Larry McConkey

I just did a search for "2722". Here is a link to the results for Anton Bauer on the B&H website: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...x=29&Submit.y=8 Larry

The 24v Ultra system (actually a nominal 28.8v nicad system which drops from about 30v fresh off the charger to 24v when dead with 20 cells in the pack) is pretty simple: the full voltage goes out on one pin of the 3 pin Lemos on the camera stage and also goes to a DC to DC converter which puts out 100W of regulated 13.2V which goes to another pin on the 3 pin Lemos. The third pin is GND. You could use 12v batteries but they would have to be rewired (or the Ultra battery mount would have to be rewired) and the 3 pin Lemos would also need to be rewired (or the cables you plug into them). You would then have the problem of what to do about 24v needs... lots of headaches here and you lose compatability with the world which can lead to other headaches down the line. Larry

I also have tried out the new "Walter Light". It was not quite the right size/shape for my body, but I am sure based on past experience with Walter that were I interested in one he would make sure the fit was correct. I used it for several days on a 3 week commercial with my Moviecam Compact loaded with accessories so it was a fairly heavy load. Initially I did not think there was much difference from my standard, now "Traditional Deluxe" model, but when I returned to it I immediately noticed how much wider the back support was. Definitely for heavier sleds the Deluxe is the way to go. However, the Light is definitely much lighter (comparing it to my front mounted vest - a Master with some additional larger frame parts and foam - the Light was clearly lighter). Lower cost should ease the entry to back mounted harnesses as well a the lighter weight. Overall I would say it is a step up from front mount in terms of support and comfort, but not as supportive as the Deluxe. The quality is just as high, and the fit potentially as good, although with the single door in the front (instead of the overlapping style of the Deluxe) rigidity depends on a more exact size match so the front door comes right up to the side panel when tightened down for maximum rigidity. The adjustable air bladder offers a fairly easy fine tuning of this fit. Larry

For me the Ultra has been unbelievably useful. I absolutely LOVE the ability to adjust the tilt stage (I adjust it for virtually every shot) and although I rarely need the really long length that is possible, I am constantly adjusting the length, again for almost every shot, and occasionally when a very low or very high shot is required I am ready in 2-3 minutes, tops. I have been able to deliver these shots several times in situations where anything that would take longer was unacceptable, and it the past I would just have to say that it would be 15 minutes or so before I could get into the long post length and again another 10 or so to get back. Remember that even if you have this stuff, it probably isn't right by the Steadicam when you need it - somebody has to get the case out and then you can get to work. There just is no substitute for any of the recent advances like tools free adjustments, and wireless stage controls for expediting shots with a Steadicam. It is noticed too, more than I realized. On the first rehearsal of the first extensive Steadicam shot for "Snake Eyes" with Brian DePalma (who I had worked with on many films before this) as I stepped into position and said I was ready, Brian immediately called a halt to the proceedings. "Larry, why aren't you fiddling?" he demanded. It took a moment for me to figure out what he was talking about, and then I showed him the little remote that let me trim out the sled while walking up to the start mark. He had never mentioned this little adjustment period that I always took before each take, but he sure had noticed it!! Actors have also commented on how troublesome it is to have a Steadicam Operator come in for a shot or two and change the whole rythym of the movie by "fiddling" with their equipment. To not take the time to be sure everything is perfectly adjusted before each take is unprofessional, and to have a system that makes these adjustments faster, easier and more flexible for the operator just makes you seem more considerate and valued on set. It just depends on the circumstances how important all this is. For me it is very important on most of my jobs and completely irrelevant on others. Again, I think a Steadicam Operator is constantly being challenged to match the equipment he/she uses to the type of work being done and how much it costs is always an essential consideration. It doesn't make much sense to have all the adjustments in the world if you never want or need to make any adjustments. It makes no sense to have lots of accessories if you don't need or want to use them. Simplicity, reliability, familiarity are very, very important, and the more complex the rig, the further you are from them. You must balance all this stuff very carefully and try for the right compromises, and those compromises will be shifting in importance throughout your career. Larry

