PaulSommers

Camera Esentials made a really great raincover for the Pana Lightweight for me. They came out to set and measured the camera and gave great service. It even works in low mode (I live there). Tell them what you need and they will hook you up. I wish that i had one for the 435. If someone gets them to pattern one let us all know. I'd buy one. Paul

The rumor that I heard was that the cause of the fire was the block batteries, not steadi related. Lithium Ion batts have to be charged with a ton of ventilation because during the charging process they outgas, and this gas is explosive in high enough concentrations. The batteries in question were being charged in a locker in the camera truck and there must have been an ignition source. Paul

I heard that an operator fell 15-20 feet from a crane during a chassis move on the set of Vegas last thursday. He sucessfully navigated the step on and then during the move someone's foot got under a wheel. This led to a chain reaction that ended with the operator getting tossed. I'm only reporting a rumor, but I'm wondering if anyone has details. Paul

Traveling with the rig is awful now. Watching them root through your cases without being able to help them repack is one of the worst things that I go through. I always try to get production to fedex or piggyback with the camera package. Scheduling does not always allow for this, so that time behind the stanchions usually involves me saying something like "make sure you put that in correctly". Luckily nothing bad has happened but it takes so long to get through security and baggage claim I often feel like I should get paid for a full day travel. Paul

So how much, and how hard is it to do the mod? It appears to be four screws at the base, but what about the top stage? This looks like a gimbal, post and monitor arm, does anything else change? Do I need a new docking bracket? Paul

I only use gloves in the cold. I have mittens that fold out to fingerless gloves. Between takes, toasty warm, during the shot not so much. Now if only PRO would come out with a gimbal warmer... Paul

Having shot near helicopters and out of them I cannot imagine attempting to control the rig in the prop wash. To quote Garret "don't do it" I get strange looks from my assistants all the time when I do something they consider "unwise" but I'm leery of helicopters. Lets not forget that they have ten thousand critical moving parts and the aerodynamics of your donkey box. One of those parts fails and you hit the ground. I have a buddy with a gortex abdomen because they tried to get "one more run at it..." There are plenty of skilled and talented people who work with helicopters regularly and they are the ones who should be doing those shots. They have the experience and the vocabulary to talk with the pilots (often they are also pilots), and they understand the limits and capabilities of the equipment in the conditions on that day. Don't be a stud let them do it. Paul

My right hand is my dominant hand. I write with it. Why I would use my left is a mystery to me. I have a sneaking suspicion that Garret is left handed and has put one over on all of you "regular" operators. Paul

I bought my expandable post from GPI when it first came out a few (6?) months ago. I have been very happy with it for a number of reasons. I really like the locking system on both the post and the gimbal. Not to slam on kip handles, but this is infinitely slicker, and easier to use. I do alot of long lens work and I went to a solid post a few years ago to reduce vibration. I have been very happy with the rigidity of the new post. I feel almost no flex or vibration even in lowmode at 75mm with the post fully extended. Also, I fly a lightweight II most of the time, but on my show we do a different flashback look for every episode so I've got different cameras on the rig all the time. No joke we are on episode 14 and we have used 12 film stocks and 3 video formats (tube Betacam, mini DV, Super VHS, 16 mm, 435, 8mm, 8mm extraction from 16mm...) I've had everything on my rig you can imagine in the last two years. My post and gimbal are all over the place. We will switch back and forth between formats twice a day. Reconfiguring is really quick, and so is going to lowmode. I have been really happy with my post and my gimbal. I feel that they work together as part of a system that has been really well thought out. I agree that the gimbal is a deciding factor, but you have to look at both forward and backward compatability issues. I know that alot of people have frankenrigs but sometimes it's nice to avoid all those compatibility issues. Just my two cents Paul

The same thing happened to me last year with a SR3 from Panavision Hollywood. It turned out that the camera had a big problem. We couldn't make it work with any battery. Luckily we had two bodies for the episode. It turned out to be one of the accessory plugs on the New York side of the camera. It was putting voltage into the chassis of the camera. The only bad thing that didn't happen was smoke. We couldn't figure it out under the gun. I doubt that it's your rig. Paul

The LYRA has on plug for input and one for output. I'm sure that a cable could be made very easily. The power input is 5V. It uses MPEG4 compression, so the resolution is not the best out there, but it is certainly better than my old EVO-220, and it looks really slick. The size is great. Like I said before, to show takes I just pull it off the rig and take it to the director. Paul

RCA has a recorder called the LYRA. It doesn't have the cable problem that the Archos seems to have, the analog video in is a mini plug. Fred Davis made me a cable for cheap. The spinup time takes some getting used to, but that's just a matter of fitting it into your workflow. I love being able to pull it off my rig and show things to directors. The battery life is about three hours in constant record/standby mode, though Fred says that he can build a cable that will power it off my rig. I bought two because I'm crazy. Paul

Has anyone purchased one of these to use on the steadicam? If so how did you mount the monitor on the rig? What kind of cable did you use? Are you happy? Pictures? Paul Sommers

I did a running shot tonight that started in don Juan. We raced down an alley and came to a turn, whip pan as the actor passed me in the corner, then I chased the actor to another turn and he runs up to a door. I started the shot in light touch mode. After the whip I went into full fist. Whatever works for the shot. At the workshops a great deal of information is given very succinctly. Low-mode is a pain, DJ is harder but an essential skill, light touch... I still think about all the things that were said at my workshop. When you are operating it's about what makes you comfortable and allows you to get the shot. Paul

Check this out. I just found it surfing. It seems to have quite a bit to offer. 12v in and NTSC video. The resolution isn't that great but my EVO-220 could bite the dust at any time. Has anyone bought one of these? www.digitalssinc.com Paul