Michael Tsimperopoulos SOC

IMHO, with the exception of the occasional specialty shot, uncoupling the framing from the camera move and delegating these functions to two different people is a major step backwards. Granted, grips and operators have been coordinating to execute complex camera moves since forever, but perhaps there is something to be said about the benefit of having to deal with the added mass of a dolly, a crane, or a jib-arm when attempting to feather a move to a start or a stop as opposed to a steadicam, an easyrig or a hanheld camera. Perhaps that Movi joystick will find its way on the yoke, or someone will be able to interface the sled’s position in relation to the Movi head in a way that the head will ignore our panning and tilting of the post. Let’s see how things develop… Mounting a gyro-stabilized head on a steadicam sled is not a new idea, and most of us have seen such attempts. As it was mentioned in another thread, one of the closest permutations, was that Rollvision head, back in 2001. That was also a two-man operation. That 3-axis stabilized head indeed created a buzz for a little while, but the amount of communication and coordination that it required in order for two crew members to execute any predetermined shot with any kind of accuracy, was a clusterfuck of epic proportions. According to the company that produced it, Garrett himself was involved, offering advice on how to streamline the device even further and make it more steadicam-friendly. But it was not worth the headache. The concept never took off, not even for that rare specialty shot.

I hope this helps, sorry for the low resolution, it's pretty old...

...and a few more.

In the car: handheld Restaurant: handheld Running up the stairs: steadicam Roof: steadicam Jump: helmet-cam

Regarding “T2”, Jimmy indeed used the Lightstorm HID, with an Arri 35-3 on his 3A, for those running-down-the-stairs shots. The SL was not yet available at that time.

Regarding “Strange Days”, Afton’s description on SteadiShots is correct. The Ken Robings SL (35mm) camera was used, either hand-holding it and monitoring the shot via a Lightstorm Technologies HID (Helmet Integrated Display), or on a Cinema Products SK prototype. Only the last shot of the sequence is accomplished with a helmet-mounted 35mm Eyemo. On a side note, the footage was then transferred to standard definition D-1 format, where they “stitched” the shots and created the “digital tearing and artifacts”. I always thought that it was such a shame to get into all that trouble to shoot 35mm in order to end-up with an NTSC image on the screen…

connect vs. connect - ac http://www.atomos.com/converters/ Great! Thank you!

The Atomos Connect is powered by Canon batteries but you can pout a Dummy battery with p-Tap adapter. I must have misunderstood. Are we referring to the same thing ? http://www.atomos.com/connect-ac/

Isn't the Connect strictly AC-powered ?

A few grabs from the BTS DVD.

A few years ago, I was asked to fly a Varicam on its side, for a video-instalation art project where all monitors would also be sitting on their sides. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing, so a little improvisation was required as the sun was going down. I used a Hill Arri-3 Low-Mode Bracket to mount the camera on its side, and quite a few dogbones attached to the XCS plate to provide the much-needed rigidness and support. Surprisingly, there was no vibration whatsoever. The Transvideo Cinemonitor has mounting points on all sides, so that was easy. If I had a little more time, I'm sure I would find a more elegant way to do it, but most probably the Hill bracket would be my starting point once again. On a side note, the experience of composing for a vertical frame (9:16) was so refreshingly different, that I had a wonderful time. Take care !

Venice, Italy, May 1997

I agree with Janice and Eric. I carry one of those systems with me, but it gets to see action less than once every year, and even if that. Once in a while I’m faced with one of those flat-out running shots preceding the talent, where it is too narrow for a quad, a rickshaw or a handsfree, or there may be steps involved, uneven terrain or very tight turns, and I can’t afford to even turn my head and glimpse at the monitor. The headset allows me to keep one eye on the ground and the other on an image, to have at least an idea of where my subject is and its headroom. Left-right is the same, tilt is in reverse, level is with the Force. It takes lots of practice and an even more Dramamine afterwards, but I had very satisfactory results with this approach and –admittedly- no real alternative. Sometimes, turning the sled’s base 180 degrees so I can face the monitor seems to do the trick, but it totally depends on the occasion.

Then again...who needs glasses ? :blink:

Nope.