I think it is worth noting that the time it takes for visual perception is directly related to how easy an image is to see. Especially brightness and resolution make a difference and this is not just an observation without substantiation. I once shot a series of videos with the Rolling Stones on their Steel Wheels Tour using the "Priticken Effect" (spelling??) for 3-D. This method depends upon a never ending track from right to left or left to right. (For me this meant never stopping a circular track around one or more members of the band on stage throughout a song). The viewers then wear glasses that consist of a simple ND over one eye and nothing over the other eye. The eye that has the slightly darker image takes more time to perceive the images frame by frame and therefore experiences a delay. This means that one "eye" sees what the camera shot from a particular position on stage while the other "eye" is seeing what was shot from a preceding position on stage (having experienced a delay in the act of perception due to the darker image). This causes a 3-D effect if the track direction is correct for the placement of the ND filter. In fact, you can watch any tracking shot in the movies or on TV with this setup, and any time the speed and direction is appropriate you will see 3-D. After this experience it became very evident to me that the easier it is to see an image on a Steadicam monitor, the faster I see it. It is much faster "seeing" with a bright, sharp, large image than the opposite. It makes sense that a better monitor WILL unavoidably make you a better operator simply because of the more immediate perception that is possible. Many, many other factors come into play so it can be difficult to distinguish what is affecting your operating, but I have no doubts about this aspect, which is one reason I take so much trouble to get the best possible image to operate from. Larry

That's exactly right, but unfortunately I would then be in a foam sandwich and that would be very, very hot. I used to sweat profusely whenever wearing my front mount vest, partially because of the larger structure and padding that I went to in order to get more contact with the vest. The DSD is by comparison, far cooler and I love that aspect as much as any. I have finally recovered almost all the finesse I had with the front mount, so I don't think I will ever use the hybrid, unless I decide it would be the perfect solution for the tight spaces that interfere with the DSD arm - I could mount the front to the back mount... I continue to have conversations with Walter about reducing the obstruction issue, however, and as I said before, I don't think he will ever stop improving his designs. Larry

There are so many factors here that it can not be reduced to a simple verdict about one being better than another without lots of qualifications, and as new options for monitors continue to emerge the number of factors will also continue to grow. There is one very important factor that is hard to ignore and that is cost... I think this fuels more of the opinions about the worth of various monitors than anything else. But in addition, size, weight, form factor, controls and ease of use, color or B/W, sunlight viewability, contrast ratios, brightness, viewing angles, resolution, framelines, mounting options, power input voltage and wattage, reliability and durability, weather resistance, reflective coatings, connectors for video and power and nowadays signal input, i.e., NTSC, PAL, HD, RGB/SDI are all things to consider, and the list could continue with things like color and styling... I think it is pretty safe to say that Steadicam ready CRT's are still decidedly better with resolution, brightness, sunlight viewability, and contrast ratio, but at the expense of expense, size, weight, and lack of color. There is no serious R&D going into tube technology anymore, so it is clear that LCD, Plasma, etc are where new developments will come from. I have tried using the Tiffen Ultrabright in demanding film situations and found it wanting in certain aspects compared to my TB6 and returned gratefully to the CRT, however some of my decision-making depended upon factors unique to my personal camera and B/W video tap. I offered a detailed account in the 2003 forum. If I primarily worked in video I would definitely be using the Tiffen monitor - I have not seen a better LCD. I might also like it better for use with a color video tap, especially with anamorphic formats. I found the size to be a wonderful improvement over the more conventional smaller size and in no way a limitation, especially at a little over one half the weight of my TB6!! The fine points of my operating were so obvious I did not need as many takes to refine them (headroom, level horizon, placement of set at the edge of the frame, etc.) I wish I could get that size and weight with the performance of the CRT. The only serious limitation overall to the Tiffen compared to the TB6 for my operating style was viewing angle - it is as good as I have seen for an LCD, but way, way less than any CRT offers. My Assistant and some Directors and DP's who like to walk alongside during the shot complained about this problem as well as limiting where I could move the Steadicam relative to my body and still see well. Everyone's situation is different - and all of the factors mentioned need to be considered, especially the cost. I have 3 monitors at the moment besides the TB6 and although I use the TB6 about 95% of the time, the others all have their place in my operating needs. If you can only afford to have one, then the decision is indeed more difficult than it used to be... certainly a better place to be in than having only one choice as in the old days. Larry

I think the oddest hard mount that I ever rigged was for a high angle tracking shot - something that would approximate a helicopter shot - for a film about horse racing. The farm we were shooting on had a dump truck, so we raised the bed until the front of the dump bed was as high as possible, and we rigged a garfield on this apex! I don't even remember how we attached it, or my body, but our total crew was 3 people including the Director, so we didn't have many resources. Pretty cool shot as I remember. Another common trick back in the days was to rent a cherry picker, or other not very suitable crane for boom shots for a friend who specialized in films for colleges and universities around the country. Once I can remember having terrible difficulty trying to keep the horizon level as I boomed up over the rooftops of a quadrangle, when I suddenly realized that the automatic hydraulic levelling system for the platform had failed. It was listing about 45 degrees from level and I was about to slide off and fall 70' to the ground. Obviously I got down OK, but the one arm that was holding me and the Steadicam from certain death was badly cramped by the time I got down. It pays to focus on what you are doing, but it also pays to maintain situational awareness!! Larry

