Alfeo Dixon SOC

you mean the Filmtools/Backstage Jr cart, but not the Sr monstrosity, right?

Normal wear and tear and maintenance is your responsibility, if its faulty gear under warranty, that should be covered by the manufacture. I don't see much of a leg for him to stand on with the production co

Hey Bryan, try this for a script... I understand that you do not want to cover me with a COI... but because I can not trust anyone else with my gear, due to your lack of insurance coverage, I will be the only one handling my gear. I will also now require the following... 1 hour percall to pull my rig out of my vehicle to prepare it for the days work 1 hour of additional wrap time to break it down return it back to my vehicle for transport each day Portal to Portal for the transportation from my secure parking area each day I will require a walk through to direct the director on what the shot will be (because MY equipment has to be under MY direction) A rehearsal before each new setup An additional meal penalty due to me having to safety my gear before lunch

You have to look at what market your in and what cameras are in demand. For instance, I started off with one cable for each ARRI camera, no Panavision and no Aaton, there was no RED then. I'm in Atlanta and there was not a Panavision and everything I would fly on was 435, SR3, F900, Varicam and Arricam/Moviecam. So I had only one for each film camera and a 4pin. When I got booked on a show that was Panavised F900, i bought the single $900 cable for Panavision and when Panavision landed in Atlanta, I purchased a Genesis cable for PV because now I was getting called for dayplaying and possibilities where greater. I didn't order my first RED cable right off, because they simply didn't make one, but when it took off and more jobs went RED, I then got one. I still have two of my original three preston motor cables and only carry three, one was broken in Nairobi so I still had a backup. I very rarely mount up three motors and if you work more on a stage, then you more than likely going to use only one and occasionally add a second motor. Now its a trend to fly an iris motor that the DIT will control from his tent. If you know your going after TV work, then get yourself a jumper and then back it up after a few gigs... its not like the cable wrangler would be handling your jumper and it should get you through for enough gigs and if your being asked to work on a regular, then get the second one The other thing is that if you live in an area with many ops, you can skate by with less with great relationships... or a FedEX account (remembers Janice rant) My Cable list valued at approx $10,226.00 POWER 1 12v Camera power cable 4 Pin XLR 1 24v Power cable [open end] 1 Panavision 24v Power Cable 2 Arri 24v power cable 1 RED Camera Power Cable 1 Genesis/F35/F23 Power Cable PRESTON 3 Motor Cable w/Right Angles Lemo 24" 1 Lens Cable: Fujinon (MDR-2) 1 MDR Power from Ultra 12V/24V Power Cable 2 MDR Power from Anton Bauer Battery 1 MDR Power from 24Volt Panavision 1 MDR Power from 24Volt Arri/Moviecam 1 MDR Power from 12V 4 pin XLR 8' 1 MDR Power from 24V 3 pin XLR 8' 1 Camera Cable: Arriflex 3 (MDR-2) 1 Camera Cable: Arriflex 435/535/SR3/ Mvcm 3 pin 1 Camera Cable: Panavision (MDR-2) 1 Camera Cable: ARRI 435/535/SR-3 Speed/Shutter control 1 Camera Cable: Sony Hi Def (MDR-2) 1 Camera Cable: Red Digital Cinema (MDR2) CAMWAVE 1 XLR 4Pin Y-Cable 1 XLR to AB P-Tap 2 3' Ultra to CamWav Power Cable 2 3' P-Tap to CamWav Power Cable 2 3' Ultra2 to Decimator & CamWav Power Y-Cable MODULUS 2 Ultra to Modulus Power/Video Cable 3 Arri to Modulus cables 2 PRO to Modulus 1 Pana to Modulus 2 AB P-Tap to Modulus DECIMATOR (modes my Decimator to use above Modulus cables) 2 2' AB P-Tap to Decimator Power Cable 2 2' Decimator to Modulus Power/Video Cable 2 2' Ultra2 to Decimator Power/Video Cable

So I see we are talking about two different worlds here in the US... Live TV and Feature Film/Episodic. I guess the Steadicam Assistant is more of a Live TV gig. Where as its the 1st AC on Film/Episodic that will set up the rig (if allowed by the operator) and the dolly grip will then spot the operator and grab the rig... just the same if it where hand held. Its the responsibility of the dolly grip to relieve to weight from the operator between takes. This frees up the camera assistants so that they can check marks and prepare for the next take. The 2nd AC will also be the one responsible to pull the rig from the truck and put it to bed for the day... again, if the operator allows them to.

Thats very interesting... is it held by the grip department? Does the 1st assistant get a tech rate for dealing with steadicam? In the US, the 1st assistant gets a bump in wages called a Tech Rate for remote heads, steadicam amongst other types of "technical" equipment. If that were to happen in Spain, I bet your rigs would be verrrrry welcomed into the camera department.

http://tiffen.com/displayproduct.html?tablename=steadicam&itemnum=250-7915

Its a nice rig and sure you can dynamic balance. The trick to it is to put as little as possible on the cameras and above the IA adjustment plates. Why? Because the top and bottom cameras counter each other during a change of the IA. At the bottom of the top camera is a 15mm rod holder (rear of the rig)... put everything you can aks wise here. If you have to add to the cameras or above the IA movement, then try to put that device on both cameras in the exact place, using matching brackets on both cameras. To find your CG... build your 3D rig completely (ready to shoot) and then find the CG1 of the top camera. Then find the CG2 of the bottom camera. Your CG of the rig will lie in the line between CG1 and CG2. To check it... you cant spin it, thats for sure. You'll have to zero your drop time, put your rig in a horizontal position and then make sure the camera will not rotate along the gimbal (pan direction) at any giving angle of pan rotation (you got just over 270deg to check). Hope that confused the hell out of you.... -Alfeo

Toronto 2 day sounds like the old Flyer workshop and since Tiffen phased out the Flyer model, that would be a Zephyr Workshop. The big-rig ones are a week long.

