Janice Arthur

Hi all; Why do I feel like Mrs Kenevil when she was trying to talk Evil out of jumping over the Snake river? JA (Remember its only muscle and bone and we are destructible.)

Mike and Brant; Thanks. Have at the ideas, good that the thoughts are worth considering. Mike I am tremendously impressed with your fitness abilities. None of the running or other things are easily done. (As an aside I've been doing some martials arts as a core-training regimen and boy is it tremendous. I'm also humbled to learn new basic skill set of movement. Its good for the ego too to start over sometimes.) JA

Tanner; You've been absent from the responses here, probably because its not really what you want to hear about your ambitious plan. I'm going to throw in a suggestion you also probably don't want to hear. Why not "make history" by doing a film out of 22-23 five minute shots that are really good from a filmmaking and storytelling perspective? Making a good movie is hard enough but to do it in a style of ER, which was really good filmmaking and storytelling, would accomplish a lot. You'd be the first to do that and if its a well told story using Steadicam your name would live in infamy. This would do all the things everyone has suggested but be manageable for you; the crew; the actors; the director, etc. This would also allow the filmakers to use the elements of time shifting to tell the story. Sadly most stories are not good as a single tense narrative which a 'one-taker' is probably confined to. The physical component of 5 min takes is hard enough, let alone being faced with many days of them. This is at least as daunting a job as you can undertake considering the REDs' issues. You'll still have to do all the working out you've planned; the gear set up; and everything else. Lastly, one thing everyone here is alluding to is that your mental capacity to remember the shot is limited as you begin operating, maybe you're exceptional at this, but just remembering where you go when is too tough on a fantastically long shot. I wish you well. JA

Hi all; There has been a demand for a super light weight cage. I have made 2lb plates to go with the 6.5, 11 and 15lb plates I already make. They are the same size and shape and hole pattern as before. (Mike O'shea design.) The new plates are aluminum and use the same steel rods as on the heavier cages. The new cage with two plates and four rods weighs 4.5-5lbs total. All of my news plates now have focus rod holes in them so that you can use your rods; its been a necessary addition. This is perfect for the smaller rigs as you can imagine. The cost is still $375 for any two plates and any four rods (7" or 8.5") Any one plate is $200. $25 to ship in the US for just about all cages. Overseas ask me and I'll let you know but around $50. E-mail me if you are interested. Steadijan@hotmail.com Thanks. Have a nice December and 2010 JA

Hi all; I've been gone and didn't get a chance to reply until now and it seems good to let the news soak in. I'm still in disbelief. Not to long ago I was thinking 'Boy I wonder what Jeff will look like in old age and how long he'll operate.' I thought with a smile. I do believe Jeff really loved impressing us with his operating skills that no one else would dare but he did it out of an admiration for the device and those who surrounded him. I remember one picture that involved him shimmying out on a spit of rock and while seated aimed the rig straight down and shooting whatever was below. It a 20-30 foot bit of rock that he just inched his way out on while wearing the rig. We were all amazed, processing the picture and all he said was, 'ya that really trashed a pair of jeans'. Delores Claiborne I think. He had to step out of a helicopter, while it was on the ground, while wearing the rig and fall down so that the Music video guys would then huddle around the camera. He replaced someone else who didn't want to do the shot. He said "I knew I could fall down." Jeff also took his attitude and massive energy to the rest of his life. Jeff had a house that was somewhere inaccessible to the fire trucks in event of of wild fires so he came up with a plan divert water from a small spring nearby into a huge holding tank he dug and lined with cement to be able to fight the fires himself. Again I was amazed. Finally, the a story that came to mind as I thought of him this week. Fifteen-twenty years ago he learned that there had been gold on the "hill/mountain" around his house. He said, I'm going to see what I can find. He was planning on digging into the hillside to find it. I never heard if he did. At the time I had all kinds of visions of bad things happening. Boy if I ever felt mortal it was in hearing of Jeff's passing. I hope his family is coping in any way they can and that the Memorial helped them. I know I'll think of him a lot and miss his presence. Warm regards, Janice

