Matt Mouraud

Hi John ! Well I'll check it out at IBC ! The reason why I'm probably going to go for the pro is that I want to keep the ability of shooting with 16 and 35 cameras, even though it will be minuscule in terms of activity... You can expect a full report with pictures right after the IBC ! ;)

Looks like a low mode stick, I just can't see any stabilizating device in there... :blink:

I did my first shoot yesterday with my first ever serious rig : a Glidecam Gold. What a nice rig, smooth, easy to set up, very nice arm, and the overall build quality is beautiful : everything is cnc-milled. Since I'm in the market for a rig, I've decided to go out and see for myself since there aren't many rigs priced right for my budget (although I feel my experience/ambition/budget ratio is reasonnable at 15,000?). I was walked through by Rollin Montelius, Glidecam importer for France, and we used his own rig. He had a Marrell hi-brite CRT monitor, Marrell video link and focus motor installed, with a DSR500. At first I felt the vest wasn't as comfortable as my Laigle BM vest, and a little trial and error later I felt like I was born with the vest on. :D The socket block is titanium, and the arm is fairly light. I found the gimbal to be very smooth and easy to operate with an ideal post thickness, for my hand. Maneuvering the rig inside his showroom was dead easy, with great stability. Then we went outside for some tracking excercises and the thing that come to mind first is ease of use. I was just struck by how easy it was to use. The arm booms smoothly through its entire range and is very sensitive to adjustments. Maybe the only grudge I would have is the longitudinal adjustment located underneath the back of the camera. Not a major inconvenience but it would've been better located on a side. The bottom plate had a little freeplay when the post was extended that somewhat altered the dynamic balance. Rollin is planning on modding it with a little blocking pin. Overall I was really impressed with the rig (my first ever try at a real rig) and I can't wait to start the Steadicam Workshop sept. 18th. Yes I've changed my mind about it :ph34r: :D I want to thank Rollin for spending so much time with me, answering the stupidest questions ! :unsure: I still have to try other rigs (Steadicam Archer...) but I must say that I have a soft spot for the Gold... :P

As you may have seen, I'm on the market for a rig. I have about 13,000? in front of me ($16,000), and I am looking at a complete, ready to shoot, rig : vest, arm, sled, monitor. My primary use is video, I don't have film connections - for now. The rig must be in prime condition. I will travel to Europe and the US if it is worth it. Thank yoo ! :)

Hi Joe, I will take you up on that. Email just sent ! I just can't believe how nice all of you guys are... It really feels like being part of a big brotherhood...

Same thing here in France.... However, from what I understand, nobody will come and bother you as it is fairly difficult to home in on a small transmitter and not that hard talking yourself out that kind of problem, should any problem arise...

I might be on a shooting that day... Save some for us :D

Guido, we'll be delighted to meet you !

Guido, I've just sent you an email, thanks !!

I'll see if I can find one sometime... He won't be at IBC and I don't know of any BaerBel rig in France but who knows... The market over here doesn't justify spending over 20,000?, unfortunately...

Well he certainly is inventive ! Well I just got a quote from him and it's just out of my budget for now so I'll just keep it in the bac k of my head for next year or so and in the meantime I might go for a sprint complete rig... I'm meeting with the guy at the IBC. But thanks for your opinion, Seb' ! :D

Whoa Rob this is very impressive ! How was it to work with JJ Annaud ? Wasn't the entire film shot on HD with a Viper ? JJ Annaud is highly regarded here in France. He has also signed the first ever fiction shot on IMAX...

Sounds like a plan ! Here's my cell number : +33 617 327 751. I will be checking all the steadicam vendors, and then party on like there's no tomorrow ! :ph34r:

Hi there ! It really depends on what you're doing. Here's what I do. For interviews I use a HF mic (sennheiser ew100G2). If you're just looking for ambient sound, your cam mic will do just fine, or you can use a sound eng with an HF mixer... But avoid dangling wires as much as you can...

Have another cup of tea, mate ! :ph34r:

Willdo, Chris, no problem. We are setting to take off from Paris on sunday morning very early, and spend the night in Amsterdam and leave on the afternoon. How's that sound ?

What do guys think of Baer-Bel ? I'm talking to Markus Bernhardt, very nice guy but a little bit elusive when it comes to getting a quote. Anyhow it seems his rigs are rock solid, and the arm seems beautifully designed. Anybody using one of his rig ?

Guys, I just can't thank you enough for the time you're spending answering simple newbie questions. It's very humbling yet it feels like talking to your big bro'. Kinda like when I was a Flight Instructor...

Well thank you guys ! I'm just going to keep practicing more and more to get the dolly look. Didn't think I could get beaten at the lazy stuff, being Corsican... :ph34r:

I will come to the IBC, but I'm not sure when exactly, as I'm only a few hours driving away (Paris). I would love meeting with some of you guys, so how about we set a get together time ?

Hi ! So I take it I'm not the only one flying something else than a rig, uh ? B)

I am working on a 52 minutes feature about Ramatuelle, a wonderful village in the South of France. Anyways, I'm a little bit in pain because I struggle with super slow walking. I just can't seem to find the right pace and it shows. My foot techique is wrong and it bothers me no end that I can't find a proper way to get it right. The director is asking a lot and I take pride in doing pretty much what he asks, but that super slow walking is just bothering me. What kind of pattern do you guys use ?

Same here... I mean the description that was given to me by Regis Prosper was way not convincing, and it felt more like some kind of expensive trade show than a true workshop. I'll save the 2500? towards an Mk-V rig ! :ph34r:

Hey Matt, thanks for the info, I'll give those guys a call tomorrow morning. Cheers !

I gave a call today to the guys over at Tiffen in Paris about their workshop. I was all excited and all about attending this class BUT... When I learned that it was more like a presentation of the Tiffen gear, and that I couldn't bring my own gear I really started to wonder why I should spend 2500 euros (about $3,000) just to watch and try gear I can't afford/use or have no interest into. From what I read on the board, it seems like the US workshops are a lot more user oriented, where everyone brings its own gear which seems to make a lot of sense to me : I want to become proficient with my own gear, not Tiffen's !!! No wonder why it's not sold out at all ! The guys over here have it all wrong, it seems...