Jason Torbitt

Hi Mark, Hope you're well and keeping busy. See this thread: http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums/index...?showtopic=3385 He also did horse racing at the Grand National this year on the handsfree. J.

Lots of velcro, Imran's got it in one! Permenantly apply the hooks to your accessory, and have a permenant patch of the soft stuff / loops on your sled somewhere, then you can add things like video transmitter, digital level, downconverter, whatever box of tricks you need for the job in hand, just slap it on, make the cables neat and away you go. It's all about the versatility factor.

Hello Ed, The best solution, I find, when quoting is to break the rate down and be descriptive, so that the client can easily see exactly how much they're paying, and what they're paying for. I ususally break the rate down on paper into 2, and itemise it under 'Operator' and 'Kit'. Other than that, I'm sure you are aware of the standard rates here, so try and stay within the rough parameters. If the majority of your work is corporate non broadcast, offer small token discounts to repeat customers and valued clients, to establish a base of repeat business. Rates of course always depend on your kit and skills, the job in question, and the production company / client. I hope this helps, feel free to get in touch to discuss Jason

- 1 x Marell monitor mounting bracket for Master Series. Allows you to have spigot mounted monitors on a Master Series rig. Particularly useful if you are looking for a mounting solution for LCD monitor, or you are using a green screen other than the usual Master / Ultra type. The item in question is the new attractive contoured design, viewable on the Marell website at http://www.marell.co.uk/mounts/list/ , the item is MT-MAS2. The item I have for sale is virtually brand new, only used a handful of times. Make an offer. - Storage box for an FMG-6 motor, the small toughened plastic case, with foam cutout for the motor / bracket / 4 gears / collars. Black box, small and lightweight, ideal if yours is beaten up or needs replacing. Make an offer. - Master Series to Preston power cable - small 2 pin Lemo (Master Series front stage) to right angled 4 pin Lemo (Preston). Make an offer. Email me at Jason@steadicam-facilities.co.uk for pictures and more info. Items are in the UK and can be shipped worldwide.

Jamie, Sounds interesting. Send me some info when you're sorted, love to take a look. Cheers Jason

I'll second Jamie's plugs for the VW Transporter - sounds like we're driving the same - 2.5 TDI, 5 seater, racked out rear, blacked out windows, lots of black carpeting, air suspension. I love the fact that you can get plenty of crew in there, stick monitors in the back of it, transport all the kit...and you're right Jamie, the number of times I seatbelt things onto that back seat when I'm doing a quick location change - fantastic! Nice to have that bit of extra temporary space if you are doing one of those nightmare multi-location shoots. The most impressive feature for me, is that it just keeps going and going, the acceleration is fantastic, it takes off quickly even with a full load of kit in the back.

Hi Peter Do Tiffen not still sell the adapter arm post in reverse, i.e. 5/8" arm to MS / Ultra gimbal? I know I've seen a photo of one, 2/3 of it is 5/8" and the top 1/3rd of it is the bulkier Master size, to fit into the gimbal. Good news with the job, hope all goes well for you. Does this mean the end of the infamous Zalex tally lights? (Mine is still going strong, by the way - never lets me down!) J.

Hey Ben, Nice move with the Steadicam cart - I'm getting one of those this year, having almost had a heart attack at the shipping cost at first, I was worrying over the import tax as well, but 3.7% on top of the usual VAT is nowhere near as bad as I was expecting, thanks for the info!

For sale: 1 x Marell monitor mounting bracket for Master Series. Allows you to have spigot mounted monitors on a Master Series rig. Particularly useful if you are looking for a mounting solution for LCD monitor, or you are using a green screen other than the usual Master / Ultra type. The item in question is the new attractive contoured design, viewable on the Marell website at http://www.marell.co.uk/mounts/list/ , the item is MT-MAS2. The item I have for sale is virtually brand new, only used a handful of times. Looking for £70 / approx $135. I also have a storage box for an FMG-6 motor here, the small toughened plastic case, with foam cutout for the motor / bracket / 4 gears / collars. Black box, small and lightweight, ideal if yours is beaten up or needs replacing. Make an offer. My old Master 4" green screen is also for sale, the video chip is fried and the tube is blown after a run-in with baggage handlers on a flight - if you need an original Master monitor for any spares, make me an offer and take it out of my sight!! Casing is intact and still has the usual half moon type mount on the base for Master series rig. Email me at Jason@steadicam-facilities.co.uk with questions, any interest or if you would like photos. Thanks J.

I think it may actually be a font; the news agency Ananova also uses the same, or a very similar, typeface.

Hi Alan, I'd love a copy too, if at all possible? Many thanks. You can reach me at Jason@steadicam-facilities.co.uk Many thanks! Cheers Jason

You can use the Zoe & similar for film if it is used in combination with Jim Bartell's BUZ system - designed to allow the use of conventional video zoom demands on cine lenses. This leads to the next questions - who has bought the BUZ, and how does it perform?

Get a Wescam / Gyron on a Tyler mount on the helicopter. There is no other substitute. Any attempt to operate Steadicam out of a helicopter is a huge mistake. See the above comments.

