mattmarek

i've had my master batt's recelled by battery boys. they are just outside of toronto. fast turnaround and great price. work like a champ! google them or call panavision toronto.

as for the upgrades you've mentioned, what's wrong with the standard 3a post? is the model you are looking at damaged? if not, why do you think you'd need the upgrade? as for 24 v, you can probably do without for the first while. if you're really at the beginner stage, it is unlikely you'd be getting out there on an arri 435,535, moviceam or panavision kit. sr3, just use onboards, hd use onboards and pretty much the rest you can get by on 12v. so maybe do without that expense for now. look for 3a vest. they're pretty comfortable and can be had at a nice price. go to a steel yard or some factory that deals with large chunks. have them cut you a small piece (15lbs or so) then go to a friend with a drill and tap some threads in her. may cost you 10 bucks and a couple hours. depending on the market you'll be working, you may/may not need the expense of a remote follow focus unit. bartech engineering is the place to get sorted in that area. and remember, the upgrades never end. decide what you absolutely need. make a priority list and go from there. cheers

hi dale, thanks for responding. 1st off. it is our jobs, to give the director or dop what he/she wants. have you ever been asked to give some 'looseness' to your frame? or given a shot last minute, in blowing wind with no flags, just because they really needed it? we may look at the end result and boo our efforts or boo the look (poor horizon, timing etc.) but if it's what the director/dop wanted, who are we to question? we are only trying to tell a story here. how many times have we seen GREAT steadicam work in some really crappy film or series? all the time. sure it's technicaly a great steadicam shot, but if the show stinks, it stinks! sure there are moments in russian ark where the steadicam suffered. this was what not only the operator, but the entire crew were able to deliver us in a film that required a 1.5 hour shot. do you think the audience notices these steadicam flaws? or is it only us minority of operators? would you agree that there is some very poor steadicam work displayed in some very good films? did this poor work detract from the film or make it less so? just some food on the table to think about and maybe discuss. cheers matt

drv, did you just create an account to make this post? if so, how about you give yourself a name? as for saying there is a lot of sloppy work in russian ark, you can hold that opinion, but how about give some examples. to say it's pointless, how about some reasons why you think it pointless?? one woman i talked to (not into film making or intrigued by steadicam at all) found that the way the film was shot, was able to draw her into the hermitage almost as if she were visiting the museum herself. without cuts, your brain doesn't have to make any assumptions about lost time or missed areas. she was just able to watch and enjoy the layout and pieces. so what would you say to somebody that did not see the film from a technical standpoint? someone who just enjoyed the film for what it was? would you say 'oh see look, there's some horizon issues going on here'? dont just blurt things out because you can. back your words up. cheers

just go to some metal shop and buy a slab of steel. cost $5. drill a hole in it and tap the threads with some machine savy guy for the cost of a beer and you're set. time: 20 minutes

why do they come in all those blinding bright neon colours? how un-covert :ph34r:

conditioning and keeping in shape is most important i think. just came off of a 24 days shoot (6 day weeks) with a bl4. 60 % of the film was steadicam. by week 3, the camera felt like an sr3. cant wait to jump to an sr3 shoot now :D

i shot in moscow last year. if you're on a film shoot, just double check all the power connections before you go. if hd, confirm they have the miranda or evertz. obvious gear things like that, which may change from country to country can screw you up. the bars and clubs never shut. check out 'che' which is withing walking distance of red square and also check out the buddha bar...i think it's called 'karma' efes is the common beer there, but you'll have no problem finding guinness :P enjoy yourself. i love russia :D

i had to go the shady route. sold crack to minors in the projects and also did some purse snatching from helpless old ladies.

a quote from your website: ActionCam® is challenging camera stabilization at a new approach featuring the ultra strong, most reliable spring arm ever invented can you ellaborate on this please? i would also change the picture you have, to one where the operator is holding the gimbal correctly and the sled appears level. best, m

keeping in mind the opening snake eyes 'shot' is a few different shots cut together seamlessly with wipes and whip pans. still, some top notch game going on there. never heard of this nash bridges shot. got an episode #? who was the op?

so, who here showed up ? how is the g70??

the long shot in 'goodfellas' is a standard reply. my favourite steadicam shot is from a movie called 'the contender' there's a crane step off outside of a government building, a walk up the stairs, into the building, down the hall, down the stairs, and down another hall, and into a room i believe. really nice work there's also some nice work in the opening of 'snake eyes' 'carlitos way' is good. there's a really cool shot in 'the mighty quinn' starts off aerial on a a zip line, down over the jungle, onto the ground, then running.

interesting. thanks for the link. doesnt seem to work in english, even though you are given an 'english site' option. i like the quote by the director under the feedback page : 'The handsfree transporter is one of the most revolutionary pieces of film equipment i have ever experienced...a pleasure to work with, very exciting.' - david cassel :) how rich! :D

a friend of mine who is quite electronicaly savy, got a small led stip. 6 or 7 leds today, 5 green, 1 orange, 1 red. something like that. anyways. we took a battery at full, and he got the led's to register all 5 green, then we did a low charged battery, and he assigned that the orange led. somehow it reads my np1's like a champ and cost me a pint. took about 30 minutes. i know this isnt much help, but maybe an idea that you could source out with a techy friend?

something important i feel needs to be pointed out....although stephen is from ireland, he will not, i repeat NOT touch a glass of the cold, black liquid gold his country produces. shame :(

steve! way to go man. never would have thought a 1000' er and all those goodies would fit your 3a. nicely done. would love to see the shot. and preston and klassen?? my my my, when you getting all these new toys? ;) i'm jealous

m 1 get's my vote. if used with the BFD, very nice. heard to many issues with dealing with heden.

thomas you shooting for any artists in particular for ninja tunes? amon tobin is with that label. if you do his vid, i'll be envious :ph34r:

yeah matt, i think our next t.o rig meetup is at the 'images spa and salon' 50% discount on waxes and pedicuture with an SOA membership card...eric and i will also be having our roots done. :D

hey matt, from a hairless back matt in toronto. :P

i think i'm gonna dress my girlfriend up in my tricked out rig...should we go bl4 or 535a? :D antlers and a ringlight...going a little overboard?

where did you get this information?

i have to agree with job on this one <_<

wonder if there's a way to hard mount it to the segway post? would hate to be going along at a nice pace and some stupid sensor to go and throw you onto the ground or lose balance... :o