Mitch Gross

I do agree that this is an issue that all Steadicam Ops should be aware of, since it often is their transmitter that is being integrated into a production's camera package and it is the Steadicam Op's responsibility that his/her gear doesn't screw up the camera or the recording. I would be very careful using a Modulus on a Betacam with its analog recording. Digital formats are better protected. I use my Modulus on my JVC DV500 all the time with no problem. But my first suggestion to the original poster (and to anyone else having this problem) would be to add the -10db pad to the transmitter's antenna. It should be supplied with your Modulus and will reduce the transmitter's output, helping with some interference problems.

So I am still curious as to how many Benz systems there are out there. I'm happy to hear tha Job has had one for six months and it works great for him, but I've never seen one outside of Ben showing it to me at a trade show. How many are around?

I think everyone is about the same price. I bought mine from Abel Cine in NYC and had some custom cables and mods done that they threw in for the regular price. It's been years but I think it was around $1800.

Take a look at Markertek.com. There are lots of options on small VDAs.

The BFD is well-accepted and pretty much foolproof. If you don't want to have to retrain ACs or worry about selling a client on a system they never heard of then go with the BFD. Who worries about clients that care what type of focus system you have? Think about all the ACs who reccomend Steadicam Ops to productions. The Benz system is nice if you are a DP who owns both film and video packages as you can configure the systems to integrate with both and control a host of functions in an ala carte sort of way. So being a guy like that I found it interesting, but for most people and certainly most Steadicam Ops I don't think this is particularly of any great advantage. Maybe also to crane ops, but they usually have wired systems. Both systems are pretty easy to use, and that's what's really most important, right? You have to think about how you'd use the gear--if you just want to pull focus and start/stop the camera on a sled, then the BFD works great and you don't need the add-ons available on the Benz. If you're into the additional functions, then you can get a lot out of the Benz before getting anywhere near Preston or Scorpio price range. I am curious about one thing--just how many Benz units have shipped? I haven't really seen them out there yet.

Hey Dave, if they give you any odd looks as a dark-skinned Steadicam Op, use your grip background. Point to the rig and note how it is finished matte black. Then point to yourself. Note that your history as a grip is all about eliminating reflections and that you as an Op will not need as many flags set as others. Then smile as they stumble off confused. :lol:

I realized after posting that the guy who posted about it on the CML was in fact the inventor so who knows how ready for prime time this guy really is. I think he made one for himself and after using it for awhile decided it was marketable. I doubt he has made any (or many) of them, so I'd bet he'd be willing to entertain input on the design. His contact info is on the web page. I'm just curious how much it costs.

Mentioned positively on the CML as a director's monitor, but obvious uses for Steadicam. At 900 NITS the screen should be decently bright. http://optitek.org/monitors.html

Sounds like a small video distribution amp (VDA) is in order.

I was with Alec when his vest finally went, and I must say that he was the calmest one of those of us that knew. Grace under pressure. It started with a strange click as he was putting on the rig, and we traced that to movement in the shoulder. I was the one who got nervous and said he better take it off for a moment, at which point we discovered only about a 1/4" of material holding the upper plate together. So with a wad of gaffer tape he calmly worked on. Even after that failed pretty quickly we just tightened up the mid-level straps to take the pressure off the one supporting shoulder and work on through the day. I don't think the client really had a clue there was any problem. Good thing the day ended in jib shots or I think Alec might have been plenty sore at the end. I would never have mentioned it unless Alec did, but I do want to say that he handled a technical problem exactly the way we all should--by tucking it away and making things work without a big show and distraction or delay to the creatives.

I guess this qualifies as a "widget." Here's all the Velcro and fastner solutions one could ever want. http://www.fastenation.com/ I like the 3M stuff--just like the EZ Pass in my car.

Check out this guy's van. I understand he's modified it even more since these pictures were taken. Either he works a LOT or he's got way too much time on his hands. But it is sweet. http://www.tgproductions.com/equipment/album.htm

Check it out--it'll be at Cinegear. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/craft...t_id=1000527854

Why did he make it so damn tall? Talk about stressing welds. I like how he mentions that he's gone up to 50 mph and then notes that he's selling his stuff due to severe back problems. Ringing endorsement. And it's only designed for the Glidecam V20, which means that it uses a non-locking peg-in-hole fitting instead of a proper socket block. If the whole thing didn't snap over a decent bump then the arm would likely just pop out of the mount. Suicide rig indeed.

