Mikko Wilson

I tired the ABC (along with every other rig at IBC 2004) and it SUCKED!

No ways about it, it was by far the worst rig at the show in my oppinion.

My biggest gripe about it was that, I at least, couldn't find any adjustment for the arm's angle at the vest connection (one of those peg in socket things.. with the peg on the arm)

The defult (only?) angle was bad enough that the camera was pulling away from me almost hard enough to pull me over. - now I'm sure I wasnt' standing compleatly properly, but I dind't have any problem with any of the other rigs.

Also that peg was also the only pivot at the vest end of the arm if I recall correctly, so the rig was a little sluggish to move around. - I didn't even bother taking more than about 5m from the stand before just redocking and moving on.

My advice would be to spend your $12k on a Steadicam ProVid2, it will fly your DigiBETA, and 16mm, don't know about 35mm tho..

Just my 2 cents.

- Mikko

I'm sure there must have been a poll like this here before, but I haven't seen one in a while..

I'm also curious about people's reason for choosing the side of operation?

- Mikko

Hmm.. ok, so only had the Flyer for just over a month.

Cable count (that's cables for the rig) is curently 9. - 11 If you count the ones hardwired to my tally.

But that is with a transmistter as only accersory and video cameras only.

Mitch: Do adapters count? :wacko:

- Mikko

When and where is this project taking place?

- Mikko

Neat, someone who knows how to connect battery to bulb. :o

However, really.

This is a usefull quick fix and I'm sure works well, however if you shine a little too much light on your photocell you will blow the LED. (is it recording now?)

The use of photocells to relay tally is not at all a new idea, for example many Teleprompters use a similar circuit to turn on the prompter's own tally lamp from the camera without hardwiring.

To do this properly you need a little bit of a circuit to drive the LED from the Photocall correctly. - I suspect that Peter's tally lights use this circuit.

Depending on the circuit used you can even have it adjustable for sensetivity too (Peter, are yours adjustable? - Future option maybe?)

On a side note, Peters lights are of very high quality and I'm sure that you can't beat them for durabilty either. :-)

- Mikko Wilson

Ruben!

I love your animation that's in the Workshop section of the SOA site! Nice work.

Sometimes that line just does seem a little long, and now we know why.

Well worth checking out everyone!

- Mikko

Anyone know where i can get a tree with a 3/4" threaded trunk? :lol:

- Mikko

Now, look. The tilting head stage is a Patented item. Going to an engineering student to "take a look at" that is a dirty trick and not one bit respectful of the inventors and their protection under law. You wanna machine something? Go for it. He wants to machine something? He can go for it. Encouraging this fellow- whose intent seems very honorable- to do something completely dishonrable smacks of the kind of disrespect rarely seen in our corner of the industry.

 

I decry it. Let the fellow apply a fresh set of eyes and new point of view to what we do, he might well have some neat ideas.

 

And, to do an end-run around the predictable retorts I am talking about honor and respect for intellectual property here, not which countries are covered by the Patents for the Tilting Head Stage. It's unfair to try to drag someone new into the theft of intellectual ideas and designs battle.

A men!

How about figure out an anti-gravity device to replace the arm and vest? B)

- Mikko

Gordon,

2 words. "Just go" [to a workshop]

Most people here will tell you that.

I myself am only just starting out and I just attended the SOA workshop in PA. And it was great, and well worth it! After a week I feel that I am now ready to get into this field. I know it's something that I want to do.

Going out and just buying a rig will not make you an operator, it will take you (and me) many years of practice and dedication, and a workshop is the perfect place to start.

Maybe you've tried it out befor and you know what it's about then by all means practice however you can, including getting a rig. But remeber that's a lot of money, and if you arn't really sure, take the workshop. you will not only find out if steadicam is for you, but you will also learn how ot get started operating properly, without developing bad habits from the get go.

However, do also keep in mind that taking a workshop won't make you an operator in a week either. And having a certificate in your hand won't make the phone start to ring, but it will give you huge amounts of help in the direction you want to get started in. It's the perfect environment to get started and to learn from some of the best and most experienced operators in the buisness. - Who better to ask for advice.

So my advice is to FIRST go to the workshop, Either Malibu in Jan (i think?) or SOA in PA in may(?). THEN you will be able to answer the question for yourself about getting your own rig.

Good luck!

- Mikko

Ok, well the basic consesus seems clear.

Windows Media and QT. (not even a mention of other options so far - though does someone use Real or Divix?)

But how big should they be? How long is too long to wait for a download to watch a reel? - I like the idea of splitting them up.

I agree that for some reason the best compression is out of Win Movie Maker (go Figure)

What's the best wey to compress QT? and how small to make it? (Mine allways end up huge files with itty bitty resolution!)

- Mikko

So as the world gets more connected, a bunch of us have our reels online, with more beeing posted every day.

Now, regardless of content and length, etc.. (the usual topics..)

What is the best format to use? What do demo reel watchers prefer?

I see 4 basic choices: Divix, Quick Time, Real Media and Windows Media.

Each has it's goods and bads of course. Divix is small but not so comon, QT is big but used more profesionally, Real is the old timer web format and is leader in mobile devices, and Windows Media has best size/quatlity ratio.

So what format to use?

And along those lines..

How big should they be? Is it worth having to wait a little longer for better content? or is it key to get it out there first, then worry about size?

- Mikko Wilson

Yeah, those HELMETS are IMPORTANT!

I was out in the woods shooting some biking 2 days ago. The trails were relativly wide and a very hard surface. I was shooting with a XL1 on a (brand spanking new) Flyer.

For one of the shots I got into a bike trailer towed behind the "race leader" at that point, so looking back at the other 2 bikers.

As I was getting adjusted I asked for the extra helmet that we had for the shot. It was in a car at the trail-head, but one of the guys went back for it as I insisted we had it for the shot.

We went rather slowly, a nice puttering along pace. The shot went great ... untill we clipped a small stump on the inside of a corner. It was all sky from there. The trailer flipped over dumping me out onto my back and 'tapping' the back of my head on the hard trail. It was definatly one of those nocks where you know that the helmet did you a favor.

- Oh and for those worried about the rig too.. The Flyer is nice and light so I was able to keep it above me as I went over and it was fine.

So yeah, going what seems very slow on a very simple shot, you still need that helmet!

- Mikko

Thanks Jim! That's just what I needed. :-)

- Mikko

Hi all,

This be my first post, as a newbie on the forum and even greener as a Op (not that's I'd call myself one yet by any means) having only flown at IBC - though for many hours, just ask the the folks at the Tiffen stand... (Huge thanks to them, btw.)

I have (somehow) convinced my college to buy a Flyer, and it should arrive the first week of November just in time for me to return from the SOA workshop.

I am preparing some accesories for the rig, like a cheap transmitter and wireless tally lamp (as we are FAR from the triax world, all the systems are self made)

However I haven't been able to find out what is the model number of the Lemo power connector on the stage of the Flyer? Is it a 00, a 0B or a 1B?

does anyone know?

Of course I was too stoaked up about flying to remeber to ask at IBC, and I could just wait till we get the rig and measure. But that's just too long to wait!

Is there anywhere online with this sort of information? - I have searched for many hours in both Google and the Archives.. nope.. nothing. :-(

Thanks!

What is this wonderfull world I have gotten myself into? :D

- Mikko Wilson