Mikko Wilson

I'll 2nd Afton's and Tom's (i actually attended the same workshop) coments! - Mikko

Sunday, I'll be there! 10:00 But where is "Pro-V"? I've been through all my lists of exibitors that i've got and i can't find them anywhere.. another name maybe? ..you don't *really* need a paasort anyway, you are staying in the EU. A driver's license should surfice for ID. - Mikko

"Always check yoru passport a BEFORE you fly?" ..maybe? You've gota get out more Mat! - Mikko

I am very glad you are Ok. Sounds like a a lucky escape from a potentially very bad situation. Hey, if you are going to go down, you might as well go down big infront of a lot of people! Be sure to save that footage ;-) I haven't been kocked out, but I've taken one fall that woudl have done it if I wasn't wearing a helmet. It was a shot out of a bike trailer of other bikers on a hardpack trail in the woods. I was soft mounted, and as we went around a coner we hit a stump with teh inside wheel which flipped me out onto my back, I caught the rig (only a Flyer) and fel my helmet (with my head in it) hit teh ground jsut hard enoguh to remind me that I was very glad I was waring it. I still have the shot in my archive.. and actually up untill the fall in is my reel :P Amazing how quickly this stuff happens, but how many things you still have time to think about. Fly safe everyone! - Mikko

Liquid... Tanks... Hmm...

10am? a little early isn't it? But either way, I'll be there! What's Pro-V's stand number? My cell is +358 44 2745817 - Mikko

I saw that too.. what's that cable that is really tight too? - Mikko

One trick would be to use rope tocreate a moving guide line for you. In the case of this shot: Have a grip at the water pulling in line at a rate so that the end is just in front of you as you walk backwards (so that you can see it, but it's not in the shot). That way you have a line that you can easily follow untill at end where the the grip grabs the last of the line and gets clear of the shot. ...Even eaiser going forward :-) - Mikko.

So a get together on sunday evening? - Mikko

I'm not in Finland at the moment, but I live there. There arn't too many ops in Finland. .. heck, there's only a few production companies and TV stations. I wasn't even aware of anyone with a Provid or EFP actually.. interesting. I didn't see ANY mention of the games here in Alaska. .. Where they on anywhere in the states? - Mikko

I'll 2nd that Idea. Not sure myself when I'll be there either yet... - Mikko

Well.. now i'm curios, how many of the Female operators our there have kids.. did they operate at that time? - Mikko

Yeah, 5k won't really get you much to fly a 25lb camera. Definatly not anything that i'd risk putting my camera on. ..The only way to get all the benefits of a workshop is to take on. so there's $2000 down right there. I'd sugest hiring an operator with a rig to perform the shots for you, it will be more reliable and much higher quality. - Mikko

Peter Abraham is a Flyer dealer.. peter@TheSteadicamWorkshops.com ..i'm sure he'll be on this thread soon too ;-) - Mikko

There are no dumb questions. However a lot of these questions can be answerd in many places.. but as I dont' recall a post specifically for these questions, i'll throw out somethign to start with. First off. You will lean so much from the workshop. Good move. The weight of the bottoms of the sled combined with the adjustability of the gimble defines how heavy a camera you can ballance on the sled. However the Arm then defines what is the maximum wiehg tof the sled, including camera. Whichever of these is lighter is generally the case. ..Though if you arm can take it, you can always add weight to teh sled for a heavier camera. A "J-box" is just a junction box, it's another word for a connections pannel, it just happens to be in a Box. Generally the battery on the sled powers the monitor and the camera. The cables normally run up inide the post of the sled to the connectors on the J-Box which just a convinent, tidy place ot connect teh power to the cmaera, and video from teh camera back down tot eh monitor and other accesories depending on your needs and teh J-box in question. Differenct J-Boxes have different features avaialable. A basic one provides 12V (which is what most video cameras run on) and composite video to the monitor. A more advanced one would have a 24V output to power film cameras (Many of which require 24V to run) along with maybe a Component video input for HD monitoring, a Tally output for multicamera work, other power outputs for accesories like Follow-Focus, etc.. You get the idea. One of the key features to J-boxes is that they are all correctly wired, the power is regulated, any video inputs and outputs are properly terminated (loaded) and distributed. As for teh differences with Film and Video there are a few. Generally film cameras are heavier then video cameras. Often film cameras require 24V, Video normally on needs 12v. Video cameras just abotu always have the necesary video output built in, a film camera may need a "video tap" (basically a small camera stuck in the eyepeice) Now, that probebly created more questions than it answered. Be sure to read all the documentation you can. Get into the manuals section of the SOA website.. www.steadicam-ops.com good stuff in there. - Mikko

