William Demeritt

I've got it. Great in the sun. Horizon indicator is a bit problematic, and not motion compensated so it freaks out during lateral moves or whip pans.

Here's what I was excited by at NAB:

https://www.paguk.com/landing/PAGlink

So long, Anton Bauer (I guess?)

Impressions of Day 1:

• BlackMagic has a cheap camera, the buzz is decidedly AGAINST it primarily based on how much everyone hates BlackMagic's support of their current cameras.
• Everyone seems very jazzed about the AJA camera, and rightly so: looks like an Alexa mated with a Phantom. Lots of connections, seems ergonomic, lots of flat spots for mounting accessories and velcro, etc. An AC friend of mine gave it the highest accolade any AC will give a camera: "I don't hate it."
• PAG now makes 3-stud "gold mount" batteries that seem to work with Anton Bauer gold mounts, and they stack, so you can have 5 batteries stacked high, and they'll charge (and discharge) in order of outermost battery. I was inordinately excited by that.
• The guy doing interviews at the Teradek booth didn't know Garrett Brown invented the Steadicam, introduced him first as "Gary".
• Chris Fawcett made Lynn Nicholson's auto-leveling platform, it looks awesome, seems to work beautifully.
• The number of Movi knockoffs was double digits.

Didn't the advent of the 200º shutter come with the "bowtie" style mirror that offered more exposure (something the film stocks desperately needed/wanted)? I believe the reflex system was actually two 80º mirrors. The film itself still moved through the gate at 24 frames per second, but the exposure time changed from 1/48 of a second to 1/43 of a second (a change of 23/10000 of a second), and the pulldown claw moved the exposed frame out and set the next position for the registration pin in less time. Rather than taking 1/48 of a second to move and set, it should take place in 1/53 of a second.

So, if the spinning mirror went from 180º to 200º, the movement would compensate for the longer exposure (or else each frame would smear for 23/10000 of a second, and leave a gnarly ghost)? And if it was <180º, then the spinning mirror would simply spin faster, limiting exposure time of the individual frame but keeping the frames progressing thru the gate at 24fps.

I would imagine that projection would take place as normal, since despite all the exposure trickery of the mirror and movement, the film was still shot at 24 frames per second. If the film is projected at 24 frames per second, all the extra effort should be seemless to the audience and enjoyed by a DP getting 11.05769% extra exposure out of his stock.

Anyway, all conjecture. I interned at Panavision Florida a while back, and remember learning about that stuff. I think all the Panaflex cameras could do 200º shutters either by turning a little wheel to the position of the angle you wanted.

sup?

Rob, we're gonna raid the minibar in your room and bail shortly thereafter.

NEVER TAKE US ALIVE, VUONA! NYA!

Wow, that's a great price for the range and attached antennas. Seems like the tradeoff between this and the new Teradek systems are the LCD display, which is a fantastic option. Still, at this price, kinda unbeatable, especially if you don't plan to take advantage of the multicast options (this device seems to advertise explicitly 1:1).

These look pretty awesome:

http://ikancorp.com/productdetail.php?id=579

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looking forward to seeing the price for the 600.

I wasn't contacted. I feel really sad now.

However, I really want to go on record (again?) by saying this: it's a forum of professionals, but it's also Steadicam nerds. Seriously, we're all nerds for this goofy little device and all the doodads that make the dynamite go boom.

Nerds have opinions. They have good opinions and bad opinions. They have knee jerk opinions, and well thought out opinions. We react to vaporware, and we praise the legit stuff. That sort of dynamic is a GREAT thing ESPECIALLY on a web forum, because it means I can make purchasing decisions with a grain of salt, or I can heed great advice or disregard as appropriate.

When I'm considering new gear, I don't round up how many people say "OH, YES, THIS LOOKS AWESOME!" I look for the people who have critical analysis of the gear and determine if that analysis has value. Sometimes, they do, and sometimes they don't!

But I'd rather sift thru the information and decide for myself. So please, let's not sanitize this forum of all it's critical value simply because we're doing what we do: talk nerd.

I'll give you 2,800 pesos.

I heard this year is all about the game changers.

I may just ask people at every booth where their 3D cameras and technology is.

Brooks,

Did you check the crew to see who had a laser pointer and was tagging your transmitter? Probably that gaffer! :blink:

It was shown to be a commercial. Lovely idea, but marketing none the less.

Out of respect for the dead (literally), maybe we sanitize this thread of our usual day-to-day squabbling, lest others in our industry accidentally find this conversation and remember this forum for one disgraceful thread?

