Brett Manyluk

My hat's off to all of you operators who worked on Shaun of the Dead! Some great moves and huge scenes done in "1'ers". I especially like his trips out of his house, through the street full of people/zombies/ and back home again. The battle outside his girlfriends was terrific as well. great choices and some very funny moments where the rig is as much a character present in the scene as the actors. For the rest of you, if you havent' seen this film, yet, take the time to go discover it. You won't be disappointed. Great work! Brett Manyluk

Thanks very much. Now I can contact the Rental house and cancel the Miranda I ordered and replace it with an AJA. And as per a previous comment about this forum and its descent into the depths of degredation (with a capital D that rhymes with P and that stands for POOL!), it's nice to see that generosity has NOT left the building. Good thoughts and cute massage therapists for all who fly... Brett Manyluk

I've flown the Sony Cinealta quite a few times and am comfortable with and the Miranda/everitz box downconverter karate-chop action. However, I've got a Varicam job on Monday and I would assume that the small Miranda fits on just like on the Sony? Yes? All is as simple as one should assume it is? Brett Manyluk

Hey Jesse, nice to see you on THIS board. You should direct people to your website. I think they would find it very informative. Come on, what steadi op didn't think the smart gun was the coolest rig ever? Brett

Also consider the Baer-Bel arm. Similar to the Pro in that it is a compression spring arm with different spring sets that can be changed "quickly" (5-10 minutes). The heavy springs can hold more than most operators ever want to fly (I had a Panastar with baseplate and full optics, a thousand foot mag with film and three Anton Bauer Propacs plus follow focus and it still had lots of crank left!)). It also has a Jacob's Ladder design at the joint that prevents the joint from bangin together during dynamic movements (like running). It is significantly longer than the 3a style (greater boom range) and very smooth. I bought one last year after trying all the arms (except Howards, which I'm sure is an outstanding product, and the steadyrig version) and have really enjoyed its performance. I've had it in +43 degree heat (I think that's over 100F) and in -20 cold with no problems or performance hicups. It's also much cheaper than the Pro. Worth checking out before you make your decision. www.baer-bel.de My 2 cents... (No... I don't work for Markus at Baer-Bel, but I think he owes me a drink for that advert ;) ) Brett Manyluk

Just curious who flew for the Avril Lavigne Video for "Don't tell me". It must have been a bit of a squeeze stepping on the condor WITH Avril for the final shot. Hopefully she wasn't too bratty to work with. Nice job... Brett Manyluk

For what it's worth, Nathan Fillion is from Edmonton. I've met him before and he's a very nice guy. He's also friends with the guys from The Arrogant Worms (a musical comedy group). I know it's not directly related to Firefly, but Fred, you should look up their music. You'll laugh and laugh (To songs like "Big Fat Road Manager" and "Carrot Juice is Murder"). Brett "Sci-FI Geek" Manyluk

Not sure why, but I can recommend a whiz-bang fixer. If necessary, try David Hable of Cramped Attic Technology in Vancouver. He fixes all things steadicam, including monitors. He can also move your junction box over your gimble for a very resonable cost. His number: (604) 254-8619 Hope that helps, Brett Manyluk

As a witness to Bryan's operating on this shoot, I have to say he did an incredible job and was a major contributor to a very successful event. He ran between three stages with long, challenging shots and next to no rest time. Despite the bummed talley light and headsets that were down for at least half the show, Bryan was as big a performer as the show's stars: Alanis, Avril Lavigne, Sarah Maclachlan, Nelly Furtado, Barenaked Ladies, and Nickelback. Nice workin' with ya, Bryan... Brett Manyluk

There is a great company in Vancouver named North Westen Textiles that sells them. Contact Colin. Don't have the number but you can probably 411 it. Very good work for very affordable price (Canadian Dollars). He also has an awesome Steadicam AKS with multiple options for about $135.00 Cnd. Hope that helps... Brett Manyluk

Sure, I might be interested. I'm looking for a new vest right now... Send me some mail Brett Manyluk stryderblue@shaw.ca

Kindest intent, Peter... I would hope that the "puckboard" is the same structural material (seemed to be when I replaced my vest plastic) as it has to stand up to 275 pounds of Hockey player (x 2 for checking) traveling at 60km/hr or the puck traveling at well over 100. Haven't tried that test with my vest yet. But if I do, I'll be sure to post a pic. Brett "Give 'er!" Manyluk ;)

