William Demeritt

How much are you asking?

Is this still available?

I've got an Inovativ cart, one of the early generation Voyager carts in 36" I'm considering selling. Any interest?

Asking price?

Batteries should match your work. I have Dionic XT batteries (90wH) for my commercial/scripted kit, and generic "BCB" (150wH) batteries for my live kit. In the past, battery brand name probably mattered more, but lately, the generic batteries seem to function just fine. And for the price, you're fine going for cheaper generic batteries if you need.

Longer gimbal arms, for me, was a "better to have and not need" situation. Mounting gimbal arm zoom/focus controls works far better with longer gimbal arms, but also just using it naked just gives you a tiny bit of versatility that pays off in the long run. Hand clearance, monitor clearance, rig positioning, etc.

While I agree it's probably overkill, if that's what the site admin wants, I'm guessing it's here to stay. Google Chrome has an extension to give you Google Authenticator in a browser window, so you don't need to use the app on a phone/device.

Pelican 1650 or Storm 2950 should hold the sled, monitor, and arm with plenty of space for more gak. Foam it out, or get pouches for additional kit.

Steadicam is a very unique job on set, and we've always relied on the ingenuity of other Steadicam operators, utilizing information we research and investigate ourselves, to solve problems unique to Steadicam operators. COVID has created a new set of issues that affects us uniquely. As such, while we need to comply with COVID requirements set by production, medics, or COVID compliance officers, we obviously need to protect ourselves AND the way we work so we can continue to do the best job we can while also staying safe. Masks and social distancing are the obvious baseline for most individuals working on set, but for people wearing 50+lbs of gear every day, masks and distancing may create problems that other departments or individuals may be unable to sympathize with. I think we need to solve this problem for ourselves, and do so in collaboration with COVID guidance: What have you found works for you on set, and also keeps you and others around you safe? What protocols have you established when it comes to handling your rig? What PPE have you found that lets you work a bit more "normally", or at least allows you to physically perform your job as closely to pre-COVID standards as possible? Face shield and N95 mask? Hand sanitizer timers? Have you discussed with the crew and established an understanding that only 1 camera assistant and 1 designated grip may handle your rig when resetting or walking back to 1?

Tom nailed it. I don't need the multi-window view in SmallHD, but the ability to crop and choose your framelines, mask them, change any number of options, etc, always keeps SmallHD in my kit. Also, I'm a fairly "disposable" type (everything goes bad, why fight it), so I'd rather go with an ultrabright, well programmed, well designed monitor and grab a couple at an affordable price than spend 2x or even 3x on another monitor. Nothing against other manufacturers, I've owned monitors by many of them. However, SmallHD really has the price point to feature point that just keeps them as my go-to. FYI: as of writing this, SmallHD is selling some B-stock monitors, and they have the 703U monitor for $1499. If I had any idea when I was working next, I'd grab a couple in a heartbeat.

I haven't looked at the Cine7 for a Steadicam monitor yet. Looks brighter than a lot of options (and not as bright as others, both more expensive and cheaper). For a pure Steadicam monitor, it's probably feature overkill, but if you want a Steadicam monitor that you can set up to pull off the sled and use as an operator's monitor, it's probably perfect.

I remember when the Fitbit was all the rage, and now everyone has integrated step trackers on their various smart devices (phones, smart watches, etc). I also recall that the step count and calorie counts are, for the most part, completely overstated by the respective devices. I had thought about creating a device that worked with my docking fork to run a timer whenever my sled wasn't docked, so I had a rough idea of how much time I'd spent wearing the rig each day. Ultimately, both step tracking and time-in-the-rig tracking became less interesting because, as David implies above, it doesn't change the shot, it doesn't contribute anything significant, and it doesn't serve as grounds to increase my invoice.

I don't recall the exact context, but I recalled hearing a story about Ted Churchill that I try to carry in my professional life wherever and whenever possible. I'm probably horribly misquoting the exact words, but it was something like this, when asked how he was such a successful Steadicam operator: "I may not have been the best, but production was never waiting on me." I tried to apply that, along with a heaping helping of humor on every show to which I have the good fortune to contribute.

I gotta go back to all those men's restrooms and change the number on the wall? Uggggh. I'm supposed to be quarantined.

I'm not certain since I don't own that sled, but I think it's 12v unregulated (so 11v-16v). If that monitor wants 5v, you will want to get some sort of voltage transducer on the cable or before the monitor.