Hi Norm I would ask them to take a look at Gigawave - www.gigawave.com. They manufacture a wireless dockable triax back which should dock onto the D35, called D-Cam. The triax cable runs out of the CCU to the Gigawave antenna, which you would need to rig up on a stand somewhere in your studio, and that provides the wireless link to the D-Cam back. I have a D30 and haven't had the opportunity to use one of these backs with my camera, but I know they are used a lot with the D50's. You shouldn't have any problems at all with this system - very reliable and has been used all over the world, mainly on sporting events and concerts etc. Hope this helps. Jason

It all depends on your studio rig and cameras you are currently using, or will be using. Without knowing any more info about the equipment or your location, it's more difficult to make suggestions. Here in the UK, LinkXP and D-Cam Clip-On are very popular, you might want to look at these systems, amongst the others.

This has been covered in the archives - do a search and see what you can find. There are many systems out there which allow wireless triax operation, and allow the vision guys control over the camera on a wireless link. However, these systems (analogue, digital and now HD versions are arriving) are not practical for operators to own, in terms of price tag and systems/camera compatability and are the responsibility of the broadcaster or facilities company to provide. Moreover, their application is restricted by budget - are you talking about corporate live events and non broadcast work, or are you talking about large scale broadcast events? There are microwave links out there, such as Cam-Wave and the-boxx, which whilst affordable and are stable digital links, both operate with a 12 frame delay, rendering them hard work for a multicamera mix or sync with sound. They are good for single camera live work and ENG etc, and good for all the other stuff, if you delay audio to match video with a Behringer unit. These digital systems, as opposed to our usual analogue systems, work by constantly selecting the strongest signal at the receiver, i.e. Multipathing. There are wireless triax systems out there from Gigawave, Link Research, Thomson/Grass Valley, and others. These are all usually integrated as part of the truck's camera kit. They work extremely well, and are the norm for most Steadicam applications nowadays on OBs. Antennae are getting smaller, cameras are getting lighter, range is increasing and line of sight is no longer as much a neccessity as before. The solution is to always talk with your client before the job, so they can get you the kit you need, or as best they can, before the job. Triax & fibre will always be around for us to deal with, but the wireless links out there are getting better and more reliable as time goes by. The wireless links are an incredible innovation that has been, and continues to be, developed, and provides broadcasters with more and more incredible shots, both from Steadicam and from various other means of tracking and moving the camera, allowing us to pull off shots and get angles which were previously impossible to achieve.

Always use your arm rain/dust cover - keeps the sand out of all the important places! Might be a good idea to also use raincovers over the rest of the rig and monitor, just to be safe. The worst beaches are those with the shingle that can be of varying depths - one minute you're walking on it, the next you're ankle deep in the stuff. Have a grip with you or a spotter, to be on the safe side. As mentioned, the wind is always an issue - the V-shaped netting or 4x4's held by the grips behind you seems to do the job better than anything.

Thanks for that photo David Seems like a neat solution in an emergency, in case of monitor failure, or a good quick fix. Still seems like a bit of a nightmare to have to carry around the excess weight of the CRT though. I get round it now with the Marell bracket (<plug>I have an extra one that I will be putting up for sale next week </plug>), so that I have my CRT on a spigot, and my LCD on a spigot, then I can just drop into the bracket whichever monitor I want to use at the time. Very useful. Cheers Jason

FYI I think Derrick is away at the moment on holiday, I bought some equipment from him and he mentioned he would be away for a few weeks and his office would be closed, so this might explain if he is slow to reply.

Matt, Aside from the MiniJack to 3 x RCA breakout cable, and aforementioned B/W S-Video - BNC cable, there is another way of getting colour video output - Buy an S-Video - RCA adaptor. It's a little connector that has an S-Video at one end, and a female RCA at the other. It's about an inch long. Then just use a thin floppy RCA - BNC cable to get video into your rig. I tend to use this solution more often than the messy RCA breakout cable. Make sure you always carry plenty of video connectors, PVC tape and be prepared for anything. Cheers Jason

Hi Charles Do you have any updates on your monitor, or any more detailed specifications, or available options? Looks interesting - would like to know more... Thanks Jason

I'm assuming that this is with regards to the gimbal which is currently on ebay? It looks interesting. Does anyone know how the Baer-bel gimbal performs? For such well manufactured equipment, it does seem under-marketed. I have the wedge plate, low mode cage, dovetail plates and motor rods from Markus and they are all very well machined and produced, of a very high quality. I would like to hear more about this gimbal. From memory, I remember seeing pictures of a Master sled with this gimbal, which I think belonged to Guido Lux. The diameter of the Master post is indeed 1.580". Cheers (by the way, nice to cross paths the other day, Imran!)

Sounds like a good suggestion! Failing that Joe, maybe try calling Marell, they may be able to do something for you.

Hi again, I dug up a thread on this monitor for your viewing pleasure - there is a link on it to the .pdf manual, and it does actually display component, but via an HD-15 connector, so you would need a suitable cable to input component signals, but it should be possible Jerry? http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums/index...?showtopic=2484 Very tasty monitor! Of course not comparable to the superior Ultrabrite 2, but a nice cost effective option to display digital & HD video. On the other side of the arguement, i.e. staying with your current monitor and downconverting onboard your rig - The advantage to having a downconverter in the kit is that you can use any monitor you like inc. green screen, and when I'm working outdoors, I'm still a fan of the green screen, as are many others. But of course there is the power & reliability issues etc. Is there any significant frame rate delay in the conversion process? This may be another factor to think about, depending on the type of work you do. If you do a lot of live work, then working with any form of delay or lag is unnacceptable.

Both still available for anyone in need...