Anthony Hardwick

I didn't want to make any assumptions about the possibility of stolen gear (or insinuate that that might be the case), but it is my policy to always check serial numbers with the original manufacturer before purchasing a used product - especially if I don't know the seller. That's why I mentioned that the poster should post the serial number/numbers of the items for sale.

Erwin, It's Yada (or yadda) yada yada! Anthony ;) You know I'm just ribbing you.... I know it's hard to translate through 4 languages. I mean I imagine it would be... I'm still struggling with English.

One dollar and 30 cents?? I'll take it! Just kidding. You may want to include a little more detail regarding what you are selling exactly, as is one handset, one receiver, one motor (and type or brand), specific bracketry and cables, etc. Also serial numbers. Any prospective buyer will want to know this stuff anyway, so save yourself the hassle of writing 10 emails to people in order to supply this info. Also, does it work great or just o.k.? If it's just o.k., then what's wrong with it?

Well, hey, I enjoyed the film. I've worked in Japan on three different occasions, and I have to say that a lot of what's depicted is based on reality. Exaggerated perhaps, but there's a kernel of truth there. As for being offensive in it's portrayal of Japanese folks, the loader on my shoot at the moment is Japanese (born in Japan - lives in the U.S. now), and he loved the movie too. We have been quoting it a lot on our shoot. "Lip my stockings!" It's all in the perspective I guess. I didn't really see the film as being negative towards Japanese. They are different than we are culturally... that's pretty much a fact. We Westerners are are often puzzled by some of the things that they find hysterical about us. As for best director nomination, all I can say is there have been bigger surprises to me over the years as to what gets nominated and what wins than this film.

Here's a link to a really nicely designed site about Xingyiquan. It was created by a guy who does a lot of promotional sites for big budget studio movies, so he's a slick graphic artist and web designer. He's also obsessed with internal Chinese martial arts. You can find out a ton of information about Xingyiquan here. http://www.emptyflower.com/xingyiquan/index.html This is a link to the forum that he hosts (it's also linked somewhere on the above site, but I thought it would be easier if I listed it here). The forum is about not just Xingyiquan, but also Baguaquan and Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan). http://www.emptyflower.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi/YaBB.cgi Ericoh & Gnespolo, that's great that you guys are studying traditional Shaolin & Wu Shu respectively. I currently study traditional Wing Chun and a Filipino style called Bahala Na (Escrima/Arnis). That one is heavy on weaponry (sticks, bolo & knives). I've also trained in some other styles starting from when I was around ten (TKD, Aikido, Pekiti-Tirsia Arnis, Fu-Jow Pai, and a little Western boxing thrown in there). They're all great for camera operating - especially hand held operating. I'm getting interested in trying Xingyiquan and Baguaquan as soon as the project I'm on wraps.

Ruben, The "needles" are literally as thin as a human hair. Most of the time there is practically no sensation at all at the moment they insert them. If you do feel anything at all, it is the most minor "pricking." If you've ever had blood drawn, or been given a vaccination, rest assured it's NOTHING like that. Here's a link to a thread on a martial arts forum where I posted a story about the first time I tried acupuncture. It's the second post I made on the linked page (I go by the same username there) http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/show...15&pagenumber=2 I'm telling you Ruben, for certain kinds of injuries, and pain reduction, acupuncture can be miraculous. I also want to stress that it doesn't just treat the symptoms, it can get to the root of the problem as was my experience related in the link above. Give it a try sometime! Anthony

Hey Will, In addition to Yoga and swimming, certain martial arts are very good. In particular there are three "internal" kung fu styles that kick ass (pun intended): Xingyiquan (sometimes written as Hsing-I Chuan), Baguaquan (sometimes written as Pa Kua Chuan), and the more well known Tai Chi Chuan. Any and all of these are great for strength, coordination, and flexibility training, not to mention a whole host of other beneficial effects. The first two are also quite practical styles for, well... kicking ass :D Baguaquan in particular also has some amazing footwork training that I think would be of immense value to any steadicam operator. Since I'm on the subject of Eastern stuff, I must say that acupuncture can do wonders for the overall health of your body. A lot of folks think it's a bunch of hooey, but if you find a well trained acupuncturist, you will become a believer the first time you try it. In addition to the glucosamine tip, there is a European herb called arnica montana that does wonders for soreness, and is a natural anti-inflammatory. It is available in various forms... capsules, liquid extracts, and also topical gels. It provides immediate relief. Anthony

