Dave Chameides

Alec! I can't believe you were on that video. How much does that rock! Wish i had known ya ll then. Post up something of yours that you like. Cool stuff James. Odd video but cool stuff. i like that opening piece and the running stuff makes me want to grab another doughnut.

I'm posting this up on behalf of Charles (Chaz back then) Papert. It's one of my favorite things ever and he did the steadicam (I believe) and shot this. It's awesome in almost every way and I fear that i will never do anything as superbly excellent as this.

Doc, AWESOME! I love the ER story. Totally takes me back and I can hear JK screaming as you wrote that. Tony was an odd duck so i can hear that too and the grip story rocks. Love, love, love the Mystery Men story and shot too. So great. "Steve's not going to like anything you do." I love it. Classic. As far as codecs, meh, who knows. My mac does all that crap for me. Not sure why your stuff didn't embed. I just pasted my link and the video showed up. Weird. Great stuff and thanks for posting.

Jessica, Thanks for posting up the links. The commercial is really sweet your right. And the oner, yeah, like you said, early on but hey, it's a 6 minute oner early in your career and you got through it (several times I'm guessing too). That's something for sure. I personally think you should have gotten a title card at the end but they that's me. Those are tough shots to pull off especially when so much of it is essentially lock offs. Job, I was on an electric cart. No way could i move that quickly even for 30 seconds. Sounds like a cool shot. Got anything you can share in the meantime? And where is everyone else?

Thanks but oh please. Post something up that you like.

OK, here's a thought. Since there seems to be a lot of people upset about all the destructive comments on this forum, how about a thread where we each post a shot we are really proud of and some info on why. Or just post it. Or don't. Brag and show something you think is just the bees knees. If you are a newbie, please still post up something and feel free to add how long you've been at it. If you want criticism, ask for it. If it's not asked for, don't offer it. I'm thinking we just hit and it and feel ok with saying "Yeah, I think that shot rocked and here's why" and not feel like everyone is going to kick us in the nether regions for tooting our own horns. (Ron, since your monitor has no nits you can post a pic of your Hummer and we'll understand...it's cool). I'm gonna start off with this which after all is said and done, is my favorite shot to date. It wasn't the most physically challenging (although my knees didn't like the stairs) but i like the fact that i was able to transition from frenetic energy to a smooth finish in one quick move. Also, the look on Michaels face is phenomenal in that closeup (nothing to do with me but I love his acting) and finally, my AC Lutovic KICKED ASS on the end of the shot. Wish I held the tilt down at the end a bit better but what can ya do. (I don't have a video of just the one but it's the first piece I'm talking about). Most importantly though, don't feel intimidated about what you have. Be proud. There are certainly problems with the shot below, but I like it. I'm sure everyone else has shots they are psyched about so let's all get our groove on, sing koombaya, and celebrate a cool career choice where we get to do fun stuff. Who's next? Dave

