I recently had the opportunity to DP my first full feature. The Sci Fi-Horror-Thriller will come out later this year and is set to be titled “Dead of Night.” Now, I’m no newbie to the world of video production. In my 10+ years working in various genres, I’ve worked on Live TV (Sports, Events, Concerts), Documentaries, Commercials, TV Mini Series and a whole slew of Reality TV Shows. What has eluded me, though, has been the narrative world, features and episodic. I worked on Goldenworks Entertainment’s last feature “Masquerade Mixup” as a First AC then Camera Operator and 1st Unit DP, which was a fantastic experience, but Dead of Night is my first chance to really put my fingerprints on a film.

Having working on Masquerade together, Co-Directors Brandon Ho, Michael Merrell and I already had a strong relationship, which helped tremendously. I have plenty of confidence in my skills as an operator and DP, but there are always nerves and butterflies coming into new challenges. If you listen to any established DP or Op out there, the common thread is that they’re nervous going into a new job. But I believe the moment I stop feeling nerves is the moment it’s time to move on to something else.

Anyways, the pieces all seemed to fall into place. Their script was fantastic, my schedule lined up great, amazing actors we worked with previously were available. Everything pointed towards this feature making sense for all of us. An interesting element came into play, however. In January I went down to LA to take a Steadicam Workshop from the Steadicam Operator’s Association. I had kicked around the idea of picking up Steadicam for years, but the pieces never lined up. This was a chance for me to learn from legends of the industry (Dave Chameides, Jerry Holway, Rey Reyes and the man himself Garrett Brown to name just a few) This changed my perspective on the industry. I didn’t feel rudderless anymore. I found a community passionate about the industry I love so much and it lit a fire under me. So much so that I came back committed to find a way to become a Steadicam Operator myself.

Well, in an insanely down year, I found a way to put money down on my first Steadicam, an Axis. I chatted with Brandon and, as we discussed the movement philosophy of Dead of Night, I mentioned that I would like to put in some Steadicam shots if it arrived in time. Little did I know I just locked myself into one of the craziest experiences of my career: SHOOTING AN ENTIRE MOVIE ON STEADICAM! Because, as luck would have it, my kit arrived 2 days before our prep day. Big gulp. Here we go.

Now, I fully expected to use the Steadicam for a few shots here and there, namely some more ambitious walking shots that carried us some distance through our house. Besides that it would be a balanced mix of dolly and tripod shots. On day one, though, that went out the window. One change over from sled to dolly quickly revealed that with our limited crew and time, that was going to be way too slow and we’d never get our film done in time. So I committed. And my awesome First AC, Alex Steiner committed to pulling for Steadicam. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that Brandon, Michael, Rob and the rest of our cast and crew put total trust in me. I should remind you, I got the sled 2 DAYS BEFORE! Thank you all so much for the trust! And we made it happen!

So, let’s talk the Pros and Cons of shooting a feature almost exclusively on Steadicam.

PRO - It let me move REALLY FAST. I could walk through, light and block a scene and immediately strap on the sled. No laying dolly track. No plotting out tripod positions. And not time consuming adjustments if for some reason our blocking didn’t work out. Also, assuming I lit the scene correctly, minimal time resetting for other angles. We just talked adjustments take to take and off we went. In our case this meant we could get through an INSANE page count every day and hit our schedule with little to no overtime.

CON - It could take away some of the intention of movement. One of my philosophies as DP is that just because you CAN move doesn’t mean you SHOULD. The fact that I wasn’t confined to track or tripod did cause me to treat some camera placements a little less intentionally than I would have otherwise. This showed me that on future films I want to have intention and motivation for where I put the camera and why/when I move it, whether on Steadi, Dolly or otherwise. I will say that I think Brandon, Michael and I were very cognizant of this, especially as the shoot went on. And I think that, although the temptation to throw intention out the window was there, we checked each other quite well and maintained the feel we were going for.

