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Janice Arthur

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Everything posted by Janice Arthur

  1. Gedeons; What's your email or email me at Steadijan@hotmail.com Thanks. Janice
  2. Hi all; I've got a new vendor and all stocked up again with plates. I've even got a couple of new holes in the edges so that you can configure the posts in many ways, rather than just the four corners. I've got some good pricing, probably a bit better deal. Pictures to follow. Janice Have a wonderful 2024 after an horrendous 2023.
  3. Hi all; I'm back again with plates and cages. Holidays and crazy schedules. Let me know what you need. Thank you. Janice
  4. Available again, deal fell through. Anxious to sell, make offer. Janice
  5. Hi all; New foam and lots of straps replaced etc. Good starter vest. Its old but works fine and a full sized vest for those who might need one or even one for those dirty or gross locations that a new vest would be a mess?? Let me know, asking $1500.00 buyer pays shipping,
  6. Hi all; Yes I'm still making and selling Weight plates and cages and baseplate screws. Let me know if you are interested. 6.5. 11 & 15 lb plates. Posts from 5"to 9.5"
  7. Hi all; Yes, I am still making them and always have a ready supply. Here are some pictures for those who are curious. The posts are 5", 6", 7", 8.5" and 9.5". I can also make custom posts for the same prices. The 3/8" bushings to reduce a hole to 1/4-20 as well as a selection of longer 3/8 and 1/4-20 baseplate screws are available. Thanks a bunch. Janice
  8. A Baldwinism; 5153 mod Clean's Camera Support Low Mode Offset bracket flipped upside down and mounted to the Volt's Gimbal to the offset. The Volt would ride closer to level.
  9. This is a parallel post with the Facebook "The Steadicam Group" Please post your Nouns and their definitions and let's come up with a list of terms that we use regularly. Thank you. Janice
  10. Hi all; The bad guys are attacking company tax numbers and other critical identifiers just like they're looking for SS numbers. Beware, things can be bought and ordered via your company and its a horrible situation. You can lock both your company identifiers with various reporting agencies just like you can lock your SS number. (Parents can lock their kids SS numbers too and prevent identity theft from them. A big problem too.) This is a heads up on the problem and maybe we can save someone/many a huge problem. Keep an eye on all of it in this weirdest of times!! Janice
  11. Hi all; I've had some requests for different post lengths and I'm asking if anyone has a request. I'm having the machine shop make some and trying to do any quantity I can and save everyone. Right now, as normal stock, I have 7", 8.5", 9.5". I've got a request for 6". Let me know if you have any requests. Janice
  12. Hi all; I'm not sure where this post will lead but I'm trying to help those who may be young and new to the Movie business think about things they haven't before... This will and can cover a hundred different turns considering we're all in this new world of pandemic business shut down all the way to new trends in the industry. Here's my thinking that I've looked at for a long time and being older than most of you I've seen how the industry and business in every way has changed. Changes (to name a few). 1) Pandemic, who hasn't thought about money and when they'll get back to work? 2) Savings, who really has enough and wished they had more? 3) Savings, if you had it and spent it, how are you going to get it back now? 4) The time between jobs may and is longer. (about 5 more but that's a good start). So, I'm going to lob out some ideas that many will say, "I can't do that because when I'm on a show, I'm already working 80 hr weeks." So this may not work for them but for those others who are not there. Ideas; 1) part time job, way under your skill level that you can get THIS WEEK. No big training, no big pay expected. Hotel, anything, kitchen, housekeeping, whatever? Restaurant, landscaping, etc. you pick it. Why? $10-12 an hour. Hotel, (example) you do weekends? $100 a weekend. $400 a week 5k a yr. Employee discounts on travel, now you can do family vacation for half price, $400 a month you buy stocks and you have a savings account you didn't have before. Now you have an extra 5k for hours that don't really matter, you learn some new stuff I guarantee; even if its about how hard the rest of the world works that spend a lifetime at $10 an hour but I'm sure a lot more too. But now your vacations cost you half.... big savings. Other perks, I have done some and I walk out with the donate/discard stuff and drop it at the local Goodwill and get a tax deduction!!! There are some other savings too... Ideas, think about it.... Maybe this becomes a retirement fund which you never had before? Is there a down side to having an extra 5k a yr? After a few years maybe this becomes the down payment for a house? You wouldn't have had it any other way? "I can't do that job?" Why not? I personally did a landscaper cashier job last summer on the weekends. I learned a bunch, one guy 50+ worked his butt off every day, then I learned later, after work, doing intense days would go to the gym afterwards and walk on the treadmill for another hour. He was made of iron. Compartmentalize money, think about it this way if you want, 'The money I make here, pays my insurance and utilities for a year and now the pressure is off for my other income.' What I'm hoping is you all start thinking about this in ways many of us have thought beneath us and it really can work in many ways. Lastly, I read a lot of the want ads on Indeed and one came up for garbage man/person, it said things like "must be able to get in and out of truck 500-600 times a day and lift 50-80lbs etc." That's a tough life and wouldn't that get you in shape. Last thing I remember about garbage people was they got 100% insurance coverage in the last contract... Every job has some perks that we don't know about, use that money to stay humble and learn and make some money that may pave the way to a savings account you would not have had if you hadn't worked so hard for it. (We all want to make products we can sell but that takes time to get going, this is instant and you can still do those too...) Ideas, look at them. Janice
  13. Hi all; I've got some of the metal replacement parts for the older vest. The pictures are titled. Some of you have vests that need rehabbed or are building your own vests, these could shortcut some of those steps. They're courtesy of Hugo Langer. I've got them and can send them out or help you with other steps. Yes they will be anodized. PM me if you have an interest.
