Ryan Beatson

Hey all, I have never worked on any multi-camera shoots so I can't help you out with the original question, however I have had a reasonable amount of exposure to talkback comms systems... So I'm just wondering if the IFB send is a stand alone channel from the director to the steadicam op or is it just an easy way to take the wired party line comms system wireless so you're not tethered? And just thinking about it, is there really that much talking that the op does? or are they just receiving stand by and go cues?

So, just for interest sake, who's planning on going to this workshop? I believe I made it onto the list as number 17, so I'm sure there's attendee's on here.

Thanks for the info Marc. I'm in the process of booking my flights and accommodation so that i can make it to the SMPTE trade show in July, so hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on some demos there... and then I'm doing the Steadicam Gold workshop, so I'm sure i will learn a HEAP there... I had looked at the IDX, but wasn't sure how it would go distance wise... do you have any ideas what roughly the longest distance you've used it over is??

Hey Brodie, Welcome to the forum. It's good to find someone else who is based in Perth/Western Australia. Where did you get your gear from? I notice a lot of BH Photo Video banners on your website, so was it from there or did you find somewhere in Australia? Either way, did you have any dramas with the order/shipping & have you had any dramas with warrantee claims? Cheers, Ryan

Hello Osvaldo, Thanks for the information and the practical specifics of past problems you've experienced with the Titan. Now that I'm aware of the interference generated by cell phones and the like, using it at an open air concert with +5000 people & maybe +3000 cell phones seems like a really stupid idea. So I am very glad I came here for the advice first instead of trying & failing miserably. So I guess to change the direction of this thread a bit, does anyone know of any Rental Houses in Perth, Western Australia?? I unfortunately get to Perth all that often, but am heading down in April so would love to line up some time with a local op or supplier/rental place. Thanks again for the comments & advice. Ryan

Hi James, Thanks for the welcome & the suggestions, they are very appreciated. And I agree that having a chat with local operators is probably the next step for me, so I was surprised to find that there are actually a couple of guys over here in the west that do operate. So I'll definitely be up for the introduction. Thanks for offering. As far as the wireless video goes, (& I know my questions are above my operating level) but what clasifies as "broadcast quality"? And is that specifically referring to 'live to air broadcasts' on tv or does imagemag at a concert classify as broadcast as well? Ive just a clip up on YouTube from our local Carols by Candlelight from last year, which would give you an idea of the type of event that I'm looking at going wireless for, but I can't get a link to it whilst working off my iPad. But the idea that I have is to be able to get a camera into the crowd to get shots looking through the candles toasted the stage. So I don't see that running a cable is the best idea. Thanks for the information regarding the workshops & trade show. I would have been up for the Adelaide workshop, but have a wedding to attend that weekend. I'll see if I can make it to Sydney, but somehow I think that'll be on the plan for next year... Thanks again for your help. Ryan

Hello all, I'll admit that I'm feeling a little out of my depth here on this forum, being a newbie amongst some big names & professional operators, but I guess we all have to start somewhere. I'm not working as an operator, it is purely a hobby of mine and to be honest, I've ended up on here because I once saw a guy on a show operating a steadicam and thought "wow, that looks like a really interesting piece of equipment" and I've set my mind on learning the 'art'. And if I'm going to learn something, I try and learn it from the best. So my first investment, was The Steadicam Operator's Handbook which I am learning a lot from and I'm sure that many people on here would suggest my second investment be attending a workshop, however my location (outback Western Australia) does not allow for that, at least without some costly flights tagged onto the cost of the course... So given I find that getting my hands onto something is the best way that I learn, I've purchased what I'm sure many operators on this forum would describe as a "cheap and nasty" rig, but it's a stabilisation system (not a true Steadicam) that does enough for my current needs. Currently, I'm working with the 'ye ol faithful' Canon XL1s (a far cry from the world of RED or 3D HD technology, but i have to learn to crawl first) and i have some other accessories (matte box & rail system, Sennheiser wireless mic system). It's nothing fancy, but at the moment my only real project is putting together a 'church news' segment each week, so it does the trick. And down the line a bit, I might get to do a bit of imagemag work at a conference or at a community concert and the likes. So that's my intro out of the way (hope it made sense), so now onto my question. I'm sure everyone would agree with me that being tethered by a cable whilst doing live to screen/air work is rather annoying, so I have been doing some research and looking for a not too expensive, but good quality (no sync issues/long(ish) range) wireless video unit. Well it's no surprise that the Boxx Meridian system showed up fairly quickly, but that is way out of my price range and my requirements level at this stage. The IDX Cam-Wave system also popped up, and whilst it may be just within my budget, the 150' range may turn out to be a bit short for an outdoor concert that I may get to work on later this year. And at the moment is the Transvideo Titan system appears to be the best option (that I've found anyway). So I'm interested to hear peoples thought on the Titan... Has anyone run into any problems with it? are there any little tricks that make life easier? And also, the info I've found says that "It can broadcast through walls without resynchronization of the video picture and has a 1000' line of sight." so I'm wondering what the range is when working through walls and the likes? And of course, feel free to open my eyes to wireless systems that I haven't mentioned, that you think might work for me. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this and I'm looking forward to your feedback and learning as much as I can. Cheers, Ryan