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BJMcDonnell SOC

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Posts posted by BJMcDonnell SOC

  3. Moving to the big pond (LA)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Oh Jesus yes that was one hell of a night! My girl drove me home thank god ;) ! hmmm.... You guys give me a holla and we can set up a time. Maybe next weekend? Ron has to be here for that though. We also need Jim Bartell to come out. Now is the time before things hopefully get to rockin with work again. Saturday next week? Anybody else wanna go to Tinys punk bar in hollywood?

  4. Front vs. Back mounted

    in Vests

    Posted

    Hey Charles,

     

     

    To answer your question about the socket flip, yes it can be a pain. I have a PRO arm so I have to use the 2 socket tools to flip it. It isn't the aircraft pin as you know. Usually when I watch a rehearsal I will evaluate which vest I will be using. I keep the tools close by. It takes me maybe 2 minutes to flip the socket block and oh yes there have been times where that short take turns into a monster and I am in my FM vest. For the most part I have been working out the switch quite well. I love having a FM vest for running and tight doorways. I really have to say for me this works great. It might be a hassle to other ops, but to each his own. I feel like it keeps my back in check switching vests through the day. I asked Jack at GPI about adding a aircraft pin to the socket block and he told me that was boo cocky!!!

     

    And I do agree with Chris Fawcett about checking on that Rob. I went to the doc when my leg was tingling and they taught me good physical therapy workouts to strengthen my back. It is obviously a nerve issue and if you don't take care of it it will get worse and painful.

  6. Front vs. Back mounted

    in Vests

    Posted

    OK well I will chime in here, I have a WK harness and I love it. I have been using it for a long time now. All of a sudden I did get the sensation of a tingle in my right leg and it would come and go. I ignored it thinking maybe it was just "One of those things". After awhile I got the tingle and it would never go away. I also got really stiff on my right side. I got a bit stressed out about it and called around to some other ops and listened to their experience with the back mount. I then bought a PRO FM vest. I started stretching more and exercising a bit more to strengthen my legs and lower back. I started using both FM vest and Back mount vest for different situations. If it is a simple walk and talk I use the front mount. Any time I go low mode I use the back mount. Also long takes I use the back mount. Almost everything else I use FM vest. The tingle has gone away now and I feel 100% better except for the fact that I now lug around more gear than I care to. I also recomend taking the rig off as much as possible. Don't walk around with it if you don't have to. I know you guys know this already but there are still people who just wear it during discussions btwn. the DP and Director. Take the thing off! I was very guilty of doing this myself as wearing the WK harness, you kind of forget about the weight.

  19. 3D Rig with two Sony's F23

    in Operating

    Posted

    That is pretty wild! I wonder how Julians back is after that shoot. That rig looks heavy! Cool stuff though. I wonder if it will work in the AR ;) just kidding! Would love to hear about the experience of flying that pig cables and all! My buddy John Stradling was the convergence puller on that film. He had to go train to do it. Crazy

     

    BJ

  21. PRO vs MK-V

    in Sled

    Posted

    I am a big fan of GPI PRO! they have always had killer customer service. Never a problem and they are quick to repair or clean. XCS all I have is 2 TB-6 monitors and Greg Bubb has always been killer when I need to have them serviced or cleaned. I can't say much for MK-V other than I liked the PRO gimbal upgrade they sold me before I got a VZ gimbal. I say PRO is the way to go if you live in the US for sure. MK-V if you are in Europe. Just my 2 cents. OH yea and Lisigav is a must for all sleds.

     

     

    BJ McDonnell

  22. Steadicam shot to underwater, is it even possible?

    in Operating

    Posted

    I think steadicam is the wrong tool for this. Maybe good for the opening of the shot but maybe use a wipe or something to transition into the underwater portion. I operate steadi and I also shoot underwater and once the camera dips underwater its a whole different ballgame. Also if anything goes wrong it can cost a ton of money in insurance claims for damaged gear, not to mention it is dangerous for the operator. For example, I just did a big rain scene and my gear was sealed up in rain gear, somehow water got in and totally destroyed my canatrans transmitter costing production $3,200.00 dollars to fix it. Honestly water and steadicam gear don't mix too well. As brad said also the hydrascope could be a great tool for the job. Or use a wipe to cut from and go to a hydroflex housing.

     

    BJ Mc Donnell

  23. Sleezy non paying producer from New York. What to do?

    in Legal / Business Practices

    Posted

    Ron,

     

     

    The "Ultimate Group" is such a awful bunch. Im sorry you have to deal with them. I had to go down there and be "That Guy" and demand my check with force. I eventually got my check after I had to threaten them after two bounced checks. They give the run around and try to tell you what you want to hear yadda yadda yadda. Again if anyone gets a call from "The Ultimate Group" or Christopher Brian Films", or "Chris Stokes" TURN IT DOWN! For your own good even if you are a new operator trying to get experience trust me and many other ops on this board, you will have to battle for your money. I use to do alot of their videos and they use to actually pay but something went sour with them and it is a really bad deal. Keep us updated Ron.

     

    BJ McDonnell

  25. student film / freebie rates

    in Steadi-Newbies

    Posted

    That is a good question. You will find it hard to get actual numbers here. I would try to think of it 2 ways.

     

    1: if you were a camera operator before you got into steadicam operating try to get at least the rate you were getting before.

     

    2: If you were a trying to start out as a dolly grip you might work for free but production would need to rent a dolly so they need to rent a Steadicam.

     

     

    There are a couple of places that rent rigs in LA. Try to charge at least as much as it would cost to get a rig without a operator.

     

    Good Luck! I find the low budget shots are sometimes the best. The opening shot on my reel was from a very low budget student film.

     

    Best,

     

    Philip

     

     

    Hey Philip,

     

    Usually what I would do is charge them $400 bucks for 5 hrs or $800 for 10 hrs for student films. I know that student films tend to be low budget but they have to give something to the steadicam rental if they want steadicam in their short film. It is still a great deal for them. If they say that is too high then I tell them good luck. Most of the time they will book you for 5 hrs and not the 10. And of course with student films be prepared to get WORKED because once you show up they tend to try to squeeze every possible shot on steadicam. Hope that helps.

     

    BJ McDonnell

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