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Gyro? Horizon Balancer? ...not an AR thing. Can someone shed some light?


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So I looked into the AR and Omega Rev rig, and honestly, it's too much $$$ for me and my needs. I already have a Phantom V from Tiffen Steadicam, and I love it... just need a stabilzer to go from low mode to missionary and keep the camera level the entire time.

 

Here's my question... are there any other optons and/or "poor man's" versions of the Omega Revolution (or Alien Revolution) out there...NOT the system, but just the horizon/camera stabilizer part? Non motorized, no flashy computers. I mean even 2 rings a foot in diameter, a cheeseplate to slap a camera on like the Alexa, and some skateboard wheels to keep it all horizontally stable?

 

After seeing the AR rig being used in the Teenage Dream music video, I sorta wanted one. When I saw the price tag, I was like, "uhm, NO!"

 

Yes, I'm sort of a newbie to all this... only operating my Phantom for 1.5 years. I'm a fast learner... my recent steadi work...

 

Yes, I live in Los Angeles, the dslr capital of crappy inventions.

 

NO, I don't want to spend $29,000 for an Omega Revolution that won't even fit on my Phantom V.

 

NO, I don't want to buy an entirely new arm, post, stage, etc. like the Nexus.

 

YES, I'll keep an extra foot free loop of bnc cable to go from camera to my Phantom stage, and use right angle bnc elbow connectors so I don't go kinking a cable or wire, or breaking a bnc cable connector on the camera or on my Phantom stage.

 

Can someone help shed some light on this?

 

I tried contacting John Moyer from 2 Fast 2 Furious about what he called "gyros" at 1:10 in this video... http://www.productionhub.com/video/view.aspx?item=11037 Not sure if that's the same thing as what I'm looking for (maybe John was just in Low mode the whole time).

 

But in essence, what I want is something that looks like the Omega Revolution, non motorized, non hokus pokus... JUST something to level out the camera with gravity, and go from low mode to missionary having the camera level the entire time.

 

Anyone have experience? Serious suggestions? Advice?

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Hey Mossimo,

 

You could also try using just the Manual Revolution and leave gravity to help you it might rock a bit on fast moves but if it was a slow move it could work for you? Contact Howard at MK-V for more info.

 

Good luck

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Hey Thomas,

 

Why wouldn't the manual Revolution work? The shot was low mode to normal height right? you could put a gyro on the inside too? I've owned a MR and have an AR now awaiting an Omega.

 

Wouldn't a Tango be more expensive option unless you can rent one?

 

The easyrig and gyro's I have some experience with this on a handsfree but crouching and moving I wouldn't recommend it for a stable enough shot been there not with a heavy package.

 

My two aussie cents

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I don't want to knock your creativity but there is a reason they make some of this stuff. And the people that do, spend a great deal of time and money to figure out how to make it work properly (which is why they charge so much for the finished product).

 

The phrase 'right tool for the job' is very important to steadicam. It's not a dolly, a super techno crane or a hand held camera, it's a steadicam. Those other tools can do things a steadicam can not and the steadicam can do stuff none of those tools can. The AR is a very specialized piece of equipment that takes a lot of skill and time to learn to use properly.

 

To your specific question, I have balanced my rig neutral and flipped it in the middle of a take for a music video (at the part the 'artist' started crawling on the floor). This works great if they are happy to flip the image in post or use the image upsidedown but it's not the same thing as an AR. You do not want to make a habbit of doing 'half ass' shots like I just mentioned unless you want make a habbit of doing half ass shoots.

 

So short answer is that there are probably a few ways you could 'rig' it and get low to high shots in the same take but the best way to do it is to use a piece of equipment that was designed for the job.

 

My 2 cents.

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Hey Thomas and Mike,

 

Good to see we can think out of the box I was thinking of suggesting the MR would be bottom heavy with gyro but even that is not the 'right tool for the job' as Mike says, their are no short cuts you guys are right pass on the job to someone with the right gear Massimo hope this discussion helped you?

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Agreed with the others about the AR, the only other option you can do is what is shown at the beginning of you 2 fast 2 furious is building a ramp to rise yourself up to eye level while in low mode. It involves a different solution than the AR and is not necessarily for the same shot or the same result...

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If you pay attention to what is said in the commentary on the 2 Fast 2 Furious clip, you will hear him say that he was in low mode and just walked up a ramp to bring the rig up. He wasn't using gyros on that shot. He said he was using gyros in the wind.

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If you pay attention to what is said in the commentary on the 2 Fast 2 Furious clip, you will hear him say that he was in low mode and just walked up a ramp to bring the rig up. He wasn't using gyros on that shot. He said he was using gyros in the wind.

Any links to said commentary?

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If you pay attention to what is said in the commentary on the 2 Fast 2 Furious clip, you will hear him say that he was in low mode and just walked up a ramp to bring the rig up. He wasn't using gyros on that shot. He said he was using gyros in the wind.

Any links to said commentary?

http://www.productio...aspx?item=11037

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