Peter Abraham

Good morning,

The Tiffen Company is pleased to announce that Keeble & Shuchat in Palo Alto, California is hosting a 2 Day Steadicam Workshop featuring the Steadicam Zephyr, Scout and Pilot systems.

The dates are September 15 & 16, 2011 at their store located at 290 South California Avenue

Palo Alto, CA 94306. Please note that this workshop is taking place on Thursday and Friday of that week.

Tuition is $ 500.00 USD, prepaid at the time of registration. To register for this or any other authorized Tiffen Steadicam Workshop, please visit the Steadicam Workshops Web Site.

The group size is limited to 9 students. If you have any questions regarding our Workshops program, please contact me by phone or email.

Best to all,

Peter Abraham

Director of Technical Services, Steadicam®

The Tiffen Company

917-453-1219

paraham@tiffen.com

Good evening one and all,

Tiffen is hosting it's annual Steadicam Evening on Monday, April 11 of NAB week. The event will once again be held at the Harley Davidson Cafe - 3725 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89109, (702) 740-4555.

We're starting it at 7:30 pm. Hope to see all of you there. If you're planning on coming, either email me or post up here so we can get a good head count.

Best,

Peter Abraham

Director of Technical Services/ Steadicam®

The Tiffen Company

pabraham@tiffen.com

The chest plate on my Ultra 2 vest, namely the metal section that slides to adjust the length of the vest, squeaks and creaks when it's under load. If I clean it with a light soap and water, the creaking stops, but is back after a few days. Should I get some type of lubricant to stop the creaking for longer durations?

Hi Michael,

Give me a call so we can discuss this if you have a moment.

Best,

Peter Abraham

Dir. of Technical Services, Steadicam®

917=453-1219

Did you have a Steadicam ?

When I was working as an Operator, I was on the set of a soap opera in NYC. There was a large party scene. Dozens of extras in addition to most of the cast. Standing near the rig, arm in vest, my arm draped around the arm in the traditional posture of " yeah, I'm ready / I'm holding my arm from flaying about " posture.

Someone spoke to me and went to hand me something and for a still unknown reason, I reached with my right hand. Let go of the arm. Which swung away slowly, but not too slowly. Then the room full of actors hears, " OUCH !". There is an extra, holding her hand to her cheek. The arm had hit her in the face.

Not a sound in the room. Stage manager had her sent downstairs to ice her face and I awaited what might have been poor outcome.

She came back about an hour later. Looked okay, having iced her face. Re-made up, she came up to me. I apologized for the incident and with plenty of people looking on, I said- " Tell me if I need to have someone contact your agent regarding this accident". Code for: Are you going to sue me or not?

She shook her head and said she was fine, her face didn't hurt. No swelling we could see. She was gracious about it, and I never heard another word.

She could easily have sat down, held her face and demanded an ambulance. I got lucky. It was after that incident that I arranged the Liability policy with Walter P. Dolle. Have it to this day.

So, no true injury from a Steadicam but a small injury that could have become a litigation situation.

Live and learn.

Best to all,

Peter

Great response already ! We are looking forward to seeing our Steadicam colleagues from the L.A. area. As an added treat, Element Technica has graciously offered to bring one or two of their rigs up for a discussion on 3D. We'll have their discussion as a part of the post-dinner activities.

Let me know by email if you'd like to come up and stay through dinner and into the evening.

Best to all,

Peter Abraham

Director of Technical Services, Steadicam®

GM of Steadicam Workshops

pabraham@tiffen.com

917-453-1219

Cannot agree with Charles more. When Operating full-time for a living, I carried a $ 2 million liability bond. Production insurance and clearly written contracts are a must. If you do not have a clear and solid deal memo, it is worth it's weight in gold to have an attorney create one for you.

The relevance is absolute. We- like jib ops- are near people and groups, using a heavy piece of machinery sometimes at high speeds. Careful planning and prudent use do not always prevent incidents.

We stress safety above all else.

