Steadicam/NUDIE in Music video

[Johan Weinl]

hey you guys!

 

I just saw the new David Guetta music video and In the beginning of the video I kind of notised the camera-crew reflecting in the windows/mirrors behind the actors quit often.

Of course, I as a steadicam-fan, fastly drew the atteention to the steadicam, bet later on, my attention was driven to something else in the camera crew...

 

this link is to the video:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byYsC6B7uGI

 

this link is to some backstage-material for the music video:

 

 

ENJOY!!!

 

//J. Weinl

Edited March 2, 2010 by Johan Weinl

[BJMcDonnell SOC]

LOL that is a killer concept. So awesome!

[Mike McGowan SOC]

I confess........ The problem (if you could call it that) was that I didn't look enough like a hot chick in my wig and spandex. So the director insisted that the girls stay really, really close to me, for 18 hours straight. It's amazingly hard to operate when there is anything touching your rig or arm, much more so when it's a hot, totally naked chick. Now the first few times I got smacked in the face with a ta ta or accidentally bumped a hooha with my hand, I apologized. After the 20 or 30th time however I'd just smack the bootie and shove them out of my way. The other big problem was that it was about 35 degrees out side and most of the shoot was exterior. I was cold as hell when we were shooting and the girls (wearing nothing) were really frickin cold.

 

I wasn't totally happy with how they edited the thing and the steadicam shots were really nothing special but how often do you get to play a naked, female steadicam operator at work.

[Kevin Andrews SOC]

Not a bad gig at all Mike. Good stuff.

 

While I was freezing my ass off today shooting with a Ski Patrol Team, I was thinking, where's my crew of naked chicks to keep me warm?

[Charles Papert]

Nice work Mike. I was going to ask, why is your post so long (and with a straight face no less) but as the behind-the-scenes wore on, it started to make sense as I saw a whole lot of stuff on that RED, plus a big honking battery up at the top and--the extended viewfinder???! Please to explain!!

[Matt Petrosky]

Nice work Mike, and as you know, sometimes the experience of the shoot is as much, or more, then the actual shoot.

 

I am curious though, do you have stock in a company that produces white athletic pants? I suspect you are the majority share-holder of White Pants Corp. because you are pictured, more often than not, sporting them. Haha, just messing, I know it's sunny in Miami and it is essential to have a unique steadi-op look so that you can easily be spotted in behind-the-scenes stuff. ;)

 

Thanks for sharing,

Matt

[Erik Brul]

WOOOOOT Cool job Mike. Very nice videos btw hahahaha.

But, i think we have some lovely lady operators on board here, maybe next time hire them :lol: :ph34r:

 

Go ladies !

 

Cheers, Erik

[Mike McGowan SOC]

Nice work Mike. I was going to ask, why is your post so long (and with a straight face no less) but as the behind-the-scenes wore on, it started to make sense as I saw a whole lot of stuff on that RED, plus a big honking battery up at the top and--the extended viewfinder???! Please to explain!!

 

lol, yea, i tried to talk the director into a different approach but he was convinced that the best way to go was to put me in a wig and spandex and then have the girls hide me as much as possible. but he didnt want them just standing there, he wanted them doing something. so one has a slate, one a boom, one a light, one is my dolly grip and one is looking through the eye piece. i offered to let her hold it not attached to the camera but the director thought it looked too fake. i explained that it looks fake to have the operator looking through the eyepiece too but he had his own opinions. he actually wanted (and we tried to do it) to have her stand in between me and the rig and actually put her arms on the post and gimbal. it looked really realistic but there was just no way for me to operate with any percision (or spell apparently). no cards, only drive, down converter, transmitter, preston, stupid eye piece, etc = long ass post. it would have been nice to be able to actually operate instead of just moving along with my stripper possy but it still came out ok.

 

Nice work Mike, and as you know, sometimes the experience of the shoot is as much, or more, then the actual shoot.

 

I am curious though, do you have stock in a company that produces white athletic pants? I suspect you are the majority share-holder of White Pants Corp. because you are pictured, more often than not, sporting them. Haha, just messing, I know it's sunny in Miami and it is essential to have a unique steadi-op look so that you can easily be spotted in behind-the-scenes stuff. ;)

 

Thanks for sharing,

Matt

 

funny enough, i own exactly 5 pairs of pants. they are, one blue jeans, one black slacks and 3 basket ball warm up type pants. as it's been cold in florida for the last 4 months or so and blue jeans and slacks dont steadicam very well so ive been in the athletic pants a lot. of the 3 warm up pants, one is white, one black and one grey with a red stripe. the black ones get too hot when the sun comes out so that leaves me with white and grey/red stripe. it seems i get photographed quite a bit so as of late, its all about me and my white pants B)

 

all that actually paid off as i got a kind of sponsorship from thorlo socks. i wear a thorlo patch on my vest and they send me free socks from time to time. i also had my picture on their website for a while..................... now if only i could get Nike to come my way.........

[Matteo Quagliano]

Mike, sorry if this sounds stupid... I just saw in the making (5.45 and 7.10) you're holding the post with all hand and may be touching the collar of the gimble with your index finger (might be to prevent panning?), I found myself comfotable too in some situation but it' supposed to be incorrect... Am I wrong? I ask because I never have the pleasure and possibility to follow a workshop and these are the tricks I'm missing more...

 

Thanks... by the way... great work!

 

maqu

[Mike McGowan SOC]

not stupid. in some situations (this was one) i had no choice but to 'strong arm' the post as i had the girls touching and bumping the camera for the entire take. the traditional grip (one hand doing all the work on the gimbal and one hand [thumb and a few fingers] doing the fine work on the post) would not have worked or led to the rig getting knocked out of my hand............

 

or,

 

if your talking about the part where we are walking around the street, i was in the "im over this" mode and just using one hand. some times, perticularly on rap videos, directors get a bit too creative for their own good. we might have spent 2 hours walking around the block if he didnt have 40 or 50 other shots to finish in the next 4 hours.

[Matteo Quagliano]

thanks Mike. I was meaning exactly what you mention. Both good tips.

 

I was on a very heavy RED setup recently and I found that what was more stressed after 21 takes were my legs, not the back or arms but my legs. it was a very long walk sequence that ends up on stairs to a 30 sec lock off.

[Mike Germond SOC]

It has been a brisk winter here in Orlando, in fact today started out at 37F! It's no supprise to me that lately Miami hasn't been the sun splashed metropolis that Burn Notice and CSI have made it out to be.

 

Great work Mike! If you don't have stock in White Pants then it must be in BTS videos. Never a dull moment on a hip-hop set it seems.

 

I may be coming your way for a production in a few weeks. If so, we should grab a drink..

[Charles Papert]

if your talking about the part where we are walking around the street, i was in the "im over this" mode and just using one hand.

 

That's hilarious and I know exactly what you mean Mike.

[JimBartell]

It has been a brisk winter here in Orlando, in fact today started out at 37F! It's no supprise to me that lately Miami hasn't been the sun splashed metropolis that Burn Notice and CSI have made it out to be.

 

Curiously enough, CSI: Miami and Dexter, both supposedly set in Miami, actually shoot in my neighborhood (Belmont Shore) in Long Beach, CA. I have been assured by op's who have been in both cities that Belmont Shore looks more like Miami than most of Miami does.

 

And it was 49 degrees here this morning.

 

Jim Bartell

[Matteo Quagliano]

just one thing... for the sake of the scene you should have had worn just the wig... then another post should have been kept out of the way....

 

AHAHHAHAHAHAHA