Matt Silton

Hi Robin, Yes I am in the US. Do you know who I should contact to get the parts? So far everyone at Tiffen has been unresponsive.

Great, thanks so much guys.

I recently noticed that my Zephyr arm appears to be missing a piece - a sort of plug that is inserted into each of the joints that keeps the pin in place. You can see the piece I'm talking about on the right side of the picture. It looks like a part that is necessary to maintain the structural integrity of the arm, so I'm hesitant to use it again before repairing. So far calls and emails to Tiffen support have been unresponsive. Does anyone know what that piece is called and how I go about getting it repaired? Thanks!

I guess that answers that. Thanks, Eric.

I've been shopping around for insurance for my new Zephyr. From everything I've found here, as well as the quotes I've received, it looks like WP Dolle is the way to go. But as you know, they only write policies for SOA members. I've only had a few paid gigs so far so I know I don't really need to join a union yet (based on information I've gathered from other threads here), but even with the $150 SOA membership fee, WP Dolle is still way cheaper than any alternative insurance I've found. My question is: is there any downside to joining SOA at such an early point in my career? I already know I'm going to have to accept jobs while I'm starting off for less than market value, so I don't want to piss off anyone at the union by working a gig for less than they want me to. Is this even an SOA concern? I've looked through their website and can't really find any guidelines that members need to adhere to - is it even that kind of union or do they just help connect people? Any insight you can provide is much appreciated!

Thanks, Alan. You've been a huge help.

Mark, Thanks so much for your well thought-out reply. There is a lot of good advice in there that I will work to implement immediately. A few quick questions that arose: - Is using a stabilizer effect (like Warp Stabilizer in Premier) in post frowned-upon, or is it an accepted part of a production and a useful tool in our trade? I'm guessing that it's used occasionally, but can't be relied on to fix shaky footage because of the distorting effect it sometimes causes. Is it considered "cheating" or anything like that? - You mentioned that I was following and not leading in my stairs shot - while I agree that the shot was weak, I feel like I've seen Steadicam shots where the camera is behind the subjects before. Is this a rarity, and most shots are leading the subjects, or are they both used to achieve different effects? Thanks again for your critique and encouraging words. I'll be back with more in the near future! -Matt

I've been getting to know my Zephyr for a few weeks now and have just put together my first reel of Steadicam footage. Everything in here has been unpaid test footage I've shot with friends, but I think I'm ready to take on some paying gigs that involve the simpler end of operating. I've been referring to the Operator's Handbook for all my instruction so far, but have yet to attend a workshop (mostly because they're on the coasts and I'm in the middle of the country). There is only one speed distortion, and it's an obvious one. Oh and I stabilized 2 clips. Besides that, everything is native 24 fps straight off the 60D. I'd love to hear any thoughts you guys have! Thanks! https://vimeo.com/59941105