Jeff Muhlstock SOC

I just wanted to publicly commend Chris Konash from Panavision NY for his work on the fiber system that we are using on "Mercy". This is an absolute life savor for this kind of work. The entire package is weighing in less then an XL, very close to the weight on an Arri LT. The thin yellow fiber jumper is soft, flexible and durable. I have used his system with both Genesis and F35 and I love it. It has made a miserable setup in to a very manageable Steadicam camera. I would absolutely insist on this setup for Steadicam with these cameras. Thanks Chris for building these little boxes, genius! JM

I wanted to give a huge thanks to the guys that put this together! Jamie, Alec, Lewis, CSC and all the manufacturers that showed gear, THANK YOU! It was great to finally meet some of you and enjoy a rainy day in Secaucus, NJ. As for the monitors, 2 winners for me, Nebtec & Transvideo. I will be purchasing one or both of these in the very near future. These were the stand out daylight viewable HD LCDs in my opinion. All very promising products shown, it was great to see this development. More details and photos will follow. Jeff

This is great news, Im totally in! Let me know if I can help in any way. jeff

Boy, times have changed...I worked for 35 days in the Lillihammer games in 94' and 40 days in Nagano 98'. Not only was there insurance, but I brought my focus puller with me and he was able to get a rental on my wireless focus unit to get more then scale. Did I mention that we flew 1st class... CBS was a class act to work for, they still are. Then came NBC/Atlanta. They asked, wouldn't pay what I asked for and I said no thank you. End of story. Jeff

I had the very interesting opportunity to work with MJ in 2001. I found these clips from the show. 1st clip is what aired on CBS, the second is some home video shot from the audience. Audience

To accurately judge this work, I would need to see the "raw" footage. (without the "boxes")

Here is my frustration, 6" is too small 8.4 is too big. In my opinion, a 7" monitor is really the ideal size for Steadicam use. I guess the 8.4 would work if the housing was smaller. I have been waiting for 10 years for a good all purpose HD monitor and I have yet to find one that fits my needs. FRUSTRATING.

thanks guys, for the kind words. It looks like a family weekend for me. Although I would be love to be a part of something like this, I am in need of a little time at home.

Who is on the Panel?

[ Hey Charles, good info, thanks! Here is a picture of my Red set up from a Neil Diamond show I did last year. Mine was far from light. I should have used my running rig, and the Red zoom lens wasn't available at the time. Also, it would have been better with one less BFD box and an HD monitor would eliminate the downconverter. Also note the scratch track mic... Its still a bit clunky for this kind of work, nothing beats the Sony 1500 for concert work, its a fraction of the weight. Unless the concert is going to the big screen, I don't see a good reason to shoot Red in that environment. I bet they are posting in 4:2:2 anyway... I am avoiding these kind of gigs, been there, done it, to heavy for a marathon. Maybe with Janice's "legway"... joking.... cheers Jeff

Love it...! when can I get one to play with? Anyway to get the weight off is good! These digi cameras are not getting lighter anytime soon. Old and cranky and sick of the lock off Steadicam coverage too, Jeff

Good to hear from all of you and thanks for the input! Bottom line is It may be a very good additional tool for my bag of tricks. With the popularity of handheld work still climbing, I feel it will help take some of the unbalanced feel off of the shoulder, simply less painful with a heavy camera. I don't really care what I look like, if it helps me get through the day just a bit easier, it makes sense. Obviously this is not a tool to stabilize, smooth out or make a better camera move, this is purely a weight and balance distribution method to aid in the struggle of an over weight camera that isnt ideal for shoulder work. Handheld camera work should be handheld, but if an LT, 235. XL, or 416 isnt possible, then the easyrig may just take the curse off. I will look into Walter's rig, but I dont fly a back vest so Im guessing its not an option for me $$$. Thanks again for all your points. Jeff

Any thoughts about the EasyRig? I am starting a show with a fair amount of handheld with a big heavy camera, This seems like a good additional tool for some in between raw handheld and steadi work. Thoughts? They are only about 3 grand. thanks, Jeff

Hey Alec, I assume your talking about Barry M? I own a few of these short jumpers, in fact I was involved in the early design of them with Mohawk. We tried different thicknesses until we discovered the minimum threshold to hold enough info with power. The one you refer to without power is only marginally thinner but pretty much the same flex to it, so I go for the power version. These cable were originally designed for the sony 950 cameras so they come with the sony type fiber connectors. I know Barry has designed a fiber back for Genesis that works with these connectors what about Arri D21???

Yes, I use this and it works great! I mix and match my plates, they all fit on the Betz with the added screws on the ends for a safety catch. I use PRO, old CP, Betz and XCS plates.

Hey Rob, this is the one I use, they no longer have it at B& H, perfect little monitor for what we need, very bright and lite. Too bad its not HD.... http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/MM9000/ 3.5 inch LCD

I am looking for someone to build me a Rickshaw. Any advice??? Any info would be greatly appreciated, email me direct. Thanks Jeff

Just Flip your rig upside down. Its a key stroke in post to filp a shot. Fast, simple, rigid. Its really the best way to go in the video world.

If you ever need to zoom with a cinema style lens, Jim Bartel's "BUZZ" is a must! I recently had a job with the RED camera and a 15 - 40 Optima zoom lens (Great Glass). I bought the BUZZ just for this job. I set it up with a heden zoom motor and my own modified "Zoe" gimbal mounted zoom controller. This was a great way to go! As I am very comfy with zooming and Steadicam with video lenses. This set up will feel very familiar to video guys. I like using my Zoe controller so much, I asked Jim to make me a cable that allows the BUZZ to control Panavision lenses for studio configuration and traditional operating. I have never been a fan of the pressure sensitive "microforce" type zoom controls. I like a more analog feel that the Zoe rocker style offers. So now I am using the Buzz for studio zoom work as well as Steadicam. I will try to get some photos of these applications in the next few weeks. I now have the ability to use this set up in a handheld mode as well, all very cool and comfy ways for operator controlled zooming. The BUZZ is a must have item! Thanks Jim. Jeff

Hey guys, I know its been posted here before, but who makes the nice looking LCD handheld units with UHF receiver built in and those sqwooshy handles??? Thanks Jeff

Marshal makes a great 3 inch, very bright and sharp, about 400 bucks from B & H. I use this as my Program return.

Hey Bryan, really great work! I love your subtle "dutch" flow and feathering zoom work. Really nice job, very musical and very polished! Best video work I have seen in a awhile. Caught a sliver of your shadow at one point, and the end pan off would have been smoother with a focus rack or something, but over all, I would feel pretty great about this work. It really works wonderfully as a "one'r". Congrats. Jeff

Hey Guys, I used these little buggers on a Film earlier this year, they are great for all the reasons you state, however, the gaffer and DP were not happy with the color output, as I recall, they were a bit green and needed some correction. Do a test on film before you commit, be careful. Jeff

I had to share this, Norway Winter games 1994, -8 degrees F. (I think my hand froze to the gimbal) I was soft mounted to a snow mobile to proceed cross country skiing with the Olympic flame, then got off to bring em in to the stadium. My Focus puller had his own snow mobile riding next to me, those were the days... Watching the Games from China bring back lots of great memories, its an amazing experience! Jeff (still frozen) Muhlstock

Brandon, contact me directly off board, I have a costumed out EFP that I am considering selling. Jeff