- S O L D - Thank you all for your interest ! Michael

Hi, I am a little confused. I thought that Pace solved this issue three years ago... From David Emmerich's interview in SOC magazine (spring issue) regarding "Avatar": "Jim (Cameron) saw me struggling to keep the Steadicam under control during moves where the IO and convergence shifted, and told the guys at Pace Camera to come up with a solution. The president of the company, Patrick Campbell, came through with flying colors. He built and programmed a slick motorized plate that slid the whole bottom portion of the sled side to side to counter what the camera did on the other end. He installed it the day I had some fairly big Steadicam shots to do and it worked perfectly on the first try. It’s no exaggeration to say it saved my ass. Jim looked at what I was able to do and said something along the lines of, “So this is how you shoot when you’re not blindfolded with one arm tied behind your back.” After that we shot a signifi cant amount of the live action with the Steadicam and life was good." I don't know... Is it the only system that auto-compensates ? Am I misreading something ?

...continued... Finally, in 2003, on a Panavision show, in a remote (it’s getting tiring…I know) Greek island, a high-speed low-mode running shot came up. Our LW2 was fried, and I had to choose between a Platinum and a 2nd-unit Pan-Arri 3 without a video door. So we reverted to our old bag of tricks and we sailed through the shot with a goofy smile and my knees intact. Michael

I am afraid that I've been there a few times too many... Back in ’97, on a very remote location, I found myself waiting for my turn, since 5 am. After 14 hours of waiting, and as the light was going down fast, I was mercifully handed over the camera for the very last shot of the day. The catch was, that the 3-pin RS connector had just been sheared off from the SR-3’s body on the previous set-up. The DP asked “Do you think there is something you can do ?” and we frantically devised the abomination that you can see in the photo. We did the shot, and had something to laugh about on the way home, besides calculating overtime… A few years later, I arrived on another remote (Murphy’s Law) location, walked by the camera-van and greeted the veteran 1st AC, who was seated on an apple box, enjoying a coffee and a cigarette. I asked him where his 2nd was, so I could get the camera and start building, and he replied that “there is no 2nd AC in this movie. We have the 16mm Aaton I told you about, and the entire camera package is extremely small and lightweight, and one man is deemed to be enough by the production. There is no video village, since the camera doesn’t even have a video tap”. I said “What ?” and then it dawned on him and uttered a faint “Oh shit…” I remember that, mounting a camcorder onto the Aaton’s eyepiece was particularly complicated, it was a day full of endless 3-4 minute shots, and the asynchronous flicker (24fps to 25fps camcorder) drove me insane… The funny side-note is that it was so time-consuming to align the camcorder properly, that when the DP expressed his desire to shoot a shot handheld, we replied “No you don’t !” and never took the camera off the sled for the day. ...to be continued...

- S O L D - Thank you all for your interest ! Michael

Selling my XCS PDL+ (Programmable Digital Level Plus). The unit has just been returned from a thorough service, and it is in superb working condition. The marking on the sides is a little worn off, from velcro. I am letting it go for $1.550 (new is listed at $2.875) Paypal and bank wire transfer are welcomed, will ship anywhere in the world. You can find detailed information about the PDL+ here, and if you are interested, please email me at michael@tsimperopoulos.com Thank you ! Michael

Selling my Donkey Box III topstage. Just came back from GPI, where it was cleaned and serviced (please call Ashley at GPI if you need to verify). I am letting it go for $2.650 (new is listed at $4.050). I am throwing in for free, a Preston Dovetail Mounting Bracket (listed at $117), a Tom Gleason BFD Single Bracket, and an XCS dovetail plate (listed at $320) with two 15mm rods. You can see more photos HERE PayPal and bank wire transfers are welcomed, will ship anywhere in the world. If interested, email me with any questions at michael@tsimperopoulos.com Thank you ! Michael

A pic from Avatar.

Another one...

Hi Luis, The box that we see under the LCD monitor was designed by Greg Bubb (XCS) at Andy's request. I wouldn't be surprised if Andy is capable of running an Arri 435ES at 150fps with that 12V 3A battery... Another photo...