Mark Karavite

I guess a gimball mounted controller would still be classified as a remote focus control, but Jeff points out the bigger subject here. It's not right to put assistants out of work on what has always been a standard position on the crew. I understand that some lower budget jobs try to get away without a focus puller. Have you pushed as far as possible to get an assistant on the job? Let me guess, these are the same people offering $800 for an operator with gear! We hurt ourselves, and our craft when we agree to work undermanned and underpaid. I know that newer operators are eager to gain work and experience, but this undercutting is not well thought out. If you work for say $800 a day, do you ever expect to get $1800 a day out of that same producer? You have set a bad precedent that will hurt your earning potential down the road, and cost you more than you ever made working for a low rate. Just a comparison. I needed a plumber at the house the other day, and he charged me $90 per hour. He could have learned to make that repair in a few months, and probably carried a few thousand dollars in tools. With huge investments in time, effort, money and physical strain on our bodies, aren't we worth a little more than my plumber friend? Food for thought, Mark Karavite Steadicam Owner / Operator mkaravite@comcast.net

I shoot a lot of HD, so I hope these tips are helpful: 1) As wisely stated before, work with the rental house to get you the right downconverter for the camera you are using. Either way, you need to convert from the cameras HD outuput (they are different with different cameras) to a NTSC signal for your sled. It's worth 1/2 a day to go to the rental house and test everything. Here are some common camera body / downconverter combinations: Sony F900/3: The miranda is the best option for this body. Along with outputting SD, you can get safe action framelines, 16x9, or letterbox signal all out of one unit. Some of these units require that a brick battery be mounted to power them (I think the Everts is like this). Since you wont want to carry a brick on the camera, Anton Bauer makes a brick plate with a 4 pin adapter on it. This adapter replaces the battery, and allows you to power the camera from your sled, and still have accessory power as if a brick were on the camera. Handy adn cheap. Panasonic Varicam: This camera outputs HD-SDI. AJA makes a small box that downconverts to SD. Make sure you have the correct cable to power the downconverter, you will want to mount it somewhere on the camera. Sony F950 & HDC950: These are fiber cameras, so you'll have to deal with a cable. The good news is that your DIT can have a downconverter at his station, and send you a SD signal down the fiber cable. 2) Discuss the job with the DP ahead of time. Besides the normal questions, ask about monitoring and possible iris pulls. Some DIT's will inform the DP that they need an unweildy paintbox cable to perform these tasks. A better situation for the Steadicam Op is to have HD monitoring during lighting and rehearsals, and then monitor via Modulus for the shot. Remind them that they have been looking at poorly transmitted video tap images on film shoots for years, and have had great results. Attach a second lens motor for iris pulls. I use a BFD, and it works very well. 3) Talk to the assistant regarding lens support. Make sure they have lightweight rods and matte box. Some HD setups require an Arri sliding baseplate, and you don't want to carry that all day. Also, if using a video zoom, check which lens the shot requires. The HD wide angle zooms (both video and cine style) are smaller than the longer zooms, and the focal range is better suited for Steadicam. 4) HD cameras are power hungry. NiCads are useless. I fly a single Hytron 120, and get over 2 hours of use per battery. Lithium Ion batteries work well also, but avoid 50w, and get 90w like Dionics or Pag 95's. I did an HD job with 3 Dionics on board, and the rig balanced well, and had power to spare. 5) HD cameras (except HDV) are long and narrow. This translates into increased panning inertia. It takes more to get the camera panning, and more to stop it. You need to anticipate talent movements better, because there is a lag in reaction time for quick pans. 6) If you are shooting sync sound with a camcorder, find out how they plan on recording audio. Most producers will want primary audio on the original tapes. I have done wireless hops to the camera for audio recording, with the sound man recording a timecode DAT backup. There are brackets that video ENG guys use that mount to the anton bauer battery bracket. One trick is to mount the bracket backwards, so the wireless audio recievers are basically in the postion where the battery would have been. This balances the camera better, and keeps the receivers from bumping into your shoulder or the wall. Flying HD cameras is getting better, but the inherent problem is that the camera body is not designed for production, so some problems are unavoidable. Vince Pace (who works with Jim Cameron) has made a very cool camera body. He took the optical block of a F950, and put it into a custom carbon fiber camera body. Also housed in the body are electronics for fiber optic cable output to the camera's main electronics, and a Prestion FIZ receiver with standard FIZ connectors. All this weighs in at around 25 lbs with a prime. Besides dealing with a lightweight fiber cable (no power in it), Vince has a brilliant designe for Steadicam, and HD in general. Good luck, Mark Karavite Steadicam Owner / Operator mkaravite@comcast.net

