I more often use it than not.

Thanks for the replies, chaps I'll look into it, and get hold of pinouts etc and fix it for the short term, but I may be in touch soon Fred (I'll be needing some more cables for other stuff anyway) Cheers Jason

Thanks, Afton, great resource! More nice work. Some fantastic stuff on there

Has anybody modified the cable on their Bebob Zoe zoom control in any way? I'm not entirely satisfied with mine. I'm on a job at the moment and my controller devloped a mind of its own today - the lens would crash in by itself whenever the zoom control was plugged in, and then it stopped working all together. Closer inspection revealed that there was some bits of cable ends poking out where the cable enters the lens connector, so the thing was obviously shorting out. I'll open it up when I'm back home and fix it, but for the rest of the week I'm VTR & zoom-less. Has anybody else had similar problems or fixed the cable issue in any way? I've used the controller for over a year, but the cable just doesn't seem to be up to much at both the zoom rocker and the lens connector ends. A more sturdy / durable fix is needed. Anyone?

Thanks for the guide, Afton, it's a good resource. That's some nice work, looks very tidy. Great idea too to have everything A/Bauer compatable, neat solution for 24v

An excellent idea, very well made and excellent research & development, that must have been hard work but well worth it. It's certainly something that would easily sell!

Having flown the AR today for the first time at a show here in the UK, it has to be said that the award was well deserved. It's extremely difficult to put into words the many ways that the AR is stunning, but it is. Flexibility of camera positioning, low mode to regular mode in a single sweep, comfort of operating... I for one hope to do some training sometime this year. Apparently it is also possible to still 'dutch' the camera, and temporarily lock off the camera so it doesn't rotate, using a toggle switch. So it literally does everything we're used to, and then some! I have always been fascinated by Steadicam, and you can't comprehend how much of a genius Garrett is, and I have the utmost respect for him for giving us this weird and wonderful invention that we have the privilege of working with. After today, I have also have much respect for all involved in the development of the AR, which is something completely different. With the next generation of gear arriving from Tiffen and MK-V amongst many, many others, the future is bright for our craft :) (No, I don't work for MK-V, but I would like to buy some of their gear!)

I know several operators who work in live TV, and prefer to do their own focus. Certain ops usually work with AC's / focus pullers for drama and single camera, but in live TV do not. Others always work with a focus guy, even when doing TV. In certain situations, not only depending on budget but also upon physical circumstances, and the sport involved, it can sometimes be best practice not to have a focus puller. In the UK, that's just how it is. All of the guys work with spotters / assistants though, and from time to time they will pull focus too. (I know that most of the football ops use focus pullers) Some operators just get away with using a zoom handle of some sort on its own, and rely on the wide depth of field offered by the lens used; others use a zoom handle and some form of focus device. So long as the lens used has either an inbuilt focus servo or an external focus servo attachment, focus control is possible with one of the small electronic knobs. In answer to your question re: 8 pin, 12 pin... I have Canon 8, Fujinon 8 and Fujinon 12 in the kit - you never know what you'll be working with, so be prepared for anything. There is also a seperate J7 unit which controls the focus for Canon or Fujinon, and attaches to the J7 zoom demand. Personally speaking, I'm currently looking to buy a BFD, so I have a full follow focus package, complete with the BFD gimbal focus control and also a J7 focus unit just in case I need to use it for live stuff. There's a topic entitled 'operator controlled focus device' in the follow focus section which discusses this subject further.

Hi guys If anyone has a BFD focus kit they'd like to part with, preferably with a motor, give me a shout at Jason@steadicam-facilities.co.uk Let me know what you've got, if there's a motor included, and how much $$$$ you're looking for! Also, if you just have a motor on its own to sell, please do get in touch. Thanks Jason

Yes, thanks for the link Ramon, Some useful stuff there. The arm bag in particular looks like a good purchase. I'm also quite taken with how well made it looks and seems to offer good protection for the arm when not in use.

I think MK-V have an HD Boland monitor, I would imagine that it has been modified to be more Steadicam friendly? 400 NITS will be a stuggle for use on the rig outdoors

Hi Matt Great news, good luck with it all. You've got some good advice there, just remember - *Video Tap *Remote follow focus (&iris where applicable) *Plenty of batteries for the rig *Video sender/transmitter You'll also need to source a focus puller, or get the production company to find a decent puller. I know a couple, let me know if you need any details. Cheers Jason

That's bad news; a bit of a shock too - it will be interesting to see how this develops. I'm sure Robin will shed some light on the situation with relation to us. Bad news for the broadcasters too - Optex supply a lot of gear. Could be one hell of a January sale at any rate, as Ben says. Unfortunate turn of events for all involved. Plenty of workshop alternatives though in the meantime, & MK-V of course, as Ant has stated. Anyone wanting 'Steadicam' brand parts for their rig in the meantime can get them direct from Tiffen Europe, I already have some things on order through them. (The office is in Oxford) I'm sure Robin will fill us in with more when he can.

You could always go all the way and combine the shampoo with Bob Martins "rub-downs" for a good wash Note I do not work for bob martins nor am I endorsing their product for financial benefits :D

Yes please, count me in!