Aaron King

Getting ready to do my first Amira shoot tomorrow and can't seem to find anything that confirms the Run/Stop on the camera. I have an MDR2, so will my Alexa Run/Stop cable that I currently have work with the Amira, or did they change the plug? Thank you.

Gregor, reworking the shoulder placement and body posture really makes a difference. Since creating this post with the feedback, and getting personal advice from Chris Fawcett and Jerry Hollaway, the Exovest has been fitting me much better. It really is a learning curve that takes time to fine tune for yourself. I still find myself doing simple adjustments from time to time just to try things out, but it is far more comfortable now than before. If you are still having issues, contact Chris. He was very helpful over the phone and with email.

Thanks for the input. Sanjay, I noticed very quickly that the thread settings needed to change at the socket block, but after reading your suggestion I decided to do it a bit more and it made a nice difference. As for the shoulders, I've had my straps all the way it, but I worked with spreading them out over my shoulders and that has proven more comfortable than where they had been previously. Mix that and talking with Chris Fawcett and discussing body posture I am starting to find a much better feel and fit. Thanks for the advice. If anyone else has good advice from using the vest, please feel free to share more.

I have had my Exovest for about three weeks and just started week two on my first show with it. For the most part I like it, but I am having an issue with the spars and shoulders leaning to my left when under load. This is causing a level of discomfort as one side is digging into my shoulder, the other my neck and also the mis-alignment with my spine. I have been talking with Chris Fawcett and he has been corresponding with me on the fit. My question is for all other Exovest users and if you had issues with this at first and also any other helpful fitting techniques to try as you find the perfect fit. Thanks.

Mike, I called on Saturday when I was trying to troubleshoot the issue, but wasn't able to get in touch with anyone at that time. It was a busy schedule and I didn't have a lot of time to try calling again. Luckily the show always has a spare Starlink system, so I used that the rest of the weekend. Now that I'm home I am going to get in touch today and see about sending it in.

My Teradek Bolt 300 Rx has quit excepting a signal. It was working fine earlier today, but then it dropped out. I switched my power cables and everything started to work fine again. About an hour ago it dropped out again. The Tx is sending a signal, but there is no response on the Rx end, not even any lights. The only thing happening is the Blue LED light at the power switch is blinking. Any thoughts what the cause is? I still have one more day on this job and tonight I will attempt to reinstall the firmware and see if that works. I've called Teradek, but there is no response yet since they are closed for the weekend. Thanks for any advice.

Has anyone used the new line of IDX Duo or Cue batteries? Specifically the 95 & 150. I know the Cue 150 has not released yet, but it is the same internally as the Duo, just minus the extra Dtap and USB. I am setup with V-mounts, and my current set of batteries are getting long in the tooth. So if anyone has used them on set either as an onboard battery, or those of you with V-Mounts on your sled and have worked with a set, I would like to here how they did. Thanks.

For those of you who own the Exovest, what was the wait time when you placed the order? Curious to know as I am heavily considering one myself very soon.

When doing the firmware update on the Decimator 2, there are two options for either 32 or 64 Bit. Does it matter which one you choose? Once you make the choice and have the Decimator plugged into the PC, will it update the Downconvertor or do I need to perform a click and drag? I know these might be remedial questions for some, but I'm not always the best with computers. Sorry.

I attempted to do the firmware update with my Decimator 2 today, but wasn't successful. What exactly is it that I need to do to update it properly to convert the PsF through the HDMI output to the HDMI input? I just received my Gen2 and immediately left to do a job for a few weeks that unfortunately is shooting on F55. I really want to use my new monitor on this job if I can, considering I feel I paid good money for it. I have the weekend to figure this out if I can. What about the cross convertors? Is there anything special you need to setup on those, or do they convert the signal right out of the box?

Honda Element. It's what I drive, and you would be amazed by the space when you completely remove the back seats. I know several people in production around my area that drive them as well.

I had that issue when I first got my Archer 2 three years ago. I just tightened the screw and haven't had a problem with it since. Does yours keep working itself loose? I don't know any reason why Lock-Tite wouldn't solve your problem, or at least give peace of mind for the future. I would use the purple kind as I think it's not as strong. That way if you ever need to rework the screw, you can.

