Paul Clements

Hi, Charles, it isn't my thinking that everyone here is solely a Steadicam operator and knows nothing about conventional operation. I'm not sure why you might think I do. If you thought I was lecturing, when talking about pulling focus, I can asure you I wasn't meaning to be and apologise; there is a great deal I don't know and I will certainly never think I know enough. Afton you are of course correct and I didn't take it personally, I just didn't want it to get onto that discussion that I've found myself having with many, many people before :) Jerry, your suggestion is of course a great solution. I was contemplating choosing a steadicam rig over a hand held setup from the get go in order to save from having to buy the handheld gear however, so it's kind of a catch22... Do I buy the rails setup for handheld and then begin to investigate a steadicam rig later or buy the rig and not have a handheld option. At the moment I'm probably swaying more toward the rail setup and looking into the steadicam via workshops at a later date as per your suggestion. Charles, how much would you say the Flyer arm could actually carry? I have access to a family business in aluminium engineering so having something machined isn't out of the question. Do you know of anywhere I could find designs of the lower spar to use as reference? Perhaps one of the homebuilt steadicam websites might have something suitable? I contemplated that a simple design could have rails at the base similar to the artemis that would allow the attachment of the battery and drives as they would be on the redrails and at the front include a few mounting points for attaching a RedArm which could hold the LCD. Do you think something like this could work? Frankly I don't know enough about steadicams to honestly make a bespoke part, but nevertheless I like making stuff and would be happy to have a shot at it. If I could get it made and there was someone available in the UK to test it I'd be more than happy to explore that route, if only for a bit of fun. Thanks Paul

Hi Charles and Afton, I'm merely looking for advice on starting out as a beginner using a steadicam rig and this happens to be the camera I will be wanting to use in the future, so I'd really appreciate it if the discussion was kept solely to that since I've been on many forums that say the same things as you are and whilst I'm not disagreeing it just seems unnecessary in this context. For the record I don't think it'll replace 35mm film or that anything other than a combination of the right tools and right people make a good movie, it's just a camera that suits me from an ecomonomical and quality point of view. I hope this doesn't come off sounding rude, it's genuinely not my intention to be and I do apreciate your input as steadicam professionals, I just don't want the subject to deviate into a discussion on the merits of the camera or even the actions of those following it's development. I completely understand where you are coming from about AC's and pulling focus, I was referring to pulling focus yourself on a tripod but wasn't perhaps clear about that. You must've all started out somewhere with some kind of rig, and I'm sure this is a great place to learn about the most suitable path to take. Thanks again for the constructive input. Paul

Thanks very much for the information people, I really appreciate your time. I think the whole focus pulling thing is a bit moot in some respects, if you are using the camera shoulder mounted you'll have the same problems anyway. The only time you could reasonably get away without having an AC is when mounted on a tripod, and even then if you are panning and tilting you might want one. Having said all this there is suppose to be a focus assist built into the camera to identify the sharpest points on the screen. I guess we'll have to wait and see how this pans out and whether it'd make the task of pulling focus yourself any easier or more precise. The information at the moment is a little scarce. Also the Canon EOS mount from Birger might be a good tool for steadicam work. It all depends on how well it refocuses really. I've had a go at using my slr and attempting to replicate and I believe if it is done well it could give some very good results. Again though it's a wait and see for this. It's all food for thought and there is some time yet before any decisions need to be made. Again thanks for your time. Paul

Hi everyone, This looks like a great place to find answers for a wannabe Steadicam Operator. In August I will be taking posession of a RedOne Digital Cinema Camera, all being well, I have reservation 445. I have been contemplating combining the purchase with a steadicam rig. One of the reasons for this is that the cost of the EVF and shoulder mount system comes quite close to buying a low cost steadicam with LCD screen, or at least a large proportion of the cost of a steadicam with LCD screen. The camera is reckoned to weigh in at about 9lbs but it is hoped that it will be less than this with an estimate of around 8lbs when complete. I'm looking to buy their Zoom which is a compact 18-50mm cine lens and will weigh approx 3lbs, it is small enough that it shouldn't require any supports. I've been in contact with Brian Valente from Redrock and have discussed their upcoming microRemote, which ought to be a good option for pulling focus. I don't know the weight of the supplied motor. I'm not quite sure about the MatteBox I'll be using, but again Redrock is releasing a low budget option that looks to be quite good quality at least for starters. Again I have no weight for it as yet, although Brian believes it'll be similar to relative ARRI or Chrosziel 4"x5.65"'s. The batteries I will be using will probably be around 2lbs. The RedDrives that can hold upto 320GB's will likely weigh around 2lbs as well. Perhaps these can go at the bottom of the sled? In total that's 11lbs for lens and camera, Mattebox and FF for hopefully 3lbs but these could be more. So that's 14lbs for the camera package up top, although I'll likely need 15mm rod support which would take it up to 15lbs no doubt. The Batteries and Reddrives will weigh about 4lbs too. Would a flyer be any good? or am I pushing it? If not a flyer what is a good low cost beginner rig? The Glidecam V20 is certainly cheap and would give a lot more room for not needing to worry about weight but what are the drawbacks with this rig for such a setup? Could buying a flyer vest or similar along with a second hand stronger arm and sled be an option and if so what arm and sled would you suggest for a budget option? I'd love to be able to afford the archer but it's just not feasible as a first rig option unfortunately, not with the cost of the camera in the same year. I really appreciate any help you can offer, and if I've missed anything feel free to fill the gaps. Many thanks, Paul