John Perry SOC

For those of you who plan to use a Stanton Zoom/Focus controller on the new long gimbal handle of the PRO CineLive sled, you might already know that Stanton only sells 2 sizes of gimbal mounting brackets, neither of which fit the new long PRO gimbal handle diameter.

To fix this for the live guys out there, GPI PRO now sells a Stanton style mounting clamp with the correct hole size that fits their new long gimbal handle as well as their older short gimbal handles. I just got mine and it works very well with the Stanton zoom/focus system. Thank you GPI PRO for stepping up with these new products for the live guys. The new long gimbal handle rocks too!

Hi Justin,

In my opinion the only 2 clear choices for a live television sled are the Phantom Video (Shadow is the new name), and now the new "PRO Live". You should look at both and form your own opinion. They both have many strengths, and having a choice is a good thing. It's great to see more manufacturers cater to live guys.

I checked out the prototype "PRO Live" sled and it looks fantastic. I love the many 12/24v accessory power ports, and it included built in-tally and multiple HD video lines, analog lines for return monitors, and is modular like their other sleds so if you already own a pro maybe you would just need the upgrade parts. Looks like it will fly both live broadcast cameras as well as Alexas, Epics, etc. I'm hoping to give it a test flight soon.

Here are a couple of snapshots of the prototype...

Hi John,

 

Got my Atlas arm today and can't be happier (serial number 13....) I'll fly it starting tomorrow on my show (SyFy's Being Human) and your offer to fly the Atlas on your sled inspired me to do the same here in Montreal some time soon for others to experience it.

You seem to have a blast on the stage of SYTYCD . great work.

 

Fly safe,

 

Frederic

Thanks Frederic....its a fun show, and the Atlas arm is perfect for that show.

Did somebody say free food? If you want to stop by So You Think You Can Dance on the 29th I will let you fly my rig with the Atlas. Andrew and Eric can come too cuz we all like free food ;) Then on the 30th you can stop by PRO to pick up your new arm.

Thanks again everyone for the insight so I can make an informed decision. The good low prices on used G50's is making it a difficult choice. John I thought you only demo'd the Atlas, I didn't know you bought one, so that says a lot. One last question for the guys who bought it..did you also buy gray springs or did you just use the blues and blacks that you already owned. Alec i see your point about not having gray springs, but since most of what I fly are lighter weight cameras, I think 2 grays with a 45 pound capacity should cover everything for me (except 3D). Like you said John I could keep my EFP arm for those occasional heavy cameras, then everything will be covered.

 

So what springs are you guys using with the Atlas?

 

CE

Hi Charles,

I got 2 grays with mine which handles most live broadcast cameras. I already had blacks in case I fly a lighter camera, but so far i've only used the 2 grays in the Atlas.

Thanks for the replies. Yes I am well aware of Pro's excellent reputation. Eric and Robert, did you guys actually buy an atlas arm or did you just demo it? If you did not buy one, why not?

 

CE

Hi Charles,

Glad to hear you finally got your own sled, congrats. The EFP is a good starter rig for live tv....i owned one for many years. I cannot speak for the G series arm because I've never used one, but I too bought the Pro Atlas the day it was available and I've been using it on live shows every week since and I can say it's the best arm I have ever used for live tv. It's much less bulky than other arms, plus I love the extra up/down boom range. I got mine with a titanium socket block to save a couple of pounds so it's also lighter than my previous arms. If you end up getting an Atlas, you might also keep your EFP arm just in case you get a really heavy 3D camera package one day that is over the Atlas's weight range.

The problem is test flying the Atlas is gonna make you want one!

 

Robert

Robert, that's exactly what happened to me. I didn't even need another arm, but after using it on that first show I had to have one. The extra vertical range, the slimness, being able to use the grey springs in my other arms...all selling points. At around $11k I couldn't believe how reasonable the price was. People should buy them up before Jack realizes the price is too low ;)

For any tv shoot, whether corporate or broadcast, please do not discount like rental houses. Like Rob and Eric said, each day worked is each day billed for equipment, 1:1.

Yes episodics and features are usually weekly, but you asked about a corporate tv shoot. Most corporate shoots I've done have better budgets than broadcast shoots, so keep that in mind when bidding.

Hi Charles,

I am very fond of the EFP for tv...it was the very first rig that I owned when i started out but that was long before Alexas and Reds were around. I've never tried an alexa on an EFP but from what Rob said it sounds like it may work. You should probably buy an HD monitor like a Cinetronic for the sled. You will definitely have no problems with any broadcast tv cameras on an EFP. I used to fly betacams and 16mm easily when I had my EFP (does anyone still shoot on film?). It sounds like the used price is pretty good if it includes the arm & vest.

For zoom/focus, I've tried the G-zoom...it's okay but I still prefer Stanton so if you see a used one you should snatch it up. However if you get an Alexa or Red shoot you would need a bartech or something similar.

