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

Peter, I have always used PAG in London to re-cell my 24v Ultra batteries. Last time (July 2005) it cost just under £800 for three batteries inc. posttage (mainland UK). Hope this is usefull. Regards, Paul

Thanks Joe and Robin for your input. I did think about the grease contamination possibility and cleaned the surfaces pretty well but the problem was still there. Also I made sure that those two screws which can work loose were nice and tight........but still no joy! Maybe I will drop the sled off with you Robin so that you guys can have a go. I love taking things apart and having a go myself but this has got me stumped! Thanks again. Paul

Mikko, Thanks for your input but yes the clamps are adjusted OK and it seems that the only way I can get the monitor to stay put is to tighten those two grub screws still further once the clamp is shut. Paul

Was wondering if anyone out there has experienced this or has a good idea for a solution. I'm finding that I can no longer clamp my monitor arm securely enough around the Ultra's sled post. When doing radical dutching etc. the monitor wants to rotate around the post. I can't work out what's changed as it never used to be a problem. I've taken the thing apart and made sure both sides of the clamping mechanism are secure and the plastic ring is OK but it seems the only way to stop it from slipping is to clamp it shut and then tighten those two grub screws up another 1/2 turn, making it a non-tools-free-solution! Any pearls of wisdom gratefully received. Thanks. Paul

The sad thing is that, all this health and safety stuff the BBC comes out with, looks very good on paper but when real life shooting practicalities kick in, it can be another story. The only real accident I've had whilst filming was on a BBC shoot (I can still hear the sound of the rig sliding along the concrete!) and, looking back on it I came to the conclusion that the more safe you think a situation is, the more wary you've got to be. I think sometimes there can be an illusion of safety based on paperwork. It's good to plan ahead and consider risks etc. but what really counts is what's happening there and then and it's possible consequences. Stay safe! Paul

Mikko, ........"I'd think that you would always be exactly in ballance when operating" Yes. If you are standing still and all the masses are at rest, then there is perfect balance. Must be right, Newton's First Law says so! ........" i dont' see how moving the ladder's attachtment point has any effect" You're right, it doesn't ........"with for example an extension ladder that allows the mass to remain in position when the attachment point moves wouldn't effect the CG." Right again, anything else would be rewriting Physics. Mikko, I think I'll bow out of this thread and let you take over. Good luck! Paul

Dave, "unless im wrong, we don't really want to operate a steadicam at the tipping point either" We do actually operate at the tipping point all the time. I don't recommend it, but if you want to prove it then stand wearing your rig, perfectly balanced, and without doing anything else to compensate, either lean forward very slightly or get someone to pull the sled slightly away from you, without you compensating by leaning back. You will fall over!! This is why the drawing of the truck at the point at which it's just about to tip over is so relevant. Paul

Hi Dave, The point at which the fire trucks are analagous with steadicam is when the system is in balance. ie. as on the drawings, M1 x L1 =M2 x L2. Therefore in the first (and second) drawing, there is no force on the back wheels. Imagine that we have parked the back wheels of the truck on bathroom weighing scales to measure the force of the back wheels on the road. Then we slowly increase the mass (M2) at the end of the ladder. As M2 increases, the reading on the weighing scales will drop until we reach the point at which the truck is just about to (but not quite) tip over and we have reached the point at which the system is in balance. The reading on the scales will be zero value ie there is no force applied between the road and the back wheels. If you're still not convinced, imagine the trucks with no back wheels and the back of the truck hovering balanced in the air. By the way did the drawings in Word! Paul

Evan, Rob's right, it depends on where you are in the world. In the UK, pin 1 is ground and pin 2 is +24 volts but I think in the States these two are swapped so you'll probably be making all your cables up as pin 1 +24volts and pin 2 ground. A good thing to do is to make up a short (9") 3 pin male XLR to 3 pin female XLR cable, with pins 1 and 2 swapped over in the cable. Then you can just plug this in line, to convert any cable you have into the "other" type. Good luck, Paul

I find it very heartening to hear the various reponses to the issue of rates. Having tried the AR, I think operating the AR is worth a good chunk extra; for the added rental on the kit and also for the extra skill required in operating. I would say that you?re definately working your body harder. This is not particularly with added weight (depending whether you?re flying with an LCD monitor) but with the way in which you need to keep the rig further from your body when rotating between high and low modes and generally getting your body into more awkward positions. As I suggested previously, try the post rotation (slowly) with your own rig and you?ll see what I mean. I think Howard is well aware of the extra value and responsibility that the AR brings. It is in everybody?s interest to ensure that this extra kit is recognised as such ie. extra and also that the dumb ?now anybody can be a steadicam operator? comment (which I?ve heard) can be put in its place. All other things been equal, I am sure that a good reputation for the AR can only be established by experienced operators. As with ?normal? operating the great shots and fine operating come with skill and experience. I realise that I?m hearing this third hand but I find the behaviour of the previously refered to CSI, B-Cam/steadicam op ?colleague? , pretty despicable. I really wonder how guys like that handle people day to day. Do they treat their wives, children, taxi drivers, shop assistants etc with the same contempt?? Are they ready to stab anyone in the back or do they just reserve it for work? Paul