William Demeritt

Happy Birthday, Erwin! or, if you're an Aqua Teen Hunger Force fan: "Happy Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary!"

The Player directed by Robert Altman, starring Tim Robbins? EDIT: beaten by 1 minute!

Here's a few apps I've found really helpful: - Evernote: The new 3.0 software now supports syncing of Notes through the Notes app, but the downside is you have to sync it manually via the cable. Evernote syncs your notes with the Evernote server through a free account, and you can access the notes from the Evernote app on your PC or Mac. Furthermore, you can create image notes, text notes, voice notes and more. Best of all, the app is free both on desktop and iPhone. For a fee, you can increase the size of your sync space on the Evernote server. - Eventful: Go to the website and sign up for an account, and it interfaces with your iTunes library to note your "favorite artists". Then, you can view upcoming concerts on the Eventful app, mark some as interested or if you're going. I discover concerts all the time just by opening the app once a week. - Air Sharing: This $4.99 app allows you to mount your iPhone as a wireless drive over a Wi-Fi network, and upload files directly to the app's storage. Files you can open include most image files, PDF, RTF, numbers, pages, Excel, Word docs, etc. Comes in really handy if you want to take a PDF document somewhere without emailing it to yourself. There's a PRO version just released that allows you to email the files as attachments, zip or unzip files, print, etc. - Now Playing: Find movie times based off your GPS location, ties in to review percentage via Rotten Tomatoes, and even lets you control your Netflix queue, all for free! - Pandora Radio: Based on the Pandora project, this app functions just like the desktop version. Tell it a song, an artist, or an album that you like, and it cross references other music similar to your input to create a custom radio station. The app then streams the music you might like, and you can rate it higher or move on to another song. I've discovered a lot of new music this way. - Wooo! Button: All it does is shout "Wooo!" at you when you press the screen. Amazing what we can do with technology, yes?

Not sure if it's any dirtier than releasing a 3G capable GPS enabled cellular phone a year after the first phone is released? Apple's never made any secret of the fact that they often release new products that completely depose their previous product that you may have bought 1 month prior to it's launch. Voice activation throughout is a nice feature, but compared to the 3G, seems like a huge luxury item. Video recording... well, like you said, those of us who've jailbroken have enjoyed Cycorder for months now. We'll see if pressure does anything for enabling the video camera and video editing app on the iPhone 3G in future 3.0 updates. However, in my opinion, the 3G-S update is a lot of sizzle, very little steak. A tweak here, a bump there, but I personally don't consider any of the 3G-S exclusive upgrades to be dealbreakers.

Very cool, love that motion blur feel. I wanted to contribute a similar shot, just one of many running shots I did this day... you'll barely be able to make out my subject up the hill, almost on right edge of frame, just above the equator.

So beautiful, no words... should have sent a poet!

Well, as of the latest round of rumors, AT&T's exclusivity contract with Apple expires in 2010. Furthermore, many people are already complaining about the hefty upgrade prices for AT&T customers on existing contracts. If I had to guess, I would say that come next summer, we'll see just who will make the iPhone available on their network. People starting out with AT&T to get the 3G-S will be bound to AT&T for 2 years, and as an iPhone 3G owner, I gotta say that the 3G-S doesn't make a very strong argument to upgrade prematurely. HSDPA 7.2Mbps data speed = AT&T won't have this available most places until late 2009 anyway. Voice command = there's an app for voice dialing already. Otherwise, it's a luxury I can afford to ignore. Digital compass = if I was in a serious need for a compass, I'd probably own several analog compasses. 3MP camera = small, compact and cheap digital cameras are in abundance starting at 3-4 times that image size. Video camera = is this a real deal breaker for your cell phone? For some people, I think yes. So, they haven't created a very compelling reason to buy the 3G-S aside from the "whiz-BANG oh wow Apple has a new phone!" factor. Since it's a GSM phone, they could easily port it to T-Mobile, Alltel or what have you. Apple will need to create a CDMA version of the iPhone for it to be eligible on Sprint or Verizon (and those networks will also have to ease up their policies on approved software running on phones active on their cellular network).

