Mark Karavite

Hi everyone,

I've taken the backing plate off one of my steadicam batteries so I could use the v-lock batteries that we use on the cameras. The job has another couple of months to go, then I'll need to invest in some of my own. Just need some advice on which way to go, AB or V-lock.

Most cameras I work with are v-lock, so it's convenient to go that way, but I hear AB's are great.

Any real world advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Nic

Hey all you generous dudes,

thanks for all the input. Buzz Moyer was kind enough to ship me his idle gyro package to cover my gig. 3 others (Alec, Brooks & Will) reached out as well. Now I am very familiar with what I need to buy for my particular rig. Thanks again & I can't wait to pay it forward.

Hey Erwin,

Thanks for the input. Your first photo was how I was envisioning the gyros working. I like having the gyro on top for many reasons. One, like you explained having equal weight top & bottom. Two, we're working with RED cameras, which are very light, so I need some weight on top. Three, being on a bike / sidecar rig, I can get a lower lens height and stay in normal mode without extra junk hanging under the base with fear of bottoming out.

I'll call Greg and pickup one of his post clamps today. Having a MK-V Nexus base, I'll also have to make a cable to power the inverter from my base, as I'm sure PRO rental gyros have a PRO connector.

I'm curious how much power the gyros take. Do you leave them on all the time, or spin them up before shooting, then let them spin on their own? I imagine using shore power while not shooting to keep gyros up to speed is a good idea. Is that common?

Thanks,

Mark

My inner XCS post is 1 3/4". I checked on PRO's website, and they provide gyro mounts for camera plate, Anton Bauer plate, or PRO post. I do have an additional Anton Bauer plate I can mount directly under the post on the MK-V base, or I could get a post clamp from Greg @ XCS. I'll follow up with PRO in the morning.

Any advice about the best gyro mounting positions for a vehicle rig? I haven't done a lot of gyro work (never had the need much). I was thinking of one gyro sideways on the low mode bracket on top for horizon control. My options on the bottom are a vertical gyro post mounted, or a gyro mounted on the bottom (via Anton Bauer plate). If I mounted one on the Anton Bauer mount on the base, it would not be vertical, but pointing for & aft. Is that less effective than a vertical gyro post mounted?

Thanks,

Mark

Hello,

I may need to rent gyros for a vehicle mount coming up in 1 1/2 weeks. I have a hybrid rig (PRO DB3 & topstage, XCS 2" carbon fiber post & MK-V Nexus battery base) which may cause some compatibility issues.

Any leads or contact information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark

Hey Michael,

Can GPI set you up? I know they have PRO vests for rentals. I own a Klassen, but rented a PRO for a particular shot on a feature where the camera was traveling down a hallway of a trailer that was 26" wide.

Seems like George would take care of you, as is his habit.

BFD's are extremely reliable, robust units. Combined with M1 motors, it's a great option if you don't have the $$ for a Preston or C Motion. Before owning 2 Preston units, I had 2 BFD's with M1 motors for focus & iris capability. I had 1 small problem in 5 years & Jim fixed it fast. Great customer service. Check the for sale forum for used units.

If you want to go all out, several ski goggles can be ordered with your RX. I have a pair of Bolle for skiing (and most recently snowblowing my driveway).

I've discussed the idea of a Steadicam Scale Rate with our regional IA600 BA. In his opinion, he didn't see that ever happening in a negotiation with producers. For Pete's sake, the Operator position isn't even required!

It's up to us to maintain a fair rate for our strenuous work and large investments in equipment. I certainly hope Robert's economics lesson reins true. Let's see that guy who works for 60% of normal rates try to buy the latest gear next time around. It will take time, but in 5 years when his gear is falling apart and he can't afford to fix or upgrade it, he'll get what he deserves.

There aren't too many operators in my part of the country. When I have to turn down a job because I'm not available, you better bet I NEVER recommend the local low ball operators. It's one small way to penalize low ballers, by being black listed from the referral list.

