Kris Torch Wilson

Dear Denison, I applaud your attitude and ambition, HOWEVER, you will find this subject has been discussed a lot here so a "search" will save us from retyping the lecture. After reading and taking a reality pill you may find that barging through the door might not be your best tactic. Good Luck Kris

Jay, I have in the past refused to do freebies but will graciously offer my services to shoot this ,in exchange, of course, for first class travel accomodations! ;) Seriously, it would be great for someone to archive the event. Have a great time and tip one for me. P.S. I'm afraid your friend Judy had a crappy time out here. Sorry. Kris

Here is the link to the lcd rob turned me onto http://lcd4video.com/products.php?product=7?-TFT-LCD-Monitor I'm powering off my Ultra2 sled. No problems to date. It stays powered up for an hour to an hour and a half each night. bought a viewfinder wedge plate from ikegami and mount it there. Have not had eye line issues. Supplied cable sucks but its a common din connector and an easy solder job. Kris

Michael, At least once a week a new aspiring steadicam operator asks these very questions and the answer is always the same. I guess it's my turn to reply. You must find a workshop. It all becomes clearer when you have a teacher walk you through the steps. Set up is SO important. You will never manage the beast until it is in balance and I don't think one can achieve this without expert help. Then there's posture, footwork, etc. You have stated you are an operator and I applaud you for that. Too many (in my opinion) want to operate a rig with no knowledge of framing, set procedures, etc. You have a jump on many simply because you acknowledge you are struggling. There is NO crash course. This is a career of learning. And a workshop is your first step. It will be the best money you can invest and will provide you with and excuse to get out of town! Since you know good from bad, are you willing to put your name on this "short" with your current ability? Might be best to pass, bad stuff has a way of haunting us for a very long time. I speak from experience, not from arrogance. Best of luck. Torch

The mrs and i have a deal now that whenever we feel an earthquake we run to the bedroom and jump in bed just in case it's the end of the world. the problem was her mother was there too! and she's not so hot. Torch

LOL . . .hahahahahaha . . . .LOL . . .hahahahahaha . . LOL . . .hahahahahaha . . LOL . . .hahahahahaha . . LOL . . .hahahahahaha . . Very Strong Chris . . . .Very Strong!! Hey are you shooting that Mariah thing? Yep, Doing a dolly imitation I think. Will be a zoo. Torch

aloha dude, bad news about the house. Hope the bastards fall into a volcano. several years ago before I was in the union, I worked on several union jobs as a contractor. the problem was with the stagehands that found out and refused to help. we were in atlantic city and i think the producer greased a palm or two just to get through the day. he then politely told me he couldn't use me again until I joined. i have been on several jobs here recently where the jib op was non union and billed through his company without any problems, so it can be done. Torch

I try to over charge as often as possible and will continue to do so until the producers catch me. Torch

(818) 843-4600

Thanks guys. Two in college with another just two years away. I won't be retiring any time soon. Kris

Am I missing something here. You don't get this thing balanced front to back by adding weight to the bottom. You must first either slide plate forward or if you are out of room add weight to back of camera. Once you are vertical, you may still need to add weight to bottom of sled, but you skipped step 1. Take camera and prompter off sled, find center by placing on a rod, pencil, screwdriver, whatever. Put back on sled, with cg slightly behind post. Fine tune front to back. Now you can concern yourself with drop time and dynamic balance. Power that damn thing off batts if you can, or make up a short zip cord for a/c that is as small as is safe. You don't want to be fighting an extension cord. Wireless for the feed would be great but a tiny coax is doable. We use a LCD above the lens on every live show in Hollywood and unless the talent is right on top of you, it's really not a problem. Torch

Sitting on my little bar stool sweating like a pig waiting for our next shot and I noticed a little play in my socket block. Pulled out my allen set and found that every screw was a little loose. Then I pulled out my phillips and found that almost every one of those screws around the rig were loose. Not complaining, just reminding anyone that cares,that things do work loose after awhile. I must admit it has been several months since I took a long look at the whole rig. Fly right fly tight. Kris

Hi Mike, I would be happy to have you stop by. I'm working Aug 6 & 7 on Hollywood Blvd across from the Kodak. I've not seen the show's calendar for a couple of weeks so I don't know if we have musical guests or not. (only use the steadi when we have outdoor music). I'll update when I go back next week. Kris

While John's move was certainly acceptable, most of you have obviously missed the most important shot of that song. Mine, that under exposed, slightly out of focus, missed frame shot of someone nobody knows clapping at the very end. Brilliant! Nicely done as always , John. Always nice to work with a pro. Kris