Today kicked off Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference, and the keynote address was held at 10AM PST this morning. A common place for unveiling new products or trends in Apple's lineup, today mostly confirmed rumors of upcoming products with no real surprises. The big thrillers were: iPhone 3G-S Features not included with the upcoming 3.0 firmware and exclusive to the iPhone 3G-S include: HSDPA (data at 7.2Mbps, twice the speed of current 3G service), video camera, focus-capable built-in 3MP camera, video editing capability, voice command throughout the phone ("play songs by The Beatles" or "call Mom")... and the potentially useful digital compass (I'll hold out for the digital astrolabe). Apple indicates the 3G-S will show base performance increases twice that of the 3G, notably in app launching, message launching and Safari browsing. Also, battery life is said to be improved. Also, Apple will maintain the iPhone 3G 8GB model for $99 (new contracts price). The 16GB 3G-S is available in black and white at $199, and an all new 32GB 3G-S is available in black and white for $299. Important to note: the HSDPA feature is included in the iPhone 3G-S, but it's rumored AT&T will not support wide HSDPA rollout in North America until end of 2009. 13" Aluminum Macbook is now the 13" Macbook Pro Price starts at $1199, base starts with 2.26Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, 160GB HD and 2GB RAM. Comes with integrated NVidia GeForce 9400M graphics chip (separating itself from the other Macbook Pros, as they come with the GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT chips). Most noticeably, the 13" Aluminum Macbook will now feature the non-removable battery featured in the 17" MBP, bringing the battery life to 7 hours (under optimal conditions). This drops the price from $1249 to $1199 on a 13" Mac Laptop, and now features a built-in SD card reader (as will the 15" Macbook Pro, but not the 17"). Also note: other Mac notebooks have dropped in price. The base of the 15" Macbook Pro is now $1699, and the Macbook Air now starts at $1499. Something tells me the Macbook Pro 13" will sell quite well this summer. Great price, great computer gets better, etc. iPhone/iPod Touch 3.0 available June 17th We have an official street date of the 3.0 firmware. The wide variety of upgrades are available in the link above. Important to note: AT&T has announced that while the 3.0 firmware will debut June 17th, MMS functionality will not arrive until "late summer". When the firmware goes live for the rest of the world, everyone else will get it. Also, all other carriers are publicly supporting the tethering capability, but AT&T seems somewhat silent about it for now. Interesting new feature I don't think anyone previously mentioned is the "MobileMe Find My iPhone and Remote Wipe". If you lose your phone, you can log into your MobileMe account and see on a Google Map the current location of your iPhone 3G/3G-S. If your iPhone 3G/3G-S is stolen, you can give a command via MobileMe to remotely wipe the device (you can restore it from a backup previously made during a sync if you recover it). Theft and loss of iPhones seem to have finally caught the attention of Apple, and this sounds like a great, secure new feature. Snow Leopard debuts in September, 2009 Snow Leopard has a release month, but not a release date. Internal tweakings will help boost the speed of the OS, but also decrease the overall footprint of OS X by over 6GB. Important note: Snow Leopard is ONLY available to Intel-based Macs. Sounds like Apple is finally forcing anyone keen on continuing with Apple into an Intel-based Mac so they can kill off Rosetta and Universal Binary support. $29 for existing Leopard users to upgrade. Safari 4 officially released Now available today, the final release of Safari 4 for Mac and Windows. So, fellow gearheads and tech geeks... what thrills you? Any new temptation crop up in this keynote address?

I will defer to the wisdom of the elders regarding handling the producers and the decision to shoot. As someone who's injured his back a few times over the years (years of being a gym rat takes it's toll on occasion), I recommend getting generic ibuprofen from Walgreens, CVS or your preferred pharmacy. Whenever my back acts up, I will take 3 as soon as I wake up and 2 more every 6 hours throughout my day. Also, avoid sneezing at all costs. If you must sneeze, stabilize your back against a wall. My sister had a bulge in her spine repaired years ago, and her doctor told her that sneezing is the most traumatic thing you do to your back on a regular basis.

