PaulEdwards

Jamie, If you don't mind a little bit of modification, you could try; http://www.jimmyjib.com/pricelist.html They do Fuji and Canon iris/focus gearing Paul

Jim, That's really interesting news. The article also claims a 70 amp continuous discharge current so the cells might even have a chance at running a full-on Genesis! Paul (if it looks like a pig and smells like a pig...it's a Genesis) Edwards

Was wondering if anyone could tell me what type of plastic is used for the Ultra vest (shoulder pieces). I've managed to break them (again); right where the clasps join. Last time I riveted on 'splints' made out of aluminium as a temporary fix. Is the plastic the same as the waist band? Any info. gratefully received. Paul

Thanks everyone for the input and offers of help................and now the embarrasing truth. As suggested by Garrett, it was the side to side direction selector switch being in the center position (and hence off). I guess it's the knid of thing which'll catch you out once and then you'll remember for ever! Thanks again Paul

Jerry, Had a funny fault today on the stage remote and just wondered if you had any ideas. The side to side buttons on the remote have stopped working. Everything was working fine at the start of the day and then suddenly the side to side buttons wouldn't activate the motors. The motors themselves work fine, as it's still possible to activate both fore/aft and side/side with the preset buttons. Any ideas gratefully received. Paul

Hey Charles, you beat me to it! What a great sequence. It seems at first that they are cutting around the shots of De Niro because they don't actually have him on the show; then you see him; then the pen.............priceless. Paul

Oh yes, of course! They're only the same when you pull the monitor and battery in, so their c of g is within the post...............not a very useful operating setup! Thanks Jerry Regards, Paul

Hi Charles, Just being picky, but aren't the sled's roll and tilt inertias the same? Paul

Jerry, Would be interested to know how long the IDX Power Cubes take to charge and therefore the number of batteries and chargers you consider it sensible to have as a minimum setup. Do you know if tiffen have the Ultra conversion kits "on the shelf" ready to sell? This new Li-Ion technology seems to be a good step forward. Anyone interested in more specific information might want to visit www.batteryuniversity.com Best Regards, Paul

Alex, Was interested to hear your comments re. the 'Handsfree' and I have a similar view. I can see that for some applications the handsfree aspect would be essential but I don't think that pedals are the best steering solution for Steadicam use. I would prefer to have both feet firmly on the platform with a steering twistgrip near the gimbal. I'm working on this idea at the moment. I agree that the preceding shot is the trickiest. However, this last week we've been shooting rickshaw shots on a station platform and the trickiest shots were the chasing shots........which would have been ideal on the Segway, so I think it's a matter of 'horses for courses'. Paul

For anyone who's interested, the Steadicam on the Massive Attack - 'Safe From Harm' video was done by Andy Shuttleworth. I did do the Coldplay - 'Yellow' video on the beach. The whole thing was a "plan B". The director had a huge one shot steadicam sequence planned for the day using the sea, lots of extras, the beach, a boat and tents on the sand dunes. We managed to do one propper run through then the weather moved in with torrential rain and gail force winds! The video that was shot was done out of the neccessity to get something in the can! I had gyros and was surrounded by guys with 4x4's but the wind was so strong and blustery that they had to keep further away than ideal for fear of being blown into me. Oh happy days! Paul

Paul, Joe, thanks for the info. and prompt reply. ...and Joe, no it's not me shooting 'Location; Location' but you're not the first person to ask that! I can't remember the last time I got a credit on a TV job although with the speed they roll them through, it hardly matters anyway because you can't read them....quick, quick, run the commercials before they switch over!! Thanks again. Paul

Does anyone out there still make arm-post-converters which allow you to use Tiffen arms with non Tiffen gimbals? Paul

Marc, Sorry I couldn't reply earlier....computer problems! And I thought Macs never went wrong! Your problem seems more drastic than mine and as such I'm sure it'll be solved by following Robin's advice. In the meantime, Jerry, I like the tape idea and I think I'll give that a go and see how it feels. Paul

Phil, The "Much Ado About Nothing" end shot was done using a multi section 'cherry picker' type crane with a step on platform. I spoke to Andy Shuttleworth (the operator) not long after he'd done it and remember him commenting on the rough transition as the extending sections of the crane 'kicked in' as he went up. There was a BBC documentary made called "Chasing the Light" which featured that shot. I think it ended up as an extra on one edition of the DVD, if anyone's interested. You can just spot the top of the crane up above the hedging as the shot follows the actors through the doors, out of the house. Paul