Best to all,

Peter Abraham

Good morning,

The Tiffen Company is pleased to announce that CinequipWhite Vancouver is hosting a 2 Day Steadicam Workshop. The systems that will be used are the Steadicam Zephyr, Scout and Pilot.

The dates are July 9 & 10, 2011. Tuition is $ 500.00 U.S.D. prepaid at time of registration. To register for this or any other Tiffen Steadicam Workshop, visit our Workshops Web site.

An Open House will be held on Friday, July 8th. Times to be announced on the CinequipWhite Vancouver web site. This provides all who wish to stop by a chance to try out the new series of Steadicam systems from Tiffen. It also is the chance for current Steadicam owners to stop by with technical question for Peter Abraham from The Tiffen Company.

This group is limited to 9 students.

If there are any questions regarding Steadicam Workshops or systems, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Peter

Peter Abraham

Director of Technical Services, Steadicam®

GM Steadicam Workshops Program

The Tiffen Company

90 Oser Avenue

Hauppauge NY 11788

(917) 453-1219

(845) 595-2270 Fax

pabraham@tiffen.com

http://www.thesteadicamworkshops.com

Good morning,

The Tiffen Company is pleased to announce that B&H Photo in New York City is hosting a 2 Day Steadicam Workshop. The dates are August 15 & 16, 2011. Tuition is $ 500.00 U.S.D. prepaid at time of registration. To register for this or any other Tiffen Steadicam Workshop, visit our Workshops Web site.

This group is limited to 9 students.

* Please note- This Workshop is held on Monday and Tuesday.

If there are any questions regarding Steadicam Workshops or systems, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Peter

Peter Abraham

Director of Technical Services, Steadicam®

GM Steadicam Workshops Program

The Tiffen Company

90 Oser Avenue

Hauppauge NY 11788

(917) 453-1219

(845) 595-2270 Fax

pabraham@tiffen.com

http://www.thesteadicamworkshops.com

Hey Brad !

Superb examples of the mods that used to be available. There's a Model II sled at the Steadicam factory in Glendale that has the DeRose battery mod bracket on it.

Love the 2-piece BetaCam with the nightmarishly high C.G.

"it's been 18 years since I had the 1"

 

Really? Really? No. Really?

 

That was the sled I learned on people.

 

18 years? Really?

Right? Right? Can you believe he's that old?

I can't.

Must wade in here. Cannot find my Model 1 photos. Here's what I did. Had an adaptor made to match the angle of the plate welded to the front post as it screwed into the top of the Model 1 monitor housing. One end was angled, the other end was flat. That end was screwed into the bottom of the sled housing.

Upside? Quite rigid solution. Downside? The monitor was angled up towards the sky. Fine if I was in low mode and tilted up slightly ( in fact, it was great then ). A bit rougher if one is in low mode and boomed up some, and shooting downwards. In that situation, the monitor was angled up and away from the eyes.

Remember, we like to be able to look down as we work. With a bit of electronics work, you can get a BNC jack mounted on the bottom taking video from the video line coming from the top J-box. ( gee, the language sure has changed ). I suggest you mount a lightweight LCD from a small magic arm from the front post. It can be tilted to face up towards you. A 7" LCD is light- the one we sold for the Flyer LE was about a pound and had a nice AR coating on the face.

Please note- the Model I Steadicam was front-heavy by design. ( Who knew from Dynamic Balance?? ) Mounting an LCD will do the trick in terms of visibility of monitor. It will, however, throw your sled more out of balance. Not a problem- be aware that you will want to add some weight in the back end to compensate. If it is modified for an Anton Bauer mount already, or has the old DeRose vertical battery mod, you can find a way to add weight back there after adding an LCD monitor and get it into lovely Dynamic Balance.

Let's see. Got my Model I in the spring of 1987. Nickname: " Ole Smokey ". ( still reeks of burnt electronics from fire damage ).

