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kes

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  1. Thanks for leting me know about this Chrosziel plate. My brother Asie was visiting you at Optex a while ago - you repaired his broken monitor. Best Kes
  2. Thanks Robin, This is basically what I have start doing - turning the dovetail plate back to front often as the Sony screw holes don't line up beautifully always. Perhaps when CP built the the dovetail plate they did not have the Sony plate on their mind. By the way Robin my brother bought a very good thin Triax cable from you which has been very helpful for me often when doing t.v, he also spoke highly about you... . Dont know where he is now - I have not seen him for 3 months as he travels around beautiful places doing traveling programs. Left his steadicam for me though... Kes
  3. Larry, I recall you saying once that you tend to go more heavy bottom, in that case do you do your static and dynamic balance at that heavy bottom setting or you do dynamic and static balance at 4 seconds or so and than shift your gimbel to get more heavy at the bottom for the operating ? I find it more difficult to achieve dynamic balance at 4 seconds ( I also operating at 4 seconds ) than 2 seconds. Also the fast paning is more difficult so when I do a fast pan I tend to operate at 2.5-3 seconds although I would like to be able to get the same result at 4 seconds, something I would have to work on. Best Kes
  4. Hi Gus, Thanks for your advice. I am unlucky as well - I live in the Middle East with no workshops around. Best regards Kes
  5. Thanks Alec for reassuring me - I needed that. Kes
  6. Thanks Peter for your advise. I probabely do need a workshop and a longer plate. I think what I did wrong was to attach the dovetail plate exactly under the Sony plate without ever change it regardless the camera weight - I use a Sony plate ( without mantioning the manufuturer ) which does not let you very easily to attach it differently. Than an hour ago I tried with a different Sony plate with so much more holes and so I managed to shift the Sony plate back, which mean now the steadicam dovetail plate sticking out 3" from the front just under the Sony plate. That way I managed to bring the camera even more back than I could before - easy thing but never thought about it as I always worked with the same light camera and the length of the dovetail plate was enough. Regards Kes
  7. I am flying the Master with 25 cm ( 10 inch ? ) dovetail plate. Kes
  8. Hi, I feel a bit fool to ask what I did as it seems so clear to you but I think I did misunderstanding some of the basic issue in steadicam, even when I have some unlimited access to the Elite. Unfortunately I could never take a workshop although I always think I should, but as always in life things are not always that black and white and you do not do what you should but rather what you can or efford. I should have place my quastion under newbies and so I would probabely upset less people. I perhaps misunderstood camera c.g. issue but after making a fool of myself I might as well carry on and explain the wrong way I find camera c.g. : After screwing the dovetail plate to the Sony plate and attaching the camera and all accessorise and battery to the Sony plate I will now start to find center weight of the whole thing by placing a rod between a flat surface and the dovetail plate ( with the camera and lens on top ), now holding the camera I start rolling it on the rod back and forth until I find the center of the whole weight, than I mark it. This mark I thought is considered to be the camera c.g. , and this mark I thought should be about .75 inch to the rear of the centerline of the central post. Now because the front is so heavy the mark I found is too close to the lens and so does not mater how far back I slide the dovetail plate in the dovetail carrier it is still a way too far forward. I hope it does make sense - the way I explained it not the way I do it of course. I know top to bottom problem is cured by raising the gimbal and Lengthening the post but if the bottom is much lighter even if you raise the gimbel all the way it wont help. I am not really lazy ( use the wrong word ) I just once read placing camera c.g. about .75 inch to the rear place you roughly in dynamic balance which I thought is enough. Not understanding how to find camera c.g. is a different mater. Unless you do not make me feel any more fool than what I already feel please explain me where I was wrong and the best way to find camera c.g Regards Kes
  9. Dear all, Doing mainly tv work I hardly ever face the problem of having a much heavier front than the back of the camera, and so when a commercial or video clip job comes ( Sony 790 ) I always face some difficulties balancing the rig.... For example : Soon I have this Sony 790 job with Angenieux lens, matt box plus filters and a heavy M-One motor in front while only a light Li Ion battery on the back. Since in this setting the front is so much heavier I try to add more weight to the back by replacing the Li Ion battery with the huge and heavy Pro Pack, by mounting the Bartech AND the video transmitter at the back as well just on or by the Pro Pack battery... But hey, that is not enough ! the front is still heavier and the camera c.g. still does not reach the mark I am aiming at - .75 inch to the rear of the centerline of the central post ( I never do dynamic balance as I am too lazy and because I have no time as they always ask me to be ready in little time, and so the least I can do is to place camera c.g .75 inch to the rear and start balancing by moving the battery and the monitor - than I know the rig is roughly in dynamic balance ? )... And so I keep adding weight to the back in a form of small cube of metal until I finally happy. Now I want to set my 3-4 seconds drop time but, ahem, now the bottom of the sled is much lighter than my extra heavy camera I am not able to get any drop time, not before I will start adding more weight to the bottom of the sled, again adding some more useless bits of metal just to be able to get the desirable drop time. I must admit I am in a very good shape and so a heavy rig is not a problem but for a long and demanding day it might be an issue, also to improvise so much with moving weight is really frustrating and take some production time. All I am wondering is if in a shot which does not include a fast pan dynamic balance is all that important ? Will you choose to operate without all the extra and unnecessary weight but sacrifice dynamic balance by not placing camera c.g. where you need it to be ? I will be very happy to hear how you deal with situation like this. Regards to all Kes