Late last year I attempted to get an FBX for demo. This was right before the Marell unit came available. I wired funds to FBX in late November for units that were "in stock". I finally cancelled the order after waiting 5 weeks for a unit that was never delivered. After several emails and phone calls, I finally received a refund for the full amount, over 2 months after cancelling the order. Now I am not interested in bad mouthing anybody, these are simply the facts of my experience. I gave Ben Fisher the benefit of the doubt that there may have been extenuating circumstances with my order, but his time frame was unacceptable to me. It seems that FBX has some interesting products, but I think as big an issue with purhcasing gear (besides products) is simple customer service. We own proprietary equipment, and there is not alot of back up gear available to us. We rely on our vendors to react instantly to any equipment issues we might have. I think people like George Paddock, Greg Bubb and Jim Bartell set the bar very high in customer service (as it should be). I wish other companies would follow their example of excellent products AND excellent customer service. I ended up with the Marell bubble. It fit my budget. I am very happy with it, and the service that I have received from Marell has been great. I never had the chance to compare the Marell to the FBX. They seem like very similar products, with the XCS bubble being the standard. Bottom line, do some homework on a company before buying their gear. Other operators are very helpful in giving you input on how companies have serviced them in the past. Mark Karavite Steadicam Owner / Operator mkaravite@comcast.net

Dear Paul, No hard feelings, my posting was poking fun at myself. I guess timing is everything. I'm glad that operators have a chance to get more of these Steadicam friendly batteries. Best regards, Mark Karavite

Dear THX, I think what you will find, is that there is NO way to pull focus on a Steadicam without a remote system. If 50' of film can change the delicate balance of a rig, what will a hand (or a cable for a manual focus system) do to the shot. Bad news. Your idea of finding focus on a CU, and then shooting, is also not practical. The very nature of Steadicam is to adjust frame size with camera movement, therefore changing distance. I think the only way you could get away without a remote focus is outside with a deep stop, and very wide. The good news is that you don't have to spend $30K for a focus system. You can get into a single Bartech BFD with one motor and cables for under $5000, and that's new. You can see used systems on this forum occasionally. If you can't afford that, rent a system when you need it. I don't mean to sound discouraging, I'd just hate to see you fail on a production because you were experimenting with an approach to focus that simply won't work. Don't ever under estimate the importance of a good focus puller on Steadicam, it can be one of the most demanding camera platforms for focus. Even on those TV jobs, push to have a focus puller with you, if there is not a qualified AC on the job. They may cry about the additional rate up front, but once you dazzle them with dramatic footage (that is sharp) they'll forget about the few hundred bucks. Good luck, Mark Karavite Steadicam Owner / Operator mkaravite@comcast.net

Besides EBay and Anton Bauer NAB B Stock, check on Mandy.com I found an AB Quad charger on Mandy for a great price, and I didn't have to go through the hassle of the EBay auction. Mark Karavite

I have been operating since 1986, although not full time (I DP as well), but always with heavy cameras. Early in my career, it would be a challenge to see how long I could operate for. I soon learned the value of minimizing the sled time on set. The cumulative effects over the years will have an effect on your body, both for good and bad habits. A few tips for longevity: 1) Rest every chance you get. Even in your sled, keep it on your shoulder until it's time to go. Garrett showed us a great trick at the Workshop in Maine, when the AD asks if your ready (even when you know he's not), have your arm in your gimbal, just ready to pull the sled out of the docking bracket, but don't pull it, he'll walk away to bug somebody else. Also, have your assistant carry the sled back to 1, especially on long moves. This gives you a chance to chat with the DP about any changes on the way back, while getting a break. 2) Make friends with the AD. A good AD knows that you should be the last one to suit up and go, but some AD's need a little help in this area. Let him know at the start of the day what you require, and diplomatically point out the benefits for him in keeping you fresh. 3) Keep good posture and technique. There is a tendancy to loose technique as fatigue sets in. This is the time where your technique matters the most. Not only will you have better endourance, but your shots will benefit. 4) Consider a back mounted harness. I bought one last year. My first job was a 3 day music video, culminating in a live concert at the end of the 3rd day. I had done several concerts in my old 3A vest, and would wake up pretty stiff the next morning. With the Klassen harness, I popped out of bed the next day, and could have done another show. 5) Stay in shape. Core muscles and leg strength are the keys to being able to handle longs days in the sled. Leg strength is more crucial with a back mounted harness. Pick your poison, but I have discovered Pilates in the last 2 years, and my back has never felt better. There are many great operators of different sizes and shapes, but I guaranty the ones who last will be in shape. Don't be discouraged by injuries, they happen. Peter Abraham is a perfect example of a guy who would let breaking his back stop his Steadicam career. I have had 2 injuries (non Steadicam related) that have each kept me out of Steadicam work for a year. Both times I have used Steadicam as a motivating factor to rehab and get my ass back into the game. You don't know how much you love it until you can't do it. Just my $.02 Mark Karavite