  14. Hi all; These are all stainless steel. 3/8" extended (01) 3/8" regular (02) 1/4"-20 extended (v1) longest (03) 1/4"-20 extended (v2) (04) 3/8" to 1/4-20 Bushing (longer) (05) 3/8" to 1/4-20 Bushing shorter (06) $15.00 each $10 shipping. (less in some situations).
  15. Hi all; I have weight plates and full cages available. PM me and I'll respond asap. 6.5, 11, 15lb plates. Thank you and stay safe. Janice
  16. Jonathan; Not my cage or plates, good luck with sale. Just clarifying. Janice
  17. Hi all; Maybe this topic is about your personal story or challenges or experiences. I'm not sure but let's see what you come up with. Janice
  18. Hi all; As the new year is almost upon us and we, probably, look back on a year or a time frame and I wonder what you think is the historical importance of Steadicam to the Media Industry? I look at the now forty years since its inception and want us, the users of it to document our thoughts. This may be a valueable educational and cathartic moment for us all to express our experiences and deep thoughts on the subject. Look for the other topic of 'What Steadicam has meant to you." for your personal story if you want to share. I am always impressed at the depth of knowledge written here and maybe we should help write the history we're helping to create every single day of story telling on this, the hardest thing to master in the movie business. The challenge of being impossibly hard, and personally so engaging a device I see as just one aspect of the storytelling we are charged with on every job or shot we undertake. The culture of Steadicam could be a third topic here also, but for now maybe its the legacy. I remember the device being thought of as an albatross that, defied understanding by most people in the earliest of days. It was so seemingly complex that very few operators would take it on because it seemed so crazy that it couldn't possibly be a big tool in the industry. Slowly or fast depending on your POV, operators took Steadicam to heart and made it do what it should not have been able to do. Every shot, of every operator who said, 'did you see what I did?' made all the rest of us in those pre-internet, phone calls talk about and then have to wait for the movie to come out strive even harder for more engaging work. That is a brief thought bubble I've had, lets see where you all take this. Regards, Janice
  19. Joel; Nothing wrong with Gimbal, I should have added that to my list of gear that you're keeping on a Master sled. What was traditional was you got rid of K section and all the rest. Now people are using the K section in some form, from what I hear. The top stage is ok but not great from what I remember. So in the end you're not left with much from the original rig. You've gotten good advice from others here, so I'm sure they know more than me. Janice
  20. Hi all; I'm looking to discuss political events, rallies, commercials etc. and how we can get reliably get paid. Most of this stuff seems to be non-union and production companies are going to hire us and then when they don't get paid we don't get paid!! Yikes, with all those posts about bills still unpaid from the previous election I'm concerned. Any thoughts as this contentious time starts to ramp-up what have you done? I got a call for an Iowa political event, no idea the party or candidate and it made me think. Janice
  21. Hi all; Budgeting, not often a happy subject for most but as we both work into tax season and a new year, its worth discussing. The media industry matures and changes we should revisit this subject. There is no doubt the industry, the union, and the world is changing. We mostly work freelance and there are few safe guards, let alone financial ones.... I know many, many freelancers (maybe most) who are in deep …… because they are underprepared. The ideal was always, for me, 15% for taxes over what I had taken out of my check because lots of things get paid throughout the year without taxes deducted and box rentals etc.. Next, 20%, ideally for retirement, and often auto deductions was the most sensible and least painful way to be reminded of its very important place in our life. Lastly, anything to 20% for savings for those inevitable months when you have no or little income. I've been both good and terrible at this over the decades. Simple math, I've now made 30-50% of your every paycheck less. Yikes! I think its rare that we all do that and certainly life events prevent it but its time to at least start with something, 5-20% into some of those accounts would certainly fill holes we all know about. I'm raising this to make us all think. I certainly wish someone had brought it up when I got big paychecks and thought it was all mine or I was putting out the current financial fire! (There is always a big bill on the horizon in my world.) Janice
  22. Paul; Good luck, I'm sure you'll do fine! Janice
  23. Paul; I made it through part of your post. Here is are several takes you may not have considered. 1) You seem to be trying to do everything and every contingency with a "lesser" rig. 2) It is, even by your own admission, not the perfect rig. 3) You're going to spend a tremendous amount of time and money on this thing. 4) If you do manage to get all of this done you'll almost certainly overload some of the components of gimbal and top stage and post and arm and vest and something bad will happen! 5) So, my take, why not do half of what you are planning, spend half as much time and money and then use the rig within its weight and purpose built range then move up to a more "purpose built" rig? 6) You're trying to do what we all want to do, make a cheaper rig do more than it should and be able to charge more for your services without investing in the gear. No fault of yours we all want to doo that. Investing is good; you get tax breaks and you end up with good/perfect gear for the job (not homemade stuff) and you get to charge a lot more with much better paydays! I wish you good luck and maybe someone can help you with the wiring. Janice
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