What a really sad thread this is. I said on another thread I'd call it out when i saw something so here goes. Let me point out I'm not a moderator here, have no rights beyond any other schmo to write this, and don't even consider myself much of an op compared to my glory days, but sad is sad and it needs to be dealt with so i guess I'll put my head in that noose. Eric Fletcher, while Ari was way overboard in his response, you essentially pushed this thread over the edge and i for one think it sucks. I don't really know you beyond a few kind words on the forum here and there and maybe meeting once or twice but I've seen this kind of thing from you many times and am wondering if you realize how you come off. I hope not because if you do post these things with the intentions they seem to carry than it's a pretty dick move. Jessica posted something she thought deserved some props. Afton and Jens came in with some criticism regarding production which were valid and considering it wasn't Ari posting the original, in keeping with most of our usual tendency to not state the obvious (solid operating, less of a beer gut than many of us have to pull that crap off, etc) and figure out what could have been better. And then you came in with this. "Hate to say it but could have been done with a Movi". I'm sorry but beyond trying to goad someone into a conflict what could your reasoning be beyond saying "It's not that impressive and anyone with another piece of equipment could have done it."? That sentence is a conflict starter plain and simple and has no other value as anyone could say that about any of your shots and any of mine. Can you see that? Then, when passively challenged you responded with this "Because Mark, there is great hate for the Movi and unfortunately both of those videos could have been shot equally as well (and possibly better) with a Movi". Again, restating the original incendiary remark and adding the parenthesis just in case it didn't get the response you had hoped for. I don't get it. Why post this beyond trying to create conflict? Just so we can look at your words, if there is a "great hate for the Movi" and this could "have been shot equally as well (and possibly better) with a Movi" than what you are saying is that this isn't good (assuming you don't think much of the Movi or are you actually trying to say it can pull off good Steadicam shots?). Why be so backhanded and condescending? I think you would garner much more respect by posting "meh, I wasn't that impressed" or better yet nothing at all. And again, that could be said about any of our shots and has no intrinsic value beyond creating animosity. Then Ari gets in the mix and posts up for the first time. Seeing your opportunity you immediately jump on his arm throwing. Seriously? Everyone reading it after seeing that video knows you are looking for a fight - and you got it. Plain and simple. Is that what you wanted? Maybe you and Ari have a past and he leaves burning bags of mule shit on your door once a year, I don't know, but beyond that I see this as nothing more than trying to get him to bite. And he did. And he got ugly. Which sucks and he needs to deal with, but it doesn't change the fact that you, in what i perceive as a calculating manner, set out to reel him in and spin him out. And for the record, that arm toss was literally nothing, we couldn't see where it landed so for all I knew when watching it for the first time it could have hit a furni pad, and Ari explained after the fact that he was all cool with Tiffen and everybody was good. Would I do that with someones loaner arm? Probably not but if there was a furni and some cushioning, maybe, and you'd still think I was a schmuck. But you already had him going and the smart money would have been on you just WALKING AWAY. Did this continued badgering achieve anything? Yeah, it made most of us a little sadder to call ourselves steadicam ops and realize that we've taken a few steps down collectively because of the words of a few. Very sad indeed. ​As I said earlier Eric, I don't know you and we don't communicate much so maybe you are not aware of what you are doing. If you want to read back other threads you will see many of the same short, slightly open ended, and in my mind, passive aggressive statements that seem only intended to get a reaction. And they generally do. I believe the Cinetronic monitor thread has a bunch of them but I can't recall offhand if thats' one of them. Many on this board have seen this happen time and again and many have commented off the board about this. ​I'll finish with this. You're a solid op with a solid list of credits and I think you have a lot of information that can help others. As a fellow craftsman I would respectfully ask that you please stop posting stuff like this that is incendiary at best and really has no purpose other than to start something. Respectfully, Dave Chameides Ari. I don't know you, have no idea of what you've done as an op beyond these two videos, and don't really care. YOU NEED TO CHILL, more for your own mental health than for the sake of this board. If a baiter like Eric can bring that out in you, than I fear you may be even more tightly coiled in life and that ain't good on any level. Do some yoga, smoke some weed, take a long walk in a strip club with Baldwin and ask him why he smells like burnt toast, but for your own health, chill. ​Fist up, my two cents. The first video is fun, but nothing to write home about. You're horizons are pretty rocking and you can definitely move with that thing so huge props for that. Also, some nicely landed whippish pans there and way to remember all the cues. Well played sir. Beyond that...meh. I'm assuming that the shadows weren't your choice (if they were you should reconsider) and while a baller move I thought the on and off of the pickup was not very inspiring in it's presentation But as you said, this was a low budget, quickly designed, quickly executed and well operated shot. And fun (although I wasn't into the song...should i blame that on you?). So don't blow when ops point out about the shadows and what not. And know that they were responding not to your original post but Jessicas. I think it would have been different had you first put it up there, but maybe I'm wrong. For the record, I agree with Afton and Jens about wanting more "filmaking" but I'm the first to say I've done stuff that looked worse than this before(with worse operating I might add) and there is some vibration in there which isn't a personal dig, it means there's some vibration. No reason for you to get angry about it. You were in charge of one part of this and I think you kicked it's ass. The D video is a D video and I am humbled by anyone who has the ability to be a part of their noble efforts, so well done (although it was hard to really figure out what was you to critique in any way). And the arm throw? Bah. I can see why some were put off but who cares, let it fly. Why get upset? Eric baited you and he did an excellent job of it. But you didn't have to bite. As I said before, i don't know you, but my two cents from having done this a while (as have you I'm guessing)? Let that shit float. Don't bite. The only people who bite are the folks who feel the need to respond because they fear that others may be thinking the same thing. Screw them. If you are a solid op who seems to be working a lot, great. Enjoy. Do good work and let the haters hate. By buying in the way you did, with the nastiness you showed, you only drop to their level. Don't. Plain and simple. Be better because you are better. ​Finally, and again, my two cents so you can tell me to go to hell, no one on this board is going to care or be impressed with how many days you work and how big the budgets are or if someone gave you a job (I'm actually not sure what that means) or what car you drive (except for Ron and what the SPG -strippers per gallon - ratio is). None of it means anything because we've all been there, are there, or assume we will be there. I've known plenty of shitty ops who worked all the time (and there goes another thread someone will start...did you hear what Dave said about me?....). The proof is in the pudding and my guess is you've got some tasty pudding. Show it, don't show it, but don't come on here trying to make yourself look like a good op by saying how much you work, how much Tiffen loves you, and all the other stuff unless you want others to smack you down. It makes you look like you deserved to be baited and nothing more. Like I said, my two cents. Hope it helps and I hope you are happy. Nice horizons. Dave

