chris fawcett

We're experiencing mission creep. Shall we continue the "lowballing" discussion over here in the newbies section? http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=17203

Colleagues, It seems to me that it takes about 2 years practice to begin making reliably good Steadicam shots, and about 5 to begin making great ones. This includes time taken to learn set politics regarding your job, and to develop your visual storytelling abilities. Up to the 2 year point, it's perfectly possible to work, and to work well, but probably only in limited circumstances. The question is, how to charge during this period. Anyone calling themselves a ' Steadicam Operator,' and working for low rates, is, lets face it, lowballing. This hurts everyone, including the lowballer. Once you have a reputation for being cheap, people never want to pay you more, and when they have more money, they'll just hire someone 'better,' whether they are better or not. I think it's perfectly reasonable for inexperienced operators to work cheaply, if they make it clear why they are doing so. Stating that you charge less because you are inexperienced is a good thing. Most people (and I include producers in this category) respect honesty. Discussing whether the shot is within your abilities is a great idea, and nothing to be ashamed of. This approach also gets you off the hook when you screw up, as hopefully you will, since this is an important part of the learning process too. So when you get that call, think ahead to the operator you aspire to be, and to the rates you aspire to being paid. Tell them you're prepared to help production out because they are helping you out, by giving you experience, and by building your reel. If the job is beyond you, recommend your favourite local op. S/he will most likely be inclined to fire a job right back at you when s/he gets the chance. At the end of this process, you've pissed no one off, neither fellow operator nor producer, and you'll be able to command a high rate commensurate with your experience. You'll be respected both for your honesty, and for your hard work. Before long, you'll be passing those cheap jobs down to other aspiring operators. All the best, Chris

Colleagues, I regret the rivisionism on this forum. The thread that prompted my post has now been 'cleansed' by someone in a position to do so. Without open discussion, we are nothing. All the best, Chris

Dear colleagues, Visiting here used to like throwing a door open on a room of friends, now I think twice about visiting. Seeing a newbie slammed, witnessing an interesting question dismissed, or just watching someone swinging his arrogance (replace with appropriate noun) around doesn't make my day. Let's be a community again. Let's return to civility. All the best, Chris

Piebald please.

Will I get my pony?

That's better. I wouldn't want to be in any club that would accept me as a sole member. It's against my Marxist principles.

Does this, in itself, constitute a warning?

Why do I have, under my post tally, a line that states "zero warnings"? Is that good?

I guess this will be my last post ;)

I'd like to know myself!

Hi guys, The quick release was not wanted by so many people that it will be available as an option. As for the prototypes, I'm sorry to say I've lost track of the beta testing process. I'm not sure what part of the world they are in. One is in Paris with me, another is in Tokyo, but for the rest, I just don't know. The parts count is still high, but much more standardised now, so that should ease production. I don't know about the price; that's in Tiffen's hands. All the best, Chris

You mean me? Tiffen is being great about not rushing this to market. We might make this year, we might be ready early next. I can't say for sure, but we are really close to finishing. As for price, I can't help you there; that's not my decision. I'm sure that someone at Tiffen would send you a 2012 invoice ;) Chris

Learning to operate on your other side is just a question of getting over yourself and doing it. Once you overcome the initial confusion, it's no big deal, but don't expect any results if you only try it for 20 minutes. There definitely are situations where mastering this pays off. All the best, Chris

There are some circumstances when you'll just have to shoot goofy (or regular). Spiral staircases in old castles wind up clockwise, so that the attackers, mostly right handed, couldn't sword fight their way up the stairs, giving the defenders a great advantage. Goofy swordsmen were in great demand in olden days. When shooting on stairs, we face the same problem today. Embrace your goofy side (occasionally). Chris

Welcome back, Larry!

Objection! Leading the witness. Sustained. I'm going to say yes. Chris

Sure, Victor, It should work with any arm. As for the back mount, we'd envisioned this being used for the 3rd arm section. This is a single Gx section with a socket block at its far end. You mount this to the vest before putting the vest on (it's fixed so it doesn't move laterally, but booms up and down next to your body). You then mount your own arm to the Gx section in the usual way, and tune the iso and lift on the Gx section to match. This is for when you need to increase your boom range by 50%. In high mode, you get from a sit down to well over head level. In low mode you get you from ankle to eye level. You could back mount a standard 2-section arm to the Exovest, but I know of no compelling reason for doing so. The vest is fairly rigid in the sagittal plane (from front to back), so you don't feel much difference between front and rear mounting, except that you now have more weight to the rear, which reduces the overall torque of holding the Steadicam out front. That's a small benefit that probably doesn't merit carrying that extra weight. A greater disadvantage is that you are now wider than you would be with a front mount, but certainly, it's possible. All the best, Chris

Hi James, Robin at Tiffen UK has a prototype. You might be lucky enough to catch it. Give him a call +44 1753 783960 All the best, Chris

Coming soon, maybe before the end of the year. Price TBD. Thanks for your interest!

You'll never work for von Trier ;) By all means, use your best footage. Chris

Hey Jens, Thanks for the clarification. I have had just one experience with the PRO arm, and I had to do exactly what I described. That probably clouded my perception of the arm. I look forward to giving it another chance sometime. There is no doubt that it is a fine arm. All the best, Chris

Back to the thread. To say that the Gx series arms don't compare to the PRO arms is hyperbole. Of course they compare. To say that 'top' operators don't use them is insulting (and possibly the beginning of a circular argument) . Certainly the PRO arm is superb. If you are shooting a TV series for months, it can be the arm for you, but for the kind of work I do, I wouldn't want one. I'm lucky to get 5 days on a feature, then I'll jump to a couple of days on a commercial. Often I'll fly to another country to drop into the middle of a shoot without benefit of a prep day. When I don't know what lens is coming next, what accessory might get added to the camera between scenes—or even between takes—I don't want an arm that I might have to unload, dismantle (however easy that may be), then tune possibly 4 different canisters with a tool. I want an arm that I can dial up to the right lift by hand, at 'one' if necessary. My current G arm is a beauty, and the one before it was too. I never saw a step in any of my shots. My friend's PRO arm is a beauty too. We are both happy with the choices we made. Thank •••• for innovation and choice. All the best, Chris

Eric, Your decision to penalise Garrett Brown, by deleting a post that is critical of you on the grounds that it was a 'cross post,' is a perfect example of immoderation. You have a unique voice on this forum, Eric, but one that is entirely inconsistent with your position as moderator. I agree with Garrett that you should resign your position. As a last act of goodwill, please reinstate Garrett's "cross post" as a new topic, as he surely intended it, so that it may be seen by everyone on this forum, and not lay buried in an obscure thread. All the best, Chris

Second that. Great job!