MikeB

Man, this is really informative. We've been shooting all week, and some of the comments have been very helpful. And I'm glad you mentioned about the arm, Dave. I really didn't see how the physics played out with that much weight to the left whilst still attempting to remain standing upright. And I have noticed that I've been shifting, we'll work on that. Thanks again.

I just wanted to say I really appreciate the informative and helpful advice here...some forums get quite tetchy when it comes to new folk asking old questions. I look forward to next week when I can try some of these suggestions out. I also want to say that the Newbie Forum is a fantastic idea...I have, and will have many questions that I'm quite sure I wouldn't want to waste anyones time with on the main boards. But now there's a world for green ol' me. Good, fast, cheap was in reference to what the clients always want, but I have found the same, Alex. And by educational I mean I work in a University setting producing training, promotional, and educational videos for various departments on campus. Which is where comes the money issue....'cause nobody's got any. I started out using a mirror to check my posture, but haven't done so in a while. I'm know that I'm tilting though as I was thinking about ways to add extra weight to the right side of the vest to balance out. This was (is) the thing I was (am) (what day is it?) having trouble with whilest operating Don Juan as I have to really tilt to keep the camera balanced. Now that I know you're supposed to stand normally, we'll figure something else out...I hope. As an aside, I don't know if this was the best way to learn, but the thing that helped me the most (I assume...maybe I was just shooting myself in the foot) (or would that be the hip?) when I was starting out was walking around not touching the rig at all. I simply navigated the studio and hallways using my body position to direct the camera. It was all very Zen realizing when the camera started to fly away on it's own, you had to find your center and not lose control (i.e. chase it down) This also involved a vocal discourse between myself and the rig...which at times became quite heated...and occasionally sexual in nature. I found it all to be quite enlightening. Surely there are essays out there comparing this to Aikido. This also came into play recently, when going off of suggestions elsewhere in this forum I switched the rig to the other side of my body (goofy foot?). All was quite funky until I let go, walked the halls hands free, and regained my center once again. I also want to thank Peter & Bill for information about future workshops. We're understaffed, but it's not an impossible sell to my boss..the trick is her boss. I will give it a fight as folk here seem to view participation in a workshop not so much as helpful, but more as a moral imperative. Thanks once again. Have a good one.

By the by, Where for comes the name Don Juan?

Groovy, thanks for your prompt reply. Mainly this is done for safety reasons....because we are always (always?) always understaffed, there just aren't enough people that we can drag out and have 1 extra to pull cable and spot me. As long as I'm not doing it (or learning it) wrong, there are ways of working around these problems. Thanks again. Mike

Just found you guys and thought this might be a good place to start asking. I've looked through various posts and archives and haven?t found info for me problem yet?but maybe it?s in one of the earlier archives. Okay, so I work in an educational setting?which means never enough time or money (We want it perfect/we want it cheap/we want it tomorrow dammit!) and using the Steadicam is only a small portion of my duties here. We have a Steadicam VideoSK using a JVC DR-DV5000 camera. When I arrived there was nobody who could show me how it to use it correctly?.so basically it?s been pretty much a ?Doctor, Doctor, It hurts when I do this!" / "So don?t do that.? affair. And there?s little chance of sending me to a training workshop unless it?s cheap (no, I mean cheap) and in the Midwest. That being said, after 6 months of off and on training, I?m using it in the standard fashion (eg cam to the left of the body) and am fine when pointing the camera forward?(outside of the shipboard rocking..which is slowly dissipating) However, when walking forward, shooting backward, I am developing a pain in my right hip/lower back whenever I use it. I try not to rotate my body too much?I have tried doing a sort of angled walk?which sometimes works..and sometimes hurts. So my question is: Does this sound like I?m supporting it incorrectly, or just that I haven?t used it enough to strengthen the muscles needed. Or aliens?it could always be the aliens. I appreciate any help offered. Even links to technical pictures of folk using it right.?just about everything I?ve found is more for the pretty than the helpful. Thanks, Mike