Brian W. Hall

SOLD

Price drop: $1950

Great motor.

Perfect working Preston DM2 motor for sale. Recently checked out by Preston. price: $2,000 Free 2-day shipping anywhere in USA. Thanks Brian

Fun 2 minute opening sequence shot I did. Shot on Red. We did it 8 times.

Hi, I am piecing together a Preston kit and am looking for an HU1 and a motor that will work with an MDR1 which I already have. Contact me with what you have. Thanks! Message me here or text 847.530.1681 Brian

I am selling my Walter Klassen back mount vest. I bought it 5 years ago from Walter. Everything is in working order and is a great vest. I have used the vest while being a 36 inch waist as well as 32 inch and it has fit fine. Air bladder works great. The mounting arm can go right side or left side. Price is $3,500. Thanks!

Charles, I was in fact buffering the times a little bit, but I hear what you're saying as well. I actually did the flip in about 20 seconds while on my arm when they had a last minute shot they wanted in low mode. Sometimes it seems that directors ask you if you're ready at the half way point anyway. For example if I said 3 mins they would start asking at 1.5 minutes when I was ready.

Thanks to everyone for the great advice and quick responses. The shoot was a success! I ended up doing the flip it in post and there were no issues. Just to be safe the night before I practiced with the SDX and found out that I could mount the camera right side up by mounting my dovetail to the screws on top of the SDX handle. When I got to the shoot I told the director I could do either way but let them know it was a matter of 3 minutes and 15 minutes. She immedietly said 'lets do the flip it in post way". I kind of figured she was going to say that since the whole day was very tight on time. All in all it was a great day. One thing that I wasnt used to was how quickly they wanted to move things along. For example I would do a long walking shot down a sidewalk, across a street, back on the sidewalk and while it looked good I still felt that I could have done it better or that we could have tried to iris down somewhere in the middle of it. I would ask the DP "do you think it got a little dark towards the end there?", and he said "its fine". Since everyone had monitors I trusted that they got what they needed and I shouldnt worry about it. Anyone else battle with those kind of concerns? Brian

Thanks so much for the quick responses. Rob, thanks for the offer , I think I'm going to go ahead and do the flip. I cant wait to explain it to the director but I'm going to be confident and just explain that 'thats how its done'. Thanks again, I'll let you know how it goes. Brian

Hello everyone. I got a last minute call to do some steadicam tommorow and part of the shoot requires low mode. I'm nervous because A. I've never done low mode and B. I'm not sure I'll be able to get low mode setup properly without a cage. first of all, can i set up my MK-v rig in low mode by attaching my dovetail plate to the top screws on the handle? It will be an SDX900. The shot is a slow walking shot so it shouldnt be getting too much stress. Secondly, if that doesnt work, does the old 'flip it in post' method work? Can i simply slide my gimbal down the post and flip the rig? Any major disadvantages in doing that? My monitor can flip the image for myself but will this freak out the EP's too much? I appreciate the quick responses. Thirdly, if anyone has a low mode bracket that will work on an SDX900 and you're near hollywood let me know. I would need it tonight (Wednesday Oct 10). THANKS! Brian

How do you know the holes will match up? DO you have an mk-v lite plate? Also, do you have long screws with the flat top?

I am in need of an 11lb weight plate for my MK-v lite sled. This whole weight plate thing is very confusing to me. I tried getting a machine shop to make me one but the holes werent lining up and I couldnt get a long enough camera screw. Its too late now, I need one for Oct 15. Anyone got one they can ship me for rental or purchase? Thanks. Brian

I've been doing mostly reality for the past 2 years and have been focusing on the basics and building stamina in my rig. I'm at the point where I'd like to branch out and do more types of steadicam work. My question is what are some equipment requirements that are a must before I start getting into student films or shorts or music videos. Right now here is what I have: MK-v sled (12/24) Steadicam 3A arm Walter Klassen Vest Boland HD monitor So thats it. As of now I have been fine doing reality coverage and house beauty shots but I'm not totally clear on what the next tier of gear is that I'll need for small films etc. I know I need a focus device and plan on getting a Bartech soon. I know there are endless gadgets and upgrades to my rig but is there a basic starter list of accessories that I can work on crossing off now in order of importance? Thanks Brian

Thanks! I've called a few places and I think I'll be able to track it down pretty soon here. Thanks again. Brian

Im looking for a 4 pin xlr power cable to power an IMX camera off of my Mk-v Lite rig. Anyone know of a place in LA I can pick one up before my shoot today? thanks. Brian

I'll be there. Will be great to meet some real steadicam ops. Tuesday 8p.