Years ago I DP'd a job that was too involved for me to operate as well. The producers had budgeted for my normal Steadicam rate. They ended up hiring a local operator who has a low rate (I couldn't travel in someone). He quoted his normal low ball rate. At the end of 2 weeks of studio work, I took him aside, thanked him for his efforts and mentioned that he had passed on nearly $13,000 worth of income, and all he had to do was ask for it.

Don't you know it, he still low balls jobs. Some will never learn.

Dear Jerry,

As others have explained, having a detailed spreadsheet of every item owned is a great idea. It could be dangerous not to include lower cost items like cables on your insurance. What if someone walked off with your cable case? I know I own close to $7,000 worth of cables alone. It's not the one item that grows feet your protecting against, it's the catastrophic loss that you need to protect yourself against.

In addition to insuring my equipment at replacement value, I carry $50K of rental insurance (in case I need to sub rent something), and liability insurance. Of course, the gear doesn't leave my shop unless it's covered under production's insurance, but I like the fact that I have secondary insurance, plus everything I own is completely covered while in storage.

Another consideration, even when under production's insurance, is the deductable. I now include language in my agent's deal memo that specifies that production is liable for both covering all equipment, but also any deductables incurred in a claim. I heard of one operator who had significant damage on a show, and the producer stuck him with the deductable, which was $25K.

CYA!

You Dork,

I told you to just take mine while I was there in Detroit

Glad your covered

Steadicam operators are so cool and generous that they actually get pissed if they aren't the ones to give you a free loaner :-)

Thanks Rob, but I didn't have the gig yet when I saw you in the D. Robert beat you to the punch, but your karma is good when you loaned him your RED cable. Pay it Forward!

Peace brotha'.

"We will be using F23's out of Clairmont Camera.

I definitely agree with you about using rental batteries versus your own. I know Dionic HC's are a great choice, but how about Dionic 90's?

Also, as far as the jumper cables go, I'll be looking into those. The budget is tight and production has already laughed off the idea of using a $600/day fiber system. So looks like steadi will be either 1 piece mode with the deck or 2 piece mode with the tri-cable and a grip shadowing me with a backpack. Besides the fiber system this is what Clairmont currently has to offer. I'm prepping in a week and might have some more info then. Are there any other new solutions out there I might not be aware of?"

Hey Nick,

I haven't used the Dionic 90's with these cameras, only Powercubes or Dionic HC's. My gut feeling is that Dionics would be OK for 2 piece mode, but not in 1 piece mode. The Dionic 90's may not even run the F23/SRW-1 combo. Even if it does, your run times would not be very good.

I'd go with at least 2, preferably 3 pairs of 4:4:4 lightweight jumpers. Here's some notes on jumper cables:

1) Call me if you need the cable style that's most flexible. 248-705-4500.

2) Have them make one end male & one end female. This doesn't require a barrel adapter between the jumper & main cable.

3) Try to avoid the backpack & go with a longer cable direct to video village. It becomes a major pain to have a grip shadowing anywhere near you. The backpack actually adds 2 bodies to the "conga line", because the backpack guy usually needs a cable puller as well. Between yourself, your spotter / cable puller, focus puller, boom op, it's crowded enough already.

4) Work with your DIT in prep to test cable lengths he is comfortable running from camera to VTR. I have successfully gone 300' with heavy gauge BNC cable. A 150' run should cover most situations. On the last F23 show, we carried a backpack, but never had to use it.

5) It's worth a discussion in Pre Pro with your DP about when you'll be 1 piece or 2 piece. Especially if there is a lot of Steadicam, you'll want to be 2 piece most of the time to save yourself. Most DP's are cool about this, because it allows you to do your best work for him. Add the bonus of him having HD monitoring hardwired all the time.

6) When you do go 1 piece (I only switch to 1 piece for off speed work), how will the camera be monitored? Either a hardwire jumper or IDX HD Wevi are the 2 main options I've used. In addition to your 4:4:4 jumpers, have 2 lightweight single BNC jumpers made for 1 piece monitoring.

Again, feel free to call me directly if you have any further questions or want to chat.

Best regards,

Mark

Thanks to Robert's generosity, I'm covered for this week.