Lock the thread, edit your own posts, and let's focus on the problem that lead to her death. Pictures on your sled, black bands on your sleeve... nothing will bring her back. Carry that in your heart. Enough.

"The internet isn't written in pencil, it's written in ink."

Robert were did you find this quote?

At the bottom of this article: http://variety.com/2014/film/news/investigator-midnight-rider-crew-wasnt-supposed-to-be-on-tracks-1201115835/

Also worth noting from the comments section of that same article:

 

 

I have been in the film business most of my adult life.

In the mid 90′s I was the Chief Lighting Technician on a feature film shot in Nashville Tenn. We had a scene with a train crossing a bridge over a river at night. Oddly CSX was the railroad. From the time of planning through rigging the bridge with lights to the actual shooting of the scene CSX had a representative with us the entire time. At no time were any of the crew allowed on that bridge without permission from the CSX rep.

The shot went off perfectly and no one was ever in peril or injured during the shoot.

Needless to say this is a case of gross negligence by the production company and those in their employ to have even put any one member of the crew at risk.

I worked briefly this last fall with Sarah,

She was a wonderful vibrant young woman who is already missed and mourned by many of us here in Atlanta.

Sounds about right to me. CSX representative on site sounds like a mandatory.

Veterans in all the departments and CENTURIES of experience is meaningless if you don't have permission to film on the tracks, and that includes experienced and authorized personnel to communicate with the train companies or whoever to determine train utilization of said tracks.

Weather is "unexpected". Illness on set is "unexpected".

A TRAIN? Should not be "unexpected", and if that's a possibility, then escape/safety routes must be known.

Who works in any building, any room, any situation without a properly marked "EXIT" sign?

I agree with Afton: anytime I have someone spotting me that I can tell isn't quite sure what he/she is doing, I give them a quick 2 minute rundown.

• My PRO vest has a handle on it, GRAB THAT.
• You grab me, I'll grab the rig.
• I'll tell you the direction I'm most likely to fall, and it's usually opposite to the direction the camera is pointing. Get on that side.
• Since you're on the side of me that's where I'll fall, don't "catch" me. PUSH ME UP. I'll regain my footing.
• My preference: stay nearby, be mindful of the rig. I generally don't need you to hold me all the time. Just ask my wife. :D

Moral of the story: a good operator should want to help you understand how you can help them. Ask them to give you a quick brief, and they'll be happy to get you up to speed.

Jack, there's your queue! Get in here!

Someone more lawyerish will probably chime in, but I think if Tiffen wanted to challenge your web-squatting domain, they could, since they own the "Steadicam" trademark. You COULD sell it, but then the new owner could get in trouble and probably get annoyed with the purchase decision (and you?).

Can the wifi be disabled and limit the transmission to only the receiver unit?

I've got the TR-04 Jr, and I like it a lot. Just big enough for all my gear, but small enough to fit in tight hallways or elevators without a problem.

I bought mine with 8" wheels instead of 10" wheels, and it's still a tad bit top heavy. Otherwise, I'm very happy with mine. I've got the vest hanger and baby pin spanner bar, and it works great with a loaded rig. Also, collapses down nicely and fits in my VW Jetta Sportwagen.

I'll post some photos in a bit when I'm back home.

Food for thought, Will. I've always worn show blacks. Never thought to wear a collared long sleeved black shirt. Something new to try !!!

I'm fond of 1/4 zip long sleeve shirts. They still form a collar unzipped, or zip up to keep your neck warm. No buttons or zipper to press against the chest spar on your vest.

Geesh, now I'm starting to think this wasn't appropriate the night the Duck Dynasty cast was on Kimmel.image.jpg

When I think Duck Dynasty, I think professionalism.

Colleagues that I look up to told me: "Years ago, everyone working on set wore collared shirts with ties. You should too." Since then, I've accumulated a lot of black polo shirts (long and short sleeve), minimal branding (ADIDAS or Nike), all dry-fit. ADIDAS dry-fit golf slacks are great too.

I previously had a sticker on my PRO 2 green screen monitor that said "The beatings will continue until morale improves!" Funny, and true, but I've since removed anything from my rig or outfits that indicate I'm anything other than professional.

I'll let my sense of humor disarm people, but I TRY to keep my gear nothing but professional.

Although I still want to make a shirt out of my favorite quote from Rob V: "Nobody cares about your stupid show more than me!"

The door to their office should say "Abandon all hope of buying something else, ye who enter here."

Glad you had a great experience, but the only thing you missed out on was if a repair job came in. Jack's enthusiasm for showing off his stuff is only exceeded by his service and repair attention, and he probably would have left you to chat with Tommy and Chad while he, personally, repaired the gear.