RayLam

Hi, Thank you for your advise guys. Ron, I do have experience stripping the arm, replacing bearings and cleaning it every once in a while. It actually isn't all that hard. I do agree that you have to have the right tools and access to a machine shop. it makes a big difference after you give it a good lube job. I can get all bearings from the local hardware store but not the trunnions. Are they special parts made by Tiffen (they look the same as the trunnions in the Master arm). "Rig Engineering" doesn't really want to sell just parts for the arm. Are there more leads ? Ray Lam

Hi, I am rebuilding my 3A arm and need to replace the arm trunnions(along with other parts). Can anybody tell me who makes them and where would I be able to get some. Any lead is appreciated. Ray Lam

I will be shooting a commercial in Shanghai around the 27th of July. You are welcome to see me work. I work all over China on features and commercials. Contact me at raymond@steadicam.com.hk

I received my V2 AR from Howard just before my new feature which started in China this February. 2 weeks into the movie the AR stopped working. I called Howard and he was working in the US. With no way of checking what was wrong and no parts to fix it even if I knew what went wrong. I sent everything except the cage back to the UK. It left on a Friday: according to FedEx MK-V got it Monday afternoon, called MK-V, they confirmed that they have got my AR and would look at it. Got a call from MK-V around noon on Tuesday told me that they have fixed the problem. I blew a sensor because I never turned the AR off. They sent it out the same afternoon and I had my AR back in working order half way around the world in China on Friday. They even sent me some spare cables and a spare belt. It has been 3 months now and the AR has not let me down again. I fly the AR with an Arricam LT and a 235 with Cook S4 in this feature. I balanced the AR with both cameras and have marks for them. It only takes me minutes to rebalance when switching between cameras and readjusting the arm. I am doing a lot of running shots in hallways with vertical and horizontal pillars and fast wipe pans during the action sequence. Perfect horizon. The AR is making my life much easier. The sudden change from Hi to Lo mode doesn't bother me at all now. I am into the 3rd month of flying my AR in this feature and I am still learning. I wish I could spent some time with Howard so he can teach me more technique. It is not an easy tool to master. It is heavy, with the LT it feels like flying a BL like when I was starting out in my younger days. Flying the AR is like wearing a mini-jib on me. The budget of films in China is small compare to Hollywood productions but I am still getting US$500/day everytime I use my AR. It is a small return towards my investment but I am looking forward to getting more work because of my new tool. There is a price for everything. You just can't have it if you cannot afford it. Ray Lam Don't get jealous of my new toy

Hi Rob, I am surprised you didn't bring your own rig. There is no problem bringing equipment in as long as you have the proper document or a carnet. I work all over China and I always bring my Mk-V system with me from Hong Kong. I even have my new AR with me in Beijing now as I am working on director Zhang Yi-Mou's latest film. The Shanghai film Studio has a Master series film 12 volt system complete with Bartech system in good condition. Both rental companies - Cinerent and Arrow Films have Steadicam 3As for rent. There are other Steadicams owned by local TV stations which may not come with focus systems. Get your production manager to ask around. Call me at +86 13620475757 in Beijing :( if you need any help. I will try to sort it out for you. Raymond Lam

Thank you Howard for your advice and Jake for the picture. I will try to sort out the rigging with the grip and look forward to a fun and exciting day. Raymond

Dear all, I will be doing a chase scene on a golf cart. I will use my hard mount with a 2" post. The grip has no experience of mounting the post to the golf cart and he has no speed rail. Can someone tell me how to rig the post to a golf cart. Pictures wil be much appreciated. Ray Lam

Congradulations Howard and Kelly. I wish I could see your happy faces. Raymond Lam Hong Kong The other side of the world

I use a Jar tap with a 1/2" B/W watec camera. I am thinking of upgrading to a color camera. Most of them have 1/3" CCDs. Can somebody tell me what do I have to do to get the right size image.