So whats the deal, has there been a time/date/location locked for next weeks dinner/meeting? Hope I can make it.

I am using FedEx from now on. but the value was only $500 on the UPS form because thats what the deductible is. I dont ever tell them what its really worth. I just get it insured for $500. I had my vest in a consumer black Jansport suitcase. It just looked like a regular bag and it still got 'lost'.

Hey everyone. thanks for the advice and stories about boat to boat shooting. I had a shoot this weekend and oh boy was it tough. I was shooting a main title sequence for the show I'm DP'ing. I was on a speed boat shooting our talent who were on a catamaran. There were 4 of them doing actions on the front of the boat. We were shooting just off St Thomas Virgin Islands. My first reaction was 'damn this is hard' after we found some somewhat calm waters I was able to get some pretty nice shots for a few seconds atleast. I had my AC gripping onto me with both hands to the back of my walter klassen. I had another AC holding up a huge piece of bounce board to block wind for me. It was an intense operation with everyone going through rigourous work. I found that if I grunted and breathed very loudly it seemed to smoothing up the shots.hehe. Or maybe I just wanted everyone else to know that its much harder than it looks and it already looked very hard. Anyway moving on to our next shots I got onto the catamaran for tighter action shots. See Picture. After we got a few wides of the talent on the boat it was time for a disc change. (we were shooting on Sony XDCAM). I pulled the disc out to give to my AC and as soon as I took it out the wind blew it out of my hand!!!!!!! It hit the side of the boat and into the water. I saw the blue disc float away as the catamaran continues on. It was tragic! All the boat to boat shots were now lost in the atlantic. I look over and our director has his head over the side of the boat. I dock my rig thinking I will miraculously see the disc floating next to the boat but after 10 seconds I realize its gone. Blank looks all around the boat. Everyone is in shock. I'm thinking to myself "oh no, we're going to have to re schedule the whole day". Seeing as though I'm the DP and steadicam I decide to let it go and I quickly get my rig back up and go to the depressed director and say "ok, that sucks but we still have time to reshoot, lets do it". So we re do our catamaran shots quickly and then we call back the speedboat. I get back on and 40 minutes later we got the shots back. Of course the director will always say "the first shots were better" but I think we got everything we needed just fine. Definetly a memorable day. One for the record books.

I had my Walter Klassen vest lost by UPS and it has been claimed lost by UPS. I got the insurance money but if anyone comes across a Walter Klassen for sale the serial number was 014 and I'd like to talk to the person who is selling it. thanks.. Brian

Working on a TV show and we are doing a Main Title Sequence for the show. We have our talent on a sail boat. One of the shots is a shot from a follow boat shooting the sailboat. The shot is a medium shot of the 4 talent on the edge of the boat. Our director thinks that putting me on the follow boat will get a smooter shot and a better shot then handheld or sticks or a highhat.. I feel like I can get the shot on sticks or even handheld if i wedge myself in somewhere. What does everyone think? Should i give the boat to boat a try using steadi? Anyone done this and have any tips? Thanks@ Brian

Hello everyone. Sorry about the urgent posting but I'm in a bind. UPS has lost my vest. It is insured but there is a 7 day "tracing" period until I can file the claim. I have a job in the Virgin Islands and need a vest by Sept 21. My rig is an MK-V lite with a 3a arm. Please contact me if you have a spare vest that you can ship to the Virgin Islands. I'm not sure how much money I get for rental reimbursement but I will of course pay for shipping and we can work out a rental too. I need the vest for 1 week Sept 21 - 28. Thanks. You can call my cell directly or message me. Brian Hall 847.530.1681

Thanks for the info. I did indeed search the site for "Maine workshop" and didnt find anything. Anyway I signed up for the Oct SOA workshop so I'm pumped! thanks Brian

I did some searching on here for some reviews of the Maine Steadicam Workshop but didnt find anything. Basically I'm looking to get in a workshop relatively soon. My initial thoughts are that the SOA workshop in PA is better but I dont know when the next one will be. There is also a $800 price difference. The Workshops in Maine offer 4 workshops over the summer. I know any workshop is better than none but I can only afford 1 workshop this year and want to make sure I make the right choice. Any thoughts on pros and cons of either workshop would be great. thanks Brian