chris fawcett

Just present the camera to a machinist to measure up the spacings, and show that picture. That's a line of 3/8-16 holes along there. It's an easy job (when you know what you are doing). If you are expecting to work a lot with that camera/rig combination, I really recommend it. All the best, Chris

Mike, Keeping the camera close to the Flyer stage is good. A custom plate like this will help with balance and also reduce weight. All the best, Chris

Agreed, I recoil from the Bourne look, though it undoubtedly saves on acting, sets, props, narrative—everything but dramamine. I was recently asked for it by a director who also kept asking me to pan up so we could get some capacious headroom too. Chris

Hi Brian, That's an interesting point you raise. When shooting Children of Men, the cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki apparently wanted to use Steadicam, but was overruled by the director, Alfonso Cuarón, who wanted the handheld feel. Under the same circumstances, I'd feel the same way as Lubezki, and want to compress my rig as much as possible into a 'running' configuration. I like the sudden spatial translations of 'handheld' without the angular ones, and think Children of Men would have been benefitted from following the cinematographer's advice. Having said that, the quality of the handheld in that film is masterful. Have a great shoot, Ian, and make getting yourself to a professional workshop a priority. All the best, Chris

Wow, what an incredible recovery he must have made. Thank goodness. Definitely a occasion for brown corduroy trousers.

Too cold for street corners now. Safely behind glass...

An update: I now top/bottom balance my rig almost exclusively by adding and removing balance weights. This keeps the post always the same length, unless I want it longer for reasons too myriad to go into here. My usual configuration is one/two under the post and one/two on the monitor bracket. I really recommend this system. Chris

Hi Damon, In workshops, it is usually the big guys that have the problems you describe. It is often the lightly-built women that fly the rigs longest. This is because you have the strength to do it wrong, by using the wrong muscle systems to lift the weight. These muscle systems tire easily. Lightly-built people have no choice but to fly the rig correctly, by using postural muscle systems that can work all day. It's mostly a balance thing. All this and more at http://steadivision.com/steadipos.html —some light reading for your Sunday afternoon. All the best, Chris

Next time I'll include time and the other 7 string theory M-dimensions. Imagine the anaglyphic glasses you'd need for that...

Now that must take a prize for dumb-ass button clicker of the year! Do I win?

Holy crap, that's great!

Holy crap, that's great!

Holy crap, that's great!

Me neither. Chris

Thanks Patrick, For getting me hooked! I'm in Belfast right now shooting a commercial on the HF. Chris

The Archer 2s is your man.

Hi Charles, Sorry if I misunderstood you there. Certainly something of the sort you describe would be well worth looking into, and you are just the man for the job :) I'll be fascinated to hear your findings. My suspicion is, however, that we should leave that region as much as possible alone to do its own thing, find its own balance, etc. Jess, Have you read the 'tensegrity' theory of the spine (nothing to do with Carlos Castanada's misappropriation of the term, but based on Buckminster Fuller's principle of tensional integrity). The article is (shameless self-publicity follows) here. This is the only explanation of how the spine works that makes sense to me—strong back muscles relieve pressure on disks. From having been in a position of being offered an operation to fuse my vertebrae some years ago, I have reverted to the fully-mad, dumb-ass risk taker that I was in my my misspelt yuff. Steadicam rules! Fly erect! Chris

Hi All, I'd like to state that all the various with experiments I do with my Archer, including maxing it out, are not recommended by Tiffen. They're are not even something I do regularly to my own rig. I'm just curious to know what it can take in extremis. I mostly operate well within the stated limits of the rig. Chris

Agreed, To my mind, a good chiropractor is an oxymoron. Chris

This is a great rig, folks!

Hi All, I don't recommend these postural supports. They might feel good in the short term, but they probably lead to a weakening of your postural muscles, and not just the main erectors, but the small stabilizers like the intervertebral multifidus too. Anyone that's had a limb in a cast can testify to an extreme example of this weakening. I suspect it's really best to let your muscles do the work. Your back will become strong enough though operating in good posture. I have a double slipped disk. L5-S1 that hurts sometimes. My solution is to strap myself into a Steadicam for a few hours. That might sound counterintuitive, and I sometimes can't believe it myself, but having those super-trained back muscles means that my disks are not compressed like they would be if I have weak back muscles. I'm not a doctor of course, so take everything I say with a grain of valium. Also, I must admit to a general suspicion of postural support quackery in general, but you'll hopefully forgive me that. :) Chris

Great link, thanks!

Hi all you Handsfree people, I just updated the User Manual to include a short section (9.4) on clearances, for doorways, etc., for the various tyre configurations. And yes, we spell 'tyre' like that over here. It's the Mediterranean diet. http://steadivision.com/handsfreemanuals.html Glide safe, Chris

Happy birthday from up here on the flat bit!

Dear Jens. Funnily enough, I got that bit already. Since I can angle the monitor any way I want, on the fly, thanks to the CoG mount, I can see no reason for wanting the monitor any other way than how it is. I never mount it on a stand. All the best, Chris