Brad Hruboska

Well the Modulus 300 is a very good stable unit, but here is a newer modulus due out later this year.... here is also a transmitter form Lentequip called the Canatrans 2 which I have been using for about three months and it is fantastic...it is very clean has 10 channels of uhf band to use and has scalable pwer output in incriments form 1/16 w to ! watt. and it has digital boosting and retarding ( think digital pad) very clean , 12-24V compliant.. but not in full production just yet....I have one of the few initial release versions....and it is roughly double the price of a modulus 3000..... Bonus points include huge heat sinking for cooling and super performance at low power. And it looks cool. B)

Probably not, considering Jim Carey is a Canadian by birth, his family still lives here , in fact he went to my high school in Burlington Ontario....my personal disappaointment is in the lack of indiginous production for the world market, and how our own point of view is not widley expressed in the cinema marketplace. But thats perhaps jaded by growiing up literally in the shadow the worlds most influential superpower. :huh: We did however lose another film with Sean Penn , probably going to shoot in New York proper..... :blink:

A Cautionary tale regarding the warranty on AB batteries. Anton Bauer does not consider steadicams/ pros/glidecams etc to be legitimate use of their product. I have had near screaming discussions with my AB dealer in Toronto, when some of my Proformer Batts failed. AB does not advocate the use of their product for high draw applications...period, so you are not realy covered by warrenty, my attempts to get replacements were denied. If they run their little computer anaylsis and decide that the battery was mistreated, they disallow the warrenty. If anyone has different results I have two dead batts on my shelf I'll gladly send you for replacement. :(

Well RF is like that...... sometinmes it fails altogether.. Ive done parades where we were great in prep, pre show, and as the event unfolds it just doesn't work. Hardwire back up time.....a drag, but thats RF. ;)

PAL or NTSC?

A new Arri 3 with a cinematography electronics base should have no problems at all....just be sure to give the base a sepaerate power source for high speed work over 60 fps. I recommend not leaving both batteries connected below 60. :ph34r:

Actually my own major weight limit was the IMAX MSN camera shown here on my old pro/3a hybrid......45 lbs I think? Plus weight of sled......I carried a backpack for batteries on this occasion, 36 volt camera you know.....wicked torque when it starts up.....but a real Tim tool time Taylor moment....wooof! :lol:

Was visiting a old D.P. friend of mine and he had this shot of him in a panaglide. Back in the 80's when they just strapped you in a let you go.....huge heavy, but a nice battery.....the vest is enormous, who did they model this on? :blink:

It seems to me that was the real hero steadicma shot at the end where andy winds up in a crane that goes up and up at the films finale......wonder if its still on his demo?

Peter you know I think It was you who told me to buy a spare arm hinge for my origional model 2 arm, and indeed one day I did need it once again yoou saved another career, best 50.00 bucks I ever spent. :lol:

Michael... see I told ya....I was engaged when I went to Venezuela too.....sigh. :blink:

I've been using the Dionics as well, I'll use one on the sled power of my PRO, maybe two if its a heavy day, two for power on arri 3's and Bl's no problem, I'm still using the proformers and trimpacks for the 435's and 535's because of the draw rate, but the flexability seems to be working. btw the new version of the interactive 2000 will charge the dionics, but you neeed the simultaneous four way charge to keep the Dionics up I think, and the titan is a bit faster, I use both cuz the 2000 has a better dischage analyzer function......My sytem is to pull everything off at lunch and top up the batteries, but I've got lots in reserve due to a long affair with Anton Bauer, that case is heavy man. ;)

you know guys the emergency fix? you mummify the broken arm section with tape, ( fibre packing tape is best) and immobilize the arm section, like a splint. If you are gentle, you can continue to operate most shots, while waiting for one of your beautiful competion to rent you a spare arm....I had a call once form a guy with total rig failure, and It just happended I was on my way home form a job, and the gear was in the car, so I was there in liike 15 minutes, it was like the cavalry had arrived...nice feeling and I got to meet the production staff.....Thats the thing a bout the Pro arm I like, spares on hand,,,, unless you break a hinge or something....rare, but I think it happend to Rod Crombie early on in the PRO arms history, George has subsequently beefed up that area......Model 2 hinges, well I had spares in my kit for them too,m I had a near fatal failure stepping off of a big curb once, Director screaming action and I'm very gently docking the rig, and spinning out the bolts to the hinge, they will not belive you when you say 2 minutes to fix it, but thats what it is, stress..... :blink:

It seems to me when I visited greg two weeks ago we spoke of this very thing, keep on him guys.... B) I'll be there with the checkbook too......