Nice report Chris. Sounds like a fun and succesfull project! Congrats! And yes, I do plan to be there at 12:04 (Frank, you'd better bring 2, or there's going to be a fight!) ..i'll msg you off forum about IBC Chris. - Mikko

A camera is always good (as in still, for photos.. or maybe a video cam if you want) - one thign i found usefull was having my laptop along so that i could grab a copy of my Grandrix shot for myself. - Mikko

Wait, so your source is 16:9 and your monitor is 4:3? You will need a converter that will "letterbox" the image. Check the image to confirm your option- Miranda makes some neat little converters that work preaty well. URL: http://www.miranda.com/product.php?i=141&l=1 - Mikko

...with WiFi

yeah.. where do we sign up? :) - Mikko

So yeah.. Who's goign to IBC and when? And again, anyone know of any "you can't miss this" events there? - Mikko

with Steadicam, as anything else, you get what you pay for. Tred carefully with the cheaper copycat rigs.. A big deciding factor on what rig you get, is the weight of the camera. After that you (and we) can figure out what rigs are available to you. - Mikko

Ocasionally I have some odd ideas. Sometimes I even think they may have some substance... So here's my latest ponderment, inspired by the various advances taking place in the field (especially the AR).. The topic title might allready give it away. Most of us are familier with the Technocrane. Which really is a rather clever idea that makes a Crane/Jib infinatly more versitile. For those of you that arn't famillier with them, they are basically a Crane that telescopes. When the main boom telescopes, the counterweights are moved by pullyes in tandem to keep the system in ballance. Many Steadicam sleds are telescoping, designed to allow for the adjustment of the camera's hight for a specific shot. Of course extending the sled requires a new verticle ballance adjustment to be perfomed by moving either the gimble or extending the other side of the sled too. (yeah, basic stuff, but here's my train of thought...) What if you could have a sled that could change length *during* the shot? The AR allready allows us to go from high to low mode and back during the shot, well shat if you could go from super-low-mode to super-high-mode during a shot? My thought was that if you could somehow have the upper part of the sled telescope, and then somehow telescope the bottom part of the sled in sync (at the right ratio) to keep the system in ballance. There are some issues that i have come up with though. With a Technocrane it's preaty simple, because the ratios are always the same. However on a Steadicam, the gimble can move, and that would effect the ratio of the sled for movement. So a mechanical (pullies, cables, etc..) system would be out. My solution to this woudl be to many have a dual motorized system that you woudl calibrate with the gimble's position and it would calculate the right ratios. And then to mix it up, you can't forget Dynamic Ballance! ...complicated! Then there is the issue of rigidty. At long lenths, a regular Carbon-Fiber sled can allready become too flexible. So that would be something that coudl pose some challenges. And then also the is the issue of the weight of the system. That alone might be prohibative. If I was in a different situation, I might even persue theis idea myself first, get a patent, etc.. but what the heck. I think that if i mention it now, then maybe someone with the resources could have one working sometime in the much near(er) future! So, what are everybody's thoughts on this idea? I realize that it's prolly not a really good one, but it could at least rase some interesting discussion. On a side note.. how does the AR ballance vertically? is it just operated with neutral sled ballance? - Mikko

Aww come on David... there arn't any Outriggers in that picture in the PDF! (thoguh they are mentioned below i guess... :P I'm still of the oppinion that the attachment point has no effect on the CG of the system ...except the effect of the Connecting hardware of course! Imagine having *both* ladders (like an 'A' frame arrangement...) but only having a connection at the back point first. calculate ballance, then connect eh front and disconnect the back. (heck, even keep the bolts there, just pull them out!) the system's ballance wont' change at all! However I do very much agree that the internal stresses within the attachement systems do of course have an effect on each other! - Not on the overall system: you can stay in ballance jsut as well with a FM or a BM vest. But within the system yes, the pressure on yoru body will vary depending on how the vest is worn. But the CG of the system between a FM and a BM vest (of the same weight) *doesn't change*, just the way you feel them will be different. And to each his or her own prefference! - Mikko

Hmm, 31 is interesting too.. That little block under teh front of the tracks moves that pivot over just slightly - sometimes enough to make a difference. And 11 continues to state that the front is unsuitable for use as a boom direction... I can only presume that the engine actually pulls the CG of the truck *forward* of the front wheels! (or very close to..) - Mikko