I just went through a job where I quickly learned the RED One, in most real world scenarios, is too much camera for Flyer LE. The CF cards aren't a luxury item, they're a necessity for flying the RED on the Flyer. If you're not flying a wireless follow focus, and you've got the CF cards, then you'll probably be in business. Strip the RED One down to just the body (no rails, nothing), add the lens and maybe request a clip-on mattebox. You're flying bare bones, but you'll fly. However, that's with a prime and nothing else. Your equipment list seems to include a zoom lens, a standard mattebox, and you mention you'll need a downconverter. "These are my first shots at getting some Film credit on my resume, so obviously I want to be the most prepared guy on the set. I like when nothing can possibly be blamed on me" If you want to be the most prepared and blameless, I would think maybe arranging for a heavier rig would be the very best preparation? I made the mistake of thinking a production would arrive with everything I requested to be able to fly with a Flyer LE (lightweight matte box, CF cards, etc), and I had to scramble to borrow a heavier rig to complete the job (many thanks to those that helped!). I know Alec wrote a great thread a few weeks ago about his experience flying the RED, and how flying just the RED turned into flying the RED, some unexpected accessories and some LED Litepanels. I didn't heed that kind of warning, but I lucked out and completed my job. I'm pretty new to this game, so please take with a grain of salt. However, having learned this firsthand, I gotta say: you can crunch the numbers and the theoretical weights, but if you're anywhere close to the maximum weight on paper, chances are you're going over in the real world. **On another note: they're only getting 2 RED Bricks to power the RED? Do they realize what a power hog that camera is? You'll probably be out of power and running off an AC tether after 3 hours powered up.

I'm in the gym usually 3-4 days a week, and have routines for each day (legs day, back/biceps day, chest/triceps day, shoulders day, etc). On my days off, I will jog for 30-60 minutes, depending on how I feel. I'm inclined to think that my gym activity has given me a great condition for operating, both for stamina but also for strength. I love doing my leg and back exercises, and while I have no proof, I think that some exercises are very Steadicam friendly. Specifically: squats (standard, front, Romanian), good mornings, deadlifts, etc. I would think that kettle bell exercises would be fantastic for Steadicam conditioning, considering the compound nature of the exercise utilizing shoulders, back and legs all in one motion. Like others have said, the overall exercise and aerobic exercise definitely helps. Anything to get your stamina up.

Greetings all, I'm a new operator (flying for just over a year now), and I just had a question. You're starting out now, and upon hearing you're a Steadicam operator, the immediate follow-up question by producers, AC's and DP's is: "Oh, do you own your own rig?" So, you know it's crucial to your business that you own your own rig. Now, for the big question: Do you get your financing together and purchase a used rig, or do you purchase something new? I feel like my decision is guided by the work I'm getting (mostly prosumer cameras, RED One, etc), the resale value, the total cost of getting up and running, etc., are there any other factors to consider? If anyone can chime in with some guidance, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Concern duly noted... I'll be ordering the onion rings.

I should be attending as well, looking forward to it. Are drug dealers really that bad of a concern? Also, I'm looking forward to an explanation of the 'gaV.

I briefly chatted with someone from Arri about the new HD tap. The Ground Glass Cancellation feature was pretty impressive to see in motion, and can be easily reset with a piece of paper. You can turn the feature off, and you'll see the grain of the glass quite obviously. Also, they confirmed for me that the tap won't have a downconverter, as Eric indicated in the other NAB thread because of power consumption issues. The gentleman hinted that Arri expected the video to run to village and into a monitor, or if appropriate, through a downconverter and into an SD monitor. Perhaps not thought through for Steadicam operators. Moreso, watching the tap in action at NAB, I had the thought: OK, so it's HD now, so no more SD field monitors for village. You're now expected to have HD monitors or SD monitors with a downconverter? The image looked high definition in that it was the resolution of an HD image, but is that really the only perk? Just curious, but now you have an HD image in an HD monitor for your client/director, but you're still left reminding them: it's just a framing reference. Not a representation of color or exposure, nothing but a framing reference of the final product.

