Ken Nguyen

Hi all, Personally, I found the rig is a total waste of money! I've been doing handheld for years. I tried using the rig for a few months and ended up sold it in ebay. The rig has a very limited use for handheld work. Most of the time, handheld is called because there is no access for other camera support systems. The main purpose of the rig is to distributing the load down to your leg. And only good when camera is on the shoulder. If this is what you want, a monopod is cheaper, and more stable (yet, no load onto your body). Dues to the configuration of the rig, the cable is attached to the camera handle not the film plane. So tilt, roll, dutch shots won't look good or won't work. Booming up and down is very limited. You might find that the rig is ruining your shot also. Combined move or complicated shot such as boom then dutch then pan etc. (typical handheld style) is very challenging if using the rig. The camera is hanging in front of you. So, for low angle shot - lower than the shoulder shot, as you bend down to look into the viewfinder, the post bends with you. You have to bring the camera closer to your body. At this point, the cable of the rig acts as another force that pulls the camera away from you. Your hands need to counter it. And, you still need to carry most of the load of the camera with your hands. Those are just a few examples! Thing, doesn't work for me, doesn't mean it won't work for other. Ken Nguyen.

It's scary!!! Assuming that the flat form is strong for the whole weight. He didn't wear a proper protective cloth. The knee pads doesn't work in this case. It seems like he following a moving car. Look at the road surface! Without a face shield.... man oh man! What if the rear wheels of the being chased car shoot back some small rocks? And... the sand on both sides of the road! and... the flying bugs!! Notice that, he stood in front and partially blocking the driver view. Then while chasing the driver might go: "Hey, you, you blocking my view..." then the driver shifted left and right to clear his view while driving and yelling.... then to some instance he didn't notice that he's too close to the being chased car.... FADE TO BLACK. :huh: :huh:

Hi Ramon, Sorry to learn your problem. I may think differently from some of you about this situation. You have to pay for the rental of another unit and the cost of the shipping as well as any personnel expense to delivery the replacement. Sound so rude!! But that is the nature of the business. The ex-producer was right. We charge our client rental fee for our system - not cheap, $500aday min. and also accessory rentals on the side) That means we rent our system to them. If any part is gone bad or broken which is not related to accident on the set or abuse by the operator (whom are us!), then we have to fix or replace it ASAP. The delay of the production dues to our faulty equipment is also our responsibility. These policies are not new. It's part of a basic rental agreement. * If you rent a car and it is broken on the road, what are you going to do with the car rental company? What do you think the rental company should do for you? Back to your problem, I would pay for everything to secure my ticket for future works with them. Beside, it is income tax deductible! I have a second arm as a back up to deal with this situation. When travel outside USA, I always bring along my backup system (modified SK) You are still lucky; Mexico is not too far. It has no tough travel restriction law. Some country likes Vietnam, you need to apply for a Visa. This takes at least 3days to be granted (in case of emergency only) my 2 cents! Fly safe, Ken Nguyen.

Hi Andrew, I don't think it is HD-SDI LCD A HD-SDI HD LCD monitor is very expensive (>$2500USD) It's impossible to have a HD-SDI monitor + the Flyer = that price! I think they try to say it is a high resolution HDTV monitor. And I don't think that LCD has a SD-SDI input neither. Cheers, Ken Nguyen.

Hi Ed, Did you try to open the monitor and check at the back end of the connector? If you are lucky, the connector has a cold or broken soldering. Try to test it by using alligator clips to clamp directly to the cable connected to the connector. Good luck! Ken Nguyen.

hi Jay, likes Chris stated, no need for the stand to be level. But if you want, then try these steps. Bring along a shovel, a military folded portable one if you can find. An old fabric bag. Dig the holes for the stand, you need only two to make the stand near level. Find 3 pieces of small logs to reinforce the leg from digging down to the ground. Put the soil into the bag and use it as the sand bag to secure your stand. Make sure to bring along a bottle of mosquito/insect repellent. A machete is also very handy! Walk through the area before the shot with a stick. Look for holes, branches, and chase away .... snake if you have to! Fly safe, Ken Nguyen.

Hi LA, Try these: -Professional Shurtape Gaffer Tape P-672 Cold Weather from filmtools. or. - 3M Cold Weather Tape I used both of these in Iowa; worked as it stated. Ken Nguyen.

Hi Mike, I think you have the "steady shot" function ON. Most consumer video camcorders have this feature. The jitter is most likely the result of this digital stabilizing correction. Hope this help! Ken Nguyen.