Lars Erik

I freakin hate 48fps on the Hobbit movies. I think Cameron is shooting/will be shooting Avatar 2 in 60fps. I know they're saying it's to improve motion blur and such. But it still looks like crap. Has anybody worked on features that are doing this? Is this the future? If so the futures ugly. Ugh!

From a site that sells MOVI Freefly... "Product WARNING!! Do NEVER operate ANY gimbals WITHOUT balanced correctly. Never touch or have any resistance to the gimbal when power is connected!! Even a small unbalance or resistance, WILL damage your gimbal by overheating the motors , and causes so much generated heat. The drive motors lose magnetic strength , and get very hot and smell burned." Now I really want one...

Do a drop test. Is there any unusual sound coming from the rig? If not, can you feel any vibration from the rig?

Actually Alan, I've seen little bullying lately. Perhaps they actually listened this time. Here's hoping! Zak; it's not so much rules that need to be followed. I think it's more about respect for each other and the immediate termination of master suppression techniques.

Hello Jedders, welcome to the forum. First things first; if you plan on posting any more on this forum, please change your forum name to your real name. We use real names here. I have never used the Merlin much, but just a quick look says it's weight capabilities are 2.27 kg. The C300 weighs in at 1.45 kg (EF), and the Samyang lens weigs in at 522g. Which puts you in at 1.97 kg. I'm guessing no extras. So maybe you should try it on the Merlin? By the off-chance that the Merlin don't take your set-up, and you need to rent anything that has a vest and arm, I'd listen to the other ops and rent a operator who'll give you a student discount. It's done all the time and everywhere, even here in Norway. I've done it myself several times. Usually I charge for the petrol and a little extra. If you rent a system with arm and vest, and you have no experience with this, the chance of you being disappointed with your shots are high. In addition to that, you have wasted time picking up the rig, and delivering it back to the rental house. That sucks. Whatever you decide. I wish you good luck and fly safe! PS! Alan, that site is a joke right? Tell me you made that site? Please.

Well put Mark. My thoughts exactly. When I did my first Steadicam workshop, Jerry Holway said that we had to share and help each other out. I always remembered these words, and agree with him. Just recently I had a veteran Norwegian filmmaker call me, because he had never done any Steadicam, but bought a ActionCam rig, and he was always off level. He asked for my help. Was I disrespectful against him? No. I was polite and tried to help him out as best as I could. Sure, I politely recommended him to take a workshop when he could, but there was a sense of respect in those words.

Great post Brooks. Thank you for taking time to write it down and posting it. The senseless death match between brands is something that needs to stop. The comments made is usually braindead comments that belong in a 2.4 out of 10 movie on IMDB. Great shots are made by ops on PRO, XCS, Tiffen, MK-V etc. Also posting negativity without constructive criticism is something that need to stop. Pointless and beneath the operators here who do it. But Brook's post also reminds me of someone who suggested we try to inform the newbies what this forum is. Because a lot of the negativity from some individuals come from replying to newbies. I'm sure I myself could have expressed myself with more thought sometimes, but I'm quite sure I'm not the problem on this forum. What if we made a frequently asked question page to the newbies? Like they have on every other site in the world except here... I'm not going to write it, because I am way out of my comfort zone doing that, since I'm not seasoned enough. But I would happily pay some dollars for some of the most experienced guys here to take a day or two to do this. What if we contributed $10 each so someone could be paid a little bit to make a page that might help the newbies out before posting. Suggestions: Who's on this forum? Seasoned operators who's worked +15 years and done Hollywood movies, to the moderate seasoned ops to the newbies. Should I buy a rig? If you have little or no experience in the professional film/tv world, perhaps you should wait. Get more experience before investing in a rig, as this is usually a big decision and will take a hefty sum out of your balance book. Also attending a workshop will help you a lot. Doing a workshop before buying a rig is essential. How much would I need to invest in Steadicam gear? This will vary greatly depending on the rig you buy and extra gear. But expect at least $5,000.00. The operators here who work on big shows, have invested $120,000.00 + for the gear they use. Which rig should I buy? Again a question which has multiple answers. There are many manufacturers of stabilizers out there, from low-end rigs to the high-end rigs used on blockbuster movies. Important points to think about is price range, quality of the rig, weight limit of rig/arm, service, location of you vs manufacturer, modularity etc What extra gear do I need? Depending on your market, this will vary. You will always need multiple power cables, extra batteries for your rig, different type of tools for quick fix of the gear while on set etc. You'll usually need a decent HD wireless transmitter and a good follow focus. The last two items will easily set you back close to $10,000.00 What about low-end rigs? (Below $4,000.00) I listed this price because of the Pilot from Tiffen. This forum consist of mostly operators who's invested several thousand dollars in "higher-end" rigs. Rigs which cost more than $4,000.00 So there might not be a lot of knowledge about the rigs which are listed below this. But you are welcomed to post your concerns/question about any rig on this forum. Let's bring the love back to this forum and give each other hugs and kisses. Peace out. Now where is that god damn bong?

