Premium Members Douglas John Kropla Posted January 26, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Well the title says it all. I have been lurking here for awhile and I thought I should post something. As with any forum on the net these days I have extracted a wealth of information from here. It is truly amazing that we new guys can come here and chat with seasoned pros, or in some cases get a new one ripped, if ya know what I mean. A little bit aboot me, Yes I am Canadian eh! And from Quebec although originally I am from Winnipeg. I have been doing STEADICAM now for about a year. Started off with a homebuilt unit and when the time came I bought a FLYER LE. I bought it because I was hired to DP an indie FF and I knew my homebuilt would not cut it. So far the work has been great, a beautiful blend of art and technology. I love doing this job. The day I retire is the day I can't walk or do a DJ anymore. It seems that a lot of people have problems getting good DB with the FLYER so I thought as part of my post I would put a link to the modifications I have done to mine. Here is a short clip showing the DB now... http://www.douglasjohnkropla.com/STEADICAMDB.mov you can also see how the lower part of the sled has changed. I am going to be changing that again as soon as the carbon fiber rails arrive. As for my work I invite you to view the clip on my site that I shot for the feature film I did last year. http://www.douglasjohnkropla.com/reel1.html I want to thank Charles Papert for his encouraging words on the HBS forum and also Charles King the owner/op of HBS. Hope I am not breaking any rules with this post as I have learned so much here. Also, no workshop yet, but as soon as we get another one here in Montreal I am there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Charles King Posted January 26, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Great intro. Welcome to the professional forum the guys and gals here make steadicam a serious living. You've come to the right place to get get first hand advice from some amazing operators. One tip. Before asking any questions just make sure you check the archives first, just to make sure the question has not been asked before. Trust me. It'll start you on a good note with the guys and gals here. :) Hope you enjoy your stay here. Make sure you go through all post here because there are some really great info to be read. I did that a long time ago when i first visited the forum and still going through the info found here. There is always something you will miss the first time around. Welcome.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Douglas John Kropla Posted January 26, 2010 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Great intro. Welcome to the professional forum the guys and gals here make steadicam a serious living. You've come to the right place to get get first hand advice from some amazing operators. One tip. Before asking any questions just make sure you check the archives first, just to make sure the question has not been asked before. Trust me. It'll start you on a good note with the guys and gals here. :) Hope you enjoy your stay here. Make sure you go through all post here because there are some really great info to be read. I did that a long time ago when i first visited the forum and still going through the info found here. There is always something you will miss the first time around. Welcome.. Thanks Charles. I hope I never ask the obvious. I always do a search before hand and I also love looking through the old posts, it's like time traveling. Also Charles I posted the same clip over at HBS, is that cool with you? Just to add about lurking :ph34r: , I have gotten a lot of info from here and I hope that one day I have the answer to a question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Amando Crespo Posted January 27, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 Great intro. Welcome to the professional forum the guys and gals here make steadicam a serious living. You've come to the right place to get get first hand advice from some amazing operators. One tip. Before asking any questions just make sure you check the archives first, just to make sure the question has not been asked before. Trust me. It'll start you on a good note with the guys and gals here. :) Hope you enjoy your stay here. Make sure you go through all post here because there are some really great info to be read. I did that a long time ago when i first visited the forum and still going through the info found here. There is always something you will miss the first time around. Welcome.. I agree Charles´ words...Welcome. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Douglas John Kropla Posted January 27, 2010 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 Thanks Amando. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Kevin Andrews SOC Posted January 27, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 Welcome! Very nice Flyer mod. I started with a Flyer LE and was frustrated with the sled everyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Stone Posted January 27, 2010 Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 Hi Douglas, Welcome! Hailing from the West Coast of Canada. Used to live in Winnipeg myself. Excellent job on the lower spar of your Flyer. A few of us are going to be chatting you up. All the best, Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Douglas John Kropla Posted January 27, 2010 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 Hey another Pegger, we're everywhere. Anything you want to know about the mod just ask. I know that DB could be achieved with the stock FLYER but this mod really cuts down on setup time. Right now my client base is Indie stuff and of course corporate shoots. If someone asks me to fly anything like a RED or bigger, I guess i'll have to do what I can to strip it down. I think I am covered for most of the smaller HD cams like the HDX900, SONY PDW series and the like, or am I wrong about that? I've done a lot of research on weights but I could be wrong. Thanks again for the welcome. Hey Andrew, I've got two brothers that are living on Vancouver Island near Victoria. That is beautiful country out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mark Schlicher Posted January 27, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 Nice mod. Any chance of getting a closer look with a still shot or two? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Douglas John Kropla Posted January 27, 2010 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 (edited) Here ya go... How's that? Edited January 27, 2010 by Douglas John Kropla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mark Schlicher Posted January 27, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 Thanks. Looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jess Haas SOC Posted February 19, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Is the fore/aft and side to side adjustment from the top of the rig or from somewhere else? ~Jess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Douglas John Kropla Posted February 27, 2010 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 Is the fore/aft and side to side adjustment from the top of the rig or from somewhere else? ~Jess Still at the top Jess. I am attaching pics of the way the sled looks now. As you can see, the batteries are seperated and can be moved independently for better DB. Those are carbon fiber rods. It really cuts down on balance time with this setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Douglas John Kropla Posted February 27, 2010 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 Is the fore/aft and side to side adjustment from the top of the rig or from somewhere else? ~Jess Still at the top Jess. I am attaching pics of the way the sled looks now. As you can see, the batteries are seperated and can be moved independently for better DB. Those are carbon fiber rods. It really cuts down on balance time with this setup. Also, Jerry mentioned I should try and invert the battery at the back, and now with this setup I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Charles King Posted February 28, 2010 Premium Members Report Share Posted February 28, 2010 Well done. :) Even better looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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