I don't think passion is the issue, I think it's more an issue of slamming someone because they feel a different way than you do. Civility is more the issue. At least that's what I suspect Brooks is alluding to.

Great thoughts and well articulated as always. I was having the same problem a few weeks back and wrote something similar up about it. I think the problem that we are talking about is bigger than this board though. We seem to have come into an era where everyone has been brought up to feel that they are special and that they stand out. As a result, when people see others thriving (becoming popular in school, getting attention for anything different from you are, or god forbid, buying a sled that isn't THE sled we are supposed to use), it doesn't fit. How can they be special if I'm special? So people start to tear them down as a means of defense. "If I can show the flaws in that person than that person is not a threat to me because they are not as good." It's base, ignorant, and destructive to all parties. If you find people on this board who are abusive over and over, what you will find are people who are flawed and uncomfortable with who they are both professionally and emotionally. They can only exist if you are beneath them so they will take any chance they canto tear someone down. We don't become better by bringing others down, we become better by helping others up. It's that simple. Sadly these people will probably never learn. I appreciate what you've written Brooks and would also like to add that I too (gasp) have absolutely no idea how to dynamic balance a rig. Never learned, never wanted to. I know that in conjunction with my old school green screen that makes me a bad op, but if that's the way someone feels, so be it. I'm comfortable with it. Their problem is their problem and they need to sleep at night knowing their opinions are out there for all to read. Sadly I haven't had my coffee yet so I'm typing in circles. Bottom line for me is this. The ops who have some years in probably don't have much to worry about as I believe most of us know our strengths and weaknesses and it will take more than a dolt on this board (who may very likely have many years in as well) to make us run for cover. It's the newer ops who have questions and are afraid to ask them that get to me. So I'll put this out there. I think it's incumbent on any op with 15 plus years experience to call it out when they see a nasty post on this board no matter how much they don't want to get involved. If anyone is going to be keeping things in line it's us, not the newbies as they are green and usually don't have their sea legs. I don't read a tremendous amount of threads on this board but when i do I will address it. And if you are a newbie reading this and are feeling beaten down and afraid to ask, feel free to PM me and I'll PM the person being a schmo and gladly answer your question if I can (assuming I'm in agreement with you on what's going on or that I have a clue about what you are asking - I probably won't). This won't stop but at least people won't feel that they aren't free to be inquisitive. That shite makes me sick. Dave

Sold.

