Katerina Kallergis

*Valiant

Valient Knight of the Green Screen noun. A person that is always thinking of ways to improve the craft by improving/ creating gear and/or by helping others.

Magic Seeker noun. A person that buys the newest and latest gear thinking it'll improve their operating. When it doesn't, they blame the gear.

Steadihacknoun.A person that buys a rig and uses it but lacks the respect for the craft and intellect behind it. They never try to improve their operating while delusionally calling themselves a Steadicam Operator.

Right. Not to mention a long day with a long arm post means really angry traps. I know because I've been there.

I guess that all depends on how short you are and how high you need to go. But yes, I often use a long arm post. Arm posts longer than 12" are frowned upon, based on strength. I'll try to raise to socket block maybe but really how much does that gain if your torso isn't all that long. Depending on the height one needs, one may need to do one or the other or a combo. My point is being dead set on one set up is limiting to what one can achieve as an operator. Personally, I think it makes one less versatile in a world where shots are never the same.

I myself prefer a short rig but will change that based on what is needed within the majority of a shot. So, if I need the lens at a higher or lower height I will change that to a longer rig. Danny, take advice from the guy with more experience and who actually wrote the book on Steadicam, contributed to Steadicam with multiple inventions and who has devoted decades of his life to teaching Steadicam Operating to thousands of people across the globe. My two cents.

Trenton, Best bet for what you are looking for is the SOA workshops. https://steadicam-ops.com/ Multiple instructors for 5 full days of intensive Steadicam lectures and shot rotations. They start from complete basics moving to more complicated work later in the week. They all care deeply about the art and sharing their knowledge. It's where I learned and have participate in ever since (when I can...work can get in the way) -Kat

I totally understand your desire to practice the new skills you've been taught but right now the money you'd spend on that could go somewhere more useful. I'd also be wary of any product that shows operators using their rig in bad form, lol. Definitely save your money for flying something like the Alexa. Lots of used big rigs for sale now.

I personally like the longer handle because I have more clearance for viewing my monitor.

Brandon, Alec is no good. Stay away. Kidding of course. Alec is one of the first Steadi Ops I met in NY. He is a great person and an amazing resource to our community. Alec, Brandon did very well at the workshop and he brought good energy to his group. An absolute pleasure! Overall the group we had was superb, not a single dud!

I just bought an m2 with volt and love it. If a new rig out of your budget there are some used rigs for sale on here that will handle a heavier load that you'd be very happy with. I believe I saw a clipper and a pro for sale in the marketplace. As far as working tethered, why are there three cables being dragged behind you at a News station? Generally, even if an older station they'd run triax which should only mean one large cable and you'd add your own flexible jumper cable that would go from the camera to yourself then to the main cable. Same thing with SMPTE. Please tell me you have a utility running the cable(s) with you.

That statement is truly is a disservice to your instructors. Anyone can be great at a skill but not anyone can teach that skill. Of course, it is up to you to practice with purpose after your lessons are done.

Check out in the market place. There's one there. Very recent post. Updated 6 hours ago.

"Undercutting" comes naturally early in your career. You do not have the experience quite yet to be charging what experienced ops charge. Make sure production knows why though, as you don't want them having high expectations. Also, don't take a gig if you aren't ready for it. Word travels fast which can either work against you or for you. Best of luck and you have us all for information and help. Also, nothing against Greg but taking a SOA workshop will also work in your favor. Many experienced ops to learn from, giving you exposure to different techniques from different people. Discover what works or doesn't work for you. You will develop your own style in time, generally a combo of what you have learned from the various instructors. Any questions, feel free to ask.

I hear these are super cheap. Charles, not sure about the latency though. We'd have to test it out.

It seems impossible (to me) to adjust the socket block with the weight on the arm. Usually, you can lean the arm closer to you or in the rest position to do this but in this configuration I did not find a comfortable sweet spot to make the adjustment happen. Also, it does manage to put the rig in the usual position but not much beyond it. So when starting a move toward that direction it is limited.

Out of curiosity, I tried this yesterday. I found it very difficult to put on the arm by myself, and even if I were efficient I would not be able to do it nearly as quickly as the front mount. Also, I found it would be difficult to fine tune the adjustments on the socket block with the arm on. There was no good sweet spot to lean to. It felt very different with more weight on my right shoulder (operating regular) and the vest got crooked with the weight being at the back. My footprint also felt much larger than when front mounted. Even so, interesting to try and to each their own. This one just isn't for me. lockquote widget

If they were selling a new rig for $30k, what year was that? In 2008, new rigs were much more expensive than they are today. That being said, it really may not be as good as you think it is. Of course there is more to look at in a rig but how's the gimbal? That's a huge factor. If you can't do it yourself, have the seller send you a video of it statically balanced on a 3-4 sec drop time and pointed in one direction then 180 degrees pointed in the other direction. What happens? If it doesn't stay balanced, that's enough to tell you it's no good. With no one around to service it, stay away. I'd stick to a used rig by a good company. Same test applies but if it isn't good, they can service it. Have you taken a workshop yet? Learning under someone? Self taught? How long? And everything Alec already asked. You have a friend in me... and pretty much everyone else here on the forum. -Kat

Justin, Your question is one that I think most of us have asked ourselves before diving in. If it really interests you, do it! It's better to pursue this with passion than anything else. I'll second what Alec said about the workshop. It will cost you money but it's a great investment and amazing experience in itself. I'd also buy a well-taken care of, used rig rather than a knockoff brand. -Kat

Hi Kevin, What rig and arm are you working with? Everyone has their way of doing things. Try this. Super light touch with your operating hand when keeping your frame. If the rig is balanced correctly trust that it will stay that way with out you overcompensating with your operating hand. Arm hand can be as firm as you like. Footsteps should roll. Not flat feet of course. I operate regular. Walking forward I tend to have very short strides. Rolling from my left heel to my toe and then onto the outside of my right foot rolling onto my right heel. Then back to my left foot and so on. Backwards, it is simply rolling from my toes to my heels. Harder to explain than to physically show this sort of thing. I hope what I wrote is clear. If not, please let me know.

Welcome. What would you like to know?

I am very sorry for my delayed response. I will be much more active on the forum and have found a way to make it quick access from my phone. Something I use far more often than my computer. To your question, I much prefer having the gimbal as close to the top stage as possible. Try it both ways. Do the same shot and same movements, especially a big tilt, to see for yourself what you like. I believe you will come to like having the gimbal closer to the top stage. Much more control this way. Less chance of vibration from outside forces and a smaller arc on your tilts. Now there may be times that need to have the longer post. For example, I am very short and it would be another way to get the lens higher. I hope this helps you. Although I am sure Garrett has already explained it much better than I have.

Patrick, Please please do NOT become dependent on the Volt. If you have as much passion as you seem to have (referring to your first post on this thread) you should learn to be a good Steadicam Operator without it. You seem to have great respect for Garrett and Jerry and the entire world of Steadicam, to learn without using the volt (as they had and most of us had to) would be a great way to express that respect, IMHO. Your fellow op, - Kat