PRO - Our film has a definite look and language because of the feeling steadicam offers. I love the sense of movement that comes with the tool. Like Garrett says, Steadicam is the closest thing to what our eyes see. We get to live in Dylan and Pepper’s (our protagonists) world. An uncertain but Real world full of realistic hopes, dreams and fears, but unsettled by a constant movement. And I contribute this partly to my inexperience with Steadicam. I’ve been operating for near a decade, so I understand camera movement, but there’s a certain dance with the Steadicam that as a newer Steadicam Operator, I’m still learning the intricacies of. There’s a bit of a frenetic nature to Dead of Night because I’m still learning that dance and wasn’t necessarily as stable as I will be. It’s interesting to think that this specific look of this specific film will only happen once. It gives a life and energy and flawed character that I think works very well with the story.  I also think Steadicam allowed me to be an observer without the footsteps (other than mine as a new Steadi Op) that would come with handheld.  We talked (the director and I) about making the house the observer and I think Steadi aided in this cause.

CON - I wish we had the time to vary the language a bit. I think certain settings and story points would have benefitted from a steadier shot to change the tone and feel and add to the arc. But, as mentioned, time and budget did not permit. And again to our credit I think we did a good job in blocking, lighting and operating making the feel different enough when it needed to be, whether that was adding a bit more pace to my movement or whipping quicker to follow movement or even working some low angle creeping shots in using low mode.

PRO - I was able to adapt to what the actors were doing. We didn’t have to stop down if an actor leaned in, which would have blocked a tripod shot. We didn’t have to confine movement as much as if we were locked to a tripod or even dolly or slider shot. This, along with the pace I was able to move, was probably my favorite side effect of Steadicam. Our actors were fantastic and I lit so that they could move in space. These subtle lean ins or the ability to push in or pull out based on performance I think add a lot to the film and allowed for a freedom that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.

CON - Some moves just SHOULD NOT be done on Steadicam. We did some really weird things to varying levels of success, things that, given time and budget, should have been done with grip rigs, dollies, jibs or overhead mounts. We even did a Vertigo style double dolly type shot with our actress flying back on a skateboard dolly and me throwing the sled from one hand to another all while our first pulled focus and our director pulled zoom and our amazing props and art department blasted a leaf blower. It was chaos and I’m actually quite proud of it. It was absolutely ridiculous trying these things all on Steadicam, but fun working the puzzle and taught me a lot about the limitations and capabilities of my rig and myself. All that being said, I will absolutely be using the right tool for the job in future films. (Probably)

PRO - Purely from a selfish point of view, this was Steadicam bootcamp for me. This was a chance to take everything I learned from Jerry, Dave, Rey and the SOA team along with the little bit of practice on my own and put it to the test in a real world real consequence environment. I got an insane amount of reaps and time in the vest over a very short period of time. Being DP as well, I got to design shots that challenged me. I learned what I can, should and will never do again with a Steadicam. It was an invaluable learning opportunity. I think it sets me up well for what comes next for me, both as an Operator and DP.

CON - The big one. Shooting an entire film on Steadicam, even with the relatively small build we used, is incredibly demanding, both mentally and physically. I drove home every day totally wiped and immediately iced my back and stretched. My back hurt, my calves hurt, my brain was fried. There were several times I had to take off the vest and lie down after an especially demanding take or awkward angle. It made my decision making as a DP harder as well. Many times I was adjusting a light with one hand while I held the sled with the other because I wasn’t quite happy with the lighting. I don’t think I fully realized the mental toll operating Steadicam carries with it. You’re working to keep your whole body in the shot, not just your hands or shoulder. If I drop my hip, the sled goes one way. If I step too far out, there’s no where to go with my next move without jerking the shot. And physically, the weight distribution of these things is incredible and incredibly intuitive, but it’s still a lot of weight and takes a tremendous about of coordination. All of that takes a major toll. A fresh crew member is the best crew member and, at the end of the day, one of the biggest challenges to shooting an entire film on Steadicam is that I, as the Operator and especially as the DP am not totally fresh at any one time. Without the support of such a tight knit crew, that could have capsized this production.

Overall, this was a wild experience. I’m incredibly grateful for the trust the whole team gave me to try this crazy experiment. And I think our results will speak for themselves and show how successful it was, especially given the time and budget constraints we had. We punched up for sure and I’m very excited to show off the finished product. Would I ever shoot an entire film on Steadicam again? No. I would not. Maybe if I was just the operator, but certainly not as Operator and DP. And at the end of the day, as amazing as the Steadicam is, it’s not the right tool for every job. Filmmaking is a visual artform with many different tools to tell the story. It takes a mix of tools to make a piece complete and with just one of those tools you will find yourself, as we did a few times, forcing one tool to be one that it is not. All that being said I’m very proud of the team for pulling this off and honestly I’m proud of myself for taking the challenge and pulling it together. This was a very unique experience I’m glad I got to be a part of.

