Brant S. Fagan SOC

Good points, Alfeo. I wonder if his weight calculations included the ice pack for the RED body?

You can reach Paul at A/B at: pdudeck@AntonBauer.com Tell him I sent you and explain your situation as I am sure he can help.

I still can't open the cookie package! You can use other batteries than a RED Li-Ion. In fact, Anton/Bauer makes a great handle replacement/battery mount/drive mount system that allows using your A/B products with lots of versatility and rigidity. See their website for details. I used one last summer on a feature and found it to be fantastic.

Got a set of those myself. Great for just walking around on ice but a full run to pace a skater, haven't gone there yet. Just used them recently for a Discovery Channel commercial up in Maine for "Howe and Howe Tech" and they rocked. Installed them over a pair of Sorels and had plenty of traction to still move accurately and gently with the Rig on. I'm sure Buzz's wardrobe contributes to peace and tranquility on the ice locally.

Janice-- Great points! Couldn't have said it better myself. I am currently facing the prospect of a similar concept feature and feel just as you do. What seem to have happened to great STORYTELLING? You guys want adrenaline? Go watch the latest "Star Trek" feature and tell me about adrenaline--not all oners but that movie never stops and neither does the story. Great operating by Colin Anderson, SOC and Phil Carr-Foster BTW.

I think the aliens will show up just before the RED crashes with about 2 minutes left in the story during the keeper take. Having done two good-sized features last summer, both on the RED, my money is on battery problems killing the technical side of things. Zoom, really? If absolutely necessary, think 15-40 size range either Cooke or Optimo. Story side? Are the actors up for that level of performance without any coverage or pickups? Start looking for your back support team now: chiropractor, message therapist, orthopedic surgeon, lisigav supply, etc.

OK, Charles, I'll take the bait even though my sled is built from the ground up as a custom ride rather than a modified original. Here's my BFX II sled: The only store bought items are the Donkey Box I, Preston system and the mini-dv recorder.

Steve-- Do you mean that you lost your Antlers Dovetail Grabber? That's the triangular part that clamps to a dovetail plate atop the low mode bracket and accepts the riser tube on top. Missing Something? Technologies, LLC makes the Antlers and all associated parts. That is, Jerry Holway and I are MS?T. We are currently in production on a run of AntlersV3. Watch the Forum for an announcement of completion date as the month progresses. I will check our stock of parts and see what has lingered while others have left; not too much in the box these days!

Happy Birthday Afton!! Hope YOU'RE having a fantastic natal anniversary!!

Nick-- For the lightweight cables, try CAE--Carmen Abato Enterprises in California. They build a custom super flexible assembly with the best connectors and to your length specs. Not cheap but worth every penny when the truck guys INSIST on full triax capability. As for follow focus, do yourself a favor and get a qualified camera assistant and a Bartech. You make the shots and they make it sharp. You'll do better work and they back you up. Now before some folks get frothy, I mean no disrespect whatsoever to those who pull their own; it is simply a skill-set I lack. Best, Brant

Louis, et al-- You should check out my new email at brant@brantsfagan.com. We are planning to start a new production run of Antlers®V3 in the next few days. Watch this Forum for an announcement about details on the latest Antlers®V3. Best, Brant

What Steadicam? Don who?

Aaron-- Try Mouser.com. You should be able to search their site for the appropriate male LEMO connector.

Having spent the entire summer shooting with the RED on two different features, I have found the following configuration to be the most efficient for me: 1. Rods on top that can hold motors and/or drives; I prefer CF cards but that's not always bullet-proof. Be ready for anything. 2. No baseplate! Get a set of rods in either aluminum (ET) or carbon to mount stuff from above! Get a set of PAM brackets (15mm or 19mm) to hang your motors. 3. Buy the RedByte Decimator and power it off your rig down at the bottom. Try and keep your HD cable runs short if using small gauge coax. 4. Buy or build a power cable to suit your rig and power the RED; the onboard batteries are garbage and unreliable. Anton/Bauer makes a great handle/battery/drive mount system that is very adaptable. 5. Buy or build a power cable system such as from your rig to P-Tap for powering on-camera accessories. 6. Buy or build a run-stop cable that uses the 4-pin Lemo (EGG.0B) on the rear of the RED body. Keep in mind that those ports are user-defined! 7. Get the ET Top Cheeseplate ($350) for low mode work. Don't assume production rented or has one. Don't rely on a handle for low mode attachment. You can see how this was all configured below. I can not stress enough the concept if asking as many questions as possible BEFORE arriving on set. There are countless permutations of the RED and unless you have some basic components of your own, you may be strung up by your "centerpost." Once configured for your project's workflow, the RED is not the worst piece of hardware to be saddled with. Remember, it's a computer with a lens port. Start from there and the rest can progress smoothly.