Thanks,

Mark

Eric brings up an important point about the draw of these cameras. If your post does not have the proper gauge cable for power, then you risk the chance of burning up your post cable. The reason for a Y power cable, in addition to drawing from 2 batteries, is that the PRO lemos are rated at 7 amps, and the camera with a SRW-1 recorder will draw around 11 amps while running.

If you have a PRO, then the Y cable pulls from both the camera power and the aux power, therefore tapping 2 batteries. My rig has a PRO topstage, XCS post & MK-V Nexus battery base. Unfortunately, the Nexus base doesn't feed the aux power on my PRO topstage (even though Howard assured me the Nexus was completely PRO compatible, but that's another story), so my F23/F35?Genesis power cables Y into 2 camera power outputs from my PRO topstage. The Nexus base draws equally from all 3 batteries, so I did get good run times with 3 Powercubes on board.

Some other stuff you'll need:

1) Have the rental house provide batteries for you. Why kill thousands of dollars of your own batteries. I did a F23 feature last year that used The Camera House, and they ended up buying 8 Powercubes for our shoot. See if they still have them. Dionic HC's are a better choice for a PRO base, since it's harder to get a V mount. I don't like using the adapters, as they rattle.

2) Acquire at least 2 sets of lightweight 4:4:4 jumper cables. You will most likely want to run the camera split whenever you can. When we worked with The Camera House gear, they were completely tape free, so no SRW-1 recorder. That solves a lot of power and weight problems for Steadicam, but makes running out and shooting a 2nd unit establishing shot a pain. Also, see if you can get the OB-1 for Steadicam. You'll love it. Get 2 OB-1's, and you can cover Steadicam and 2nd unit at the same time.

3) Check which viewfinders they have with their cameras. The newest Sony viewfinders are OK. The previous version (the one with the flip out LCD option) are horrible. The Camera House didn't have any viewfinder extension brackets, as of summer 2009, so check on that as well.

There are several 3D networks coming online in 2010: ESPN, Direct TV, Discover/Sony and more in Europe. Vince Pace (Cameron's 3D partner in development) has joined forces with NEP to build a complete 3D sports production vehicle. We used custom 3D camera rigs on Steadicam for a Lollapalooza 3D feature, but I don't know if Pace HD/NEP have any Steadicam friendly cameras.

With ESPN 3D starting in July, and touting 85 events in 2010, sports is surely paving the way for 3D TV. We'll see if TV audiences embrace 3D. With smaller screens, the field of view where an acceptable 3D viewing experience is achieved is greatly diminished. Sony, LG & Panasonic all unveiled 3D televisions at CES. Although expensive now, you will be able to view this summers World Cup in 3D / HD.

This current hype on 3D in television is, in my opinion, purely profit driven. With most homes owning HD sets, and therefore sales of HD sets slowing down, the manufacturers are looking for the next upgrade to sell the viewing public, and 3D is it. It's no coincidence that Sony and Panasonic are major sponsors for all of the 3D networks coming out this year.

As operators, 3D savvy will certainly make us more marketable. Get used to a convergence puller next to your focus puller. Maybe it's time to buy another FIZ?

I booked a live gig next week, using a Sony HD / Fiber camera. I haven't bought one of the fiber jumper cables yet, and I doubt I can get one made by Wednesday. Does anyone know if these are available for rental anywhere?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark

Hey folks,

I know many were frustrated in not being able to talk with someone directly at Modular 51. Their website only has an email contact.

After waiting 6 weeks for my new FIZ bag (which is very nice), there is address & phone info on the shipping label, so here it is:

Modular 51

Mark Weinhaupl

3337 Mountain Hwy

North Vancouver, BC V7K2H4

Canada

604-202-2105

I hope they don't mind me giving out this info. I figure if it's on a shipper, it's public knowledge.

Mark

The real value in a HD transmitter is allowing the DP to view HD without the teather. I don't see the value of the 5000. I used a HD Wevi on a concert last weekend. The Director & DP viewed rock solid HD images all night long. That's the future, in a smaller package.

Ditto to what Brooks, BJ, Alec & Neal have stated. Russell works extremely hard on our behalf while never rubbing production the wrong way. In addition to being a valuable business partner, he's become a trusted friend. Even after he's taken his percentage, you're way ahead of where you would have been, & more than just financially.