I'll launch in on this one. About as bad as it gets if you ask me. Back in the day on ER we were doing a scene where the doctors walk a monther and father into the room to see their newborn who has just passed away. Totally quiet scene with no dialogue. Crazy real dummy baby and it was really emotional on all levels. Hushed actions etc etc. I followed them into the room and landed them at the bed, then as the doc picks up the lifeless body and hands it to the grieving parents to hold one last time, I start a sllllooooowwwwwww arc around the bed and eventually end up across from them. As they kiss the babies head and the father leans into place it back on the bed, I slooowwwwwllllllyyyy drop to a knee so I can boom down low and finish on a tight shot of the kid in the foreground and the parents and dad at the end of the bed. And, just like you guessed it, as I started to drop,m so did a long, slow, noisy one which left absolutely no doubt as to what it was, who out was from, and anything else one might question. I nailed the shot, which to this day shocks me, but promptly looked up to catch their eyes which were wide and amazed and looking at me, and said "well I guess we're doing that one again". Not one of my finer hours.

Steel water bottle, travel coffee mug, spark and foldable bowl. About as gadgety as I get but wouldn't leave home without them. All are blue tooth compatible by the way but you'd never know it.

Very good to know. I will pass this along to whoever purchases the rig. Konash knows his stuff so I'm sure it's excellent work.

Wow, wouldn't have thought that would work as i understood they needed to be shielded. How long have you been using it this way and any problems? For those looking, one offer on the table that's slightly less than i was looking for and one forthcoming. Someone's gonna end up with a great rig. dave

And there ya go. Don't assume because something is widely used and on set that it's not problematic.

Interesting responses. I think more info is always good but there are a few points that still cause me concern. For starters, as I mentioned, the companies themselves won't answer the simple question of "Are these things safe" which leads me to believe that they can't. While the FCC does have info, I think it's safe to say that for a number of reasons, the government isn't always putting our health first and foremost. Think fracking for instance. I recognize that there is a drop off in levels the farther these things are from us, but the question is, how far is enough? And without a doubt, not having it there is better than having it there. I don't think many can argue that point. Finally, I recognize this isn't the worst thing out there. Having said that, if you smoke, does that mean you shouldn't wear a seatbelt? It's all apples and oranges and as a father, husband, and member of a community, I try my best to live a healthy lifestyle and pass info i think helpful on to others. Some things I do may not make a difference, some may, and none are negated simply because there is something else that i am doing or not doing. I'm not convinced these things are safe and so far no one has been able to step up and say much beyond "there are other things that are much worse". For me that's not enough and since I've been working at this a bit, I thought I'd share what works for me in case others have concerns. Either way, this needs further investigation and if you think the union, the government, and/or the producers have your best interests in mind more than you do, you're simply wrong.

Well said Robert.

Alec, Would love that. i'm in and out for gigs all the time but rarely stay long as I try to get home to the kiddlings. That said, I'll keep it in mind and if i have a multiple day gig with a late call maybe we can grab some farm to table organic soy based fair trade shade grown breakfast feast somewhere. dave