Philip; I said the $500 as an extreme and not so extreme example. No I have not done any $500 days. I have done deals on my normal rate, as has everyone I know. I have had my last three jobs be calls for Internet videos with very little budgets. I have a few guys that are good beginning operators and I send them out with my Pilot and I get my rental rate. They get what they can, they make their deals and they have to figure out what their low-ball threshold is. Everyone does that as they start their careers these guys just don't have to buy the gear. I have done a one-shot friend shoot for way less than my normal rate but I spent four hours and I got a check at the end of the job. I even hesitated for a long time on deciding that one. As Charles says you fight for as much as you can. The trouble is the threshold keeps changing and the economy is hurting us all. (I am too cranky to go out for a few hundred, I'd just be pissed all day.) I spend time thinking about the larger whole everytime I get a phone call so trust me I'm considering this every time because I'm not sure what my next career could be. Don't worry we're the ones used to a good rate, we're the last ones to give it away. JA

Hi all; Charles' answers are again well said. We can't put the genie back in the bottle, we've made our niche so attractive to everyone its become now no longer the speciality it once was. Good and bad, lots more jobs but lots more ops. It all comes down to how much have you worked lately and how hungry are you. Its been a bad year for most and we've got bills to pay. Would $500 for a small industrial beat sitting at home today? If I am hungry or bored or whatever it might make the difference between paying the bills on my desk. I always say you forget the pain when the check comes, and its true most of the time. If its been a good year or week or month that $500 can go begging but if not, I might take it. It has also become an issue of small cameras. I've got a Pilot and I know what that rents for but it is unclear to me whether it can command the "regular" rate. Often times it means a smaller shoot and they can't afford as much as the bigger jobs. One operator I know charges the same no matter what the rig, he turns down anything less. I think it commands less money because I don't think they can pay the regular rate. I have clearly under-quoted some jobs with it but have scored lots of work with it, so who's to say? About 15 years ago, as Charles said, it all started changing. I didn't get the regional jobs anymore because someone there could do it. The production company needed a Steadicam not the highest one, not a Preston and even if the local guy wasn't perfect he was what they could afford and he was local. Money. I've got a Clinton-era rig (works fine) and I've used up lots of depreciation on some gear I've bought over the years but to go out on a limb for a lot of cash scares me right now because I don't know the equation for making it back. It is different. I've also come up with a truism lately that says anything I knew 15 years ago does not apply today. Its correct for most things and this is just one more. Lastly, rental house guy, I said well its a weekend shoot isn't that just a one day rental? (like it used to be) He said, "Everything is open for discussion." So true. JA

Hi all; I agreed to a small shoot yesterday. Of course they kept trying to keep costs down but it ended up being costly in several ways that kept adding up throughout the day. Just a few people on the crew. Simple idea, guys talking at the lens in a few locations. Only one mic so no audio guy; ok, guy who owns the camera can deal with that. Guy who owns the camera will pull focus and iris, Video lens, not a problem. Got a PA who can run for stuff. Problems, now its a cheap Wireless so it gets hits all the time, good takes for camera and talent meant do it again for audio hits. Suddenly lots of extras takes and time and finally the PA is booming, mic in the shot, horrors, not the kid's fault. Now its not the video lens its PRO-35 adapter and real film lenses, pulling focus means using a reference HD monitor to work from. Lots of extra takes too, although the guy did well, lots of trouble keeping cables out of the way too. So in summary, they cheaped out and it cost them time but what it really cost was the Steadicam operator getting beat up. No skin off them but the producer kept looking at his watch and wondering why we weren't at the next location yet. This is a written in the hope that we can all learn more from low-budget things that are popping up every day. Its not the look they sacrifice, nor the schedule, nor the quality, its the wear and tear on everyone which happens the next day out of sight of the production. The other crew members were also beaten up but they weren't doing our amount of work. JA

Hi all; Thanks for the Nods! I am thrilled to have been a part of this community for so long. Steadicam has always been about being part of a group of very smart people doing some really neat stuff, that's cool in itself. As Guy Bee said once "I may not have been the best but I could hold my own." Thanks again. Janice