After learning how to balance the Steadicam with your body in order to control it?s position and move through space the way you intend it to, controlling the angle of the post is the next most difficult, and important skill to acquire. First you must learn how to keep the post perfectly vertical throughout every change in direction and speed, and then how to tilt and roll it off level at an intended speed and to an intended angle, then stop this rotation and often maintain the off level orientation as well. None of it is intuitive or easy, and the drop time figures in each of these maneuvers. It?s important and difficult enough that I thought I should contribute something in detail, hoping it will help some operators that are struggling with it. We can adjust the drop time to suit both each situation and your personal style, but in the beginning there are so many variables to begin with, it may make sense to standardize on an average, overall useful drop time so that you can develop some repeatable skills before trying out more or less. (This ?homebase? configuration should also include the height and length of your sled, assuming you can adjust those as well). As soon as you get comfortable with one drop time, however, it will be very, very useful to master others. The real trick here is to develop through practice, trial and error, mistakes and accidents, the skill to anticipate just how much pressure is required on the post to counteract every change in speed and direction. Every change will cause the Steadicam to swing off level, and exactly the right corrective force will deny keep it perfectly level instead. Manhandling the post, or correcting an error after it is noticeable will inevitably result in a sloppy looking shot. This is difficult to accept with everything else you need to do to execute a shot, but every change in speed and direction should be carefully considered, and then carefully executed with attention to how hard the corrective pressure should be applied, and in what direction and over what period of time as well. Planning ahead is all important (even in a documentary situation where the planning must take place in microseconds) to make this work. The more time spent rehearsing this specific skill off the set the more prepared you will be when you are distracted by everything else. If the drop time is very long (less bottom-heavy) it won't take much corrective pressure at all, so there is not as much effort required for any kind of move, but it also means that the correct amount of pressure for a small change will be very similar to the correct amount for a large change, and you are not likely to be very accurate in executing either. With a large drop time, the difference in pressure becomes much greater and you are likely to get closer to the right amount in each situation, so shorter drop times (more bottom heavy) will potentially give you more accuracy in anticipating corrective pressures than longer drop times, but the overall effort will of course be greater. If I am doing a long walk and talk, I use a very fast drop time, along the lines of 1½ seconds. This results in extraordinarily more consistent headroom and a more stable feel to the shot than a more normal drop time of 2-3 secs. I am very careful to keep changes to a minimum and work hard at these changes when they do happen. It forces a certain style as well, which I happen to like. But arguing against this setup would be the need for many abrupt changes, or even worse perhaps, long or numerous tilting requirements during the shot. At a certain point you may find that the difficulty in holding a steady tilt is harder with a very bottom-heavy sled. This can be a pretty subjective area, but I tend to go with a longer drop time (less bottom-heavy) if this is the case. The Ultra with the remote stage answers some of these problems by enabling me to retrim during the shot, so I can now go with more bottom-heavy trim (shorter drop time) more often, and just retrim to eliminate the effort in holding a tilt. One situation that clearly calls for very long drop times, or nearly neutral balance, is any vehicle mount. In this case there is no possible way to anticipate the many changes in speed or direction, and for most mounts, there is the added distraction of the mount changing angles as the vehicle moves over an uneven surface. With an almost neutral or nearly neutral balance, changes in speed and direction have no noticeable effect at all, but there is also no helpful orienting force from gravity to keep you upright, so the post tends to wander all over. Without having to walk with the rig, however, you have lots more mental capacity to watch the horizon and keep it level. Here the practice comes from knowing how much to let the Steadicam move around relative to your body and the mount, and how much to constrain it, all the while keeping you hands in an appropriate relationship to each other to maintain level and to the panning and tilting. Another similar adjustment is the overall length and height of the sled. Greater length will increase inertia and again require a different amount, and usually different length of time for corrective pressure to stay level. It can get pretty confusing if you are changing these also, but it is a worthy goal to be comfortable with varying all of them for every shot at some point in your career. I have found that after so many years of screwing it up, I can dial myself in pretty well to any combination with a simple exercise before each shot: after setting the drop time and length and height of the sled for the particular requirements of a shot (mostly learned by doing it wrong over and over again) I make a quick series of push-pulls with the sled, shoving it very fast forwards and backwards with the yoke while playing around with how much corrective pressure I need on the post to keep it vertical. This is easy to detect by watching the top frameline and trying to keep it aligned with something horizontal in the frame ? you have it right when there is no tilting or rolling. Once I feel comfortable with that axis I do the same thing from side to side. I may also do a slower series. I keep at it until the right corrective pressures are programmed into some part of my brain that will function without too much conscious effort. I still get it wrong often, however, and I rely on my video recording to check how I did after every take. Wherever I made a mistake, I try to figure out if I used too much corrective pressure, too little, applied it too early or too late, or left it in too long or not long enough. The next take, I reevaluate and make more mental notes for the next take. Hopefully I get it all corrected before the actors? performance is good enough to move on! I don?t think there are any real shortcuts to this process ? if you don?t deal with it on this level, it will be a long time before you get really good at it. It will be a long time in any case, so don?t be too impatient with yourself when you struggle with it, we all do!! I mostly do features, but I also work in documentary situations, live video, commercials music videos, and whatever else comes along. The more specifically you can anticipate what you will need for a shot, the more exactly you can set up the rig, so features are an ideal environment for learning this stuff which is why the workshops tend to concentrate on actors and predictable, rehearsed shots. Otherwise, if you don?t know what will happen, or the shot will be very long and varied (live, unrehearsed broadcasts being the most extreme version) you should learn to rely on a setup that can function as your ?homebase? of comfort and experience - a configuration with which you can do most things well. This probably is a longer drop time of about 2-4 secs, with a short to moderate post length and the sled length fairly short as well. This will allow faster response, less conflict with obstructions and certainly should allow you to place the monitor in the optimum viewing position as well as in perfect dynamic balance. On the minus side will be less stability and more difficult lock-offs. Ultimately, there are always compromises, but as the equipment becomes more versatile, and the operators get comfortable with the changes in response this versatility demands, the compromises get smaller. Larry