Dear Thomas, Thanks for those links, they have a ton of info. It looks like Thermodyne does have the most selection of sizes. Thanks, Mark Karavite Steadiam Owner / Operator mkaravite@comcast.net

Dear Anton Bauer, Last December I built a new rig. I searched the world for 6 dead proformers, found them from 4 different sources, had them all recelled, and now I can get them new, ARRRRGH! No hard feelings, just blowing off some steam! Mark Karavite Steadicam Owner / Operator mkaravite@comcast.net

Hey Alec, You have confirmed my fear of taking the battery cage on and off regularly, I never felt good about that option. I have searched the web high and low for a waterproof, Pelican style case that would suit my needs. It seems that Pelican and Storm are the only real players making those kind of cases, and none of their standard specs meet my needs. I did find some music case makers, but again, no match to my dimensions. Does anyone know of another manufacturer? My sled is 29" tall, and that is the max length on both Pelican 1600's and similar Storm cases. If I move into the longer rifle cases, they are not wide enough for the 14 1/4" from the back of the D Box3 to the front of the BFD. Plus the rifle cases are only 5" to 6" deep. Since we have similar sleds, we have similar case woes. I am trying hard to avoid the massive, heavy sled case. Right now, I don't see any option but to go with a custom wood / fiberglass style case, and keep it as small as possible. I'm going to keep searching a bit more, but I think my chances of finding a plastic case are getting slim. I'll let you know what I find out. Regarding vest and arm cases, I have both. I have Walter's leather case for my harness, and a Rock Steadi padded arm case (very nice). These work great for around town. I do still have a ATA style case for shipping (it's a monster, but it's safe) that holds both harness and arm. Walter says people ship his harnesses all over in the leather bags with no problem, but I'd rather have it gorilla proof at the airport. Looks like my dream of all lightweight, matching Pelicans may be just a dream. I'm just trying to keep the sherpa side of the business less stressful on the body than actual operating! Mark Karavite Steadicam Owner / Operator mkaravite@comcast.net

I am looking into shipping cases for my new sled. I have a bit of a Frankenrig with a PRO DB3, XCS 2" carbon post (with PRO connectors) and a MK-V Nexus base. I wanted a Pelican 1650, but my sled assembled is a bit too long. I was considering removing the battery base so everything could fit into the Pelican. My main concern is removing the PRO connector on such a regular basis, would this cause any problems? My other option is a wood / fiberglass case, but I was hoping to lighten up the load a bit. Any input from PRO owners would be appreciated. Thanks, Mark Karavite Steadicam Owner / Operator mkaravite@comcast.net

I'm sitting at McCarren airport wating for the red eye home from NAB. I spent a bit of time in the Tiffen booth, and first of all, I must say that the 30th Anniversary celebration was a well deserved tribute to Garrett. When complimented on his longevity and ingenuity, he simply answered in his best Monty Python voice "Well I aint dead yet!". Maybe his genious is only surpassed by his sense of humor. After a brief speech from Garrett, a custom Segway (with no handles) was revealed, and Michael O'Shea mounted it with a lightweight rig for the maiden Segway / Steadicam voyage. I did fly the new G-50 arm. The first impressive point is the boom range, I think it's around 32 inches of travel, and much smoother than previous iso elastic arms. I don't fly an iso elastic arm, mainly because I thought they were stiff through the boom range, compared to other arms. I thought a heavier payload would be attractive, and it may be in the works. Dan Kneece spent a lot of time with the arm on Tuesday, so hopfully we'll hear his comments. Tiffen also had the new Klassen GB Dual harness. For those who haven't seen it, it's similar to a Universal, but they have added a front mounted socket block to the front door of the harness. Two requirements for this addition are a metal hinge on the side getting the socket block, and Walter has reinforced the carbon fiber on the whole harness. I asked Walter if my Universal (built last year) could handle the forces of the front mounted socket block, and he said he would have to run some tests back at the shop before he knew the answer. Garrett thought that existing Universal & Traditional harnesses (with the new front) could be reinforced. I could see this being very useful for shots that require a narrower footprint. I was considering buying a used front mounted vest for those situations. I'll wait to hear what Walter has to say. Howard did have a working Alien at the MK-V booth. It was my first look at it, and it was more compact than I had envisioned. The automatic levelling of the camera and monitor seemed very smooth. Howard was executing some very interesting shots with the rig. It certainly has a learning curve for operating. Even with a light video camera and a back mounted harness, most operators agree that it is strenuous to operate. This seems mainly due to the need to operate further away from the body than normal. Lot's of other cool stuff at the show, but we'll keep it to Steadicam topics here. Mark Karavite Steadicam Owner / Operator

