Brian Freesh

I got them from McMaster-Carr. I have a bag of 10 if you want some. https://www.mcmaster.com/#thumb-screws/=150b35w

All taken care of, apologies for not updating sooner :)

Hi all I know it's a long shot, but I'm looking for 1-4 used Dionic HCs, can be completely dead. Let me know, thanks!

Oops, LESS than $2000!!! No one has pointed out my typo yet, or made an offer over $2k, but I want to be clear that I'm looking to spend LESS than $2000

Hello all you gorgeous operators! I'm looking for a vest to pair with my Ultra I sled. Ultra vest preferred, but will consider anything under $2000. Thanks!

IIRC That camera only outputs P when shooting 25p or 50i, otherwise it is PSF. So you'll need to down convert or cross convert.

Will, we did get a perfectly real explanation to the issue you mentioned, we created a loop that connected negative to negative on the batteries (ground loop?), and while the camera was protected, the Bolt was not. It's an issue that could come up on a non-cinelive sled, and also with any 24v series setup using 12v batteries on plates with ptaps or with built-in ptaps. It could happen without a steadicam, but from what little info we have of the camera build and where things were plugged in and what happened there's no way to tell if it was the same issue. FWIW, ALL cameras and video accessories use the power ground to ground the video signal. You've never had a problem because you've never created the negative to negative loop. On your sled there is only one way to do this, on a cinelive there are 2 ways. And it will only happen when powering a 24v camera through the sled, and only when using the ptap on the AUX battery (2 of them on cinelive, 3 if using batts with built-in ptap) with a video accessory. You can use that ptap with a non-video accessory, you can use the ptap when the sled is in 12v mode, you can use the ptap in 24v mode if you are not powering the camera through the sled. EDIT: I don't know enough about what happened in Victor's situation. My first guess is that his cables were wired to carry 24v and fried the bolt. I do not believe it is possible to cause the loop I am discussing through those lemos, but I also didn't even know it was a thing until I fried my decimator, which was after I'd fried Will's decimator doing the same thing on a different rig. Neither of them were fed too much voltage, both were fried by the loop.

The dragon is definitely not your problem, it's whatever else you have on there. My Epic/Dragon builds are never over 25 lbs. You're probably just built up with items you don't need. Make sure you have a clip on matte box instead of a studio, so that you can take the base plates off the bottom. Or if your matte box can go off mini rods, make sure you have mini rod support without having the baseplates on. Use aluminum or carbon fiber rods rather than steel if possible. And make sure you don't have a big heavy lens on there.... Power through the sled if you have to (you may need to buy a cable)

http://tiffen.com/steadicam/steadicam-efp-training-video/

Hey Tom and Aiken, sorry fellas, i snapped these up quick :)

I'll take the 4 HCs (if they are still available)

I joined the line at the PO today and it seems no one knows who steadi or jib is yet.

Yes, longstanding issue. I sanded down my Master Arm pin 5 years ago, has fit in my Pro vest ever since. I occasionally check the pin to make sure it's not rusting, as that's supposed to be mild steel under the stainless I sanded away, but I've never seen anything of concern.

So... working in New York is what you're doing to the rig.... ;) Yeah I travel the rig on the cart more often than not, the stand is for getting it closer to set and only ever makes small moves, which is why a heavy stand with wheels or a light stand with no wheels seems to work very nicely.

I have the 2-riser American Stand with 8" pneumatic and I love it. Not sure I want to know what Ron's doing with it that it beats up the rig. The wheels come off easily when the terrain calls for it and it's plenty stable to set the rig on with the rig over a leg (keep an eye on the ACs as they often ignore this concept), but I'll often get a shot bag just in case. I do find that ACs have trouble accepting that removing the wheels is easy and/or worth the "effort" but once I talk them into it they gladly carry around a sand bag rather than the wheels. And even though i've seen two operators switch from this to an American stand, I have often thought about getting one of these: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/139498-REG/Matthews_387030_Hollywood_Beefy_Baby_Stand.html These come in different models and from different manufacturers, not sure if the linked one is best or not, but I belive it is the one I've used (may have used triple riser). But I've used these before to great success. Even the steel ones are light enough to carry in one hand while wearing the rig, but they do come in aluminum. The stance is wide enough that everything is very stable, at least on the steel version. Aluminum might be a bit too unstable.

As I understand it, the size of the 6" has a lot to do with the electronics inside. Which makes sense considering what I've seen from all the other monitors out there. It is the one thing I don't like about the monitor, which I do not yet own but will likely be purchasing soon. Every other monitor has more than one thing I don't like about it, so Transvideo gets my vote for best HD steadicam monitor.

