Beau Cuizon

Thanks for sharing your stories, Peter, and for the wise words. Being a teacher, or an educator of any kind, is incredibly noble. To give with the only expectation being excellence, and achievement from your students in incredibly noble. The funny thing about teaching ( which people who don't teach or never get the chance to teach never know about) is that often times, you learn just as much from your students, as they do from you, and in many cases, you learn so much more about yourself, and what you are truly doing in life, as a professional, or otherwise. Love the photo too...it's very interesting to see that even as far back as that picture goes, you still have the classic posture, and hand positions that are still the standard today. Question: what is that box that is on the top of the sled? Is that a camera? How old were you in that pic?

Thanks for sharing your story Brooks! It's funny how many people get their start in their chosen profession because someone believed in them, whether it be a parent, or a teacher or a mentor, or whomever. It's also amazing to me how far people can get on passion, enthusiasm, "youthful foolishness" and yes, luck! Sometimes you meet these people, and think, "how are they going to make it out there ?", and yet, time after time, they do, they make it, and they grow to become very good, and sometimes even great. Then, every so often, you get those people who remember where they came from, and who always honor that beginning, and those people who helped out. It's pretty crazy, hearing your story about the modded parts, and pieces that went into operating on a professional level. To think that you can purchase a new system, basically right off the shelf, and start operating is quite the contrast to the idea that things were held together by gaffers tape, back alley engineers, moxe and pure hope, -- it's also insanely entertaining to read about it, so thanks for sharing your stories! The names, as well...it's interesting to see how small of a community Steadicam was, and is, as many of these names will probably pop up in other people's stories. Here's one for you all...my first experience of actually seeing a Steadicam in action was when I was really young, just got into college...I was working on the set of a movie called "Six Days, Seven Nights", on the island of Kauai, Hawaii (where I am from) as the ENG audio op for an EPK crew there to shoot behind the scenes footage...my first day on set, location was a beach that was accessible via 4 wheel drive van, which took about 20 minutes, over a mountain, into a valley, and onto a secluded beach. In the van, there was us, a stunt guy dressed as a pirate, and this other guy by the name of Greg Lundsgaard. The driver introduced him as the Steadicam op on the movie, and I inquired about what that was all about. He was so nice and patient about explaining what he did, what Steadicam was, etc...and then I asked him what his toughest shot was (up to that point), and he regaled us about working on that famous shot from "Contact", where he runs up the stairs preceding the little girl, and then she reaches to camera, and we discover she's opening a medicine cabinet. I remember him working tulling us about working with Robert Zemekis, and detailing the rehearsals, and the fifteen or more takes, and the door frame he busted off with the rig's arm, running into bathroom, where the shot ends up. And I remember being so impressed with the whole thing, because I had just seen the movie the year earlier, and was mystified by how that shot was even possible. And here was the guy who had executed it, talking to me about it. Certainly amazing to a young kid living in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Later, after lunch, he gave me the tour of his rig, which was, if I remember correctly, was a "new" Master Series, and he showed me how the pieces worked, and how they all worked together. It's funny...that was almost 20 years ago, but it's still pretty vivid in my mind, and I'm always grateful to learn anything I can from people like him, and people like you all on the forum. So again, thanks for sharing!

That's an awesome story, Peter. I'm a bit of a history buff, so I'm always interested in hearing people's stories -- everybody has an interesting one, that's for sure, and yours is great!. I find it fascinating that there are so many stories of the "original", or "first generation" Steadicam guys/girls being so generous with their time, experience, knowledge and resources...its certainly harkens back to the days of real craftwork, like the old blacksmiths, or swordmakers, where there were masters, and apprentices...right down to the part where you guys were always tinkering, creating, and building new parts, and developing new techniques...and then sharing it with everyone else, so that the next generations could grow...it's interesting how this particular profession attracts those with equal parts engineering,educational, and artistic aptitude. It's also incredibly interesting how gear is handed down from generation to generation...(I just picked up an older Transvideo LCD that was used on some recent features by Mr. Brooks Robinson) It's amazing how well those old sleds, arms, vests, etc survive...even with the occasional fire or theft! It must speak to the quality of the design and construction of the rigs...and it's also interesting how we grow attached to or sentimental about our equipment. It can becomes such a personal thing! Anyways, thanks for sharing your stories, really interesting stuff. Beau

For all you Steadicam veterans out there...I'm curious....do you remember your first rig, and how you came about acquiring it? I tried to get into operating many years ago, and in the process, ended up starting off with a used SK2 (in the year 2000!!!!) that I actually bought off of an ebay-like site that Yahoo used to run. I wasn't a natural op (or a good one, for that matter), but that SK2 was very difficult to master -- the vest had only rudimentary adjustments, and you used your body to control the "english" of the one stage arm (Oh the fatigue!). The little 4" CRT was dim and fuzzy, and you couldn't adjust where the monitor or battery went, really. But it did come with a bootleg VHS of the EFP training video with Jerry Holway and Ted Churchill, which was a revelation...and made me wish I had gotten an EFP instead. Not that I could have afforded one. That being said, seeing the occasional SK2 on the forum, and on ebay makes me a little nostalgic for that rig... In the end, it was a lot of fun to try, and learn, and even got to shoot some tv and documentaries with it.... but I decided to get out of it...fast forward fourteen years later, and I find myself trying to figure out how to really get back into it! Anyways, that's my story...what's yours?