Leaderboard

I just completed 6 weeks of production, but some of my working conditions were unique to our production, and most likely not going to be duplicated by any other shows. For example, there was no negotiation regarding PPE. If you were an on set position (the red wristband zone), you were required to wear the provided KN95 masks and face shields, no exceptions. We had health and safety compliance staff all over production enforcing these rules, and our director was the most stringent enforcer of all. He would yell at anyone he saw with their mask below their nose, or the wrong mask, and don't even think about sneezing or coughing anywhere NEAR set. He himself was wearing a $3000 helmet with a hose connecting to a filter on his hip (sound is gonna have a field day in post). As such, I had to get used to 12 hour days, all steadicam, with a KN95 mask and face shield. I had to learn how to breathe in them, and find little moments in between setups to catch my breath off set. There was no choice. After a while, I realized the key was swapping them out for new ones more frequently as I was sweating, as they become a serious problem when the slightest bit wet. I had to abandon wearing my glasses, because I couldn't deal with them fogging up. I recommend contacts or just forgoing glasses altogether. EAR SAVERS ARE A MUST-HAVE. I cannot stress this enough. For face shields, I found that wearing them at an angle, up on top of my forehead a bit, worked perfectly for steadicam. That way, when i look down at my monitor, it protects my head fully while not obstructing the view of my steadi monitor. Using a hat or sweat band as a guide for the face shield band helped a lot. I also developed an order of operations for everything I had to wear on my head: Mask first, then sweat band, then face shield, then Comm headset. Hand sanitizer was overflowing, all over the lot. You could get a handful whenever you wanted, no matter where you were. When your EP is a germophobe, hand washing stations will be everywhere. Also, as far as who can or cannot touch my rig, there were no issues. It was an already established rule on our set that only the 1st AC could touch my camera and only my designated grip could help touch my rig. This was a minor hindrance for the 2nd AC's and some of the camera utilities, but they were overwhelmed with other responsibilities so it ended up working out fine for us. I had a personal Steadicam Grip named Zavier who stuck to me like glue all day, helping me move my rig when I asked, holding a pogo between shots, and spotting me all day. I was his only responsibility.

I agree! Roger, Charlie Rizek and Pete Cavaciuti did a stunning job with the camera work in this film. I love how each brought a different strength and skill set to the film in how they moved the camera. Sort of the ultimate example of tools existing to serve the story, and not the other way around. I love this video ARRI put together, despite being a bit of a sales pitch for the Mini LF, there are some great tidbits of knowledge here.

Although I really like what can be done with the Trinity, I have been asked if I can go from Low Mode to High Mode in the same shot 3 times in 22 years of operating. There are several thoughts I've had on whether to buy a Trinity. 1. Price vs. return on investment. How long would it take to pay back the $63,000 the complete Sled costs? let's say charging an extra $1000 a day Above a somewhat standard $1000/day kit rental. 63 days... Now how many times have I been asked if I can do a High to Low mode shot in 22 years...3. 2. Can YOUR Market withstand that extra Kit rental cost?.... Mine can't...and I live in Miami, FL. I've spoken with Arri Trinity owners and what they get for their Kit alone and the extra labor costs they charge while operating the Trinity can not be gotten here in this town. There are tons of producers and maybe 6 full time Steadicam Operators that work down here who make 90%+ of their income as Steadicam Operators. as for Volt/Wave... I enjoy my Wave. I use it handheld on boats and on Steadi for Windy days, moving platform shots, etc..., I even use it inside a Cinemilled Pro ring with just the Wave and a Camera for great Horizons while using the system with a Ready Rig/Vega combination.... Best, Ozzie