The work hours really depend on what type of production your on, and the budget level. Like Lawrence said, most union shoots for film and television you can expect to be on set somewhere between 12-14 hours. They do go over from time to time, and some shows seem to make a bad habit of notoriously going over far too often. Most of my work usually ends up being music videos, and those hours can sometimes be ludicrous. The directors have these huge visions of grandeur, the budgets keep getting lower, and you only have the artist for one day. Very early you realize that you aren't going to be home in time for dinner. I guess producers find that it's cheaper to just pay the crew the overtime than to pay for two days rental on all the gear. My longest day on the clock was 23 hours, but most of that was the result of extreme weather delays. Luckily, the last few jobs I did at the end of 2013, the Producers were very tight on the Directing team to wrap up on time and I was usually packed up and leaving between 12-13 hours, and that was with lunch in the schedule. Like I said, the hours vary from job to job, but 12 is always a good staring point for how long you will be there.

I had the same situation as Adam did. Shortly after Teradek made the announcement about the upgrade I sent out for the shipping info. I sent my Bolt to them during a time that I didn't have anything on my calendar. Well, just my luck, three days after sending it off I got a call for a job out of town the next day. I called up a couple resources for other transmitters but none were available, so I called up Teradek. They told me mine was at the shop and that there were several others ahead of mine. I told them my situation and asked if it was possible to push mine to the front of the line and said I would pay for the rushed over night shipping. They came through for me without any problems and better yet they went ahead and payed for the rush delivery and it arrived at my hotel 30 minutes before call time. I couldn't have asked for anything better, and the Bolt works really well. Great product at a great price with great customer service. A++

Not sure if you meant to end your message early, but I understand what you are saying. I know it has everything to do with who you know already involved in the production, which is how I get most jobs I do. I just figured one of these would be a good resource in finding out about more productions than what I know of on my own.

Does anyone utilize either publications of Production Weekly or Below the Line? I am wanting to start using one of these sites to learn about, and apply to, upcoming productions. I like that Below the Line has a discount with Local 600, and other Unions, but is its service any better or worse than Production Weekly. Any insight on the two would be much appreciated.

Is this issue of "too hot" batteries only occuring when using the D-Tap? What about powering the Bolt directly from the cameras, or sleds, 12v ports? Those should be regulated and not give this issue of high voltage causing the TX to switch to internal power, right? I have only used the Bolt now a couple of times using the D-Tap and haven't experienced this issue yet, but that's not to say it won't happen on the next job. Over the years, even as an AC, I got myself into a habit of always turning every device off that had a switch, regardless of being powered from one source. I've gotten myself even more strict with that since doing Steadicam, and it being my personal equipment, but that's just me. Charles made a good point about the internal battery that I haven't thought about yet either: How many cycles does the battery have, and how do we go about replacing it when needed? I have been pleased with the Bolts performance so far, but this is definitely something to keep an eye on.

I have to agree with Thomas' statement. I purchased the Bolt system and have been very pleased with it's performance so far in the testing I have done (no jobs with it yet), but it is not to the standard of the Boxx. I have worked with the Boxx on a few jobs and it is impeccable with all the necessary features for high end production. For majority of the jobs I do on an average basis the Bolt is going to work just fine, but if a larger job comes up I will let them know what I have and if they feel they need better they can (and probably will) rent a Boxx system. The same goes for the my Bartech, sometimes a larger job prefers to have a Preston system and they rent one, or an AC has their own. I am more impressed with the Bolts performance over that of the CamWave, for which I am very happy. The price and performance of the Bolt is great, and it has allowed me to finally have an HD wireless option in my kit, rather than having to be tethered or have production give me a hard time because they now have to pay more to rent wireless (music videos don't like to spend money). The Boxx is in my opinion the best transmitter on the market, but I don't feel it's intended to be a tool the average person owns. That's what rental houses are for. Let them buy it, and production rent it.

Ryan, I placed my order last week on the 20th and just received an email from UPS that it will arrive tomorrow. It would have been earlier if not for Thanksgiving. They are getting them out to the early orders quickly.