For about a year now I've been questioning the safety and intelligence of carrying an HD microwave transmitter next to my head or down by my package for 12 hours a day. I spent some time contacting the companies that make these units themselves and while they were happy to send me a large amount of highly technical data, none of them would simply answer the straight up question that I put to each of them - "Is it safe for me to have this thing next to my body all day." Generally they would talk around the question with answers like "It's the least of your worries" or "Do you know how bad your cell phone is for you?". So, for the past year, I've been flying an extremely thin bnc cable that i had made for me and it's worked just fine. Is being tethered a pain? Sure, but so is testicular cancer and brain tumors. Does it effect my operating? Not that anyone has been able to see, including myself. As many of you know, the Union and the Safety Board are now investigating this so this isn't just me being overly concerned. It's a real issue and believe me, no one has your back more than you do. So if you are thinking of trying to get rid of transmitters from your rig, here are a few answers to complaints I've come up with. "You use a Preston don't you?" - Sure I do but from what I understand the Preston is a much lower power level than the HD xmitters are. Either way, it seems to reason that having two transmitters is slightly more problematic than having just one and I have a solution that works for the HD, not so much with the Preston. "Don't you know how bad your cell phone is for you?' - That may be so and probably is which is why i use a headphone and rarely keep the phone on in my pocket, That said, my phone is a personal choice and this is a requirement of my job. Also, if I had cancer would it mean I shouldn't give up smoking? Less is better. (From the video guy or 2nd AC) "Trailing a cable is a pain" - I generally point out to them that while this thing is 12 inches from my head it's 3 feet from theirs so I'm doing this as much for me as I am for everybody including the DIT who has it near him all day too. Those are really the main objections. On the positive side the DIT and DP are generally happier as they have an uninterrupted signal with no loss. I did a feature this summer where we actually got the transmitter off the package after the first week when they realized it was dead weight and the DP was able to pick up a few pieces of gear in exchange (I forget what). I also tell people that if there is ever an issue (walking across traffic, a party with 300 dancing guests, etc) I'll put the transmitter on for those shots so there is no issue with being able to get a shot. There have been very few times when I have had to do this but it shows them you are looking out for everyone's well being (not just your own) and still not holding down production. That said, work with the DIT and turn the thing off in between shots and even takes. Finally, I would have this discussion first with the DP and then with the AC after you have gotten the job. Beforehand may make it seem like you are a troublemaker and after the fact, if proposed correctly, it will show them that you are a pro who is simply worried about the well being of the crew and doing a good job at the same time. I've not had a problem so far and after pointing out that no one will assure me these things are safe, most folks are right on board. So there ya have it. I'm sorry to ruffle any feathers of those who may have invested in xmitter packages but I think the common good outweighs a personal investment on this one. Remember, everyone is there to say it's fine now but few really seem to have the answers. More importantly, should something pop up as a result of all this stuff a few years from now, none of these folks will be around to help out. Fly safe. Dave

I knew you'd go lowbrow. PLease send a link to the tubing you use.

Jessica, We've all been where your at and no doubt it's a tough place. Figuring out if you're undercutting or accepting a rate that's lower than it should be is becoming harder and harder to determine. I happen to know who the op is on that Boston job and he's been in the biz for a while. I know that he's aware that it's a crappy rate so my assumption is that he either needs the money, or needs the hours for health insurance, or both. If we were close I'd be talking to him about it but we aren't so i can only conjecture. That said, since he's been around those are the only two options that make sense as he's smart enough to know that we should be getting more. Do i hold it against him? No because at the end of the day, when someone is in trouble, they have to do what's right for them and their family. Sadly the nature of the biz is such that people are forced into making these calls. Some I'm sure will take issue with that statement but if I had a job offered to me that was lower than what i should get for my experience but didn't have enough hours to make insurance for my family, I don't know if I'd do differently. I'd probably put it out there earlier that i needed days and see who could help (other ops have done this with me and I've tried to throw them days) but honestly, I can't say this would be an impossibility, just glad I haven't had to make that call. As for what you should be doing, every job is different of course and we all get paid in different ways. Make sure that the rate they are offering is in line with their budget and your experience level. Some times you're going to nail it and sometimes you'll make a bad decision. Accept that, but learn from those decisions. A lot of people don't talk rates because they feel it's unprofessional but I've always felt that at your level in the game, talking about general rates, rather than a specific job, with ops with similar experience and skill only benefits us all. But those discussions should be one on one rather than here on the forum and aren't hard and fast numbers. My general rule of thumb is am I being taken advantage of for what they are asking me to do and what their budget is/what they are trying to accomplish. That puts in my mind whether they should be paying top rates or not. Some ops are hard and fast about numbers and some are not. I feel you get paid in many ways. I'll give you one example. I was called to do Shame with Steve McQueen who i think is one of the finest living directors out there. Before I heard the rate I had decided to do the show due to the fact that this is the kind of experience I got into this biz for. I anxiously waited to hear what they were offering and as I suspected, it was lower than what I was used to getting, but not atrocious. I had a long talk with the upm about their budget, shooting schedule, and some other info, and did some research on my own and decided that i was ok with it because I was getting the experience of working with a truly great artist adn they weren't taking advantage of me. And in the long run, I think I made the right choice and am happy with my decision. Others may disagree. That said, I was recently offered a bit more for a much larger film and I turned that down because I didn't think the rate was what it should have been. Someone else will likely take that gig. I turned down the Boston job even though i really wanted it (Boston is a location gig for me while NY is a local gig even though i live in CT) because I didn't feel it was right to get paid that rate for that large of a film. So what am I saying? It's not hard and fast but there are good rules of thumb to follow and communication is good. Make sure you'd be ok sharing your rate with another op and if it's a bit lower than usual why you feel that's ok, and you're probably doing alright. Hope that helps. Dave

