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Matt Petrosky

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Posts posted by Matt Petrosky

  1. Preffered Docking Stand

    in Cases/Carts/Stands and Transport

    Posted

    Hey Brooks,

     

    I have the Backstage 8" Pneumatic wheels for my stand and I hardly ever use them. I bought them for a job that had me flying to a different city every other day for a couple of weeks and I couldn't easily take my cart. The wheels work great and the stand is really stable because the wheels are so heavy. It rolls sidewalk cracks and cables with ease. There are a couple of drawbacks though.

     

    First off weight. Great for stability, but they make the stand really heavy and they prevent it from folding completely so it is quite a pain to carry it upstairs and to load and unload it from a vehicle. Secondly in the wheel set I got, only one of the three locked properly and two of them wobbled terribly. To their credit Backstage stands behind their products and they have always made things right for me. When I brought my bad wheels in Sig Guzman had the guys swap them out and fix the brakes.

     

    Thirdly, the company that makes the actual wheel assemblies stopped rounding the corners of their wheel "base plates" so I kept dinging my shins on the sharp corners. Again Sig (when I brought the wheels in) had this fixed by having the guys grind down the wheel base corners to match the curved corners of the backstage-made brackets.

     

    In the end they work well and are a good solution for situations where you are without cart. I prefer to dock and live primarily off of my cart so I usually keep my stand free of all wheels to make it light and nimble and easy to carry into tight places where my cart can not make it. The 8" pneumatic wheels in essence make the American stand into a mini cart. They raise the base of the stand up around 9" higher then normal which leaves plenty of room to rig an accessory bag to the stand without it dragging. I was able to get backup batts., a Preston, etc. into the bag and it all just rolls along nicely.

     

    Hope this helps,

    Matt

  3. XCS sled batteries

    in Batteries/Power

    Posted

    Will, unless I'm crazy.... the Modulus (or camera or light) draws X watts of power regardless of voltage. At a higher voltage (within its limits of design) it draws slighlty fewer amps, and as the voltage drops, the amps go up slightly (until the voltage gets so low that it can't work). So most of the time it doesn't matter what voltage the device gets, it just draws watts and no power is lost.

     

    Except that devices like the Modulus don't make efficient use of the higher voltage. They have crappy regulators that burn off the excess volts as heat, so there is not only no gain, but an actual loss as more voltage is supplied to a Modulus--the loss being usable amp hours from the batteries.

     

     

    -Matt

  7. Digital Readout for focus puller?

    in Follow Focus

    Posted

    Yes, the Ward Sniper is laser-based, but poses no danger to eyes because it at a wavelength well beyond the visual spectrum. I think on the Mk. II version there is an integrated diode laser (similar to a laser pointer) that can be momentarily turned on to assist in the setup and aiming of the "horns." This aiming laser is obviously within the visual spectrum and should not be pointed into anyone's eyes.

     

    The Sniper has some cool properties because it is laser-based. For example it can be used on mirror shots and give accurate readings. The laser like the camera image, bounces off the mirror to the actor. Good for all those close-up bathroom shots. :P Like the camera it can also "see" though windows and it is very accurate.

     

    This is all kinda fuzzy, it's been awhile since I messed around with the Sniper, although I saw Adam at GPI the other day and he does in fact rent them.

     

    -Matt

  8. Preston Hand Set 3

    in Follow Focus

    Posted

    wondering though, will future "premarked" discs be engraved or something?

    Or will they all be like ours and have the little guide hole?

    If future ones are engraved in, I'd want to swap out for those.

     

    Double check with Howard, but I stopped in to see him a few weeks ago for a minor fix on my FIZ and ended up getting a demo of the new Handset 3 (which is really nice). I asked about the pre-marked discs and Howard told be that engraving on curved surfaces was cost prohibitive for the discs. Not sure if the discs you guys have are the final form, but it sounds like they'll be something close to that.

     

    -Matt

  9. Children Of Men: NPR Story 7-minute Shot

    in Operating

    Posted

    Kareem,

     

    Thanks for the picts and the accurate info. I was a bit mislead by the LA Times article and I have yet to see the film myself as it comes out there on Christmas. The NPR interview makes it sound like it was all one take. Using multiple takes is fine, but it's not the same as all-in-one-take. Thanks again Kareem.

     

    Hey Erwin or one of the other mods, maybe you could delete the word 'steadicam' from this thread title?

     

    -Matt

  13. PRO/MDR 1 power cable

    in Steadicam Marketplace - Wanted

    Posted

    Because of the small connector, the right angle connector, and the short cable length, this cable is a pain in the butt to make and so I recommend just ordering one directly from Preston.