David; File an insurance claim. Pay your deductible and get a new DB! Just because they don't make your DB anymore is not an issue. It was damage to your rig, that's what you say. You say the new part costs . . . and they buy it. Hope this helps. Janice

Nicholas; Here is what came up with a Google search from jan 2004 on this very forum I don't know anything beyond that. I suspect they could be used for some other system since I don't think his units are being delivered any longer. JA Hello All, UNITCINE is now shipping revised versions of the BENZ 5000 system; these feature AUTOCALIBRATE for the focus/iris motors, AUTOSEEK (receiver tracks handset frequency changes), longer battery life, revised BOA-LOK's , etc... More infomation about these changes are available on our website: www.UNITCINE.com Kind regards, Ben Fisher ben@unitcine.com UNITCINE, UK -------------------- Ben Fisher ben@unitcine.com UNITCINE, UK

Claus; Its been my experience that going from DC to Inverter to DC is not very efficient. So I would suggest buying a small portable generator, they have inverters in them to create AC and you can charge your batteries. They are very slick, suprisingly small and quiet. Take a gas can and you're all set. They are not horribly expensive, 800-1k around here and you can probably rent it to the production since the ACs are going to have to charge their batteries too. Check out ouput specs on it and make sure its got the right amount of power but it should easily power your charger. I've wanted one for a long time, but so far haven't had the need. Audio and video use car batteries/ATV batteries as their main power and are not recharging other batteries with them. They use a relatively small draw so they last a long time. The batteries also cheap enough to have more than one and lastly they just put it back in their car and recharge it. One other idea that is probably best; use your own car as a charger. Buy a DC to AC inverter, get the cigarette lighter plug to power it and charge your batteries off of that. Then you are charging your batteries off of the car battery with no fuss for a very cheap cost. Hopefully you are close to your car in this location? JA

Hi all; I now have in 15 lb plates too. I finally made a bunch. (6.5, 11. are available) 7" and 8.5" rods too. New plate idea for those sometimes crazy small camera configurations that won't let you put your dovetail where you want! It is aluminum and has the same hole pattern as the weight plates; it also has focus rod holes. It makes those lightweight camera configurations much more rigid and gives you lots more choices on where you can put your dovetail. Pictures to follow (still camera was lost). JA Steadijan@hotmail.com is best

Joshua; Here is my answer to those who want too much for free. (I like most do an occasional reduced rate/student film.) If is it a "business" and they want a freebee or nearly so I say fine you don't have money now, "I want 10% of the gross when it does make money." That used to be the norm, they don't even offer a percentage now because they see us as too low on the importance scale. Hey think of me as an investor! Its funny but before they used to be happy with someone who would just show up with the gear, now they check your resume, to see if you are "qualified" to work for them for free. Ain't that a statement about craziness? If its a business venture and you expect to make money then I'll take a chance on you but you've got to pay somewhere down the road. They say you can have credit; I say I don't need credit I need cash. I know its hard to collect, but boy they start reeling and you can state your case and demands. (Rental houses are swamped with these guys these days and they expect free or no cost gear at every turn and can't figure out why the rental house isn't "thrilled" to help them.) JA (Just some thoughts.)

Hi all; A friend is selling an Archer. I am helping him with check out and information. It has had very little use and is a couple of years old. Pictures will follow as soon as he gets them. It is a complete rig with Vest, Arm and Sled. Case also. Price is being determined now but feel free to let me know if you are interested and if you have an offer. Thanks. E-mail me at Steadijan@hotmail.com and I'll forward them to the guy. Janice

Hi all; Just to add to the stories. Guy I knew called me with a "what do I do with this thing?" question. He bought a film camera from the Army and when it arrived a Steadicam came with it! (Probably a few grand for the purchase.) They didn't know what it was and just thought it was part of the camera, so they included it. It was a Model 1 or 2 Steadicam. Probably early 90's, it wasn't completely state of the art at the time but it worked and all the parts were there. That's the best one I've ever heard. Never heard what he did with it. JA

