brett.mayfield

hey yall I had just thrown up a photo of my new case on another thread and already got someone interested, so I figured Id put out a review on it. I had my case custom built by Thermodyne. It is inspired by the Archer2 case that I used to have, also by Thermodyne. Thermodyne was used to the Tiffen sleds and cases claimed to have never seen another rig, so they did whatever scanning and 3D mapping they needed. They let me meet with the gentleman who was actually doing the scanning and cutting and treated me like I was putting in an order for hundreds even though it was just one case. I had to leave my rig with them for a few days so that they could come up with a configuration. I asked them to cut the mold for the sled and to cut several cavities for aks since I knew there would be room. I can fit my plates, cables, kneepads/AB twin charger and 2 Dionics. There is enough room to keep my hyperdeck attached to the back of my monitor as well. My arm (atlas) folds in 90 deg and I had them put my spare canisters in as well. I asked for a two-tier system and the shelf is not flimsy foam, but is a 1/8" thick plastic shelf which is sandwiched in foam. The case also has an extending luggage handle and two durable wheels, as well as three very sturdy spring loaded handles for lifting. Just to let you know, the case with the rig is beefier and heavier than I was expecting, but I have come to not mind, because it is holding my first born and I feel very confident putting it on a plane, as I used to do with my Archer2 back when. So I guess second born. Here are the dimensions in the laying position (as photographed): 30" wide x 22.5" tall x 23.5" deep and its weighs in at about 40 pounds. It has 4 mickey mouse twisting clasps and a place to lock it with TSA or padlock. With tax it came to $640. The whole process from dropping off the rig to picking up the case was probably 14 days, which may have been a little long, but I think it had to do with mapping, configuring, testing, cutting, etc. They sent me the sketches along the way. So far the case has been excellent in every way, except maybe lifting. The large flat top has been nice as a small table of last resort, with a few grooves so my screws dont goin spinning around. It is heavy, maybe close to 40 pounds, and it is wide, and Im not a big dude, so I ramp it up into my truck typically and have an AC help it out of my vehicle. you can see it on the thermodyne website (thermodyne.com) It is the third picture in the slide show. I dealt with Bill Morgan, and he was super easy to work with. Thermodyne is about 45 minutes straight shot east on I-10/60. William MorganSr. Sales Thermodyne International Ltd. Ontario, CA USA CAGE Code 29724 bill@thermodyne.comP. 909.923.9945 F. 909.923.7505 If youve got any questions, let me know or contact Bill. They can set you up with this configuration for a PRO CineLive and Atlas, but if you have a different rig they may need to get it inhouse for a day or two, except maybe Tiffen rigs, for which I am pretty sure they have already built cases. brett.

It seems to me that the language "In most cases, if your primary purpose is income or profit and you are involved in the rental activity with continuity and regularity, your rental activity is a business." makes it pretty clear that it is taxable income, however there is still the question as to whether or not it is "profit." At this point, for me, the money that comes in for the kit rental is not profit, Im paying off an expense. But I guess then its income. Anyways, if youve got any thoughts, let me know. As Mike pointed out above, LLCs are entitled to a different set of rules so maybe its time for me to just get that LLC.

Just went through the IRS 2013 Publication 525 TAXABLE AND NONTAXABLE INCOME pg 16 reads: Rents From Personal Property If you rent out personal property, such as equipment or vehicles, how you report your income and expenses is in most cases determined by: Whether or not the rental activity is a business, and Whether or not the rental activity is conducted for profit. In most cases, if your primary purpose is income or profit and you are involved in the rental activity with continuity and regularity, your rental activity is a business. See Publication 535, Business Expenses, for details on deducting expenses for both business and not-for-profit activities. Reporting business income and expenses. If you are in the business of renting personal property, report your income and expenses on Schedule C or Schedule C-EZ (Form 1040). The form instructions have information on how to complete them. Reporting nonbusiness income If you are not in the business of renting personal property, report your rental income on Form 1040, line 21. List the type and amount of the income on the dotted line next to line 21. Reporting nonbusiness expenses If you rent personal property for profit, include your rental expenses in the total amount you enter on Form 1040, line 36. Also, enter the amount and “PPR” on the dotted line next to line 36. CAUTION! If you do not rent personal property for profit, your deductions are limited and you cannot report a loss to offset other income. See Activity not for profit under Other Income, later. You can read the full code here (cant figure out how to upload it) http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p525.pdf

Thanks Mike I am not an LLC at this point, sole proprietor, which is why I think that I will get hit for rentals.