Tom, Echoing Doc's (lkarman) comments about "center punching" actors, I wholeheartedly agree. Taking this principle to another extension, when you are tracking with an actor, you often want to give some lead room... i.e. more space in front of than behind the actor. It feels less claustrophobic, and more natural. A few of your shoots tracking with actors kept them centered or even shortsided a bit. Take these suggestions as guidelines rather than absolutes, because as with most "rules," there are often good reasons to break them. There are certain instances, for example, when I'll intentionally shortside an actor (i.e. little space in front of them and more behind them), for various reasons, but this is a conscious choice and not an arbitrary or accidental composition. Same thing with center punching an actor... you may have good reason to. One example might be a particularly symmetrical shot with background architecture or something, and you want to emphasize the symmetry by framing the actor dead center too. Other than that, watch your headroom as mentioned by several others above. Headroom is a subjective thing, and different DP's and/or Directors have a different "ideal" that they tend to like, but having said that, many of your shots do exhibit more headroom than most would probably want. It's a thing you feel more than anything after a while, and it's a ratio thing too - depending on the relative size of the shot (i.e. full body, cowboy, medium, CU, etc) Not to sound too arrtsy here or anything, but studying the work of great photographers and painters for composition (not to mention lighting) is very beneficial. Of course watching good movies is always good too. When looking at photographs, paintings or movies, think about the compositional elements and how they may evoke emotional responses from you. You may find many keys to framing "tricks" that you can use in your operating (steadicam or otherwise) to enhance the emotional impact of the story you are telling. I often think of the genius behind Polansky's famous shot of Ruth Gordon half hidden behind the door while making a phone call in "Rosemary's Baby." It's Mia Farrow's POV shot, and it really works on a psychological level. Check out the documentary "Visions of Light," for the great story behind that shot. Just my $.02 cents. Take it with a grain of salt.

Erwin, Pretty sure my Modulous 3000 has the lettering in Blue. I could be wrong. It's on the camera truck at the moment, so I'll check it next week, but I'm almost positive. Anthony "contrarian" Hardwick

Everyone I know uses a Modulous 3000. They're not cheap at about $1700 - $2K new (and not microwave either), but they're pretty decent, rugged, lightweight and small. Any TV tuner can receive the image which is a huge benefit on many shows where different departments have their own HH TV's to watch the takes. It seems to be the industry standard here in LA. On just about every show I've been on out here we've had at least two.

Joe, Yaeger carts are very popular with AC's in LA. In NYC it seems like most AC's use Magliners or Rubber Maid carts - at least as of a couple of years ago. The nice thing about Yaeger carts as Erwin pointed out above is that it breaks down and becomes it's own case for airlines or shipping. The wheels are protected inside the cart when collapsed. It's also rugged and very stable. I'm leaning towards one of these, and modifying it to have some of the nice steadi-specific features that some of the other carts have. I used to have a Magliner when I was an AC in NYC. I lost track of it many years ago (think it's in an ex-girlfriend's garage somewhere). Anyway, they're very good carts, so I'm sure it'll serve you well and make your life easier. Best of luck with it, Anthony

I don't know what the realistic lifespan of the foam pads is. The material is a special kind of foam that has some unique properties. I'm sure you can read all about it on Walter Klassen's webpage if you want to know more. In any case, I'm sure the foam will last for several years at least. When they wear out (or have become a serious Biohazardous substance from sweat/bacteria - yuk), you can always buy a new set from Walter. They are listed as an accsessory for the vest. All of the various parts are of course available for purchase in the event that something breaks or wears out (screws, buckles, foam, etc.).

Ah... Will beat me to the punch... :D Sorry for some redundancy, but I was typing when Will must have hit "Add Reply."

Stephen, There is some leeway in the padding that comes with the DSD vest. In fact you are encouraged to try different (i.e. more or less) foam padding to optimize the fit. The hard shell is a fixed size, however, so if an operator was to really "pork up," or lose some considerable weight (less likely, no? :P ), there's only so much that you can adjust via the foam padding material. At a certain point one would need to get a new vest. Just more incentive to stay in shape and trim - as if the benefits to operating weren't enough incentive alone. Anthony

Hey Will, I just sent you an email off board... how are you, bro? Looking forward to catching up over a beer next time I'm in NYC (or you're out here). Best, Anthony

Chas, Happy Birthday amigo! May all of your birthday wishes come true. Best, Anthony

Jaimie, Is this Hummingbird the same company that makes marine electronics - as in depth finders/fish finders? Anthony

Haven't seen the V2 yet, but you might want to take a look at Greg Bubb's Ultimate gimbal & Ergo handle too. It's smooth, rock solid, and will fit various diameter posts up to 2". Customer service is probably the best in the business. His company is XCS Inc. i'm not affiliated in any way, nor do I benefit from recommending his products. I'm just a very satisfied customer. http://www.xcsinc.com/ultimate/ult_compnts_gimbl.html

$7750.00 USD according to walter's site: http://www.walterklassen.com/steadilight.htm

Sean, Welcome! Great to hear that you got a rig. As many will no doubt attest to it's rock solid performance and value, I would say that Jim Bartell's BFD/M-One motor combination is a great route to go. I have a Preston, but many of my friends have BFD's, and I have played with them. They're solid, and I may buy one down the line for backup and HH/jib arm use (so I don't have to constantly strip my MDR-2 off my steadicam rig for those shots). The value is unbeatable, Jim provides great customer service after the sale of his product, and you can depend on his unit to be about as reliable as a remote focus unit can be. You can also start with one or two channels, and add more down the line as your needs grow. Best of luck in your endeavors. Anthony