Hey Michael, Have you thought about picking up a couple of Anton Bauer to Sony V-lock adapter plates and using the rental sony Lithium-Ion BP-60/90's on your rig? Most Sony cams come with this setup now. Might be a lower cost alternative? The BP 60 size is small, lightweight and should run your average Betacam for 1 to 1.5 hours in your climate (up here in -40, it's totally different). Brett "My Canuck $.02" Manyluk :)

I guess I should respond to the previous question... No, I'm not 7' and 300lbs, but I âm? 6'6" and 250 lbs. I wouldn't want to fly that kind of setup all the time, but I'm as comfortable with a BL4 and stairs as a person could be (I suppose). Of course Arricams on every show would be great... Brett

Well, I apologize, but I guess I am, eh. ;) Brett Snowville, -40 land

I flew a panastar and baseplate with a 1000 foot mag and all the optics on yesterday. That was a little taxing. But it balanced on the sled with 2 pro pacs on the bottom and a third taped on for ballast. I flew it with my Baer-Bel arm and it had plenty of strength for it with extra left over. The arm felt very iso-elastic with the extra poundage on. Brett Manyluk

Not sure if the plastic on the masters is any dfferent than the old 3a's and EFP's and so on, but if it's not, the stuff is called puckboard and is used to line the inside of hockey rinks. A 4' x 8' sheet should cost you about $25 bucks. Cut it with a dremel and heat it with a heat gun and gut it with an olfa cutter and mold it with the heat. hould be available through any major plastics company. I hope that helps. Best, Brett Manyluk

Another small congratulations to Jim Bartell. When the Preston from Clairmont went down today, the "back up" bartech jumped in eagerly, was ready to go quickly, and performed very well. Nice to have a simple, reliable system around (and in a Canadian Winter Climate). Kudos to you Jim. ...not that I'm saying anything bad about the Preston. Good system having a bad day, that's all... Brett Manyluk

Hey guys, Checked the previous forum and didn't see anything on recelling Lith-ion batts (sony BP 60's). Anyone know someone who does this and prices? Thanks again, Brett

Sorry, forgot to add that I really wanted to look at Howards Mk-5 arm, but it was not ready for Cine Gear last year and I couldn't wait. If it's available, make sure to look at that one too as I'm sure it's craftsmanship will be excellent like his other products. Brett

Hiya, My 2 cents... I own a modified EFP modified by David Hable in Vancouver (604.254.8619 - 2 battery 12/24 volt system and moved the junction box onto the post; vest re-enforced with thicker central spar plate (watch that the original vest spar doesn't fail with heavy cameras!!) and back straps). I decided to go the route of a new arm and went down to Cine Gear last year to try out everything (except the steadyrig upgrade, they weren't there unfortunately...maybe this year?) and found IN MY OPINION that the Baer-Bel arm was the right one for my money. The workmanship is incredible and the x-joint design gets rid of additional vibration from your central joint bonking together when you run. The arm is longer than a 3a which I really appreciate (I'm 6'6"), and is considerably smoother. I've had it in +43 degree days (over 100 F) and in -25 degree celcius days. Shortly I'll have it on another heavy-exterior show in -40 degree celcius weather (also -40 F) and imagine it'll perform very well. It has compression springs that, like the industry standard Pro, can be swapped out very quickly. It is also considerably less expensive than the Pro, but the performance (at least at Cine Gear) was seemingly identical (MY OPINION...I would be happy to test the two side by side in the extreme cold of the Canadian North if anyone wants to send me up a Pro demo arm ;) ). Look into it if the Steadyrig option does not meet your needs. However, with time and much more money, I would likely upgrade my (now) backup EFP/3a arm to a steadyrig arm and have capacity to fly both big and small on it as well. Hope that helps. Brett Manyluk Snowville, -40 Land

Hey guys, I am looking to replace my old tv tuners for use with my video package for video village and I was looking for suggestions for tv tuners that work reliably with VHF/UHF transmitters. These will hook into 2 JVC ac/dc broadcast monitors... The requirements are: able to be 12v battery powered (in addition to an AC adapter) coaxial input (RF connector) to standard tv antenna composite video out Not cost thousands of dollars (like transvideo) Now I realize that there is a host of car audio tv tuners on the market now and some of these should be usable models. Any suggestions? What about those tv tuner boxes that will convert signals for use on LCD panel monitors? Anyone used these successfully with over-the-air antenna input? I know somebody posted something on last year's forum about this, but I couldn't find it. Thanks in advance, Brett Manyluk