Brad Grimmett

That's probably very good advice in most situations Alec, but it's not something I want to do on this one, and the reason is simple. This is a director I used to work with regularly until he stopped directing for a while. Obviously, that was a bummer for me because I got less work because of it. But now he's signed with a new company and it looks like he's going to be working a lot, and to be quite honest, I want and NEED the work. He's a great guy and a good director, and just basically someone I'd like to continue to work with. Also, the producer has been nothing but friendly, so I don't really want to alienate myself to someone who I may have the opportunity to work with a lot. I'm just trying to give myself an easy fix if a problem should arrive. As you know, part of being a good operator is being able to anticipate things before they happen, and that includes problems. This isn't actually a problem yet, and I don't think it will be in the end. Just trying to cover all the bases, you know.... Thanks

Yes, it's a low budget video, which is why I won't just go out and rent one myself. I'd have no problem doing that if the rate were better and the producer was refusing to rent it. He hasn't refused to get it, it just seems like he wasn't planning on getting one and therefore didn't have it budgeted, and the budget is very tight. I think he's going to get it for me, especially after I call him again and give him a little more encouragement, but I just wanted to have a plan in case the worst possible scenario occurred. If he tells me he's getting it and then doesn't, I can at least have some kind of plan. Thanks for the responses guys

I'm booked on a music video next week and after a discussion with the producer I discovered that they may not have a downconverter on the camera. After further discussion he told me that he is planning on getting an astro monitor with the package. Of course I told him that I need a downconverter, but he still seemed a bit hesitant. Weird, I know, but what else can I do but tell him what I need? It's up to him to actually do it. So, I started thinking about what I could do if I show up and there is no downconverter. The first thing that comes to mind is that I could velcro or tape the astro on top of my monitor. But then I have to run cables down to the monitor which is a pain, and the cables may not be long enough, which would completely screw me. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions about the best way to deal with this? I'm planning on calling the producer next week a couple days before the shoot to encourage him to get a down converter if he hasn't already, but beyond that I don't have any way to ensure that there is a down converter on the job. Thanks.

The XCS plate does work with a Master. I have both and the plate is great.

Sounds like you need a longer plate. I've flown the F900 with the pro35 and S4's many times and I've never had a problem balancing my rig. Sure, it's long, and front heavy, but it's not too long to balance with a long dovetail plate. Do you have a long dovetail plate? If so, it shouldn't be a problem. What kind of rig are you flying?

Sorry, I didn't mean for my post to sound pissy. Honesetly, I think I misunderstood your post. I thought you meant only 22 ops were welcome at the meeting, which sounded counter-intuitive to me, and didn't seem to make sense since you made a post about it on the forum. My mistake for misreading. I jumped to the conclusion that there was some kind of exclusion going on, and that bothered me. As far as communicating about rates on this forum.....you and Ron make very good points. People ARE very hesitant to discuss rates in a public forum, and the differences in rates between different cities and countries is definately something to consider. I think having informal gatherings is a great way to keep informed about what's going on. Hopefully I'll be able to make it to the next one. Again, sorry for my confusion.

When the wind is so bad that it's really screwing with your shot, all you can really do is let the powers that be know that the wind is effecting the shot and let them decide whether it's good enough or not. And then you hope that other operators give you the benefit of the doubt if they see that shot. But I can't imagine telling a director that I won't do a shot because the wind is too strong. It's not like it's a safety issue...

Well, as far as having a network of information at your fingertips....what's wrong with this forum? Why would you only invite 22 operators to that meeting? Seems to me like you would want as many there as you could get, but maybe I'm missing something. Was this the same meeting that you posted about on the forum that took place at Dalt's? I guess I'm glad I didn't show up since I wasn't invited.

I've had the same problem shooting in the desert. There are a few ways to cut down the effects of the wind: 1. wind deflectors held by grips or other crew members 2. gyro's 3. antlers I've used gyro's very little and have never used antlers. I've mostly used the 1st option, which can vary in effectiveness greatly. It depends on who is holding the deflector and how strong the wind is. There's only so much you can do with really strong wind or very weak grips holding the deflectors. There may be some other options, but those are the three than come to mind first.