Dear Gus, Just a few tips for live shows: It's good advice to get a triax adapter. I had one of the Tiffen units that mounts to the chest spar on your vest, and I had a lot of problems with it. The cables constantly had intermittent problems, and it is very expensive. Fred Davis at Production Cable Services has a nice lightweight triax cable for less than $300. Make sure you put a saftey loop on your back somewhere to protect the connector on your cable, and put the stress on the truck's cable. Buy a tally light. Peter Abraham makes a well designed tally light that is cheap, I think around $100. It's important to know when your "Hot". You'll never see the camera's tally while operating. Plan your battery changes. Look at the show's schedule and find the appropriate time to swap batteries. If your not sure, swap them early. Let your Director know ahead of time when you plan on swapping batteries. Order a wireless headset ahead of time. If you use the camera's headset, you'll have another cable to deal with, in addition to the traix. Also, bring earplugs for your ear if you use a single muff headset. Check out the volume on the headsets, especially for concert work. Sometimes the engineers can give you more volume, or order David Clark headsets if the shoot is really loud. It's like wearing a vice on your head, but you can hear. Work with your cable puller during rehearsals. Make sure he/she knows exactly where you need to go with the rig. Add cable drops for spots you can't easily get to with a tether. Sometimes you need 2 cable pullers, one with you, and another off to the side feeding him cables. Also determine if your cable puller is worthwhile as a spotter. A good spotter can really help keep you safe. I was in the 3rd hour of straight operating on a concert, & during the encore, I nearly stepped right off the stage. Fatigue will wreak havoc on your concentration. The spotter saved my ass, and drank free beer that night. Forget the pain, go with the zen, and have a safe shoot. Mark Karavite Steadicam Owner / Operator Michigan mkaravite@comcast.net

Dear Jamie, Now that you've had it for a while, what's your opinion of the Hummingbird in extremely low light situations? Does it change much in off axis viewing? I am waiting to see the MK-V version of that monitor, but I understand it is the same image as yours, with some different features. Love to hear your input. Thanks, Mark Karavite

Forget the Steadicam equipment, where do you get those cool wetsuits? Those would come in handy for spring water skiing in Michigan. But seriously, I don't see any rigging holding you on the jet ski. What did you use to stay on the watercraft? Mark Karavite

Dear Rob, I know that I had posted earlier that I would be interested in one of your DV / practice cages, and I was in no particular hurry for it. Wouldn't you know it that, I have a job in 10 days where we are going to go back and forth between a 435, and a DVX-100 / Mini 35 / Ultra Prime setup. I've never flown a DV cam, so I'm glad to have a real lens on the setup. Under these time constraints, I had to employ my machinist to fabricate a cage. I'm sorry if you were counting on my order for the next round. I'm sure you'll have plenty of takers. Regrettably, Mark Karavite

Hey Alec, Is that your shiny new Universal harness I see in those pix? Very Nice! Having shot a few 3D projects, even subtle differences in focus between the cameras would have compromised the 3D effect significantly. You were right to set it and forget it. It's too bad that those little cameras don't allow for true focus control. Selective focus (and depth of field) should not be an option. I'm sure you saw many opportunities where it would have come in handy. Let us know where we can see the footage in 3D. How will it be displayed? Best regards, Mark Karavite

I'm looking for an ICBM battery monitor. New, used, broken, it doesn't matter. Please contact me at: Mark Karavite Steadicam Owner / Operator 248.618.9000 mkaravite@comcast.net

Dear Rob, If I could have the cage in my hands within 2 months, that would be fine. Sign me up! Please contact me directly for any specific information you might need, and give me an idea of $$ in USD with shipping. Thanks, Mark Karavite mkaravite@comcast.net

