Niall Chadwick

Blimey! Thanks guys I was only using a pilot at this event, but all this info is great to know. :) If interested, gallery can be found at : /nerd-mode I warn you, its a professional computer gaming event. And yes I'm in there. I'm the one that looks like a sack tied in the middle with a steadicam strapped on :)

Thanks Adam

I recently spent 5 days working at the Gadget Show live in birmingham, in the Gaming zone. Due to some technical issues, our wireless didnt work and I ended up having to use a tie line. Which made things rather interesting. Looking back at the footage, Im still wobbly and floaty in certain areas. And on some occasions, being to close to the stage and having an MC who liked to walk back and forth made for some ugly panning and rather shocking framing :( But I was wondering if any has some advice they could offer me for covering live events? Dos, donts, guidance etc. I do have some of the footage on youtube, but its a bit too embarassing to show to the pros :) Many thanks Niall

Definitely come to the right place. You will be hard pressed to find a group of more dedicated, generous and talented people anywhere else. If you can tell what the camera is, then its easier to know what you are dealing with. From what I can see, each camera has its only little quirks that make balancing it different on various rigs. However, Im also a newbie at this. /cue the pros

thanks charles, your a gent :)

Thankyou for the information Charles, that will be very handy indeed. Ill see if they have a UK partner to distribute. I think part of the problem was that we mounted the camera directly onto the Pilot mounting plate, and there was no rod mounting system on it. But it was the first time I had exposure to the camera, and the crew that I was working with at the time, so it went well in hindsight. And filmed in the shadow of the George Lucas Stage at Elstree. Being a film nerd, that was the icing on the cake :) Im looking forward to seeing more examples of you flying your light weight rig, Charles :)

Charles A quick question. How did you deal with the battery changes on the camera? On the 5D I used recently, I had to mount the camera over to one side of the pilot plate, in order to balance it correctly. As such it blocked the battery, making changing problematical at best. It could be that we didnt have the right kit. I was just curious if it was an issue for you, and how you dealt with it. Many thanks N

lol you guys are evil :) Also the craft services would differ somewhat to the normal. Exhibit A:

Lots of great information there, Charles. I look forward to using a 1D at some point in the future. Flew a 5D myself this weekend on my pilot for a shoot. Found it to be very good indeed, my first experience with the new lines of Digital SLRs Only issue I had was the SD monitor on the pilot, my DP found it hard to confirm sharp focus on it, for obvious reasons. Will make sure we have an external HD monitor next time. Good to see you continuing to set the bar high, gives me something to aim for :) Regards Niall

blimey, thats impressive :)

Have recently attended the silver course in the UK Found it to be extremely enlightening and hard work. I cannot recommend enough how much going on a course will help you. Also got some footage from the training. Im the one in the red, yes I need to lose some weight : The experts are welcome to critique, for general amusement reasons. Its great to be a newbie :)

Congrats on your milestone. A future customer here, waiting in the wings :)

oh my.. Im sure shopping is never dull with you two around :)

Thats pretty unpleasant Being new to this forum and operating in general, Im at the other end of the scale in comparison to you guys. As such I know, that my kit and my experience is not as extensive as yours. But I would also be worried about taking jobs and undercutting fellow operators. I would like to think I have some integrity plus show the experienced operators the respect they have earned. As I am based in the UK, can you offer any guidance on the way to best traverse this minefield? After all, I would be able to learn a lot from you guys, and have no desire to rub people up the wrong way :) Regards Niall

Thanks for the kind comments I did first gig this week. It was tough, as im not the fittest or the thinnest of people. But I got just a tickle of the buzz that I imagine you guys get using it, and the creativity that can blossom as a result. But wow, did I love the steadicam and using it on set. Granted, its only a small one but the principles remained the same, and the director was smart enough to not use the steadicam for everything. Did some whip pans, which I was no 100% happy with (heres to impossible standards) and some nice walking back and forwards. I was also the cameraman for the whole shoot, so did a lot of handheld. I will post a link to the footage when Im provided with a copy. Would appreciate comments (bear in mind ive not been on course yet, and only been operating 2 weeks so far :)) Regards Niall

Wow, thats what you call serious "vent your spleen" type interview. There are times I feel like that, but hold back.

Jay Are there any plans for the Workshops to make a visit to Europe?

Thanks Charles :) Am sorting out the course as well, and practicing as much as my work allows. Having a lot of fun, thinking of movement in a different way. I think it was described the best way in the Steadicam Forum videos. "dancing with a partner who never lets you lead" :)

Well, thanks to some help from generous parties, I am now sporting my new Steadicam Pilot. Im very very excited to have this chance to learn the craft with this entry level device, and maybe use as a stepping stone onto larger models. My first experience of putting it all on was "god in heaven...you guys make it look so damn easy, but it isnt" The horizon was swaying like a drunken scotsman. However I think that it has not been properly setup, and thats something I intend to work on and resolve. When I feel the standard is high enough to withstand ridicule, I will post some video links. Its good to be a newbie again...so much to learn, so much to enjoy! Regards Niall

As someone who is just starting out, this whole thread makes for alarming reading :(

My thoughts are with his friends and family at this unhappy time.

I was at the I34 Gaming LAN in the UK this weekend. If you want to see hardcore gamers that is the place. Was hard work with a camera, 5 days of 16hour days (im not the fittest person in the world) Biggest problem, after about day 2-3, for some players hygiene takes a holiday! And yes, add it to your resume. It shows your in touch with the hip and happening gaming crowd! :D

I have been in similar position to Mike, running a game site. As he stated, a site that had younger players on it, requires more watching and controls. How do you have time to play games, admin that site and do your work, Mike? Or is there some breakthrough in cloning we dont know about? :)

Well a colleague of mine was in LA and experienced this quake at his hotel. Being a Brit, it was new in his experience, but the terror of the moment was summed up in a single sentence. "It was a serious brown trouser moment" Can only image what it must be like. Hope everyone is ok.

Thats a very impressive promo. Thanks for the link. I was wondering about Charles' comment about not showing the steadicam operator. The steadicam sequences were a big part of the film, and they wanted to show the promo from the POV of Kubrick. Maybe they decided that the when you saw the film sequences with the steadicam, that you were in fact seeing the event through Kubrick and maybe wanted to bring that to the promo. Hence why steadicam operator being featured in the promo might have been considered out of place. Might be a good point for discussion Or maybe Im talking complete cobblers! You decide :lol: