Ken Nguyen

Hi Blair, Arm and vest were out of adjustment. - Vest might be too low and loose. - Arm's tension might be too high for the load. I don't have the Flyer, so I have no tip on how to adjust it. "Looks to me like the right hand needs be a little firmer in keeping the rig at a desired level," this is a wrong advice. I think you were over controlling the sled by your right hand (arm hand). So, loose it out - Not holding it firmer. "Also your steps, rolling from the heel to the ball of the foot." Don't need to. Just walk as normal. Practice or/and workshop (no offend) will help. Have fun, Ken Nguyen.

Hi Douglas, This is not a show-off or scare-off list. This is a list of tools that a serious steadicam op should have. This list gives hints to newbie of what available and the needs to know of how-why-when to use those tools. I started operating with only a vest for years. Other stuffs were rented. You don't need to buy everything, but you need to know every tools available. If you think a new op will make your pie smaller, think again. This is an open field, a very competitive market. If you don't keep your skill up, you fall behind. The pie is still on the table, but is far away from your reach. Hm, What will be your answer if a newbie comes to your place and asks what equipment do you have? - Oh, I don't have anything. That's a liar! - Well, camera - tripod - ..... Jeez! try to scare me off!! (based on your perception) Have fun, Ken Nguyen.

... and, back up arm, back up sled, back up monitor, back up focus motors, running rig, rain coat, dust cover, wind blocker, gyro, antler, safety harnesses, and more....

Bought one from Tiffen for $75.00 Ken Nguyen.

Hi Andrew, Try to contact Custom Upholstery Products in Van Nuys, California. Don't turn away because of the name of the company (furniture!) They've been in film business for quite a long time. Here is a link: www.customupholsteryproducts.com I'm very happy with its products. Ken Nguyen.

Well, I think I can prove that it is safe! Base on the video, and using the operator foot dimension as a measurement unit (1 foot). The concrete is: Width = 6ft Length = 12ft Height = 0.5ft Density = 143 lb/cubic foot The weight of the concrete will be; W = W * L * H * D 6x12x0.5 x143 = 5148Lbs = 2335Kg = 2.335 metric ton = 2.5 US ton The pivot point is 1/4 of the length, to tip the concrete over that point the mass needed is 1287Lbs = 583.77Kg Let assumes the grip is 400Lbs (!) We will need a minimum of 4 400Lb grips standing at the edge to tip the concrete over. Since the car is not moving. The friction force is F = uN = uWg = 2335 x 9.8 x 0.5 = 11441.5N to move it 1 meter in 1 second you need minimum of a force of 11441.5N Chance that the concrete will slide out of the forks is quite small. It looks unsafe, but it is safe. The concrete is wide and heavy. The forklift is relatively big. The forks are wide apart. And, best of all, weight is the main factor to keep thing bonding together. Visually proof: as the op and grip walk, the concrete board stays still; no wobbling. My only concern is the cable. It might get stuck under the concrete! Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Oh man! Why pay too much for such cable??? I found ton of those for $3.00 at local electronics supply store. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Hail to the man who is always behind his craft! Thanks a lot Jim for the recent supports. Ken Nguyen.

Robin, It's a simple question, but it isn't a simple answer! You need to be more specific about the type of boat you will shoot and the that you will be on (big boat, small boat, speed boat....) And, what kind of water will you be on (lake, river, stream, ocean, ...) And, more! weather condition (windy, high surf, still, high /low current,...) And, even more!!! physical distance between the boats, And, !!! type of shot (tracking, follow, lead,...) And, !!! type of lens uses (tele, wide,...) ..... In a simple and nature friendly case, a hand held shot may looks like a smooth dolly. Gyro will work for some situation but may yields a worse result on speed boat. Soft mount or hard mount may also depends on your swimming skill! (sea sickness also a factor!) Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Hi all, Low-baller = Low skill and/or low artistic mind. 99.5% of the time production get what they pay for. I hate Low-baller; but, I sometime feel happy if one jump in steeling my work by offering low rate! Why? because I know for sure, next time when I'm back, that producer will respect me more. Robert, just make sure you have a solid proof before you public his name and photo. His explanation may help to clear up question. Sometime, we have to look with one eye only so a fellow op can slit pass the border. In the situation when, he or she is in financial trouble. My 2 c, Ken Nguyen.

Hi Stefan, The Elexa has HD-SDI out only; NO SD. I just prepped one last week. Alan Gordon sells the Decimator. It's closed on sat & sunday. But try the emergency cell phone (818) 599-0079 to ask for it. Man, please keep the TB6! Good luck! Ken Nguyen.

Hi all, Sorry for my typo. It should be LINK not Lynx. Ken Nguyen.

Well Ken, it's a good thing that 99% of TV and feature viewers don't have a trained eye then. Sure I can operate wired. But only after I explain to the client that the operating will suffer. Then 9/10 goes for the wireless signal. For me, operating with wire is like a 5.0. Wireless is 10. Hi Lars, Just take it easy man. No offend! I've looking for a better wireless system for quite a long time, since the analogue era. None of us, steadicam ops, want to be wired. And, this post is not taking about wired and wireless operating. My post as well as others is talking about the technical specs of the wireless system; again, nothing to do with operating. So far, LINK (not Lynx, sorry for my mistake as previously posted) and then Boxx are 2 best systems. In case you don't know, or pretending not to know, or trying to hide the fact, the fact is wireless hasn't provide the video resolution as best as wired. Ken Nguyen.

Hi all, We just finished taping (HDcam) a live concert multi-cam in Las Vegas. We used 2 wireless systems for steadicam: Boxx and Lynx. The Lynx gave us a better image than Boxx, so we opted to use Lynx as main unit and Boxx as a backup. When comparing both wireless signals to wired signal, both wireless video signals were not as sharp as the wired signal. Both signal from the same camera fed into the switcher; used vertical and horizontal wipe to compare the signals. Yes, we can cheat the viewer but not a trained-eye person. For me, I say the different is between 8.5 and 10. 10 is the resolution of the wired video signal. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Hi Marty, Don't you think the word "INVENTED" is too much? Is Artemis vest a copy-then-modified of other vests? Is there any other vest that exists before the Artemis and still far more better than it? Yes, not one at least two: PRO and Walter. Ken Nguyen.

Mateo, Interesting set-up! Just wonder why you placed the camcorder too high up! As posted by Lawrence, how could it affect your operating? Also, your wireless antenna should be positioned up instead of horizontal, so it can transmit better signal. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Hi Richard, Did you try a different mag? Is the film B-stock? Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Hi Luiz, Can you up load a video clip of the vibration problem, so we can take a closer look at it? Vibration comes from every parts of system. Make sure to check the battery and monitor mountings also. A photo of the set-up and a video clip will help us to analyze your problem better. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Jason, I would go for the Master arm favoring on the weight capacity side as Alec mentioned. Boom range is nice, but not being used or asked often. Boom range can be cheat easily by temporary bending down your knees or stepping up an apple box. But, for weight capacity, you don't have much choice. Having an arm with less weight capacity is very stressful. An easy job might turn out to be a night mare. Small video camera, Red, HD are light weight!?!!! Yeah! you guy are lucky!!! Wait until the DP bring in big lens, on-camera light, ring light, focus, iris, etc... then you will know how heavy it is! I started with 3A green spring; then went up to gold spring (3 months later); then Master; then Pro (not because of weight capacity). So, invest wise. You have more choice now a day than when I started. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

There is nothing wrong. Dionic HC is 91W. Red brick is 140W, almost 2x Dionic power. So Red brick should run longer than Dionic. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

I would do the followings: - Find the final spot for the camera. - Set the tripod on a hard flat form (wood or ...) - Frame the final shot. - Use spray paint to mark the edges of the flat form on the ground. (also find and record 1 or 2 reference points for the set up) - Mark the tripod legs on the flat form. - Record the focal length, focus of the lens. - Mark & record tripod height. - Mark & record the camera mounting plate. - Mark & record the angle of tilt and pan. Take a few pictures (photo in hi rez) Come back to the 3 weeks or so later, set the camera up using all of the above records. Take a picture; then load it in Photoshop and compare it with the previous photo; readjust the camera if necessary. The picture will be a little different in size and angle from each other, but don't worry, you can align it in Photoshop or After Effect. Try this, take the picture 1 hour later the next time you come to the shoot. For ex: today at 8:00AM; 2 or 3 weeks later at 9:00AM and so on. Then you will have a "whole day time lapse" (sun-rise-to-sun-set) of 27 months. Have fun, Ken Nguyen.

Hi Robert, Try Baer-Bel (here, I go again!) in Germany. Ken Nguyen.

Hi Nic, New part from Tiffen is only $145.00USD (last year price) You won't save much if you try to make one yourself. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Hi Robert, Call Markus (0049 6128 951510) at Baer-Bel (www.baer-bel.de) I think the EFP dovetail plate will fit. I don't work for Markus; just a happy customer. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

How can that be???? This is a first time I hear this story!! Been using V-lock for quite a long time (20years +), dropped once, but from my hand not the mount. The use of battery mount depends a lot from the type of rig and production you are most working in. V-lock is good for lighter rig or light weight set up rig, and most video cameras. AB is best for film camera, HD camera, and RED dues to its higher amperage & heavier in weight. My solution: I use AB mount on my sled and AB to V-lock adapter. I have only V-lock batteries (cheap and light weight). 99% of time, I use production's batteries. Most of the time, those batteries are AB. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.