I, too, have seen a working prototype and test flown it at Lynn's in Las Vegas. It is quite amazing, it does work, and it does indeed exist. I understand the frustration of others who have heard about it but don't know much about it and haven't seen it. If I hadn't seen it myself, I would wonder if it was "vaporware" too. As we all know, R&D/prototyping costs can be stratospheric, and for an individual like Lynn to bear those costs is hard to imagine, yet he has done just that by himself for the most part. Just because the busines end of producing and bringing a new and radically different product to market can (and clearly has) delayed the official debut of the Alien, don't think that it's all talk. As I'm sure anyone who has seen it/tried it will agree... Lynn's invention is nothing short of fantastic

Charles Papert has one, so he could answer with more authority. I did borrow it for a day of testing with my Preston FIZ/MDR2 prior to starting a movie (many many thanks Chas). We had hoped to rent his box for use on this movie, and wanted to test some speed ramps of action basketball sequences. We were primarily interested in the many speed ramping possibilities with a panavized 435. My one day evaluation is that it is indeed very easy to use. I was given a 5 minute demo at Preston, and then I was off to the test shoot. I found the unit to be pretty intuitive overall. There is a comprehensive manual that covers everything in detail, and I did refer to it once or twice the first time we set it up. All in all the box works like a charm. The only glitch I noticed was that some of the preprogrammed lens data was incorrect. Specifically, some of the Primos had slightly incorrect min. & max. aperature data programmed into the unit. This is a minor thing to reprogram though, so it's not a big deal. The FX box worked flawlessly during the test shoot, and did exactly what it was supposed to do. In the end though, the DP decided that the resultant ramps were too slow for what they wanted. Bear in mind that this is NOT the fault of the FX box. The FX box will ramp the camera as fast as the camera is capable of being ramped. The limitation comes from the camera's electronic circuitry and what it has been programmed to be able to do by the manufacturer. For our picture, they chose to do the speed ramps in post. Oh well. One other point to bear in mind: Let's say that you are programming a speed ramp... let's say that the initial speed will be 24 fps, and you will ramp the camera to 48 fps, and exposure will be kept constant by automatic shutter angle compensation (in this case the initial shutter angle will start at 90 degrees, and at the end of the ramp it will be 180 degrees). You can also do part or all of the correction with an aperature pull, but for the purposes of this example, I'm keeping it simple. Anyway, after you program the starting and ending frame rates, the box will calculate the fastest possible ramp it can perform with the parameters you have entered (i.e., camera used, initial and final speeds, shutter angle changes, etc). The important thing to remember is that the time it shows is not real time, but rather screen time. So in this example if the box says that the speed ramp will occur in 2.4 seconds (an arbitrary number I chose for this example), that means that when watching the end result projected or played back the ramp will elapse in 2.4 seconds. It may take only 1.4 seconds of real time to execute the ramp while shooting however. As for cool factor, it rates a 9 out of 10. It's wireless (or strong black magic), and you can practically control the weather with the thing (brings pinky to mouth - bwahahahahahaha). You don't really need a degree in astrophysics to use the unit, although I was a brain surgeon prior to entering the film business. And blood alcohol content? Well let's just say that some things just wouldn't be safe to operate WITHOUT a little alcohol in the system (bumper cars and table saws come to mind ). I hope this helps some. Perhaps Charles can chime in with other detailed info if he has a moment.

I frequent quite a few Martial Arts forums on occasion, and I have to say that this board is very civil for the most part compared to some of those forums. I have only been hanging around here for a little over a year, and perhaps the worst period was before I ever logged on. I have heard that many good, experienced ops stopped checking in long before I ever started lurking around here. Well, I can't speak about what happened before I started checking in, but for the last year at least, people here tend to be very polite for the most part. There tend to be fewer trolls here than many forums, and that's a good thing. Almost everybody here seems to know at least a few other ops, so that probably helps in keeping this place polite and self policed. I am no doubt guilty of occasionally making a rude remark to one particular frequent poster from time to time. That is something that I should rise above, and refrain from doing regardless of how inciting that individual can be. I am working on it. I'm still working on bettering myself. There's a slightly tardy New Year's resolution for you. I will endeavor to refrain from impolite comments to any individuals on this board regardless of how insulting or infuriating they may be. i hope I can live up to that one... he he

Victoria is very cute, Erwin... but this proves it beyond a doubt... You have way too much time on your hands!

Alec, I didn't think it was meant as a jab, and I wasn't offended. Hope You're keeping warm this Winter and staying busy. Please say hello to Jamie for me when you see him. Maybe I'll catch up with you guys over a couple of pints this Spring sometime. Take care, Anthony