Boy does CineGear sound interesting this year.

...and likely lost height.

I was actually bored by all three. Repetitive and overstuffed. At a certain point fairly early on I started thinking "Get on with it already!" and it just got worse from there. I think another five minutes in the theater and my wife would have chewed her arm off to escape. I put in the time on the other two but could never quite figure out what everybody else seemed to see in them. Faithful to the books? Yeah, who cares? Still boring.

Not sure who coined it, but the character of Don Juan was an infamous ladies man. He was always looking behind his back in case someone's husband might come after him.

Dan Kneece, dead center.

Visual Products makes a nice one that mounts easily into the standard viewfinder door, replacing the eyepiece shutter door. So you end up with a Juergens-esque door with an integrated CCD tap and eyepiece. Have not used it myself but I'm told it's solid. www.visualproducts.com

Yes, very low power. Strong enough for radio mike receivers or a Modulus, but not for an LCD monitor, telepronter (essentially an LCD screen) and certainly not for any onboard light. Most camera battery plates have the 2-pin D-shaped PowerTap that can handle high loads because it drains directly from the battery without going through the camera electronics.

In the New York area, many of the jib guys have ad hoc partnership/friendship/alliances with local Steadicam Ops. So when a Producer contacts one for a music video or event shoot, there is often a reccomendation for the other and even some offered package deals for the two. I know this one from the other side of the fence. So I would tell this jib owner to simply make friends with local Steadicam Ops who already own their own gear. If he legitimately works as a referral/booking service for the Steadicam Ops, then he can legitimately receive a commission and offer the client a package price. All is above board and with full understanding. The client gets one-stop shopping, the jib & steadicam owners theoretically get more work and everyone is happy. Make sure to check with Florida law about commission pay, otherwise the relationship between jib & steadicam operators might simply be a quid pro quo reccomendation process ("I work with this guy a lot and we work very well together." Short answer: It's a lot cheaper for your jib friend to become friendly with the local Steadicam ops then it is to buy his own rig and invest in training time for the operators. If there are no local ops, then I'd throw out this idea to you: Since you're so interested in this, have him form a separate business plan with you. You'll go to a workshop and train as a Steadicam Op. He'll front the money for the rig. For the next "X" number of years you will split the revenue from every job 50/50. You get half as your fee and he gets half as the gear rental. At the end of the contract period you can buy him out for a given amount or dissolve the partnership. Incentives to all.

I have an interesting new perspective on this. Okay, interesting for me. As a new Dad, I've been carrying my daughter around in the latest model Baby Bjorn "chest snuggly." It is essentially a vest that straps the baby in close to the parent's chest. Most of the models out there simply cross over the parent's shoulders and form an "X" between the shoulder blades, but the latest model Baby Bjorn (can you tell I researched this?) has the addition of a triangular solid pad that fills the lower back lumbar area, and is adjustable in the waist and shoulders. Yes, it rather looks like a cross between a front-mounted and back-mounted Steadicam vest. I can tell you that it is remarkably more cumfortable than the other designs which put all the pressure on the upper back and shoulders. Why do I mention this? Because even a foam/fabric design can provide great comfort and support if it is properly designed and distributes weight and force well. The AP vest supports the lower back, which to me has always been key in the backmount concept. By working with and strengthening the spine, the vest aid's your posture instead of pulling against and compressing you spine, which weakens posture. With good posture the load is then distributed to the hips, which is the single largest bone mass in the body. All this to say that even though I have never tried the AP vest, I can well-believe that it is still an improvement over front-mount designs. Again, this is for those who believe in the BM concept. I am of the mind that this vest has much but not all of the benefit of the Klassen vests. By the way, the Baby Bjorn cost about $120, but there;'s no socket block. :D

That would be a Carnet (pronounced car-nay). Well-worth having when travelling internationally. Make the production company pay for it. Not as important when going to another counry as much as coming back to your own. They want to make sure of where you purchased the gear so that you're not trying to avoid customs. Make sur to list absolutely everything and keep all items in the same cases for proper organization. Not all countries accept carnets but it is still important for getting back into your own.

I second Stephen's thoughts on a repository of information. The CML has a wonderful archive section on its website (cinematography.net), where a DP has painstakingly gone through many of the posts over the years and created informative documents culled from the various discussion threads. It's an excellent reference. Think about how many times Fred has had to post here about the pin outs on the 4-pin Hirose connector for the Master/EFP. If you can get people to use it (always a task), a reference collection is a great resource.