Jeff, et al-- I bought a set of the aluminum ET rods for my RED jobs this summer so I would be able to carry stuff and mount motors and not have to change out rods while converting to and from Steadicam mode. For my setup, I chose the 18" rods and found them to be long enough for any configuration we encountered and able to be minimalized when not needed at full extension. In the future, I would like a set of various sizes in carbon fiber just to save on overall load.

Andre-- On that lucky project, they first offered me the A-camera/Steadicam job but at a rate that would make a teenager walk away. I suggested that they just day-play me for the Steadicam portions of the show. We agreed on a modest operating and gear package. At some point, the UPM mentioned there was a deferred portion as well but given my years of experience with that tactic, I simply forgot about the potential money until the phone call came in. As a result of the success of the picture, I was able to double my money on the labor portion of the deal package. Yes, always get it in writing and make sure the language is clear for both parties as to what constitutes the payment trigger and how the payments are to be distributed Ask all the questions you can think of ahead of time and make the answers work for you!

Gents-- I received a deferred payment ONCE in 21 years in the business. Shocked and amazed when I received the phone call announcing such an event. My first thought was the call was a practical joke by the producer/UPM. When the check arrived I realized that was the one time this would happen in my career so I immediately deposited it and have never taken such work again. Remember, THEY get paid before you do, IF you do.

Chris-- Well said as always. We are all in this together whether we like it or not; disbelief of this reality does not constitute exemption from it's effects. We must work to stem the flow of dollars away from our profession and our hard working backs, feet and expensive equipment. Let's start the discussion here and work to build some local and regional connections that endeavor to rebuild and maintain the worthy wages and rental checks so many individuals established over the years and miles. Together we win, divided we fail.

Since that weekly gear rental pricing has been getting harder and harder to maintain, I have a new style of handling this with UPMs. Once we start discussing rates and rentals, I immediately remind them that MY weekly rental has a NO PRO-RATE condition. If they or accounting tries to pro rate the rental, then we go back to the number used to derive the weekly rate which is usually $1,000./day. Period, no discussion. This came up on my last two shows of which one was a feature and the other was episodic. Both tried to pro rate and both were reminded of the deal we made back in the beginning. Both UPMs made sure accounting understood the deal and did things right. We ALL have to fight to make this understood at all levels in all markets. Don't assume, make it happen.

Alec-- Happy Birthday!! It's only half of your 80th birthday so don't worry! It's not the years, it's the mileage.

Bryan-- Drop me an email at brant@brantsfagan.com and we can discuss a possible rental as mine are here.

Bryan-- At those speeds, you might want both Antlers® and gyros! That is quite fast to be shooting Steadicam out of a moving vehicle! Even with a vehicle blocking a major portion of the airflow, you are looking at lots of turbulence and gusting which will act negatively on your rig. What vehicle are you planning to shoot from? I hope you have some police escorts if you are using more than one lane on an open state or federal highway. Get some answers before you leave the house!

Charles, et. al-- Here's a look at my very custom sled from my latest feature carrying the RED. Note the ACME Gimbal, Boland monitor, Red Byte Decimator and the latest Anton Bauer DionicHC. Video is now HD down the post with local downconversion and SD properly DAed throughout the sled for the traditional uses.

Folks-- Here's my latest addition to the pile I load onto the camera truck: a custom sled crib. This is my version of the sled crib. Lives on a shelf, with the sled under a backpack cover for dust protection, and still has room for stuff around the sled. I do plan to build a hard cover for it but so far this works just right. The crib was built as a means of keeping a fully built sled accessible yet safe. My regular sled case is not as convenient as a day-to-day storage unit and utilizes more shelf space. For most jobs, I still have six cases plus the magliner cart and stand. This makes wrapping much faster than a traditional case.

Gents-- Well said Rob and Robert. You're self confidence and reputation are on the line each time you are asked to quote a rate. Respect yourself and others in the community by NOT caving at the first sign of money trouble. Your job is to make money and their's is to save it for themselves. Stand up for who and what you are and believe in yourself and your abilities. Always show the discount as Robert suggested so they know how much you helped them out. Business is a relationship that takes two sides to balance and prosper. Good luck and good billing.