Mike and I are largely on the same page. Regarding "Go big or go home" ultimately yes, but sometimes "going big" leads to "going home." If you do not have the means to go big then you either start with a smaller budget or save and wait longer to start. If you start sooner with a smaller budget, you'll raise capital more quickly to go big later, and you'll be doing what you love now. If you have the means to go big now, feel free to do it, but know that finances will be more difficult in the short term (and in the long term depending on how well you do or how largely you fail). The good news is the gear holds it's value very well. So if you fail completely you can make a lot of money back when you sell the gear, easing your financial struggle afterwards. Regarding what gear to buy, depends on what you want to work on. If you go exclusively into the live world for example there is no need to buy a Preston or any other brand FIZ. You're not past smaller rigs because no one is. It's not that you must start small, it's just that you happened to start small. They're actually more difficult to operate in ways because they have less mass, so less inertia, so they do not want to hold one position as strongly as a big rig. On the other hand, you can wear it much longer without tiring. They're not better or worse, they're just different. There are so many cameras these days that are light enough for a rig like the zephyr that are used all the time, and now the Alexa Mini will be another. The rig doesn't matter nearly as much as the operator. At least until you get to a point in your career where you need more weight capacity on a regular basis. If you know your dragon isn't heavy, don't say it is. If you know your build is too heavy for the zephyr, say your build is too heavy for the zephyr (note how I did not need to list your components to say that). Sounds like you need a clip-on matte box. If you're going to use it for steadicam you should build it for steadicam. Something is wrong with your build that makes it too heavy for the zephyr, but "weighs a ton" is way too much hyperbole, especially without proper context. But like Mike said, you're going to use a bunch of cameras that are not your dragon. In fact, most of the time you will not use your dragon, except on smaller gigs where they are looking for deals. Ultimately your Dragon will not do you much good as a Steadicam operator. Maybe as a DP though. I've had maybe one opportunity a year in the past 5 years to rent a camera to the job. Probably not even that many. And they were all low budget, so the rental was not good. Never said you were cocky or egotistical. I did say you are not as great as you think you are, which is true, but not terribly enlightening as it's true of most people. But it was my way of saying you are not presenting yourself humbly. The people I've seen crash and burn were all over-confident, which is perhaps another way of saying cocky. So don't get cocky, that's all. Note that there is another way to fail other than a fast crash. If you are not confident enough you may never break out of whatever you define as a rut, never quite reaching the success you strive for. That was me for awhile, I knew I was good, but I wasn't confident enough to assert that and it held me back. It wasn't until some right place/right time happened, and I did some day seizing, and I got lucky that I became successful, and it was a while after that I became confident enough to assert it. So don't be me (of the past) either. Mike's story brings up an excellent point: Being in the industry before getting into steadicam helps get into steadicam. From the point he started steadicam to the point he "made it" was pretty short, but he'd been in the industry for a few years already and had contacts and clients already. If you are able to find steady work as an assistant (for example) you will be able to save up for "going big" while making a lot of contacts, and learning a lot about working on set and what demands you will be asking of other crew members when you are an operator. And, perhaps most importantly, you will be able to meet and learn from many different operators before you move up to do it yourself. Once you are operating you won't have that opportunity.

Look, I'm a helpful guy, I want the best for everyone. As such I probably got more in depth here than I should have bothered, but here's the important part: Louis is right, take a workshop, take a workshop, take a workshop, and then practice till you hate steadicam, then keep practicing. And yeah, your answers are probably all already on the forum. Beyond that don't get cocky, you're not as great as you think you are. But if you do get cocky, be right. Otherwise you're screwed. And don't come to LA if you aren't ready to struggle like crazy. It does not. Something(s) is likely wrong with your build. No you aren't. This is very smart and reasonable of them. $0-$500k gross. Average? Define average... Coming out of school you'll be lucky to break the poverty line with steadicam + other income. At least in LA, can't speak for elsewhere. You may have some minor advantages over other FOTB ops, but in this saturated market I have something you already know you don't have: Clients. You can get them, but it takes time. It's hard. Very hard. I've seen people like you succeed greatly, and I've seen people like you fail completely. The vast majority of the ones who succeed, myself included, do it after insane effort and plenty of failure. It can be done, and if you come out here I'll be the first one to encourage you and provide advice. But I'll never lead you to believe it will be anything but hard. Honestly a Zephyr isn't a terrible place for you right now. Finding a used one would provide good value for you, and you already know the rig like the back of your hand. You can absolutely fly a dragon on it, though heavy lenses and big builds will certainly affect the situation. A stripped Alexa is doable from what I understand, but yes, you want to limit yourself as little as possible. With a new Pro you'll spend ~$34k to ~$65k, not including a monitor. Nor including a wireless follow focus, cart, stand, dock, batteries, or cables... oh lord the money spent on cables... If you want a bigger rig than a zephyr, but want to spend less than $50k, your looking at a Pro Cinelive package, a Tiffen Archer 2, ActionCam maybe, Glidecam... But your best bet is to buy used. There's plenty of great older rigs available that will get you started just fine, and it will be cheaper, allowing you to buy other used items to complete your kit. I'm not a moderator, but I'd love if you'd watch your language. I mean, we're all adults here, no truly sensitive ears; but we're also all adults here, so let's be professional. To answer the first question - maybe you don't. Most everyone saves up over time. To answer your second - I saved and bought a Flyer with the help of a small loan. I learned on an Ultra 1 in school and used it for 2 years there. I came out to LA and thought I was hot stuff and wished I could get a big rig, cause that was "what I was worth". I couldn't afford one so saved my pennies till I could get a small rig that I almost always overloaded. When I was able I presented a business plan to an investor that included a plan on how to reimburse should I fail to make it as an operator. I got that loan and bought a USED big rig because OTHER people told me I was ready to get past the Flyer. I bought the Flyer 7 1/2 years ago, the big rig 5 years ago. I have paid off those loans and upgraded to a better system. In 7 1/2 years as an owner I've only been able to live off only steadicam/camera operating for less than the past 2 years. I consider myself very fortunate to have made it this far in 7 1/2 years, because I consider it FAST. I first picked up a rig almost 11 years ago, so it took 9 years before I made a living as a steadicam operator. Not everyone will take that long, but some will take longer. Don't assume one way or the other. To answer the last question - You absolutely can not compete with the big dogs. But it's not because of whatever gear you get. It's because you have no experience and no one knows you. Don't try to compete with the big dogs, they'll resent you for it. Compete with yourself. Be the best steadicam operator Brendan Riel can be. THAT'S how you build a client base and earn money. A good op is a good op no matter the gear, a bad op is a bad op no matter the gear. It seems to me you answered your own question. Getting a loan from your family and getting a loan from the bank really work. But people who do not know you will not give you a loan, you have to actually do the work. It's not a problem that you don't know people, you will meet people. This is as good a place to start that as any, but slow your roll. This last paragraph of yours is the best bit of this post, it's the only part of this post that makes people like me want to spend this much time on a reply. Keep the passion, but start working on humble. You'll need it anyway, might as well get good at it sooner. I wish you the best of luck, and If and when you move out here hit me up, first round is on me. Unless it's at Jumbo's, then all the rounds are on Ron Baldwin.

