Simon Wyndham

Is this a good replacement for the Adidas advert?!

To a small degree. It may help with bad operating off a Steadicam to begin with. However I don't believe that in camera stabilisation will ever replace an actual rig. Firstly because hand holding a camera for any length of time is very difficult, even with light cameras. And if those cameras are rigged up with accessories then even more so. Using a shoulder brace etc wouldn't give the same freedom of movement as being able to move the camera in free space like you can with an arm based rig. The second reason is that even if cameras had the ability to use post stabilisation software built in, or if the NLE based stabilisation software gets better there is one fundamental flaw that they cannot cope with. The motion blur from a really shakey shot. This usually messes up most shot stabilisations in software unless the shot was relatively stable to begin with, with only slow moving instability. I think you are right about the smaller rigs though. These days there is no reason to assume that the equipment should be short on features just because the cameras may be smaller or less expensive.

Just a quick note about weight capacities. The X-22 will carry around 26lbs in addition to the weight of the sled (with monitor and battery mounted). So you get 26lbs of pure camera gear capacity. The arm will cope safely with up to around 38lbs of weight. Thought of course the rig that suits the situation best may not be purely based upon weight capacity.

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Andrew, I agree with you 100%. The course I did was three days with Robin. I didn't realise that it was mainly only 2 days or 5 now. I'm in no way an expert at any of this, but one reason I suggested what I did was because sometimes people think they want to become SC operators with no prior experience in any shape or form. Luckily I had brief experience beforehand as to what would be involved. But putting on an Ultra rig is a shock even as a basic setup. Some people realise that they really hate it. To pay for a full length course when they have no idea what it is like to even supprt a rig even just standing there, let alone operating around a set might be a shock to the system enough. My own personal suggestion would be, even if this costs more, to take a short course, decide if you like it, get a rig or practise in whatever means you have access to, then take a longer course. I view Steadicam very much in the same way as martial arts. You need to be taught the base, VERY base techniques. Then you need to work on them over and over again (the stage I am at). Then once you can fully relate those base techniques and fully understand them take on a more complex course. I do a martial art called Wing Chun. It is very very simple in appearance. But in practice it isn't. However once you understand and can apply the very basic footwork, weight positioning, and angling, you are in good stead to learn the rest. If you try to take it in all in one go there will be problems. That's the angle I take with Steadicam. Of course I accept that I am really a total novice at all of this as far as Steadicam goes, so I don't want to tread on toes. But I do understand physical learning as a result of 15 years of teaching people how to coordinate. A little often is a lot better than a lot all in one go. And it does take time. Your body has to adjust.

The Steadicam courses are worth every penny. Don't even consider buying a rig until you have taken one. A five dayer might be a bit much for starting out, mainly because if you put on a rig and hate it you have to go through the full thing. That's the thing with Steadicam, a lot of people have an interest in taking it up, but then sometimes find that it really isn't for them. Some even find that they hate wearing a rig. So definitely take a course of some kind. You'll also get to see what the best rig for you is and get to try it first hand. As long as the skills are there.

In a world where a guy can hand carve sculptures and models on a grain of sand by timing his movements to his pulse, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_Wigan I think that it would be perfectly possible with a lot of dedication to operate one handed with precision.

Ye, but your football uses hands more than feet, so surely it is handball? ;) We in the UK have real handball, and call it Rugby ;) But back to the topic. Sky's move is going to be an interesting one to watch. What I am having difficulty working out is how well 3D will really work in a live environment when you have to zoom in etc. On a film set you can fine tune the lens positions and play with different perspectives to suit the shot. I'm not sure how this will work for Sky's productions.

Just got to say that that comment turns Steadicam almost into a martial art ;) It is amazing the parallels between them in terms of being able to hold body posture and structure while in movement. I always had problems with foot transition. Does it help to visualise the feet "pulling" the body along, replacing one another like tank tracks (only way I can think to describe it), as opposed to putting the foot down then the body just passing over the foot naturally to go forward?

Hmmm. Hopefully Scarlett won't be made in an iron forge like its predecessor! ;) Is the arm sagging under the weight in that shot?