I do not own a Switronix, but I have used one on three separate occasions and was not impressed. First, it's size is a bit bigger than a CamWave, which is large enough already. Secondly, it's performance wasn't any better than a CamWave and in fact seemed worse. The scenarios I have worked with it range from house interiors, business and wide open exterior locations. Each time the receiver is relatively close by on a stand to make sure of good connection and everyone at the monitor keeps yelling because they have lost picture. For something that is very new to the market, I would expect it to have improvements over what has been available for the past few years. Instead, it got bigger and has less range quality. That is a major step backwards. I am hoping that products like the Paralinx and the Bolt prove to perform better and move ahead in technology and reliability, because transmitters like the Boxx just aren't in my price range.

Has anyone had a chance to demo the Bolt outside of the trade shows yet? My experience with other Teradek products (namely the Cube) is not good, but I figure this is an all new approach from the company. I will be curious to hear some first hand experience from other operators.

I work with the Archer 2 and havent' had any issues yet with going over it's limits. I can successfully handle anything ranging up to a fully equipped Alexa. This is including compact zoom, 3 Channel FI+Z, matte box, Boxx or CamWave transmitter, Cinetape... I still work to reduce as much unnecessary items as possible, but it works fine with no issues. The only thing is the Archer 2 is not very bottom heavy, so when working with that kind of set up I attach weights to the bottom so that I can have a much shorter post. There are other operators who can go into much more detail for you, but the Archer 2 has not let me down yet. I bought the Archer 2 based on the cameras and budgets used in my market on a daily basis and we do not exceed the Alexa which with everything fits perfectly at the top end of the rig. I have been very happy with it's performance.

In hindsight, I have thought that don juan would have probably been a better choice but my framing usually isn't is sharp in that position. I guess its the trade off when you need to go for a while. The job I had done for the previous two days before this were in fact with a much lighter build for a music video, so I was used to being able to go for a long time and keeping the rig on for extended periods. Going back to the heavier build did require me to do a bit more warm up before rehearsing as my body wasn't used to the extra weight like Osvaldo mentioned. As far as being exhausted with heart rate, being out of breath or profuse sweating there wasn't an issue, just muscle fatigue. Due to fighting the setting sun there was just hardly anytime for a proper break between takes. I had time for a quick swig of water and it was time to go. I always stretch and get my body moving before I go into the rig at the start of the day or before my scene is up, but I guess I could sometimes do more. I have done more time on this show and haven't had issues, just that one particular scene. I appreciate all the feedback.

Thanks for the responses. I make my way to the gym several times a week, and do as much practicing as I have time for, so I like to think that I am in decent shape. This was the first time I had ever experienced this kind of thing. The camera is a fully built ARRI Alexa with Preston, 2 motors, cine tape, zoom lens and Boxx transmitter... so a decent load. As far as being under the weather as Janice mentioned, beyond seasonal allergies I had not been sick, and we had just had lunch an hour before so hunger wasn't an issue. The scene we were doing was a downhill battle against daylight, so it was a constant "let's reset and go again quickly" before there is no light to shoot with. Having a fair breather in between takes is crucial. We all learn from these moments and move forward.

On a job I did recently I found myself in a very bad spot as my muscles literally began to give out during a shot. It was a lengthy walk & talk with me back peddling slowly with the actors with a long lock-off where they continue their dialogue, and then begin to move again. We did this move three times and near the end of the second run I could feel the fatigue kicking in so I was able to have a grip on stand by for the third run at the lock-off point to give me support if my muscles started to give out, which they did. During the walking portion of the third take I was doing okay, but once we got to the lock-off my body just slowly began to give out. I was able to hold my shot, but my body was not happy. Once we began to move again after their dialogue is when my muscles just said enough. My operating began to suffer as I tried to regain my posture. Luckily they called cut at that point, but I was about ready to drop. It wasn't that I was exhausted with breathing or heart rate, just my muscles fatigued in a very bad way. My question is, what have any of you experienced in this and how do you handle it when you still have a shot to complete? They said not to worry, that they had the shot and were still going to get some coverage, but it was embarrassing for me as everyone could see me struggling their at the end.