Hey yall So I am ending my first year of freelancing (spent my first few years operating in a full-time position) and have a quesiton about my kit rental. I understand that my day rate is normal taxable income, but is my kit/box rental? I was on one set and paid through CAPS and the box rental was considered "non-taxable income" on the time sheet. I received the check with the taxes already taken out of the day rates. Fine, whatever. But now I am finalizing all my income for all the gigs that I have been W9ed and have charged a daily labor rate as well as a daily kit rental. Is a kit rental considered the same kind of income as my day rate? My accountant says no, I believe him, but I figured Id come to yall, especialyl since I had a discrepancy on one payroll check. I realize that I can write off my purcahses for my kit, just wondering if anything changes with the income. Maybe its just wishful thinking. brett.

Hey James I know that this is an old thread, but you wondered about a single case syste, I went to Thermodyne and had them build me a case, because I also really liked the Archer2 case system. The part that was difficult was figuring how to fit the Atlas arm, because it doesnt breakdown like the G40 did (as I had with my Archer2), is a few inches longer, and I didnt want to shove it inside of the vest on the top shelf, I use that space for other stuff. So here is the final result. Im very happy with the case. It is heavy and it is big, but having done a one-case system and a two-case system, i found that this served me better for both local and travel work. The guys over at Thermodyne now have everything they need to make you a custom cut case. And they were awesome to work with.

Hey Donovan I think different operators will have different methods especially with different body types. Im pretty slim and I dont really have much hip for holding the vest, so I have the bottom of the hip pads on my vest (different brand) just barely passing my hip bones and the shoulder pags already flush against my shoulders and blades. This way, once I add the weight of the arm and sled, the vest may shift downwards into a position that seems better fit for operating. I used to keep my tiffen LX vest as short as possible. So basically, I start with it a little high, then the added weight pulls it into place which for me never feels low, I tend to keep it up a bit. This keeps me from feeling it in my back too much. The other thing to make sure of is that your posture is correct. improper posture will definitely lead to back fatigue. If youre inclined, you can get a copy of the steadicam operators guide which has some information on this. chris fawcett is a good resource for kinesthetic inquiries. Have a good one brett.

I dont know if thats quite a fair trade, Ron. How about a cute girl and a cute dog for that garfield? Dont want you to feel ripped off (By the way, the dog is really up for grabs. Shes my foster dog and lookin for a good home.)

Since you have a Bartech, make sure to grab the Bartech mount/dovetail so that the MDR will easily mount to your stage/ T-bracket. The new camera plates are sleek and they come in a few different sizes. Just consider what kind of camera setups you use when purchasing, as they have some for Arri, generic, Pana, etc. Also, theyve got some low mode gear you may want to check out with several post lengths http://gpiprosystems.com/accessories.php

Ill post a few pictures in a bit. but to address a few of the questions- ken-good suggestion, ill try that on the next setup for testing. none of the cables are spaghetti. however the short cable to the breakout box is... thomas-ill look into my cables. these were a quick pick up before set because half of my others got jacked on the last shoot. ill try to find out more about them. How do I go about finding out if they are HD rated? I bought them from FIlmTools, should I talk to them? Regarding my AC, we were between takes and he was cleaning a few things up on the rig. thus the close proximity. the rig is a Pro CineLive with the telescoping post. Tom- I think that you may be right about the breakout box. It was a short spaghetti from camera to the breakout, just covered in a bit of mesh. It was a camera setup from Radiant Images. I would have liked to not have to use it and go straight into sled, but we had a sync box which required the TC-in. I suppose I could have bypassed this and used the split cable that red provides. Eric- im going to go over my short BNCs today and see if theres anything noticeable. The lot I was using were all in good shape and lightly used at this point. However theres a chance I had a cinecoil on there, Ill have to check. Thanks for yalls feedback brett.

