Discussion with a Producer about the MOVI

[Kevin Stiller]

The Movi just has handles attached.

[Alan Rencher]

Nice comeback.

[Dan Coplan]

Happy to see this discussion going on. I keep hearing people say, "The Movi will replace Steadicam" and I get very defensive about it, but I'm also keeping an open mind to how much of a threat it poses. Seems to me there are things the Movi can do that Steadi can't (go from scraping the ground to up and over your head (Alien excluded), wade around in a pool, shoot inside a car, etc.) and things that Steadi can do that the Movi can't. Yes, there's a weight issue. We can rock heavy cameras no problem but with proper support systems developed, the Movi may very well be able to do the same. It also has the flexibility in that it can be operated by a single person or by two people for more complex shots. The real challenge is in convincing producers that Steadi is still relevant and superior and cross our fingers that its introduction doesn't cause the already sinking Steadi rates to plummet further. Time will tell.

 

I think a shootout is in order. We should draw up a list of shot ideas and then pit one of us against someone operating a Movi and see how it all shakes out. And then, regardless of the results, we should drag the Movi operator into a back alley and beat the tar out of him.

 

On a tangential note, Freefly can go F themselves. They've got real balls putting that thing out at $15K. I have an identical rig hanging off the bottom of my octocopter and I only paid $1500 for it new. The only difference is that it's driven by servos rather than brushless motors, but that's not a $13K difference. Makes me happy that competitors are producing knockoffs for under $3K.

[Daniel Stilling DFF]

Well, I just recently lost a job to the Movi. I got a call for this Ram truck commercial, to just hear a few days later that the directors decided on the Movi, and flew the guys from Freefly in.

I have a feeling it was a novelty factor in this case. Eventually that will wear out, or so I hope...

[Mariano Costa]

On a tangential note, Freefly can go F themselves. They've got real balls putting that thing out at $15K. I have an identical rig hanging off the bottom of my octocopter and I only paid $1500 for it new.

 

"Unfortunately" for them it just took days for others to either figure that out or just convert the existing technology they already offer.

[Bryant Swanstrom]

Not even on the market and that's the 2nd time I've heard about ops losing jobs to it.

 

Interesting times

[James Davis]

How is it that mantra goes in business?

 

"Adapt or die" Not sure how it is for you guys on the other side of the pond, but budgets on the lower end stuff here are ever increasingly squeezed.

i'm sure there'lll be loads of people buying these once they actually hit the market and then that'll probably be the end of Steadicam on all Low budget music videos, either that or the already stupendously crap rates that the producers of these things offer will get even lower to match the new breed of Movi/Stabilized Gimbal owners and their Black Magic Cinema Camera rigs.

What previously was a small bit of some operators income in this country will either end with us operating at a loss to service it within 12 months, or with us leaving that area of the market altogether unless it is us doing a "favour" for a mate/DOP that we know who has actually provided us with decent paying work in the past.

 

I predict that Steadicam as a tool will go on just fine, Low-medium budget world upwards will still use the fastest, most efficient, best tool for the job because they can afford to and we can afford to keep working on those rates, sure the Movi will come into use for certain things but I don't think it will impact steadicam operators noticeably in those areas.

I wouldn't be surprised if a whole big section of the low-budget market will no longer be worth the effort financially or time wise for us because it will be gobbled up by low rent DP's getting their 2nd AC's/Grips to "Move a Movi" for them while they kick back relax, then walk away with their £400 at the end of the day for them, their Black magic camera and their Movi.

Not even a year I reckon...

[Dean Smollar]

It's an interesting tool that does some unique things. Ultimately, however, it's an expensive uni-tasker, and the industry has enough of those. You're never going to replace something that is versatile with something that isn't. Multitaskers like tripod, jib, crane and steadicam have a few gaps that uni-taskers like dolly, RC, and MOVI can fill in.

[JobScholtze]

Movi can kiss my ass

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/besteady/besteady-one-next-generation-camera-stabiliser

[Thomas English]

We are camera operators that mostly operate Steadicam. We are also business people that like to invest in complicated kit for rental. If new kit comes along to master and profit from I am sure many of us will.

 

These Movi and knockoffs vibrate on wide lenses and don't have the gear ratio to stabilize longer lenses. I think it unlikely I will see one on set for at least 18 months and then only as a novelty.

 

They will have their uses.. just not many. Personally its very rare a DoP puts an 18mm on my camera. 27mm to 50mm are de-rigeur. This stabilizer can't do that focal range. If I am wrong... I'll buy one.

[Victor Lazaro]

You nailed it Thomas!

[Mike Germond SOC]

I recently worked on a Tim McGraw music video and the Producer/Director had just done Taylor Swift's new music video. They brought in the Movi to try as substitute for Steadicam and had nothing good to say about it. They had one long walk from Taylor's dressing room to the stage that just screams Steadicam, and the Movi footage was mostly unusable. There are just certain situations where it does not make sense. I'd love to see the Movi try to track from the pit on a long lens as well. My impression from the Producer was that the Freefly guys were trying their hardest to squeeze the novelty angles out of the thing, none of which made sense for the shot.

 

I think we will find a lot of situations where nothing can compare to the Steadicam. These guys certainly wished they had booked a Steadi now. We will probably see the Movi stop trying to imitate the Steadicam and find its own niche (or better yet, die off completely).

[Sanjay Sami]

It's an interesting tool that does some unique things. Ultimately, however, it's an expensive uni-tasker, and the industry has enough of those. You're never going to replace something that is versatile with something that isn't. Multitaskers like tripod, jib, crane and steadicam have a few gaps that uni-taskers like dolly, RC, and MOVI can fill in.

I dont think I would put a Dolly in the same place as the MOVI. On the movies I work on. the Dolly works a lot more than Steadicam or the Crane.

And in the right hands, the Dolly is an incredibly versatile tool. There are many shots that Robert Richardson and his Dolly Grip (usually Dan Pershing) pull off on a dolly that would have you swear it was done on steadicam or a technocrane.

[Kyle Wullschleger]

I'm operating a feature in Feb that is considering the MoVI as an option instead of a steadicam. I'll be operating regardless and we just did a test day with the MoVI using an Epic and a C500 and we were not overly impressed. We discused possibly using the Alexa-M but the rental company had theirs out on a show already, and we figured that it would be too heavy anyway. Initial impressions were not good...

 

Today, our AC came across this piece shot with an Alexa-M on the MoVI... hard to argue with great results. http://www.arri.com/news/from-1994-shoots-on-alexa-m-movi/

 

To me, it looks that just like the learning curve of steadicam, you won't just be able to rent a MoVI and use it - you'll need to become experienced with the best setup configurations and proper technique in operating for both the remote and whoever is the 'mule'... they simply cannot just be a mule, it really should be a skilled operator. Perhaps the curve is less steep, but there is definitely a curve.

 

Practice, practice, practice.

[Thomas English]

Thanks for that Kyle,

 

Yes it is important to keep note that some of the results from this thing are stunning. I am not worried about Steadicam rates. What is for certain is that there are X number of newbies coming into the industry often from other industries or straight out of films school. These people and their capital investment are the driving force behind the rates driving down as they are the most likely to do a deal. I am going to argue that a lot of these people are going to spend their money and skill time on the Movi and not Steadicam but this will be far less than the shots required on the money. Steadicam rates will actually go up! Just as they go up when some idiot turns up on a big job and can't hold level on a normal Steadicam rig and production look like fools.

 

So we need the Movi.