Saw the rig firsthand, very nice indeed. The "folded up" mode makes it very compact and great for travel. I'm sure it's a preliminary typo on the website. It currently reads: "10-40lb Camera Capacity" However, the documentation available from Tiffen in the Archer Literature (PDF on the website), it reads under Sled: "Nominal payload capacity of 26lbs/12kg" And under the G-40 arm section: "10–40 lb (4.5 - 18kg) capacity - total support weight"

Thanks for this, Erwin! This is my first NAB, so I'll definitely bring this along to make sure I don't miss any hotspots!

I'm very curious to hear the majority opinion on how to handle this sort of situation. Do people favor the up front "I'm sorry, but no, I cannot allow that" and leave it simple? Or do you concoct a more compelling "fib" to tell them? I tend to agree with the up front "no", since it'd be akin to you asking them to borrow several thousand dollars worth of equipment that represents their ability to generate revenue stream, and let you take it from their office and out into the field beyond their vision or control.

A few days ago, I saw a posting seeking a camera operator willing to scale a highway sign and shoot a car passing underneath it (no safety rope, permits, etc etc). Love it!

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cwg/1106277914.html From the post: "We're doing a mockumentary. We need to shoot a quick scene in Santa Monica tomorrow at 12:30PM. Our actor (dressed as a police officer) is going to go into the middle of the intersection of 3rd and Wilshire - direct traffic for a few moments - drop his pants - deficate in the middle of the street - and then run away. We can only shoot the scene once. We have two other camera operators. However, we've decided at the last minute to add a third. You'll be shooting from street level. You must be familiar with a Red camera. You'll be going MOS. The actor will be lapelled. The pay is $150 cash. (paid at the end of the shot). There will be NO credit given as this is obviously a non-permitted shot. Please send resume if interested." This sounds like a great opportunity!

Hear hear! FANTASTIC sausage, great eats, great conversation! Can't wait for the sequel(s)!

I'd appreciate a copy of the article as well. will AT wbd3 DOT com Thank you in advance!

I remember purchasing "On Directing Film" a few years ago and reading through it. I believe the book is a compilation he made after teaching a class at Columbia, and the book is comprised of his lectures. I do think that you're going to run into an argument based on subjective judgment, whether a shot is "subjective" or not. Is Steadicam "inflected", or is any camera movement? Is any camera pan or tilt taking away from what the audience should see and know? Does the camera need to linger? How much time does the average audience member need to recognize and understand a shot in a montage, or why composition exists as it is? I'm reminded of one of Billy Wilder's rules of filmmaking: let the audience figure it out for themselves, they'll be grateful. I guess the question of inflected versus uninflected shots then comes down to the storyteller. Are rapid cuts and frantic montage inflected or uninflected? What about the shots in Michael Haneke's "Caché", were those appropriate or forced? I'm sure everyone can think of a shot that stands out in their favorite movies, and play the devil's advocate: "Ignoring my affection for that shot, was it really truly necessary?" My question is: If we shoot everything in the most straightforward way possible, at what point are we just shooting theater? To answer the question at hand, one Steadicam shot that I frequently rewatch with amazement is the infamous "Contact" shot. The dialogue is essentially a string of orders for aligning the dishes, frequencies to check and recheck, and to have a montage of shots of her running past the camera would possibly suffice to be "uninflected". Chasing Jodie Foster from her car, up the stairs and into the lab is a fantastic, high energy shot, and really captures the character's enthusiasm and transfers it to the audience, many of whom may not be that enthused by radio frequencies and alignment orders.

It's a trap!! Ha ha ha!! Ahh, Jumbos, just a quick google search will let you know just what you can expect... but it is a Los Angeles staple.

I would think the proper way to reply to this statement is: - "Are you kidding me? Have you seen what some of the people on the subway are wearing?!" or - "The subway is a sinch. The problem is the turnstile... "