It's prudent to talk with different agents. I did. Russell's likeability & professionalism is what made my decision easy. It's a decision I have never once regretted.

Mark Karavite, SOC

Hey Richard,

Ooops, hit the wrong button.

I'd buy a set. Great idea.

How many order would you need to make a run?

Mark

Richard,

 

I'm definetly interrested.

 

Great idea!

 

Best

One more photo:

Another photo:

Hello all,

I recently finished a feature shooting on F23's. We were recording to the S2 system, and a given prototype on board flash recorder (OB-1) from S2 to test in a real world application. The OB-1 shows promise of being the answer to many of the on board recording woes we have faced on digital productions. The unit weighs 5 lbs., draws little power & records uncompressed 4:4:4 up to 30 minutes per flash mag at 24fps.

The unit we had was barely a beta test, we joked is was only at the alpha stage. The unit had no ability to record time code or audio, but these items will be part of the OB-1. Ours recorded picture only. Here are some general notes (good & bad) we found with the unit.

Good:

-Size

-Weight

-Balance on the rig

-Low power consumption

-Recording time (30 min. @ 4:4:4)

-Image quality (4:4:4 uncompressed)

-Ability to go completely wireless (with Wevi or similar)

-VTR - like controls allow simple operation

-Integrates into S2 workflow

-Mounts for all popular digital cameras

-Dual link BNC input

Needs Improvement:

-Too much wiggle in dovetails, both on camera mount & flash mag mount.

-No connection for remote stop/start via FIZ or other wireless unit

-The OB-1 needs a docking station for downloading mags. We had to use the unit itself. S2 is working on this.

-The only way we had to verify files (check the gate) was when we downloaded the scenes into the main S2 recorders. There needs to be a quick & reliable gate check on the OB-1.

-Dual link BNC connectors & cables are the weak link in possible recording issues. They had to go with this universal connection to work with various camera bodies, but it was the cause of the only problems we experienced.

-Frame rate options. The entire S2 system only records 24, 30 or 60. Variable frame rates & ramping would be a plus.

-No LUT's outputted from the OB-1. S2 D mags output LUTs on monitor output. OB-1 would require dedicated LUT box.

Overall, I loved flying the OB-1. Like many, I normally flew the F23 / Genesis split with a battery on the back for ballast. The OB-1 put the nodal point of the camera directly over my post when flying a DigiPrime, and slightly behind the post with a DigiZoom. I was able to loose the cable while recording full quality uncompressed 4:4:4. There is no comparison to flying a SRW-1 on board. The OB-1 would work for everyone, and that's just not the case with the SRW-1.

I have not flown the SSR-1, so no basis for comparison there. S2 tells me there is a significant difference between uncompressed dpx files vs. compressed HDCAM SR tape (even in 4:4:4 mode) when comparing film outs and compositing. I'm sure Sony would have a different spin on that, but the SRW-1 does compress the image, and the SSR-1's workflow is to dump the flash mags to the SRW-1 tape, so you are compressing the image either way you record.

I will report back when I hear from S2 when this unit will be widely available. It will require a leap into the tapeless world, which most producers would embrace. We worked in a hybrid mode, cabling the cameras to the S2 D Mag recorders for conventional mode & cranes, and using the OB-1 for Steadicam, handheld and some splinter unit work. We only had 1 unit, so we didn't have a choice, but I imagine the hybrid approach would still work well on a 2 camera show carrying 2 OB-1's. The OB-1 did give more work to our data capture engineer, but we discussed that workload going to the data wrangler in the future. He agreed, but just wanted to keep his eye on the OB-1 footage, being a prototype.

Best regards,

Mark

Hey Keith,

Neither of the batteries you are considering are "high draw" batteries. Only the PowerCubes and the soon to be delivered Dionic HC's will handle the demands of both digital cinema cameras and 435 high speed.

Although you can get the Swit's or comparable for a bit cheaper, if they don't work on many of today's popular cameras, then you may be better served spending a bit more for a high current battery. Both the PowerCubes and the Dionic HC's are very similar, so the decision really comes down to your mounts and chargers, & buying what is compatible.

Food for thought!