Incredibly, this unit came with the original follow focus. Not only the first design- the first one sold. It was Lens Control Unit # 001. Spare box was LC-1 # 002. Before I owned it, it was rented by Ted Ashton to shoot the Oscars the year Garrett won for the Steadicam system.

I got to see Charles' Model I as well once.

Mine was cooler.

:P

Show us pictures of the solution you came up with, and enjoy the rig !!! Feel free to email me for a few other tips on how to wring all you can out of that sled.

Best,

Peter Abraham

Dir. Technical Services, Steadicam®

The Tiffen Company

pabraham@tiffen.com

Good afternoon,

The Tiffen Company is pleased to announce that E.V.S. in Glendale is hosting a 2 Day Steadicam Workshop. June 5 & 6. 1819 Victory Blvd. Glendale, CA. 92101. Tuition is $ 500.00 U.S.D. prepaid at time of registration. To register for this or any other Tiffen Steadicam Workshop, visit our Workshops Web site.

This group is limited to 9 students.

* Please note- This Workshop is held on Sunday and Monday.

If there are any questions regarding Steadicam Workshops or systems, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Peter

Peter Abraham

Director of Technical Services, Steadicam®

GM Steadicam Workshops Program

The Tiffen Company

90 Oser Avenue

Hauppauge NY 11788

(917) 453-1219

(845) 595-2270 Fax

pabraham@tiffen.com

http://www.thesteadicamworkshops.com

The Tiffen Company is hosting the 5th Annual Lake Arrowhead Classic Steadicam Workshop at the UCLA Conference Center at Lake Arrowhead, CA. We would like to invite the Steadicam community to come up for the Operators' Night. This year it will be on Monday, March 28th. Please arrive after 3:00 pm on that day. We will be glad to see as many of you as wish to make the lovely drive up into the San Gabriel's.

We invite you and a guest to stay for dinner with us. After dinner, we spend the evening socializing and sharing experiences. Garrett Brown, Jerry Holway and the rest of the Instructors look forward to spending time with you. We will have a Steadicam Tango on site to try out- another chance to fly it in case you've not done so yet.

In order to have arrangements in place for dinner, I ask you to RSVP as soon as you know if you are attending. I can be contacted at pabraham@tiffen.com .

Best to all,

Peter Abraham

917.453.1219

pabraham@tiffen.com

Thanks for the props, Joshua. Obviously I agree with Jerry here- take a workshop.

Here's a few examples of seemingly minor things that are amplified when operating a Steadicam. ( In no particular order of importance ). They are described as though one is operating on the Normal Side™. Those who are Goofy-Foot®, well, what can I say? :)

1. Your right shoulder and right side of neck are throbbing. The entire rig was adjusted properly and the vest was symmetrical in alignment and firm on the body. The discomfort created a headache that stuck all day, was distracting and makes you wish you could remove your entire right arm/shoulder area. Why? Because your right arm rests on the Steadicam arm slightly when you operate, and you have solved the issue by lifting your human arm up slightly so that you are not compressing the lower Steadicam arm section. More ergonomic and less painful solution? Don't lift up your arm and shoulder assembly. Instead, "open it up" by pivoting out slightly with the elbow. It raises a bit of a gap there under the arm pit, and raises the fore arm up off of the Steadicam arm section. Equally importantly, it does not scrunch up the muscles and tendons along the upper shoulder/ neck area. It leaves them relaxed yet solves the problem.

2. You're new to Steadicam. Got a workshop under your belt. Are trying to do all you've been told to do. Despite a lot of adjusting and careful analysis of your form, your feet, ankles, knees, hips and back are sore after relatively short shots. Come to find out you have flat feet. ( I did ). Custom cut fiberglass orthotic inserts lift the arch, aligning ankle, knee, hip, back, etc. Seems like such a small thing. The pain goes away, the muscles build properly as you build your skill set- and in proper alignment !

Just two examples. All by way of saying, if you are doing this properly, "those muscles" and the tendons and ligaments around L 1-2-3 are built up to a remarkable degree.