I cite no evidence for this, so if I am wrong I am wrong: I think you're maybe focusing on a minority of voices seen here on the forum, or even misinterpreting them. My experience on this forum over the last 8 years has shown me that the general overall feeling about starting out is as below. Buy The Steadicam Operator's Handbook and read it cover to cover Take a workshop If you are still interested buy a rig If you can only afford a small rig, get a small rig and start saving for a bigger rig If you can afford a USED big rig (NOTE: often not much more than a new small rig) or are close to affording one, buy a USED big rig as it will be more valuable to you in the long run than a new small rig. You're likely to buy a used big rig eventually, it'll be useful now if you can swing it. If you are looking at knock-offs, stop looking at knock-offs and save money for a better rig. Once you have a rig, of any kind, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and then PRACTICE more. REPEAT. Try out student shoots over time, you can get experience and reel footage without charging much, good deal for you and good deal for them. MEET PEOPLE - Other operators, DPs, ACs, Producers. Being a Grip is a great way to do this, so is a workshop, this forum is a way... there are more ways. Start charging. And much agreed with Janice - Be the op everyone likes spending 15 hours a day with. That's how you get hired back. If you really want to, go grab that big loan and buy the expensive shiny new gear, but I'm fairly positive the vast majority of ops here will support the idea that you do not need to do that until you are a working successful operator and feel that the upgrade is more valuable to you than any other way you can spend that money (I hear kids are expensive) Best of luck. :)

If you look under them there is an allen screw on each one. If they come loose you get slop. If they come very loose they fall off. I find that I need to tighten them once or twice a year to remove slop.

FWIW, the accessories are always powered by the camera battery, no matter the battery base or jumper block, the monitor is the only thing that can be powered separately. The Auxilliary battery provides 24v in series.

That's weird Jens, my understanding has always been that the camera converts incoming 12v to 24v, I know we talked about it here on the forum. I remember there being a discussion that it's best to run the camera at 24v because it is a 24v camera so it won't have to convert the 12 to 24. And Greg Bubb recommended powering 12v from an XCS sled because the sled is native 12v and will not have to convert to 24v. Those may have been slightly different discussions, and I may not be remembering 100% accurately. Cause time and age and all that. ;) I can definitely confirm that when feeding 12 or 24v, I've never seen a problem when powering something from the RS ports. I cannot however confirm that any of those accessories wouldn't be perfectly happy with 12v. For example, Preston recommends an MDR be powered 24v, but it will take the 12v just fine. Now I want to meter an Alexa...

Where did you find this unicorn of a director who is not wildly adamant about having more K's?!?!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/135979-REG/Anton_Bauer_SO_XLR_SO_XLR_4_pin_XLR_Snap_On.htmlI have this and it works great. Alan Rencher also makes one that has a cable hardwired to it, made of aluminum rather than plastic, and he could probably add any customizations you could want.

Is this what you're looking for? No post clamp, but the monitor arm with transvideo mount: http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=15035