Before working on films that are supported by a whole truck full of grip equipment and very experienced grips (that was a long time ago), I used to carry a 4' square of 3/4" plywood and a lost of sandbags, or cement bags, or whatever I had available. Any of the popular hardmounts could generally be attached to the plywood base with a small supply of bolts and nuts, along with ratchet straps, ropes and any other bits I could assemble (like caribiniers, climbing harnesses, C clamps, etc.). The simplest hardmount probably is based upon speed rail and a small collection of various fittings and pipes could be very useful as well. Larry

I agree Paul, but what I have been looking for, for a long time, is something that would give me a clear measurement of the relative strengths of my individual batteries (as well as an inexpensive backup for a charger). There aren't many options out there for 28.8v packs, and this device works for any of my other batteries as well (I still carry Model 3 batteries as a source of gyro power in a backpack, and I also have kept the "horseshoe" 12/24v. packs I designed long ago with Seitz for various, usually unforseeable needs). I discharged all 6 of my Ultra batteries several times and the resulting AH ratings were all within .1AH for each battery, so regardless of how accurate the discharger is, it is very consistent, and therefore very useful information. The most I saw was 2.1AH for a new pack, which as you now may yield decidedly different results at different loads, and for all I now may not even be accurate at this discharge rate, but I do have a great benchmark for each battery's performance now. I can test new recell jobs as soon as I get them back and immediately tell if something is wrong as well. I can tell over time if one is starting to "take a dump". I labelled each battery with its AH rating, so I now know which ones are healthy and which are not. I can choose the very best for the really long takes and I don't get confused by a battery giving out unexpectedly soon - I do expect it. As soon as I got my first results it was clear that 2 of the batteries should be recelled, information I wasn't sure about before. I can also now determine just how accurate the LED's are, and I am sending in another 2 packs to have the fuel gauges replaced or recalibrated so that the displays are worth paying attention to. Until now I had to tell my assistants to pretty much ignore them because sometimes they meant something and sometimes they didn't. I plan to do a charge/discharge cycle on a regular basis from now on, or at least before any big jobs overseas... I now feel much more comfortable about the batteries because I know what shape they are really in and that eliminates one of the many uncertainties in this business and lets me concentrate more on the real job. Larry