Thanks for noting Joe. It's a great sled indeed and has done well by me.

I've been an op for a while now and it's always bothered me that there are certain subjects that just seem off limits. Over time, many of them have bubbled to the surface, especially with the introduction of the internet where it's possible to now say something without having to look others in the eye. On this board we've discussed bad operating, un-proffesional practices, undercutting and beyond, all with fair openness and frankness. I love that because it's the kind of advice and info I sought out when i first started operating and didn't know what the hell I was doing. And yet, there still seems to be one last subject that no one seems to want to talk about. I'm guessing you know what it is and while I'm certain that this is going to create some anger and resentment, I think that once it's out there, once we can confront it, we'll all be better for it and we can step up even higher as a community. So here goes.......let's hope this isn't the end of my career. I break wind in the rig. There I said, it, It's out there and everyone knows. And before you judge me, before you point that gimbal grabbing finger at me and damn me to the nether regions of this board, look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself "Am I so innocent?" Sure it's easy to point fingers and think that you're better than me. You know you've done it. The chimichangas looked so good the night before, and hey, what can a little mexican food hurt right? And then lunch came, and they were serving three bean salad and pasta, your favorite combo (I don't know why, just go with it ok?). And then you're back from lunch and they tell you a long 4 page SLOOOOOOWWWWWW walk and talk is up. And on take three, it hits. That slow pressure. All your pistons start firing because now you not only have to walk extremely slowly, backwards, up and down the corridors of a silent office building, remembering when to push in on the lead who always seems to stop right in front of that large window and you need to push in without seeing your reflection or the reflection of the circus behind you.....but you need to do it all while using every extra ounce of energy to push control down to your nether regions and just hold things together for a few more minutes..... It's truly exhausting and exhilerating all at the same time and you imagine this is what it must be like to hang onto the side of a cliff knowing that you can either fall and drop or pull yourself up over the top. Sometimes you make it and sometimes you don't. And I'm not the only one out there. You know who you are. You've all done it. Are you gonna tell me that Larry never passed gas in the Copacabana? Come on. And rumour has it that the energy that Garrett lent to that maze stuff in The Shining is not just phenomenal design and execution, but a little extra intestinal distress that gave his operating that extra something that made it outstanding (that's just a rumour though, I'd like to make that point clear). Jimmy Muro in Point Break? Come on, no one has electric operating and control like that without a little extra help....but I'm not judging, the proof is in the pudding even if the odor is still on set. And that dude in the crazy Eurovision shot? No way he's moving that fast on purpose. He needs to get off stage people! It's as clear as day - no one is that crazy. So there ya go. I've outed myself and hopefully you will to. Flame away but before you judge, be honest. Let's take this last little taboo, blow it wide open (excuse the pun) and put it out there for all to see. There's no reason to hold it in anymore (again with the pun). Let's discuss. With nothing but love, Dave P.S. Ron Baldwin, don't think for a minute I'm not expecting to hear from you!!!

2 people very interested but no one committed to buy yet. Changing package to include a full pack of unchewed gum. Also, have noodled on a way to easily wire for hd down the post and can share all info.

Bump