The good and the not so good

[JamieSilverstein]

I am operating on a Lifetime Movie down in New Orleans...... It is hot as hell and there is a ton of steadicam on the show, most of it outside. During the first of four weeks, my Modulus fried, and my monitor stopped working properly........ I quickly sent the Modulus to Maine to get it fixed. At the same time, after a brief discussion with the people at Imp Electronics, I was sent a replacement monitor to use while mine was being looked over. When the Modulus people finally answered my phone call to see if the unit was received, I was told that it wouldn't be looked at for at least 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS!!!!!

Last week, the third of the shoot, one of my receivers on my Bartech stopped working. Jim patiently explained that it was a potentiometer problem and I should send it back and it would be repaired the same day and sent back promptly. Jim lived up to his promise.

At the same time, Jerry Jacob, who lives down in New Orleans, was kind enough to lend me a back up for the Bartech, and let us rent his Modulus for the shoot.

The moral of the story is this; I love Bartell for his patience with ludities like me, I am impressed by the service and care that Imp has shown. I am overwhelmed by the generosity of Jerry Jacob, and I truly hope to find an alternative to the Modulus....... Its all about feeling like someone out there is looking out for you. Someone has your back and you can relax knowing that they are out there.

So without getting mushy or sentimental, which is something that I am known to do after the first beer, thank you Imp, Jim, and Jerry. I look forward to repaying you for you kindness and professionalism someday.

Its been a long day, I'm shot.

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

Jamie,

 

Wow, no wonder I have not heard from you in awhile (too long). Sorry to hear about your woes. Obviously no surprises on Jim Bartell?s customer service. Regarding the Modulus, too many have said this as of late. So much so that a few recent (albeit minor) problems with the video village people have sent me looking for a better backup tuner and even casually looking for another transmitter. The Modulus turnaround time has become a HUGE issue, so much so that I will look elsewhere when it is time. If you have not seen Larry?s review of the new CanaTrans, check it out:

 

http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums/index...=15entry10702

 

Big problem here is the price (along with size & weight). Those who know me know that I?ve been doing this long enough that I?m used to the prices of film gear and am rarely ?sticker shocked.? Suffice to say, not this time. But, then again, we are talking about our client interface!

 

Hope luck is now with you, Jamie.

 

Cheers,

[Andrew Jansen]

Hi Jamie,

 

Sorry to hear your Modulus woes... Robert Wright at Lightline Electronics makes a very solid transmitter. He offers next day service if anything goes wrong, which it hasn't after almost 10 years of using his transmitter. He's an ex LA camera assist now living in Colorado...

 

http://lightlineelectronics.com/Tx1000.html

 

Cheers,

 

Andrew

 

www.steadicamguy.com

[bobgilles]

.25W seems a bit weak, but if you found it to be reliable and effective, I am interested. The price is very nice!

[John Buzz Moyer]

Jamie,

 

If Jerry needs his Modulus back, we have a couple back ups over here on the truck we could send your way.

 

John "Buzz" Moyer

(shooting in New Orleans on a stage kept at 57 degrees...)

[JamieSilverstein]

Guys;

Thanks for the support and kind words....... We are into the final days of the shoot, so I'll limp home and see what is out there for the asking.......... A suitable backup, which might become my primary if Modulus doesn't come through with the repair in a timely fashion.