  10. Thanks Will and BJ, I am going for the angled "D" Bracket. Regards, Kes
  11. Hi, I was thinking to get a new "D" Bracket after loosing the one my friend made for me. I had two or three brand in mind and was wondering if you could recommend on one of them . The first was the Angled "D" Bracket by Tom Gleason (cinewidgets.com ), looks nice at only 150 USD. The second was the gpi "D" Bracket at 175 USD. And the last one was the "J"-Bracket ( I think it is the same "D" Bracket with different name ) by Baer-Bel but I do not know the price. It is a minor issue - I believe they all good and do the same job but it will be nice to hear what are you using. Regrads, Kes
  12. Thanks Will for your long reply - as always you contribute wonderfuly to this forum. I see yours and Larry's point of doing as little as possible with your operating hand and much more with your body - I already tried this today with some good results. What I did untill now ( with some pretty good results as well I must say ) was not paying attantion much to body movements but rather compensate on it by moving the sled with my working hand acoording to the shot. Your way make more sense and I am planning to stick with it - I noticed I could achive the same good results by operating very little just because I am combining a few body control and various speeds in one shoot. Thanks again. By the way Will I think you did some excelent job on Requiem For a Dream, especially you chassing the little running boy up stairs and nicely lock off on the old lady. Kes
  13. Dear Larry, Thanks for your valubale tips and advices - I treasure them as I always do with your other advices. I probabely did not describe it very well - I NEVER actually take my hands off the the sled... it is just when I start my move while my sled is place close to the left side of my hip, half way through my walk and by the time I start my switch I do the turning of the sled ( by those seconds sled also crossing my face ) with my fingers only but then when exit to D.J I regain the original hendling of the sled as I did in the first part of my move and before the switch. Perhaps I should start my move while my sled is at the right side of my hip, than the sled would not cross my face ( because it is already on the other side ), I would not need to turn my sled with the fingers ( helps to keep horizon level ), and by doing this I will maintine the exact handling ( but obviously not the exact pressure otherwise the sled would never get...turned ) of the sled throgh the whole shot but still end with the same D.J . I am confused about the best way. Kes
  14. Bring up this topic again just because I have just seen it. I first saw Butner work on the German speaking film Run Lola Run where he did some wicked moves but nothing could prepar you to this perfectly executed 90 minutes shot. I have seen it on big screen and so it was hard to scan the whole screen just to grade Butner operating ( I am not that type of person anyway - I do not need to find flaws in other operators work to make myself feel better about my operating. If anything watching a good operating only inspire me to work harder and to try to catch up with them. Also gives me some new ideas of moves I have not try yet. Having said that the work of Chris Haarhoff in Fight Club does my head in indeed ) but for what I saw he showed some incredible talent. In fact I was supposed to be instructed by him a few months ago at the workshop in Munich but sadly the workshop has been cancelled for lack people. What a shame. Lots of memorable moments but I liked the chasing girls in the hall and the jaw dropping walk in the snow outside the museum 75 minutes through the film ( great landscape and operating ), the sweat on Butner face must turned ice cubes during that walk. I also love Butner frequently very very slow movments which we all know are very difficult to do. Operators have to watch this film for a free p.o.v lesson. I also could not believe he did not hit any of the hundreds extras around him especially towards the end while going down the stairs - someone must have grabing them out of the frame like a flies. As for the film... Absolutely the best film I have seen for a long long time and certainly the most moving one. This time-traveling movie is a feast to the eyes in many aspects like costume, props, paintings, music, the acting of the prickly 19th centuryFrench diplomat and of course photography. All in all an unprecedented technical and artistic achievement. Good on you Tillman and Sokurov. Just my opinion really. Kes
  15. Thanks for your replying. Ikerman - I can see your way but I would not want to go backward, as I do not want to rely on my spoter that much, and I do not have one anyway. Also walking backwards from left to right could be hard if the stage is curvy. Patrick - If I understand it right do you operate the way my brother does ? Bryan - I know this wierd technique as I use it as well but only when I do it from right to left, this is how I end my move from right to left . It isnt the saftiest technique but works for me best from right to left ( you really need to be carfull not to hite your legs with each other in this transition from walking forward to backwards or you will find yourself on the floor ). I would not want also to end my move from left to right that way as I am really really comfortable to end with Don Juan all my moves from left to right - just like a second nature for me and find it hard to understand operators ending this shoot other than D.J . Isnt steadicam beautiful ? There is no one way of operating ! ? . I do not work wirless - life indeed are crule. Kes
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