Well, the stories are close at least... I fell on the very first take, due to the introduction of an ice sculpture that extras were wheeling in front of the camera for the first time on the take. Up until then they had rehearsed with an empty cart to save the ice from melting. The extra weight slowed them up considerably. I was following the actors into the underground garage and I had choreographed the ice sculpture to wipe through frame between the actors and me before after which I planned to race in front of the group in time to back through a narrow doorway. Unfortunately there was an army of people trailing me who had to then race around and precede me through that doorway (Brian, Vilmos, AD's, sound, my assistant, etc.) and there really wasn't enough time. Someone tripped my AC, Larry Huston, who graciously offered his body for me to fall on top of. I was completely unharmed, as was the rig, but Larry H. had a nasty gash in his head. He refused a ride to the hospital so we could continue to work, and the nurse reopened his wound after every take to keep it from healing improperly until he could get stitiches. What a trooper!! Brian, who is a master tactician and strategist just hadn't considered this possibility: he stood over me, and after seeing I was OK said "I didn't think you could fall!" He had anticipated every potential disaster but this one. We did another 11 takes until dawn when Vilmos informed me that this last take "must be the one!!! The light at the beginning and end were perfect, and that WAS the one. Each take was a full 500' and the shot was over when the end of the film flapped through the gate. I wanted a device to let Bruce pass by me a little too close to the camera for focus in the elevator, and he came up with the idea of scooping up some Salmon Mousse, and twirling a little drunkenly past me. This also delayed the action enough for the rest of the crew (same group as before except for Larry H. and the boom woman with a wireless boom mike who rode with me) to exit the elevator next to us. They were timing their elevator to synchronize with ours on the way up to maintain a good RF link to the mixer. If the elevators rose side by side it worked fine, otherwise complete dropout. After exiting, I wanted to get back in front of Bruce so he came up with the Mousse Toss onto the wall thereby backing away from the camera enough to allow me to make a clean exit. There were many other devices like this throughout that I came up with to make the shot flow... I figure the more work everyone else does, and the less work I have to do, the better it will look... Larry

I cannot endorse any of Greg Bubb's products too highly. Beautifully and carefully engineered with the best support in the business. Worth every penny. I have depended upon his level for years, and when I wanted to run it at 24v+ he developed a new power supply and delivered it in less than a week. Fantastic!! Larry

I have never had this tingling either, so I don't really know what it is from. The only problems I ever had were the result of sitting while wearing a front mount vest that was adjusted long enough that the bottom cut into my legs just below the waist. I learned never to do that again! One thing you can be sure of with Walter is absolute customer satisfaction, whatever it takes! It may take some doing to get you fit correctly, but he will not rest easy until it happens. That is certainly the story I have heard from others as well as from my own experience. If you can possibly do it, a trip to his shop for fitting is well worth it, but otherwise certainly talk to him on the phone and get guidance for how to measure yourself carefully. Again, in terms of the design, I think what is at the heart of the design is the rigid, form-fitting (especially with the air bladder) back piece that attaches rigidly to the Steadicam arm (in this case via the Harness "Arm" coming from the back piece) and the back piece is connected firmly to the body with a flexible, and with proper foam pieces, comfortable harness that gives you control without pain. I toyed for a while with the idea of attaching the front section of my Ultra vest to the back piece of the DSD Harness. I had Walter build in attachments to connect the two. I reasoned that this could give my the back support, and also give me back the control I get from using a FM by manipulating my stomach muscles, and thereby get some of the best of both worlds, without the external arm getting in my way. I never went so far as to try operating with this hybrid because the DSD design ultimately worked so well, as is. I just had to use my FM today, however, because of clearance problems in a tight hallway. It was much, much harder than working with the BM and I was very glad to go back! It made me think I should look again at my hybrid idea for these situations... Larry

When I went to Walter's shop to be fitted several years ago, he and Daniel showed me several prototypes they had gone through including one that was rigid along the sides and mounted the socket block directly to it. They found it unacceptable and went to the separate arm design. Again, I think it all has to do with allowing the harness to be flexible were it can be (along the sides and front) and rigid where it must be (in the back). Walter continues to develop the design and I am sure it will become lighter, smaller, more comfortable and more flexible in the future, because he doesn't know how to stop improving a design if he thinks it can be improved!! Larry