The signal didnt just scramble, it would actually drop out completely. HD superbright 6"

Hey yall I was operating this weekend and my Transvideo monitor started scrambling while standing by for the shot. It happened again and I quickly realized it was when my AC was receiving a call from the walkie talkie. He was within arms reach. I asked him to change channels, try again, and I again lost my feed but it was up immeditaly after releasing the push-to-talk button. It was both when calling and receiving. I did not have a wireless system on board. Camera was an epic and the path of the signal was camera-breakout-sled-monitor-recorder. There was also a sync box pluggin TC into the breakout. Sled is a cinelive if that is pertinent. The walkies were standard fare and were open (no surveillance, earpieces, whathaveyou) Does anyone have any specifics as to why this would occur? I read through another post (http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=18093&hl=%2Bmonitor+%2Binterference) regarding interference from an operators cable to the PA system. Was I experiencing the same in reverse? Is there a way to combat this? My BNC cables are of the standard lot from the wall at filmtools. Beefy but maybe middle of the road. There were no "unnecessary" breaks (eg barrels etc) in the signal brett.

Hey Kevin All these guys are right about each point. -Terry West can make you that cable pretty quickly. Dont be surprised if it costs more than youre expecting, thats the nature of the game and Terry is top notch. Let us know if you need his contact info. My favorite cable is 3-pin sled to follow focus. Is that weird?? -Kipro mini weighs in under 1.5 lbs. The Hyperdeck Shuttle isnt much lighter, but it does have an internal battery. Depending on your shot that could be an option. -I also second trying the KiPro on the battery rack downstairs if thats an option. Then run your BNC from your sled to your monitor and pass through to the Ki Pro. Youll need about a 3' BNC and some right-angle BNC connectors will be helpful to keep the whole thing tight. Good luck dude

Im in! My hyperdeck would love this

I think that post requires a picture.

Hi Matt Do you still have the HU2 and the KiPro Mini? If so would be able to post some photos or email them? Thanks! brett. 12@brettmayfield.com

also, doesnt shutter speed have something to do with the effect? i dont like the video look, which occurs when you shoot 48fps at 1/48 or 60fps at 1/60. if you up the shutter speed, the effect changes. at least thats what i found in my unofficial tests. otherwise, it can be like looking at a wall of TVs in a costco going through a pan&scan fit!

Mr Freesh, again with the save!

Hi yall I have a vehicle shot on Saturday and am wondering if anyone has a garfield mount that I can use to put on a mitchell base. Ideally it would also have a socket block...I am located in Los Angeles and willing to drive out a bit if need be. I would love to pick it up on or before friday so that I can prep with it. I can return Sunday or at your convenience. Feel free to email, call, text, or get in touch via the forum. Have a good one! brett. 404.408.5951 12@brettmayfield.com

Another high five for Mr Ritter. H even made me some snazzy Dionic 110s...

Hey yall I have a vehicle shot coming up and putting together my COI terms for the production company. We are going to use my personal vehicle and another operator's vehicle-mount for the rig. I will have a COI issued to the operator for the mount, but how does my COI change with the inclusion of my vehicle? Are these terms correct? Additionally Insured for $ 1,000,000 liability Loss Payee for $100,000 (combined and rounded number for vehicle plus steadicam equipment) on the Miscellaneous Equipment endorsement. What do I request for the Automobile Liability? Any Auto, All Owned Autos, Hired Autos...? Hope youre havin a rad new year! brett.

Thanks for the info, yall. Ill definitely be picking up a multimeter. since the bartech and the teradek are both wired with reverse polarity, so this would suggest that the cables included with the teradek (i dont know about bartech) are also reverse, which is why we wouldnt want to use them with other accessories correct? nor non-reverse cables with either of the devices either...?

hey yall i was handed a teradek bolt to try for today on set and i have a questions regarding the receiver and power sources. the package contents contain 2x ptap to lemo, suggesting to me that a cable would go to each the transmitter and receiver. the transmitter worked fine with the cable and patp power. i had the receiver screwed atop a smallhd ac7, which was powered by an anton bauer dionic 90 and hytron 140 for testing. the monitor received power normally but when i plugged the teradek receiver in via ptap to lemo, the monitor shut off and the battery meter flashed. i tried this with a vmount adapter and battery (not connected to the monitor) with the same result. when the receiver is plug into dc power it works fine. the teradek bolt power input reads 6-28v i am still behind on my eletrical knowledge. why would none of the batteries power the bolt? im sure this is somethin as simple as "it draws too many volts," but why does the the input show 6-28v? have a good one. brett.

hey yall does anyone recommend a Phantom Flex owner/operator/tech? Im sure I can get something put together at Abel, but Id love to bring someone on who may own a Phantom. Im willing to hear about other rental houses as well. I am based in Los Angeles and looking for a Phantom for the first week in December brett.