Ari, I see your points on the Sam Tsui video. What I'm surprised about that the DP didn't plan for the risk of shadows. Tenacious D video is great. When it comes to the grumpy old farts in here, that's what they are sometimes. Just ignore it. Our business is filled with people who have way bigger assholes than talent. I just stay away from those people and look forward to the next job.

True Charles, but I decided to go HD long time ago. Think I got Boxx as customer nr 19 or something. Anyway, I got it because I was tired of hearing video village shout; "Why the f#*k is the image so shitty?!" Gotta love those directors.

Hi Sam. Welcome to the forum. Buying a rig is great fun, but choosing the right equipment is important. PRO is a great brand, you can't go wrong there. I don't live in the US, but perhaps a independent view on your work situation sometimes can be helpful. If not, just disregard this post. I'm not going to comment on your freebie jobs, because most of us here has at one point done it. When I started out, I often spoke to the other ops in my market. I was totally honest that I should charge a little less than those who had more experience than me. They agreed. But the difference wasn't big. The fee for the equipment was always equal to the other ops, regardless of their experience. My services I charged slightly less for. Usually about $100-120 US per day. These days I charge what they charge. Working since 2004 as a Steadicam op. I don't have any problem with new ops in my market who charge less. But the difference should be small. If it isn't, I usually speak to the other ops in the area and we speak to this op and politely advise him not to undercut next time. This is important, because a lot of your jobs will probably come because other more experienced ops may turn a job down. Then they may advise the client to call you, but if you're known as a undercutter, well you get the picture. My advise to you is to speak to the other ops in your market. Ask them what they charge their clients. I think it would be fair if you charged slightly less for your personal services. I think it's totally fair that clients pay more for experience. Ops work hard for more experience and should be rewarded accordingly. Good luck with your investment!

Thanks for the info Zach and John, I'll go for the IDX if need be. Have to see what the tech guys say about my old batteries first. LE

Hi guys, most likely I'll need to replace my IDX PowerCube series batteries on my rig. I've had them for six years, and they don't last enough on a job anymore. I'm having them considered for recelling, but in case they say it's not worth while doing this, I'm asking for some advice here. I have V-lock system on a Ultra2c rig. I mostly fly RED and Alexa and ENG cameras. Haven't had any jobs on the F65 yet (as I understand, this camera is quite power hungry). I usually power BOXX HD-SDI T/x and a Arri, Preston or C-Motion FF. I'm considering either the IDX DUO-150 146Wh 14.8v, and by an off chance, a Global Media Pro. I've had little experience with these, except and occasional ENG job. GMP have a series called Li190S, 190Wh and 14.4v. I'm no Steve Jobs when it comes to batteries, so I would appreciate any info any of you battery nerds may have. If you have any other tips on other batteries, I'm open for suggestion. Thanks!!! Fly safe!

Wow. Finally we who work a lot of tv, might have a good competitor when it comes to cameras. I never did like the way Sony's XD series blow out the highlights. This might give us an edge when dealing with producers. I tried to find out the weight of the body, but didn't find any info. Anyone know? The price is according to Arri, way below the Alexa Classic.

I tried this Peter. No luck. Thanks anyway. I sent the rig in, and the HD-SDI cable has to be replaced. So case solved I guess. LE

Phew! Great news Colin. Glad everything worked out for you. Fly safe! LE

Congrats Shawn, you've just proven Eric's point, and you did that without uttering a single word. I applaud you. But I think we should all just ignore him. He's narcissist as Eric said. Sooner or later the staff from the mental hospital he resides in will know he' s sneaking out of his room at night and using the staffs computer without permission.