I'm curious about that too. I haven't seen one or talked to anyone that owns one yet.

Have you been using golf carts with dead batteries? Obviously, some carts are faster than others, but I've never seen one go slower than someone can run. Of course the gas powered carts are the fastest, but the electric carts move pretty quickly as well. They're much smoother than most of the other vehicles you mentioned with an average driver. Of course with a good driver any vehicle can be smooth, but the less power you have, the smaller the driving mistakes will be....or at least that's the way it seems to me.

I feel compelled to correct your English here, but believe me, it's in your best interest. You mean to refer to "her" meat, not "his" meat. Just lookin out for ya. ;) By the way, your English is still better than my Spanish.

I think over-charging is more precise.

I believe that was a ruse to get her out of the salon. She returned with a guy from the restaurant with a confused look on her face. Or so it appeared......

Ozzie, I saw the show. Did they at least pay you for that excrutiatingly long haircut? What was it, like 3 hours?

I understand what you mean. I was just ribbing a little, because this is such a minor thing. Compared to other internet forums this place is so calm and collected that I just don't see a need for a moderator. Of course, if everyone wants it that's fine. It won't really bother me either way. If we had a couple hundred new posts every day and a big chunk of them were mistakes and clogging things up I'd agree completely about needing a moderator. But as things are now I just don't think it's a necessity. I actually enjoy the posts like yours that elicit humorous responses. Sticks and knives are no good.....this isn't West Side Story you know! Where's a moderator when you need one?! I'm being threatened! Hey Byro, can you email me the number to the FBI?

If this is why we need a moderator..........then we don't need a moderator. I mean really......

Jeez, and I figured I'd buy it as a backup for only $1100.00.... :P

The guy here in LA that does back straps and other mods would be the right guy for this I think. I've forgotten his name at the moment, but hopefully someone else will chime in with the right info. He does good work and he's inexpensive.

No, that wasn't it Erwin. The job is already shooting, and the operator that they mentioned wasn't you. Although you do fit into the "nice guy that deserves the work" category! :) Thanks for asking though.

Honestly, I don't know what the other operator is asking for. I assume he would ask for 100% video, but I don't know for certain. You're right though, sometimes we just have to do the job and endure whatever it entails and make the best of it. If everything were always just the way we wanted it life wouldn't be as interesting......right?

Will, I've got the new converter and it's worked fine with the 435 at high speed in the past, so I'm not worried about powering the camera. I did buy two extra batteries from Peter a couple of years ago after a job with the 435 at 150fps all day. My batteries weren't charging fast enough to keep up with how fast we were going through them. Luckily it wasn't a major issue on that particular job, but I got the extra batteries to avoid any issues in the future. You're absolutely right about having the right tools for the job. But I am at that point in my career where I am getting calls, but I need every job I get, because I need the money and I need to keep working and getting more experience. I just can't be as selective as some of the more experienced and established operators. That's not to say that I just cave and do any job I'm called for, but I do have to compromise in one way or another on many of these jobs because, as we all know, there is someone that is willing to do the job if I don't, and for less money. So it's a bit of a predicament that I believe most operators have been in at some point in their career. For this particular job the rate was not great, but not terrible, so I was in the position of: Do the job and make the best of it, or turn it down and wait for another call for a better job. Of course it's a moot point now, because someone else did the job anyway, but you get the idea. Thanks for the tips and advice.

CKF, Check out Tiffen You can find info about the Flyer and other rigs there.

I'm not making that much yet, but I'm supplementing my income a bit. As sporadic as work has been for me lately it's nice to have something that I can spend time doing (and having fun with) while making a little money. And with all the poker rooms in LA, there's always a good game around. I hope to enter the World Series of Poker within the next few years (maybe more). Anybody want to stake me? :rolleyes: I'll advertise for you on my shirt and hat! :P Maybe we should have a poker get together for the guild!

Thanks Michael. That's very good info for the next time I get a call like that. It gives me a better idea of what I'll be dealing with.