FOR THE NERDS. The tools we used on DEAD OF NIGHT:

• Camera - Black Magic Pocket Cinema 6K Full Frame

• Lenses - Vintage Nikon Nikkor Lenses AI and AIS (We lived a lot on the 35mm)

• My Steadicam Rig - Tiffen Steadicam Axis

• Filtration - Black Pro Mist 1/8 and 1/4

Great BTS:

As happened to me quiet a few times lately (and I have the feeling it will keep on happening) I found myself in one of the shooting situation I dislike the most, which is when more or less suddenly the 1st AD tells me :”Put in that van everything you’re gonna need for the rest of the day, we’re moving to a new location which is an hour drive from here. Don’t forget anything, be fast and please… keep it simple!”. Of course I’m not speaking about situation where this was in the callsheet, in that case it is pretty easy to be prepared. I’m speaking of those times when a sudden change comes up (rain on location, new shooting plan, talent’s agenda variations and an awful long etc.) and we need to improvise, which is from my point of view one of the most important skills of a good AC.

I’m pretty sure that some of you came up quickly with an answer like :”Ask the DoP!” and even though it is logic, if life was so easy everybody could be a top notch assistant cameraman. Normally, when this kind of situations happens, there has been an important change in the order of the shots, so is pretty likely that the DoP has his hands full speaking with the gaffer and/or the best boy about the new situation, discussing with the director all kind of lighting issues etc. Of course the camera crew also will need confirmation from him, but is gonna be...

More info HERE

Recently I was compiling some of the below shots for a production company client to show off what we could do within a particular budget that basically covered just the Flyer LE & FS700 with only Sony lenses.

Thought I'd add a few more & make better reel out of it! Will have to get round to making one for my big rig & bigger cameras...

Comments & questions welcome:

In light of a lot of sports/steadicam related discussions I figured, why not share my experience. As some of you may know, besides being a steadicam operator, I’ve been an avid competitive gymnast for over 23 years. I just wanted to take the time to write up a small article about gymnastics and the steadicam life and how I feel the two have influenced each other over the past years.

Comparing the two has made sense to me since the day I picked up a rig. Like many athletes, gymnasts spend years practicing and developing skills before entering official compeition. The same goes for steadicam, in the beginning, one spends a lot of time developing the strength and insight into what makes a great operator on smaller projects before being able to work on a feature film or a tv-series. Both disciplines (cause let’s face it, steadicam doesn’t involve sitting around doing nothing) require a great deal of strength and stamina. For me personally the two have had tremendous benefits towards one another. Due to my sports background I was able to quickly adapt the musclememory needed to operate this wonderful machine, in return, the more jobs I keep getting, the stronger my legs and back get, making it possible for me to achieve new heights in gymnastics (literally).

Though a lot of attention has to be directed towards correct posture, stretching, preventing exertion, both operating steadicam and gymnastics require a bit more than just the physical aspects. I’m talking about the gear, Jerry Holway once told me “Give a master violin player a second hand piece of wood with strings and he’ll be able to play a song, give the same person a Stradivarius and it becomes art”. A great operator can achieve the best shot in the world with the right type of gear, as for a gymnast, this is very similar. I’ve seen a world class gymnast fall of a highbar during an olympic event final, because the flex of the bar was just a little different, the chalk didn’t feel right and 4 years later, that same guy had all the right elements to make “Art” and he brought home the gold medal. I take care of my rig the same way I take care of all the pieces of apparatus in the gym and they both continue to deliver wonderful results.

Last part I wanted to touch upon was the matter of safety. Running with a rig down a slippery rocky hill or throwing yourself 4 feet in the air over a solid steel bar, just because that’s what people expect from you can lead to one of two things. Either you get a standing ovation for a fantastic running shot/catching the bar, or you end up breaking your neck. The fact that the latter hasn’t happened to me is because my coaches have always demanded a safe training environement, which I held dear to my heart. I carried on this habit from the moment I first started operating, every running shot I do, every hardmount I rig, every single precarious situation I encounter on set, safety is always my number 1 concern.

The main conclusion for me is that both disciplines have had major benefits towards each other and I can only recommend combining sports with operating steadicam.

Any other (former) athletes on the forum? I’d love to hear your take on how steadicam may have improved your performances or how your choice of sport has helped out in your operating.