What I meant is that this has become an all speculation thread now. Until someone operates a Movi on a Steadicam on a set (a real set Shawn), this thread will become the loooooongest ever. Zzzzzzzzzzz

I give up. Perhaps we should close this thread until the Movi is out on the market. This thread is pointless now.

Shawn, don't mistake Eric's many posts for having nothing else to do. He posts here on a voluntary basis, and he works a lot and has an extensive IMDB CV. You don't. And to be honest, the thread at Freefly seemed that there was only one stubborn person over there. The other members gave you honest and respectful advice of why they don't think Movi+Steadicam will work. And drop the cheap lines. It's obvious you've read or heard them somewhere else. "Get ready. The next evolution of Steadicam is about to be born". What? You read that for some article for a tv-shop item or something?

See, this is what I don't get. You say you have no experience with a Freefly, don't own one. It's basically a tool that hasn't been released yet. Still you claim that you know what will happen. You somehow know that a Movi on a Steadicam rig will change everything. Even though the Freefly forum told you otherwise. I'm not saying it won't change things. Perhaps the type of shots we'll be asked to perform changes, I don't know. But nobody really knows yet. But somehow YOU do... Can you please explain this to me?

Actually I had to do a shot of that kind once with the steadicam and the alexa. There was a dirt track nearby and I suggested to move there as the ground wasn't in the frame. Frame size was a semi close up. At first they insisted on doing the shot directly in the brush-wood with a lot of obstacles and roots. Needless to say I could only run very carefully in a kind of superslomotion. Headroom went all over the place, regardless, as I was only able to check the monitor every few seconds and for a very short moment. I did wear my kneepads and briefed the grip running with me that I will dump down on my knees in case I stumble. I told him that he'll have no chance to stop the stumbeling itself but that he needs to hold my upper body straight when I'm on my knees to avoid that the rig crashes to the ground. I did that briefing with the grip while we were standing near to the director so that he eventually will realize how dangerous the situation was, but without success. I had to do the shot in the brush-wood like 8 or 9 takes in slow motion. Of course I was carefull but it was very dangerous, regardless. After they were kind of satisfied with the result (... don't really know how as the story was that the character runs to save the life of his new love) I suggested to finally move to the dirt track and try if I can run faster there (...of course I could). We did two more takes and the were way better and with a speed corresponding to the story. In the end they were really satisfied with the result saying "Andreas... that's exactly what we need". Well, yes... at least I was happy to surrived that day without an accident or getting fired. Ha-ha! Been there and done that. One of the very first features I did was this situation exactly. It was a low-budget horror movie. We did rehearsals, but it was a dense forest in Norway. Rocks, slippery roots and mud all around. We always tried to pick the least dangerous path for me. Would I do it again? NO! Way too little control, both when it comes to safety and quality of the movement. Afton, you can see some of the footage here. It's from 05:35 to 06:15. Remember that I was a newbie within Steadicam then. But I was running uphill, downhill and don juan. Crazy when I think about it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmgbumU3uzQ Have no idea why the movie is on YT though. Will have to contact the director about this.

Hi Shawn, One question, you seem to know a lot about Steadicam and the Moovi and similar gimbals. Why are you then asking questions about the Moovi on the Freefly forum? Here you're clearly have no experience with the system. You even state that you've got no idea how a Moovi will act when used on a Steadicam. I quote : "Until somebody mounts a Movi on top of a Steadicam and takes it for a spin, we might as well be asking if the world is flat." Unqoute. How can you then be so sure about how the industry will react upon launch of the Moovi? In case you're in the dark about what I'm referring to, I've taken the liberty to copy the URL here: http://forum.freeflysystems.com/index.php?threads/movi-on-a-steadicam.2080/

Can someone please explain to me how a 10 hr day will affect my back, and specially my muscles behind my shoulder blades will hold out carrying this piece of metal around with no support like a vest or a arm. I don't get it. This kinda reminds me of the first time DSLR and Panasonic 100 came on the video market. With no good way of supporting the unit, even though it only weighed in at 5 kilos, my back was bitchin' after just half an hour. What happens when the DP wants a an Alexa? And why the shiznit are there only wide angle shots with this unit? I think Job said it best. Movi can kiss my ass.

Fantastic news! Thumbs up!!!