Be extremely aware and critical of your own form. If you've had a formal workshop, you have been shown good form by an expert Instructor. ( or Instructors as is the case with the Tiffen Workshops and S.O.A. Workshops ). Get someone to video you while you operate. Head to toe. Watch your form. The little things that were caught in the blizzard of new skills may turn out to be the things that are most critical as you move ahead with developing truly fine operational form.

Oh- to address the post just above mine: Use the Rest Position when you are not on air. Let the Control Room get used to seeing the ceiling of the studio. They will learn- you'll be there when they need you, and the rest position removes any angular pressures normally associated with flying a rig. Feels great ! Not as great as docking, but if docking is not possible, then rest it up on the shoulder whenever you can.

Best to all,

Peter Abraham

Steadicam Op 25 years

Dir. of Technical Services and G.M. of the Steadicam Workshops Program

The Tiffen Company

pabraham@tiffen.com

When shooting the 1995 and 2000 Super Bowls, I got swamped too. You hold on tight and hope your tally isn't on when someone lunges against you !! That fast backing up shot as the Lombardi Trophy is carried on the field and up to the presentation stage? Fun. Narrow little chute to back up in. In 2000 it was so tight that the guy carrying it ( no clue who that was... ) almost bumped into my rig passing by me.

Lovely work, much of it done at high speed.

Peter Abraham

The Tiffen Company is pleased to announce that ShowCase Atlanta is once again hosting a 2 Day Steadicam Workshop.

This event will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 14 & 15, 2011 at their facility at 2323 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta, GA 30324.

Tuition is $ 500.00 prepaid at time of registration. This group is limited to 9 students. The Steadicam Zephyr, Scout and Pilot will be used during this workshop for training. There will also be an Open House held at ShowCase Atlanta the day before for several hours for those of you unable to attend the workshop. Hours to be announced here in the coming days.

To register for this workshop, visit the Workshops web site and click on Reserve A Workshop.

Feel free to contact me with any questions regarding this or any other Tiffen Steadicam Workshop.

Best to all,

Peter Abraham

Steadicam Workshops General Manager

Dir. of Technical Services, Steadicam

The Tiffen Company

pabraham@tiffen.com

(917) 453-1219

The Tiffen Company is pleased to announce that Rule/ Boston Camera is once again hosting a 2 Day Steadicam Workshop.

This event will take place on Saturday and Sunday, July 16 & 17, 2011 at the Rule/Boston Camera facility at 1284 Soldiers Field Road, Boston, MA 02135.

Tuition is $ 500.00 prepaid at time of registration. This group is limited to 9 students. The Steadicam Zephyr, Scout and Pilot will be used during this workshop for training. There will also be an Open House held at Rule/Boston Camera the day before for several hours for those of you unable to attend the workshop. Hours to be announced here in the coming days.

To register for this workshop, visit the Workshops web site and click on Reserve A Workshop.

Feel free to contact me with any questions regarding this or any other Tiffen Steadicam Workshop.

Best to all,

Peter Abraham

Steadicam Workshops General Manager

Dir. of Technical Services, Steadicam

The Tiffen Company

pabraham@tiffen.com

(917) 453-1219

Never met a Flyer or Flyer LE I couldn't get into dynamic balance. We love seeing the monitor without leaning over and you can do so even if the monitor is all the way down. I'm not an advocate of tilting the monitor arm up. Rather, lower it until it hits the "stop" built into the monitor arm assembly.

Then, using only the fore/aft on the camera stage and the ability to gently pivot the battery, you can get the rig into dynamic balance.

Not only does tilting the monitor arm up from the stop point minimize it's contribution to inertial in the panning axis, it raises the mass in the front drastically, therefore making the battery "heavier" by comparison.

Peter Abraham

Dir. of Technical Services, Steadicam

pabraham@tiffen.com

Oooooooh boy.