I am in a situation mentioned often in this thread. Much as I would love to hire myself out as a Steadicam op I would like to make sure that I can do the business with the rig to begin with. I don't think it is just about being able to handle any camera that the director or AC wants to put on it, but also being prepared to be able to perform any camera move that is being asked and nail it in as little a number of takes as possible. I feel that buying a big rig in the beginning is like buying a Dalsa or F23 when you are starting out in camerawork. It is all very well having a great piece of gear and being able to handle the camera weight, but what use is that if you can't frame a shot properly with it, or your horizon is all over the place? I'm getting myself a Flyer LE. I'm not a total newbie when it comes to Steadicam, but I am in the 'so new that I need some serious practise and really still in the newbie category' stage. The sort of cameras I would fly would be gear such as DSR sized cameras, Sony EX (and particularly the new 350, since a lot of people I work for are getting hold of these). As the newer solid state camcorders become more prevalent it becomes more viable to shoot with these cameras on a rig such as the Flyer. The PMW-350 body for example is only 3.5kg. So this leaves more capacity for extra gear to be attached. But aside from this I want to be able to practise with the Flyer and really learn the 'light touch' that such a lightweight rig requires. I figured that if I started to get hired more and more for Steadicam specifically if a larger rig is needed I can look into hiring one. Sure, I would need to take a hit in rate, but if the need for a bigger rig is sporadic then putting my life on the line and getting an Ultra or a fully kitted out MK-V rig for example would be silly, if not impossible because getting finance in the current economic climate is next to impossible. One thing I have considered is getting the Flyer, but gradually buying parts from MK-V as and when I can afford it and gradually building a separate custom rig over time (not modifying the Flyer). Why do I get the feeling though that the Flyer may get a minor upgrade at NAB? The Archer has had a small weight capacity increase, so could this be possible for the Flyer too?

After being asked to write an article for Showreel about the Tiffen Steadicam training courses I can honestly say that Robin Thwaites has reinforced a dream I have always had since I began camera operating. To own and operate a Steadicam. My detailed thoughts will of course be published in the magazine, but I will say that if you have any interest in Steadicam the courses run by Robin are well worth it. Essential actually. Robins enthusiasm for these devices is readily apparent, and his teaching method is accessible to anyone. At the moment I think I am aiming for an Archer SE due to the tilt stage and low mode inclusion. As no doubt many of you know I use an XDCAM 510 for my day-in-day-out work. But I need a rig that can take other equipment too. I know the G50 arm can take quite a load. I'm not expecting to be working on 35mm features or anything like that (though there's no harm in aiming for that eventually!), bt for general video and high def shooting how have people here found the Archer to be in every day use? I am totally new to the world of full size 'real' rigs, and I have done some searching on these forums for other things I need to consider. So I was wondering if any current Archer owners could tell me their thoughts on the rig after a fair bit of use (Eric etc)? Would I be better off aiming for a Clipper? Having used the rigs on the course I did like the Archer a lot, but I am perhaps thinking that the Clipper might give me more flexibility. But would it be overkill? Are people having good success with a wide range of regular jobs with the Archer? How well have people found the low mode on the Archer SE to be in real world use? What has been the most challenging setup that you have used on it? And other than the rig itself what makes and types of additional equipment should I budget for (ie remote focus, video etc)? How did you cope when starting out on your first jobs? What kind of problems did you encounter with directors in relation to your Steadi experience and abilities at the time? A new and exciting world! :)

Ah sorry, didn't see the picture originally. Thing about the Glidecams is that I've heard loads of people say that they lack the adjustments of the Steadicams? I've also heard that the arms can sometimes be unweildy.

JobScholtze whats the V35?

Thanks for the reply Mikko :) I just reweighed the camera (like an idiot I went on the manufactuer specs, and they are without the lens). When I took the viewfinder off it weight 14.97lbs almost bang on the absolute limit of the Flyer. Over time would this put undue stress on the system? I would really need a system that can cope quite happily with the weight. Looks like I may have to save for a ProVid2. Eeek!