Brant S. Fagan SOC

Yes, it can be different as some gimbals utilize a clamping system that can be over tightened and thus egg the post into an out-of-round condition which would make a balance difference depending on where on the post you place the gimbal. Most likely happens with aluminum posts but a carbon post could be deflected over time and hard use.

Hot glue? Really? I use bubble gum in my stuff as it's much more resistant to change and removal.

Ladies and Gents--If you are seeking a method for charging your phone or other mobile device on set without using show or house power, the answer is here! I offer you The Zappler! My own version of an adapter to keep your stuff charged close by and handy. This adapter allows you to plug into any XLR4 12 volt source and provide a female power socket to accept your car or 12 volt charger. Just connect your USB cable and Voila! You can charge all day and night using the dolly battery or any battery with an adapter to XLR4. We always have thousands of dollars worth of batteries surrounding us so why not use one to keep in touch no matter the hours or location demands. Why not keep your phone charged right there on set, on a cart, or connected to your rig instead of buried back on a camera truck. Hand made using the best components here in New Hampshire. Proven design used for the past ten years all over the country on all types of jobs. Cost is normally US$50 but to my fellow Steadicam community members it is US$45. plus shipping. PayPal is OK with the fee added. For international shipping, please contact me for details. brant <at> brantsfagan.com

Boland BVB07. Best viewing, lowest cost, best customer service, period. No regrets and looking to order another!

Jay--If your possible sale stated above fails, please let me know as I am interested. Thanks!

I just cross out the 'offending' words, clauses, and/or sentences, initial it, and then sign. This is, of course, working under the 'assumption' that Production has issued me/you a COI.

The BVB07 works fantastic at night. Remember to take it out of the High Brightness mode when working at night so you don't contaminate the set with the glow!

Another pillar from the old days gone! Great man and true friend--he'll be missed for sure!

Nicely done, lads! I would be interested as well for a 1.5" bore unit. Thanks!

So I was doing this feature in Ethiopia back in the late 1990s. Short notice to fly, less time to get medical prep completed, and no real prep, just cram the gear into the cases and head to the airport. First day there, I agree to shoot a long walk through a farm field, crops, and then here come the animals headed to their paddock for the night (chow time), and I end up nose to nose with an eighteen hundred pound Brahma bull, at magic hour, wearing a Moviecam Compact, prime lens, 400' mag, clip-on, 2 filters, etc., and finally the director calls cut. The producer starts screaming for a reposition to complete the scene but I refuse, telling them that 'the animal moves first, not me!" We go around and around but I don't move a muscle. The farm hands saw what was happening and came to my position and took the alpha bull away from me and we safely went on to make the scene in amazing light, much to Terry Mallick's delight! At the bar that evening, the brain trust asked me how I knew not to challenge the bull. Being a New Yorker by birth, they assumed that meant I had never crossed the Hudson or been upstate. Little did they know my family actually had a farm upstate where I learned many things. Now they had learned something, too. No means many things. Safety first. There are no do-overs in real life. Set life is real life, just with a manufactured reality layer over the top.

Remember how long folks "trying out" our gear last? Not likely that producers and similarly minded folks will take over camera operations. Sure, we are known for the "pan, tilt, invoice" line but let's just recall how this job is actually accomplished--by caring, creative, and talented individuals who actually make it happen. Not by folks who just check off items on a list. That being said, I'm very interested in playing with the gear when it does surface.

This is a Jerry Hill Steadicam Products Arriflex 35-3 low mode bracket.

Mike-- Well done! Please add my name to the list. Thanks!

PM Sent.

Brooks--great listing of tricks and tips! Been doing and carrying the same types of gear for years and never think twice about what I might need or want. Better to have and not need than to wish for it or worse, suffer for the unpreparedness. Don't depend on others for your personal safety. You really have to be your own advocate when it comes to going home safe. If you don't make it home to cash the check, what was the point of the outing? Besides, who else can better tell the 'story' than you?