Discussion with a Producer about the MOVI

[Jamie Northrup]

A Producer calls you about a job. He wants to use either the MOVI M20 or YOU on Steadicam. He says the MOVI will "save them money", "let them work faster", and "the DP is happy" because now he can operate remotely via the monitor. However, he is calling to give you a chance to save your job. What do you tell him? What makes steadicam so much better?

 

 

 

For the sake of argument, let's assume a few things:

1. This is the future and that the equipment actually exists and works as advertised. (Just go with it)

2. The camera+AKS balances on your rig and the MOVI

3. You don't just tell the guy "Good Luck with that"

[William Demeritt]

However, he is calling to give you a chance to save your job. What do you tell him? What makes steadicam so much better?

 

"Go fuck yourself. If you think you have the power to call me up, tell me about a cheap piece of shit equipment that somehow glorifies your production and gives your DP the warm and fuzzies, you're completely mistaken. Maybe you called me thinking you'd enjoy making someone beg for their job, to 'save my job'. Well, I'd rather back over my Steadicam with a steam roller and watch reality TV producers piss all over the flattened remains than let you get away with the thought you'd make me beg for a goddamn thing. So, do me a favor: never call me again. However, I promise you that everyone I know will hear your name and know you like making people beg for the possibility of their jobs...

 

... oh, and good luck with your shoot."

 

p.s.- apologies for language and if it violates TOS for the Steadicamforum... I'll censor myself here if necessary, but you'd better believe that's every word of what I'd tell the unfortunate person who called me with that suggestion.

[Brian Freesh]

Since they are not interchangeable tools, I'd ask to speak to the DP about the shots they need to achieve. Also, since the MOVI is still in development I'd tell them now is not the best time to use one and it will likely cost them a lot of time in figuring things out.

 

I'd ignore Will, for some reason he has taken the introduction of the MOVI personally. Maybe one killed his father.

[Jamie Northrup]

Let me rephrase: He is NOT calling to give you a chance to save your job. He is calling because he RESPECTS you and the work Steadicam Operators do and wants to know why the MOVI won't cut it.

 

(Remember we're in the future, it's not necessarily the first time the equipment is being used.)

[Brian Freesh]

Then, exactly what I said, except now that I know we're talking about a hypothetical future of the MOVI being dialed in and easy to use you can ignore the last bit.

 

Not getting how my job is in jeopardy. I can operate a MOVI too.

[William Demeritt]

In that case, I'd probably ask if he can explain what shots they're trying to get, and why they think Movi is right for the task. If it's a budgetary decision, then I'd say that's that. If it's a creative decision, who knows, there probably are some benefits for using it for that purpose. If it's the future, lots of variables are reintroduced: camera weight dropping, stabilization equipment added to the MOVI, etc? It's a pretty broad question, and hard to really distill into a single answer since some shots, given the current equipment, would choose a dolly OR a Steadicam for some shots. Some shots do overlap on those pieces of equipment.

 

Now I gotta go call my father and make sure he wasn't killed by a $15k camera stabilizer. THANKS BRIAN.

[Victor Lazaro]

I will consider the actual shots and let the producer make a decision on what's needed based on the shots and what tools is the best fit, without looking at the hype of a new toy. If needed I'll offer to operate the movi and let the DP guide the gimbal or go in prestige mode. Also I'll let them know that if they decide to go on a movi, long shots will be harder to do as a hand held device takes your stamina faster than something that is resting on your hips...

[Alan Rencher]

Is this before or after people figure out what it's actually good for?

[chris bangma]

You tell them the same reason you would use a Steadicam vs a Pogocam, camera on a stick etc. The steadicam arm takes out vertical linear motion, unlike any stabilized head etc. This has always been the problem with stabilized heads, people think you turn them on and it takes everything out. In fact they are just limited to taking out angular motion.

[James Puli]

Tell them to call Brad Grimmett to do the movi shot! (for those who were'nt there ...he broke it after about 30 seconds of use at Cinegear and it took their techs over 20 mins to fix it!)

 

In the down time they'll pull the steadicam out and get the shot done!

[Sanjay Sami]

By the time the MOVI gets to the point where it can do my job, I will be in too old to operate anyway.

[Lars Erik]

Seems pointless to speculate on something that hasn't been released yet onto the commercial market. We have seen a few shots of the MOVI in action, and it needs two to operate it last I read. So will it be cheaper than having one person operate a Steadicam?

 

Still don't know how they'll be able to run with a fully loader Alexa or a F65 for that matter.

[Nicholas Davidoff]

I'm so sick of hearing about this amateur, microbudget kid's toy somehow "replacing" the steadicam. There are dozens upon dozens of things a steadicam does that a Movi can't and will never be able to do. It's all been discussed many times over so I won't get deep into it. It takes two operators. It can only carry a baby camera. Fast, accurate, precision movements are totally out of the question. Bravo to the guys who built the Movi, it's a great little instrument that may carve itself a niche, but in no way will it ever come close to "replacing" a steadicam. They don't even belong in the same category. Anybody who makes this moronic statement obviously knows nothing about camera stabilization devices.

[Mariano Costa]

This system is not really out in the field yet and everybody here starts to get crazily mad at it. Face it - swearing at a machine is not going to change anything. Additionally to the Movi I have seen at least 10 other companies building similar rigs and people from everywhere seem to wet themselves over it - it`s quite hilarious. I`ve seem any sizes from Gopro stabilizers up to one which could fly an Alexa M, and there it got interesting, that guy obviously struggled with the weight of it, so we can safely assume that bigger cameras can`t be fitted without an Easyrig or maybe a Steadicam vest and arm but then it`s losing some of it`s main benefits like small size and little weight. But the almost endless possibilities of these things in combination with lighter cameras make it obvious that lots and lots of producers will push it`s utilization, wherever it may be possible.

Edited June 22, 2013 by Mariano Costa

[Mariano Costa]

So you`re retiring in a few months?

 

By the time the MOVI gets to the point where it can do my job, I will be in too old to operate anyway.