Nils, I have always thought that any cinematographer should have a vast and heavy background in photography and art. I'm glad you are now able to aesthetically compose your shots with an emphasis on character and story. So many times, we (operators) are regarded as the 'monkeys' that just point the camera, which is more true in the the comedy realm than in the dramatic genre. If anything, for me the technical and logistics are the major distractions on most projects. By this I mean a director that is more worried if it will work in editing and needing to achieve coverage by the numbers to give the editor options, rather than planing elaborate and thought out camera movement. How many times have we seen our steadicam shots chopped to hell? Are you referring to a quarter (between flat on and half-profile) or three-quarter (between half-profile and profile) profile shot with the girl on the left-side of frame looking left of camera? The psyche behind your feeling of the prominent character on the left-side of the frame is that our eyes scan from left-to-right in a top-to-bottom path, just as we read. I guess that would change if you're traditionally educated Japanese and that would be a top-to-bottom in a right-to-left path. This sounds like a great transition and play on the characters current emotions. The "Negative Space" your giving her certainly adds to what you were hoping to say about the character. The fact that you slammed her up against the right-side of frame also adds a small amount of tension. Again, for the Japanese viewer, that would add even more tension. On that note, I have a good friend that has all the "theory" behind filmmaking and teaches this "school of thought." Nothing beats the gut of a real artist... its good to know the theory of what we feel, but never let it take over you instinct. -Alfeo

It gets cooooold out in them der woods....

I have gone as far as to send a pdf of the FedEX label via email so that a person only needs to package it and print out my label... its the little things that make life so much better.

So true...

1) RED to Decimator is a custom cable... did you also customize your connector on the Decimator? 2) ARRI WCU is powered from what DTAP? If it's getting power from your sleds battery mount, then that is the source that powers the RED and the Decimator. Its all connected. Williams test is your best friend... If clean, then track down the culprit. First try powering the Decimator using your cable to the camera. That will tell you if its your cable and/or the RED camera. Eventually get back to your original setup to find what part of the puzzle is causing the issue... My bet is on this cable

Sounds like you many be having a grounding issue or a termination problem. What way are you powering your WCU and your decimator? I'm not very knowledgable about termination, but I do know it could be a culprit of SD... Call the guys over at Tiffen on Monday morning.

Come on... whats the skinny??? Don't keep us in the static... can we get some results of the Debacle? -Alfeo "eagerly waiting" Dixon

So the cables are the same pinouts on the BDR as the MDR2? Is that the same for Run/Stop and Power also? ...Jim???

So I guess between NAB and Cine Gear they made the decision to go Preston... nice! Is that including the Power and Run/Stop cables?

There's a quick answer for you. You should seek damages for the fix by the third party company. In the states, small claims courts are limited to around $15,000

Robert Orff (Tiffen engineer) and I went over and took a quick peak at the BM HyperDeck Shuttle and it did not look the part of using out in the field. The guts where completely open to air and should best remain on a desktop

So when it's done we can call up and order the EF-Steadi Model?

I agree, the VariZoom folk didn't have a lot to add other than the general workings of it... which worked nicely. BUT, this will work with other existing digital motors and I asked about the possibility of using existing cables and pinouts to Preston MDR2's power and motors. I told them that IF I could add a $5K backup solution to my Preston HU3 & MDR2 and not have to buy new buy about $7K of cables and motors... I would heavily consider their unit as a low-end/backup solution! This would also be great for guys that plan on buy a Preston down the road, because they would all ready own their motors and cables knocking off a big chunk of the investment. -Alfeo

Hey Frank, In terms of custom cables, Terry West or Fred Davis could certainly help you with that. Or you can mod your decimator power like My Mod or Robert's Mod and use a pre-existing cable for something you already have or plan on purchasing. -Alfeo

I saw the Additional Monitor Bracket at NAB and just hadn't had time to wrap my mind around the other useful ways to accessories it... until now. Ever wonder where you could put that $6,000 monster called the CamWave other than on top of the camera or off your battery mounts below increasing the danger of bumping your sled? How about your SD Transmitter or your on-board DVR? Well, this is what I came up with... a DVR/Tx Plate CamWave close to post and not in jeopardy of hitting your leg sticking out at the battery mount Using my Element Technica V-Lock Rod Clamp (just opened it up and took off the rod clamp) Showing my Archos 504 & Modulus 3000... my initial plan Just using Velcro on both sides Tiffen sent me the Monitor Accessory Bracket on loan and this is what I came up with, in addition to adding an IDX Plate for a third or fourth battery

HA! Not stickied... but Googled Cached