     

    I'm almost positive this is the part number from Preston. Just call them and tell them you have a PRO steadicam and you want to power your MDR-1.

     

    #4477 12V/24V Power Cable PRO to Booster/MDR $115.00

     

     

    -Matt

  16. Pin configuration tables

    in Batteries/Power

    Posted

    Now i need the 3-pin config from Arri

     

    Assuming you are talking about the small "RS" port on the 24 volt ARRIs.

     

    1 = Ground

     

    2 = +24 vdc (be careful, on Arricams this is NOT regulated below 32 volts, so it depends on what the battery is feeding the camera)

     

    3 = Remote Start/Stop [momentary] (also output for shutter pulse when camera runs)

     

     

     

    Hope this helps,

    Matt

  17. Vest Bag

    in Vests

    Posted

    Dan,

     

    Never hand-carried it, I can only imagine what airport security would think of a steadicam arm and vest.

     

    I just put the bag into the 1620 and it checks great, I even have a little room for an extra jacket or something.

     

    -Matt

  18. Vest Bag

    in Vests

    Posted

    If you are talking about the PRO vest, it fits perfectly in a stock Eagle Creek duffle. The padded arm bag fits nicely inside the vest inside the bag. Great for local transport. To ship it all fits in a Pelican 1620.

     

    I think they are now calling this size "The Regular."

     

    http://www.eaglecreek.com/bags_luggage/duf...-Regular-20011/

     

    Erwin can you confirm this size? I don't have my bag with me.

     

    BTW, the bag is $50 and can be found at most sporting goods stores, camping stores, etc.

     

    -Matt

  22. Converted 3A Power Base to NP-1 Base

    in Batteries/Power

    Posted

    ...who have recommended IDX NPL7's. Can anyone verify their dependability or offer any suggestions.

     

    I've used these batteries for a couple of side projects that I've built and I think they are great -- very light, relatively cheap, and powerful. I used to harbor an intense hatred for the NP1 batteries from my video days but these IDX batts. have forced me to make peace with this old style battery. That being said, I agree with Rob, it is most likely not enough for your purposes. Good luck with it...

  23. AB Hytrons acting weird

    in Batteries/Power

    Posted

    So what's the reason the LCD goes from full charge bars to one line in the middle? Is there some sort of code (i.e. position of bar = diagnostic for batt.) or is this just the LCD chip freaking out?

     

    I read this thread the other night and then yesterday afternoon I switched to a fresh Hytron 50 with full bars and it went into this single bar mode. So I found a paper clip and all seems well. Funny timing. Anyway, the battery worked fine after the reset and it charged normally. Now I've read Paul's response, maybe I'll call AB and see what's up as there is nothing about this in the Hyton manual.

     

    -Matt

  24. Archos Pin outs

    in Video Assist and Video Accessories

    Posted

    Also 3M makes a great epoxy that holds solid, but can be broken/removed should the need arise down the road.

     

    And I totally agree with Eric, the Power Trends / TI DC-DC switching regulators are tops. I have an adjustable one in my rig and I've used them in everything from Microforce zoom controllers (to protect against the new generation cameras that seem to like 28+ volts and not regulate their acc. outputs) to LCD monitors modified with Anton/Bauer Gold mounts to... the list goes on. Well worth the ~$22, very efficient, accurate, and reliable. Just an FYI, DigiKey sells many versions of these PT/TI regulators with varying specs (current ratings, output voltages, adjustable, physical size/profile, etc.) they are a great source for this stuff.

     

    Happy soldering,

    Matt

  25. Hollywood Studios NOT Willing to Issue Insurance Certs?

    in Legal / Business Practices

    Posted

    I agree with Neal and Denis, the steadicam is NOT A KIT RENTAL. This is an important detail that I think we should all standby.

     

    Steadicam is NOT a box rental or Kit rental. We do not have exclusive use of the gear - the entire camera department is working with our equipment and the director and the DP are making decisions about how the gear is used. We don't have exclusive control of the equipment. Studios would love to lump the steadicam equipment in with the 2nd AD's laptop and the hair persons brushes and combs but it is not the same thing at all.

     

    By not putting the steadicam rental through payroll and by billing directly to the company there is less recourse if you don't get paid, but we are talking major Hollywood studios here, and the importance of having the gear insured and covered by the company (just like the camera is) far outweighs the chance of not getting paid. I think it's much more likely to have an equipment issue (damage, someone gets hurt, stolen, etc.) then not getting paid by a big established studio.

     

    -Matt

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