Damon Orienti

So after a quick lesson from my friend Paul... I was able to fly the rig for for a full 3 hour concert last night, with no back pain. The n00bness was the problem here. Thanks though, to everyone that helped me out lol :P

Wow! Thank you everybody for your help and advice! It's good to know that there is a professional community that is willing to help out, its really cool! I looked up some stuff from Chris Fawcett about the anatomy of the back and how the Steadicam works on your body. Really really helpful. I plan on doing the exercises and wearing the rig everyday but doing it slowly. I have a buddy who took the workshop and is certified thats going to show me some stuff so that I don't develop the bad habits. Thanks again!!!

I figured as much. Just was wondering if I was doing something wrong. Thanks!

Hello all! I recently purchased a Steadicam Flyer LE for my production company. Although I have a Steadicam operator that I plan on using, I've always been in love with the concept and idea of being an operator myself. But every time I strap this thing on, my lower back feels like its going to break in half after only a pathetic 5 minutes of wearing it. I'm a huge guy (6'6'') and I've seen 5'5'' girls that weigh less then a hundred pounds running around with these things all day with rigs that weigh as much as they do. My point is that I didn't just run out and pay cash for something I don't know how to use, it will be used by a professional, but I would like to learn for myself. I've spent hours watching tutorials, videos, read articles, and I just can't figure out why my back hurts so much. I already signed up for the 5 day workshop that starts in January, but I don't want to wait that long LOL. My current rig - Steadicam Flyer LE Sony PMW-EX3 Shotgun Mic 2 Anton Bauer Bricks (1 on camera, 1 on Steadicam) What am I doing wrong??? Other than that, I'm glad to be apart of this forum, I've always loved Steadicam :P