Dear Rob, I'd be interested in one of your DV/practice cages. I discussed making one with my machinist, but frankly, I'd rather save the R&D time needed to do it right, and buy yours. I really don't fly DV cameras, but I could use a better practice cage, and you never know when someone will ask you to fly DV, and I'd like to be able to say yes. Let me know what your timetable is. I think a couple hundred $$ or so is certainly a fair price. I'd be more concerned about how long it would take to get the necessary orders for the next batch, and shipping times. If it is going to be a long time until the next batch, would you consider selling the schematic? Good ideas are worth something. Let me know. Best regards, Mark Karavite Steadicam Owner / Operator mkaravite@comcast.net

I recently put together a new sled. I bought Walter's Universal harness, and I must say that overall, I love it. I have no doubt the improved comfort and lower fatigue will add years to my career. One issue (that I'm sure all back mounted harness owners experience) is the larger footprint of a back mounted harness. In the short time I've had the rig, I have found that the elbow of the arm is more of a culpret for clearance than the harness's low profile arm. As the arm comes off the socket block, it actually angles away from the sled a bit (to the right on my rig), and then back to the gimbal. It's a very different angle than off a front mounted vest. Because I have the longer ergo handle, this accentuates the elbow of the arm being a few inches further out. I've also found that, because of the angle of the arm coming back to the gimbal, the gimbal and lower section of the arm naturally are in line with each other. On my front mounted vest, the arm and gimbal were much closer to my body. I've found that the gimbal is now more of an obstruction is seeing the monitor than before. I am getting used to viewing the monitor around the gimbal, but the clearance issue will certainly take more practice. I was curious how other operators are dealing with less clearance through tight quarters. Any comments or techniques on clearing tight doorways would be interesting to hear. Walter and I spoke about possibly modifying either the socket block, or the arm to help keep the arm within the normal width of the operator. I think many would benefit from such a modification. Comments? Mark Karavite Steadicam Owner / Operator mkaravite@comcast.net

Bob, I just bought a new Modulus 3000 for $1900, plus a hundred bucks per PRO cable x2. I'm not sure what the used market will bear, but it depends on it's condition. As far as checking it out, if you can feed it 12v through one of your cables, and feed it a video signal (via a camcorder is easy enough) you could transmit to a TV to verify that it is working. I'd have bought it from you used if it was a month ago. I'm sure you'll have no problem selling it quickly if it works well, for a fair price. Good luck. Mark Karavite

Following items have sold: 1) 1 1/2" gorelock 2) Hill Vehicle mount 3) 24" spin balance arm Items 4, 5 & 6 still available. All reasonable offers considered. Best regards, Mark Karavite 248-618-9000 office 248-705-4500 cell mkaravite@comcast.net

Dear Mark, Having recovered from a few surgeries myself over the past 2 decades, you are well served to let yourself heal. I understand the urge to get back in the saddle ASAP, but there is plenty of time to abuse your body later on. A couple of hints. When you do return, be careful lifting your cases. Sometimes hefting a sled or battery case can do more damage than when you are suited up. Also, when I was recovering, I'd just tell calling clients that I was booked. No sense in loosing possible future work because a producer is paranoid about worker's comp issues on his set. When your doctor clears you to work, don't neglect training those muscles that have been idle for several weeks. I blew my knee out 10 years ago, and thanks to an aggressive rehab schedule (that I still do), I credit that injury to making me stronger today than if the injury had never happended. Best of luck, Mark Karavite Steadicam Owner / Operator

After putting together a new sled, I have a few items for sale, all in excellent condition. Following items for sale individually: 1) 1 1/2" Gorelock docking bracket with 2 post rings (this does not include the Hill bracket). $375 (new list $570) 2) Hill Vehicle Mount including: arm socket, mitchell base & speedrail mounts. $650 (new list $940) 3) 24" spin balance arm (this goes with the Hill Vehicle Mount, no use on it's own) $100 (new list $225) 4) Hill Handle for low mode (used once, then I bought an ergo handle from XCS) $50 (new list $89) 5) PCI optical relay. Used for mounting video tap to Arri 16mm or 35mm viewfinders. $975 (new list $1500) 6) Sony XC77 video tap camera with cable (works with above PCI optical relay) $700 (new list $1180) Please call or email with any questions. Mark Karavite 248-618-9000 office 248-705-4500 cell mkaravite@comcast.net