Another real trick that the DSD accomplishes is to make the transition from the rigid part of the system - the back plate - to the soft tissues of the Operators' body. There has to be some allowance for the body to move around some especially to allow for comfort. This is done with the DSD by transitioning from the rigid back through stiff but much more flexible side panels made of leather. This means the front of the vest should remain pliable, not rigid, so that is why the separate rigid DSD arm coming from the rigid back plate around towards the front is so important. You could engineer a longer DSD arm to get all the way to the front, but you have added a lot of weight and probably lost some important rigidity. Early models that I tested had a small amount of flex and this resulted in terrible vibrations to the image very noticeable with longer lenses whenever I took a step. Walter beefed up the design until it was rigid enough to stop this. Larry

I would not want to drop the voltage down from 28.8 volts for one reason only: I have been shooting with IMAX cameras which are designed for 36 volt batteries with the Ultra. The stock Ultra batteries start at 30v + when fresh off the charger, and drop slowly down to about 27v before starting a faster slide down to 24v which is as low as you should use Nicads = 1 v per cell. This is probably the only current camera that needs this much voltage, but at least I am assured that I always have 24 v or better no matter what. Extra AH's are always great to have, but I have not been in a situation where I needed more. I AM looking forward to the possiblity of Lithium Ion chemistry (such as the new Anton Bauers) for the Ultra. They might provide more AH at much lighter weight, but at much greater cost as well... My brother recently upgraded his PRO rig with these and absolutely loves them. Larry

I just sent another PAG to Ste-MAN, Inc. for repair. The nervous part for me is that there is nothing you can do without batteries, unless you have a long enough extension cable (flexible as well) to reach an assistant next to you carrying a battery. I now have three chargers and 6 Ultra batteries. I am comfortable even when one charger is out for repair. The 6 batteries were a recent bump up from 4 (which had always been sufficient but felt like too few on my way to shoot Kill Bill in China) and some of the batteries did not seem to be lasting very long. I also recently bought a very inexpensive charger/discharger from AstroFlight (Radio Controlled Electric Airplanes) which allowed me to get individual AH ratings for each battery. Some of them were only half of new batteries so I had them immediately recelled. It will serves as a very inexpensive backup charger, although a little more involved than the PAG to setup. One of the problems I have had with the 28.8v Ultra batteries is that until now I could find no other suitable alternatives to the PAG, which is quite expensive. Here's a link to the AstroFlight website page for the charger: http://www.astroflight.com/e/env/0001CUGTm...products:af-112 You can navigate there from the homepage: www. astroflight.com You are looking for the Astro Model 112Deluxe Digital Peak Charger/ Discharger. It is designed to work from a car battery, so you will also need a power supply to work from AC. They offer that as well. The unit will handle all the batteries you are likely to work with.

If you get tired and stop balancing the Steadicam (let it pull you over) you are certainly going to see problems with your operating with either system. The difference I see and feel with the back mount pushing into my back is that it helps to support my lower back which has to do more of that balancing effort with a FM. This balancing effort is now being shared with my glutes that are better suited to it. Also, and this was quite noticeable from the beginning of my use of the DSD, because it is pushing into my back, rather than the FM which pulls away from my chest, there is remarkably less side to side shifting as I move the Steadicam from side to side. It is like a better designed ski boot that allows for more control with less discomfort if it fits right... and again the fit is all important as Jerry mentioned. Too long, too short, too wide or narrow, too deep or shallow and the DSD will not do its magic.

I did use rain covers a couple of times, but for the most part, the bloodiest shots were also, thankfully, dolly mounted. It became a matter of honor, or pride, or whatever for Bob Richardson to eshue any protection, but I often covered up with lots of clear plastic. There were 4 different variations of blood which Quentin had chosen for different sections of the movie, but all were remarkable in that they could be easily washed off of equipment and body parts and washed out of clothes. K & B was the special effects company and I think this development was truly remarkable! In the past, any splatter became a permanent part of whatever wardrobe was being worn during such a scene, but on Kill Bill you could wear whatever you wanted and know that it could be removed easily (or kept unwashed as a kind of badge of honor). Another unexpected character of the blood was revealed when I wanted to run up a steep ramp erected alongside the bannister rail that Uma runs up during the fight scene in the House Of Blue Leaves (the main set piece for Volume One). It was just too steep to get good traction on the plywood. I discovered accidently that by walking around in the puddles of blood on the glass dance floor that my shoes temporarily gained a miraculous property of adhesion with almost any surface, so every take was preceded with a walk through some freshly sprayed blood and up the ramp I ran with perfect confidence!! Any delay in slating and I would call out "standby" and make another quick trip through the blood before calling "blood is good...camera ready!" At the end of this shot the trail of bloody footprints up that wooden ramp gave testimony to the efforts that I had made - written in blood...