So far I see 5 folks coming? Plus a few more who aren't tracking it here. Bryan is your better half accompanying you? Lemme know.

Can't wait to see everyone ! See you folks later in the afternoon.

Best,

Peter

The Tiffen Company is pleased to invite Steadicam Operators to our Operators' Night in conjunction with the Eastern Classic Workshop. Once again it is being held at Historic Banning Mills, which is southwest of Atlanta GA. We invite you to come down after 3 PM on Wednesday, December 8th to visit, share and enjoy dinner with the workshop group.

Instructors this year are Jerry Holway, Garrett Brown, Peter Abraham, David Svenson, Ruben Sluijter and Chris Fawcett. Our group of 20 students will- as always- be delighted to meet and spend time with you. The new Steadicam Tango and Steadicam Phantom will be available to be tried out during your stay, along with the new Zephyr and Scout.

Come down and enjoy an evening of great dining and socializing with us ! If you wish to arrange housing for the evening, please contact the office at Banning Mills for availability. Their info is below.

Looking forward to seeing our colleagues and friends,

Sincerely,

Peter

Peter Abraham

Dir. of Technical Services/ Steadicam Workshops Coordinator

The Tiffen Company

pabraham@tiffen.com

917-453-1219

Historic Banning Mills

205 Horseshoe Dam Road

Whitesburg GA 30185

(770) 834-9149

Congrats to NBC Steadicam Operator John Montalbano on a fantastically operated single shot today on "The Today Show". This Today Show Link shows behind the scenes as well as a feature on the college video that went viral, inspiring this network version.

You made our Steadicam Ultra look good !

Great job to you John and your able crew of utilities and assistants. Fun to watch and no doubt fun to operate.

Best to you and your colleagues.

Peter Abraham

Director of Technical Services/ Steadicam

The Tiffen Company

pabraham@tiffen.com

but of course! just before his "pirate" phase with the flashy pajama bottoms! Also Kirk Gardner and of course Teddy, and Ed DiGiulio...

Teddy, Eddie, Kirk and Guy. Wasn't that a late-70's movie? :D

I was asked to do ladder work now and again. It happened early enough that I carried what I thought was a reasonable cheap alternative. ( Eventually built a stronger version ). I told grips to get a 4x8 sheet of plywood. I carried thick angle irons and 5/8" bolts and washers. Drill through, mount the angle irons and hook them onto the non-step side of a ladder. Voila- instant platform for crane shots. Wound up making a plank for myself. 2 feet wide, 2" thick, 8 feet long. Thick emery cloth grip treads on it. Angle irons at one end. Take a sled case, rest it underneath about half way up to stop the plank from flexing and it's quite rigid and safe. Also, every step gives you another angle of inclination to use.

Ladders? Not so much. Another way to walk up into the air safely? You betcha.

Best use of the "SteadiRamp®" ? Outside of the Ed Sullivan Theater shooting a walk up with Dan Rather as he headed inside.

There is always a safe way to get the shot.

Best

Peter Abraham

Douglas we will be delighted to see you in Toronto if you would like to train there.

Best,

Peter Abraham

I've re-read this thread, as I sometimes do here. Good food for thought. It struck me that many threads in this particular area address extremely long shots. The complexities, the nuance, the pacing, the problem-solving and dramatic enhancements.

In an odd and I suspect unintentional way we are ignoring the very important bread and butter work many of us do. No matter what we are shooting, our responsibility to remain invisible and only support the story by moving our frame is the same. It may not matter if it is a 4-minute shot or a 25-second shot.

If, by operational or compositional dint, we have done something to draw attention away from the story happening within the frame edges, we've done a disservice. Don't mean to take anything away from the astonishing complexity of nailing a shot that lasts 3,4,6...7 minutes.

But it doesn't mean that we get to phone it in when the shot doesn't even last 30 seconds. Good to keep in mind, especially when developing a style and skill set early on. Every story moment is of equal value and is deserving of that same level of support.

Best to all,

Peter Abraham