Thanks guys....you've heard the saying "Good cameramen never go soft" which was especially true on this show ;) Bikinis are awesome! This was the first year the pageant budgeted for a Link wireless system (thank you to Aerial Video Systems [AVS] in Burbank) so we were able to spice it up a bit, and got permission from the producers to show more T&A. They provided wireless video transmit, wireless intercom, wireless prompter, and wireless returns. Freddy was the other steadi and he was tethered.

I have only used the Atlas arm on the Idol Finale, but on Miss USA I used the regular Titan Arm (is that the right name?). After using the Atlas arm as a demo I decided to buy one especially for the dance shows. I take delivery of mine in a few weeks. I think it's worth it just for the extra couple of inches of boom range.

Only 4 left. Get them while you can. Email me if you are interested. This picture is how we've been using them, rack mounted in a production truck and not beat up. They are all in excellent shape and are going fast.

I have 10 AJA KiPro hard disk recorders for sale. They are all less than 2 years old and have been installed in a rack the whole time so they are not beat up like rental gear. I also have brand new rack mounts for 8 of them. They all work wonderfully, we are only selling them because we are changing to a different record machine. They have most recent updated firmware installed with BITC status out, etc. They each come with a 250GB hard drive also.

The price would be determined on how many you are interested in. If you want all 10, obviously we can do better on price. The retail from AJA is $3995, so individually we were thinking about $2900 each, but in bulk it could be less.

kipro.bmp

Eric looks verrrry happy in this photo. Maybe there CAN be world peace!

 

John, I thought you were going to hang onto this for blackmail material?? I do love how Eric looks genuinely happy in this picture! Hell has officially frozen over.

Naw, Eric is a good sport and gave me permission to post his photo. Hell is definitely a few degrees cooler though!

It was good to see all you guys there.

Eric looks verrrry happy in this photo. Maybe there CAN be world peace!

Congrats and welcome to the club! I just sent him my equipment list: Glidecam sled with zenith monitor, grip arm, and sweater vest.

I'm not sure he learned his lesson because "Danny Park" emailed me the same equipment list from our fellow operator just minutes ago. (I wonder how many people he emailed this list to) He said he needed my information for his "accounting department", so I asked him to provide the name, address and phone number of the company he works for and he replied back "please disregard"

If anyone gets an email from someone calling themself "Danny Park" or something similar asking for a quote and equipment list with prices for an "Unknown Project", please beware it's an attempted scam.

Have just had my new rickshaw/cart design out on the road now for over a year and i Love it!!!!!!! you can see at Gobigsteadicam.com under pictures, let me know what you think, would love to make some more if anyone would like one, the are a Great tool.

George Niedson

www.Gobigsteadicam.com

Looks nice! What price are you selling them for?

This dance he is talking about was not shot with the Steadicam Tango rig, it was shot with a Master series. When he says it was a Tango he is referring to the dance style, not the Steadicam.

Thanks Charles, yes I use the Stanton zoom/focus handle for steadicam, however they do not manufacture them anymore so I don't know what else to recommend. I tried several other brands out there but I definitely prefer the Stanton handle over the others. It's also the most expensive at around $2000 each, but worth it. Maybe you could find a used one in the classifieds. I have 6 of them, and my oldest one is 14 years old with heavy use and still working with no problems. They are bullet proof, literally (don't ask how i know this).

I did hear that Tiffen may consider making their version of Stantons handle, so people who need to buy a zoom/focus handle might call Tiffen to show your interest and see where they are with that item. It's definitely something that one of the manufacturers (whether its Tiffen, Pro, xcs) should step up and produce, especially since Stanton discontinued them.

Mine's not available tomorrow, but you can use it next week for your other days if you still need one.

If anyone was using the standard Sony plate, they are frequent culprits of vibration. A set-up is only as good as the weakest link.

Very true...I see it all the time with used beat-up Sony and Ikegami plates. To avoid this problem I always bring my own plates that I know are solid.

John Perry-Tiffen/PRO

 

 

That's a strange combo!

Yes I agree, strange combo. It's kind of like putting Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell in the same room together. Awkward, but makes great television! (pun intended)

Thanks guys...it was a fun but tiring shoot!

Yes all of the live rigs there (with the exception of my phantom on music performances) were either XCS or pro. I saw the vibration too, but only during game play. Both the XCS and PRO are solid sleds so it might have been caused by a sony plate that worked its way loose during the game.

My setup on performances was a phantom with pro arm and pro vest and when I looked at playback I did not see vibrations during music, even though the sub-woofers were in my face vibrating my eyeballs. It was f***ing loud in there!

Hi Peter,

If you want to run down to Times Square to pick it up I will let you borrow one of mine. I will be here til Sunday.