Hi all; I am more and more amazed at the expectations of Steadicam operators every single day of the week. It is something akin to the Middle Ages in both torture and expectations of the human skeleton. I am seldom asked to do what lots of you do (weight and accessory wise) but I've put on a crazy amount of stuff on my rig too in an effort to make the director or DP happy. It has become something of a Pavlovian response to make them happy and I'm not sure I like where this is going. In the earliest days it was fun to kind of see what the device could do and what we were capable of, now it is partly that but we've become huge beasts of burden in the process. Because we make it look easy and because the device is still "weightless" looking I think other people forget how much is being asked of us. Now in addition the same precision and finesse is still required; like that of a motion control device, with very long lenses. I am hearing more and more younger operators lamenting "boy I don't know how much longer I can do this". I throw this out as an observer of this forum since its AOL days and one who has done more than her fair share of tremendously hard days. You guys are outdoing those days by miles. JA

Jay; Don't know about what the books say. Here is my 2 cents. 1) Static balance your rig. 2) spin it flat. 3) if it dips front or back move either the monitor or battery in or out a lot. 4) restatic balance it. 5) spin it again. Did that help or hurt? 6) now you know which way to go. 7) do it again until you pan flat. Should take under 10 min. Personally I'm not a stickler for this. Static balance is just fine for most of my shooting life. JA

Tommy; 1) If you can't get a company on the phone or to respond to you when you are waving money at them that's a bad sign. Go with a company that will pay attention to you, tiffen. 2) Customer service is part of what you are paying for. 3) You're going to need help, they have that. Where is Stavenger, or whatever place you are from? Read past posts about the other questions you have. Good luck. I have a Pilot, they work fine and you'll get what you need for the HVX-200. JA

Mike; I really am not trying to make you crazy but you've got some stuff going on here that has red flags all over it, which is why you've gotten so many responses. 1) IATSE union is all over Michigan, they've organized even lots of the industrials, most of the commercials and certainly most of the features low budget or not. 2) You've posted your job on the internet, now you've got lots of competition taking aim at your job which won't happen for months and they know all the details. Next time quietly ask some Steadicam friends, don't post it. Post it later, after the job, maybe. We're all pals but when it comes to work its every man/women for himself! Everyone is quietly making mental notes of who is doing what. 3) "The producer said" I won't need wireless. They don't know. 4) Operator and ACing, very tough, if not impossible, still don't understand that one. (If you can get on a Non-union job and if they organize you can get your union card, cheaper or a good in with the union.) 5) What all the other guys said about the gear not up to the challenge of the cameras I agree. I do wish you well but you're maybe about to get steamrollered for all your efforts to be prepared. JA Good luck.

Hi all; I have cages. I am beginning to ship them this week and next. Let me know if you are interested. E-mail me Steadijan@hotmail.com is best. Thanks. (Pictures are available if you e-mail me directly.) JA

Mark; I was wondering with that first move if it was a vehicle but boy the rest is rock solid and he is really moving so I thought maybe vehicle. (SD version I watched on my iphone was amazing.) Very funny concept and in the end it turns out PG. JA

Hi all; Really fun to watch. I have two points. 1) the words are all backwards on the shops and buildings, etc. 2) I think its a vehicle shot of some sort. The women are walking at a good clip and the camera never hesitates and it even moves left and right for some things on the route. Darn, now you'll have to watch it again! JA

Hi all; I'll have weight cages in about a week or 10 days. They are based on Mike O'Shea's design. 6.5, 11 and 15.5 lb weights that you can mix or match. The "traditional" height of the rods was 7". I have those rods available as well as 8.5" rods for the taller cameras. The cage in any combination is $375. The plates are $200 each and an additional set of rods is $85.00. Let me know if want one. Thanks. (buyer pays shipping)

Hi all; Why don't you go to www.homebuiltstabilizers.com as Erwin suggested? They are all dying to help someone built an arm from easily available parts and the key word for them is cheaply too. They are smart guys too. Some of Erwin's links are great, BTW. Who knew they existed? JA Some even sells plans and directions.