Greetings

Nils

2 years ago I had meniscus surgery and was forced to rehab the knee. In the process I realized I had completely neglected a vital part of what propels us..........hips. Who works out their hips? I don't....ever. until I experienced some issues with my knee after the rehab.At the request of my doctor I started working my hip flexors and was amazed at the stability and power I gained by doing simple exercises that Jack Lelane used to do on TV back in the day in his one piece jump suit.

So simple but so effective. Not to mention the flexibility and strength.....so do some basic hip exercises.

Your knees,calves, thighs, butt and back will thank you.

I just finished operating 2 days on a frozen lake . Winds of 30/35 miles . Temperature below -20 celcius . Some of the coldest days we have had here in Quebec this winter.

This was by far the coldest day operating ever for me and I have been working in the film business for 24 years . Great opportunity to see what fails and what doesn't : here is my list :

progpi sled/arm : not a glitch

preston Hu3/mdr2/dm2 : couple of hicups from motors , warm them up 5 minutes with radiant heater and they go back to work .

arri alexa Xt with codex cards : not a glitch

paralinx arrowX with array antenna : not a glitch

smallHD HBDP7 PRO: both menu buttons (top corner) stopped clicking after 10 minutes outside.

That was a problem . Could not access menu . Tried flipping the image going low mode and finally flipped it in camera . Hot keys (rubber buttons on the sides) still worked .

Image was lagging a bit but so was the 1ac's transvideo .

anton bauer batteries : left in the cold more than 30minutes; they became useless. We had like 16 dionic hd for the camera . At one point , I had to plug in a VCLX block .

hawk vlites lenses : heated lenses cases were life saviors : essential for such days.

We also used a custom made heated donut that was velcroed around the barrel of the lenses on the sled (powered by the batteries at the bottom of the sled , that's the cable you see on the picture hanging in front of the sled )

cinetape , horns stopped working , heat them up and back to life .

cables : only preston and cinecoil seem to have found the receipe for sub zero cables : every other cable could have snapped in a heartbeat if handled to furiously .

That's it for that particular job .

Now time for another hot coco .

Fly safe and heated

Frederic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdp6-8FJn5c

Overall, the experience was unparalleled. There are shots I am very proud of, and shots I wish I could've had more takes of. As a student, I could not have asked for a neater first time "big gig" experience. The pressure of getting the shot right, and also presenting myself on television was surely a way to desensitize me to the stress associated with a role of intense responsibility. I did catch myself quite a few times with bad posture - gah! :rolleyes:

- Kevin

Tiffen Steadicam Pilot

Sony PMW F5 CineAlta

Zeiss Compact Prime CP2 Distagon 28/T2.1

I just had a stellar day flying the Arri Alexa with super speeds on a GoldieBlox commercial. The best part about everything was the content. I had to follow Rube Goldberg contraptions (built by little girls) throughout a little house and a down a long driveway.

Example GoldieBlox: http://www.goldieblox.com/products/goldieblox-and-the-spinning-machine

Today was so fantastic because it reminded me of my childhood. I was one of those little girls that built things out of what toys were available. But, It was one of the best days I've had on set. The shots weren't easy and required quick movements. The driveway shot was challenging because I was running backwards catching a rollerblade on a clothesline and going under a swing set then tracking with signs/chairs falling over (dominoes) and then a skateboard shooting through a bunch of cans and a babydoll. Aye!

Oh and Michael my dear grip for the day, saved my ass down that driveway. While running backwards one of the goldberg crew pulled a wire too soon before I could pass and I was caught, I started to lose my balance and was yelling to Michael that I'm going down. A couple more steps backwards Michael tucks me into his arms right before I go turning the fall into a lean. Thank you Michael, you were my hero!

The first half of my life was spent as an Army brat. Born into a military family, always a new place, always a new set of rules. So I am very thankful to all those that have served in any branch of the armed forces. Military life is rough!

Also, the beauty of being a filmmaker is that the military has always had a part in cinema history. Through the engineering of still and motion cameras, camera support mechanics, photographed images, and even veterans working specific jobs in the industry over the years. There has always been a combination of military and cinema.

I am curious to know how many of you Steadicam Veterans are out there? Domestic and International? Who all has served their country? I would like to know who all I am thankful for? Branch, rank, years, story?

Happy Veteran's day all! Fly safe out there!

Small example of reharsels