It seems to me that Mike Hall once told me that the panavision mags are almost a break away design to protect the body, the rollers are supposed to protect the film path....anyone from Pana to confirm this? :ph34r:

NIce work if you can get it, reminds me of my Cuba shoot... sigh...... B)

You know until you do the fall, you just don't know....I did one music video where the spotter tripped me two times. Mostly the falls have been the result of someone leaving a case or a bag or a something in the path that the spotter misses, I had a nasty almost fall in Mexico, on the beach, sand caved and i got the back of my leg necely lacerated, that salt water stings guys....Forward falls are the worse cuz its hard to get under the rig and save it, possible on grass, or pavement ( if you remembered your knee pads). Running shots = knee pads..... :rolleyes: Really go over your rig, check all the screw lkeads and bearings, if anything feels different, it has been bent and is in need of replacement. IF YOU HAVE A CARBON FIBRE POST, CHECK IT VERY THOUROUGHLY, OR TRY AND GET IT REPLACED. They have a nasy habit of failing catastophically months later.....

I sh0ot in Caracas about 7 years ago, and I had the benefit of a film liason officer who met me ( with a military escort) to process me through customs and get my visa stamped. I had all my work visas and customs papers done before I left my home address, so I could prove origon of my equipment, not a big deal really. I would agree it is easier in this case to travel with your gear, meet yoour customs officer, or liason and let them negotiate your importing. Venezuela does not aknowledge carnets so not to worry. The crews are usually quite good, there is some local steadicam working its way in, and the gear though basic is very well respected and cared for. Good luck and enjoy a Polar beer when you land. Caracas is a high crime rate city, so you will probably lock up your gear and have a guard on the camera equipment 24/7, they will transport it to set for you usually, and you will have to encase everything at wrap , there are no walk aways outside of North America.... Take lots of Tape for the locals , gaffer, Cloth 2", 1", its hard to get , and they will love you for the gesture. Black 2"papertape is unheard of.....velcro, gold...... P.s. the girls are particularly beautifyul in Venezuela, lucky dog.... :D

Maybe you guys need a hobby? Get out of the house? Skiing, surfing? :unsure:

Sadly the pinouts for run start are different on the Fugi, the Cannon, on into the Camera body itself. Preston makes all three, and yes its a pain in the butt, but with preston it gives you a remote control on the EFP style zoom handgrip.... All Hirose, all the same number of pins none interchangable, isn't video a great thing? p.s. soldering Hiroses is a huge pain, make sure you shrink wrap every pint, everything is really tight in that connector.... :blink:

I have found that clamping anything to a plastic video camera handle to be a mediocre solution at best. All of the Hi Def Cameras at the big three rental houses here have some sort of flat metal handle adaptation which accomoidates the lo mode plate.....Many video handles are not flat, and the structure is not beefy enough for anything but slow walking work. If there is any speed involved , maybe a lo mode cage,.. I use one with oversized riser posts to reduce the flex. In reality, I have had the best results inverting the camera where there is no solid "metal" handle to affix to. ;)

They told me at CP back in 91 this machine would be a real chick magnet... what load of cr........ :(

I recall one of my last gigs with my very modified model 3A, and we were struggling to shoot the day of the big east coast power blackout, in a park in Toronto, we had the only generator for miles......Trying to light what was to have been a day scene with a laughable package of small hmi's , 4K screeming at the base of my neck, post fully extended trying to avoid shooting off of the the grass, millions of bugs attracted to the lamps, thinking well this is the BEST SHOT EVER/...and the lower part of my sled post detacjed, sendinig the electronics module to the ground. Left holding the camera, gimbal, and top post section, and some random wires.......remember wiring 3A's up the post?&^&*^&**&^!!! I actually bypassed the wiring on the spot and got a the rig working, but it was all for naught, we wrapped it, Client just couldn't see the shot happening for them.... So we played glow in the dark frizbee wth the locals, who would charge it up in our 6K. I ordered my PRO II the next DAY...... <_<

Unfortunately the extras are one of the main selling points of DVD's , all part of marketing, along with infotainment shows , E channel, Star Channel, etc. It is indeed one of the reasons I buy compilations and DVD's specifically with extras. Robert Rodriguez' extras on Once Upon A Time in Mexico are excellent and really demystify the whooe process of shooting, effects, as well as his very positive take on new technology. I am somewhat envious of his elaborate ( in home) setup with scoring, and editing all under one roof, and the immediacy of the idea to the work. I just cringe a bit when his steadicam work is a bit, ahem wild.....its a different way to work, and I hope it brings more flexability to crews and production alike. Definately worth a look on the rental... :blink:

You'll find that the low angles are somewhat unflattering, and with the steadicam they are looking for that motion when they cut you in , otherwise there's really little point. Zoomed in its tough to follow a performer and pull focus remotely. I have one or two assitants who can really do it, and I try and get them on the preston whenever possible. On stage, The steadicam its like the jib/crane, it can obliterate other shots, so if your cut into program, make a move , and you gotta do it clean and get out, cuz theres no cover, its not as discrete as a blacked out op with a dark camera in the wings, or in the pit. It can bea challenge in the pit to with kids grabbing at youor gear , falling on yoou , I did Systenm of ADown which is a reall rowdy crowd and they grabbed handfulls of whatver they could, broke the jib, grabbed cables... fell on the operators stage diving, mosh surfing,my spotter was quick though we dodged most of the falling kids... try to be invisible....like ninja. :ph34r: