Sean Emer

Hey guys! Thanks for all the responses; it means a lot to me! I guess I should have clarified the circumstances a little bit more: My dad tried to talk me out of doing the steadicam, but I really don't want to pass on an opportunity like this, so I'm at least going to try. The one thing I neglected to mention was where and how we acquired the rig. The rig will be supplied by a professional steadicam operator who does it for a living. He'll also be present at the show, so rigging and balancing won't be as big of an issue as I thought it would be (I too was recently under the impression that all we had was the rig. I'm sorry for not mentioning this in the first post). So at the show I'll have a steadicam professional to help me out. I know that, frankly, my shots are going to suck. That?s why there are going to be six other cameras in the room. The point here is that in my experience I have already worked with headhunters and jibs, but steadicam is something I've never been able to play around with. I'm going to college soon, and I want to bring with me as many experiences as possible. I've always been fascinated by steadicam (to be honest, watching the steadicam guy at the Half Time Show in the Super Bowl was a lot more fun than watching the Rolling Stones), and if I have a good experience on this upcoming show, I might just buy myself a mini rig for my XL1s. As far as getting early practice, I'll look around to see if there are any rental places that might let me try out a rig (Do you think B&H would?). Thanks for all the input guys! (I think I've found a new favorite forum) Sean Emer Btw ? This show is scheduled for May 20, 2006

Hello everyone! I'm running into a bit of a dilemma here, and I was hoping some of you might be able to help. Here's the situation: My high school is working in conjunction with a director to do a live audience TV Show in the school's auditorium. It consists mainly of three guests and one host sitting on stage, with the audience in the seats watching. The difference here is that this presentation will also be a live-to-tape 7-camera shoot. We're going to have 3 or 4 static cameras (A wide shot, a headhunter, and some other establishing shots), then one or two XL1s cameras roving the audience. That leaves two more cameras. One, a Betacam SP, will be mounted on a 12' jib. The last camera, an Ikegami DV7AW, will be rigged on a pro-Steadicam. I'm not sure exactly what kind of Steadicam is going to be used, but supposedly it will be on of the heavier ones (I heard the phrase 'Type III' dropped at one point. Does that clarify anything?). Of the few students in the school involved with Video Production, I am the most advanced camera/composition-wise, so I've been placed on Steadicam duty. The problem is that I have never in my life worked with a Steadicam rig, and I have heard that it is a difficult art to master. I will not be able to get a day of practice in before the show; the first time I put on the rig will be an hour or so before the show starts. My father, who is a lighting cameraman by profession, has used Steadicam rigs in the past, but the only piece of advice he could really offer me was that I can't manhandle the rig. I assumed this from the beginning. I'm here to ask you guys, the pros, if there are any starter tips for a novice (COMPLETE novice) Steadicam user? I've looked through the forums a little, and I've found a few useful tips, but I want to make sure I have as many bases covered as possible before I walk into this thing. Thanks in advance guys! Sean Emer