OK so we worked that out, let's talk about your question. My gut tells me you would outgrow the capabilities of a super small rig and not be able to make any money with one. Perhaps, if it fits your needs now you could sell it down the road (knowing it will be for a loss) and upgrade. I know unless you are a trust fund baby that costs is probably a factor. I would suggest that your first dollars spent are at a "Flyer workshop" with Peter. Learn some basics from an excellent teacher and then start saving for a multiple day workshop that includes bigger rigs. Along the way you will probably run across a used rig that will fit both your budget and needs. It would be foolish to run out and plop down 50- 60 K or more right know, but keep in mind we can fly the smallest of cameras (with a little lead) on big rigs but you will never fly a full sized camera on the little ones. If you are set on buying something now I say buy the best you can afford. Now to prove I'm not a total dick, feel free to stop by Jimmy Kimmel Live on Hollywood Blvd and you can try my Ultra II for a test spin and I'll tell you a few lies. This offer is good for anyone, just shoot me a message so I can put your name on the list. Kris

Hi Joshua, I'm going to try to be kind because I don't think you meant to be insulting but you are on a forum with professional operators. Not a bunch of want to be whatevers bidding our time until we get a chance to do what we "really want to do." This IS what we really want to do. It's one of the reasons we spend time on this forum, why we have invested YEARS on our craft and TENS OF THOUSANDS on our kits. While I get what you are saying, just starting out and all that, you are kidding yourself if you think you will become a proficient operator and make any money while just passing through. And let's be realistic, it's a small enough of a community and competitive enough that we take care of our own first. That being said, if you choose to dedicate yourself to the craft there is a wealth of talent and information to help you. Again, I don't believe you meant to, but the words struck me a bit. Hopefully it's just the late hours and me being a cranky bastard. Kris

Saw Robert's setup in Las Vegas recently and it really is impressive. He has added an umbrella mount as well and over there I'm sure it will really come in handy. How about a DIRECT TV dish and monitor? I just love watching hunting shows while surrounded by the usual squimish Hollywood types. Saw Erwin's cart out in front of the Kodak awhile back and it too is great. You were busy so I didn't stop to visit. I think your cage around the sled is a great idea. Eastwood and Ted Ashton both have nifty rolling stands that are super stable. No storage but great for stage work after the rig has been built. If you're out there Ted, post some pics. Torch

Erwin, Of course I am biased. And I've seen your rig. It's OK, but I like your cart! Not as much as Starling's. Yellow is so much sexier than red. Torch "my tongue is in my cheek so I'm not about to shut up" Wilson

Aloha Mark, I almost always boom up or down if it is a quick repo. If I have a second I will use my fancy motorized top stage to trim for an effortless tilt. Of course your more primitive Sachtler probably doesn't have this feature so you can only dream about such precision. :P Torch

Pappas, I'm going to have you seated in the seats directly in front of the camera lane so I can whack that goofy accent out of your voice! The ankle weights on the bottom of my post will leave a nice welt. Rob, using the LCD4Video monitor you suggested. Of course, 1 1/2 lbs made the rig top heavy! Mike, To make matters worse, we aren't even using it for prompter. JK wants to see program all the time. And he IS paying for the kids' tuitions, house in Mammoth and nylons for Mama. So, if he wants program, this humble servant will comply. Kris (I knew the answer, but was just making conversation) Wilson

Prompter Monitor made top heavy. Added weight to bottom rather than lengthen post. Thoughts? Kris

Hi Nick, I incorporated this year. Equipment, vehicle, cash were all transferred to the company. These things were my initial investment, given a dollar amount and shares in that amount were issued back to me. It is now a separate entity so just because you are the pres, cfo etc, doesn't automatically make your assets, the company's assets. Cert of insurance will now be issued to the company, as YOU no longer own the gear. Your insurance company will need to be alerted to the change. If you include your car, the title should be changed as well to make it very clear that it is now the company's. Car insurance can then be changed. Phone bills, credit card, etc. will go to the company. Capital One issued my company a card no problem with an initial limit of $1500. It takes roughly six months of owning a credit card before the phone company would take us on without putting down a 500 dollar deposit on each cell phone. You see, the company had no credit rating. It doesn't matter what YOUR rating is, Remember the company is a separate entity. Are you in LA. I have a great attorney that I would be happy to pass along that specializes in helping folks like us incorporate. Cost a couple thousand. Because you asked the same questions I did I can assure you you that you will need to hire someone like this to advise and handle the paper work. I can also tell you that in this first year, I have saved way more than my costs in reduced taxes. As a corporation I can and do purchase Lisigav at greatly reduced prices and pass those SAVINGS on to my secretary!!! Hope this helps. Kris Wilson President and CFO Torchcam, inc.

JKL is back up and running. I even said "hello" to one of the writers. It took all the self control I could muster. Turns out I have a torn meniscus from skiing during the strike. Damn the writers again. Healing nicely and back to operating steadi on outside music days only. Budget cut victim the other days. It was sweet while it lasted. BTW just kidding about the car. I would consider one but my p...... is too big. Torch

I'm with Erwin. I drug my new Ultra 2 behind my car just to get a few dings in it so I wouldn't come across as such the newb. As it turns out I've whacked enough lights and audience members that it now looks very worn. Kris