The ALIEN / Alien Revolution - All about...

[Nicholas M. Chopp]

Personally I don't see it as a "momentary" lapse, but I can respect your decision. If only more people were like that...

[WillArnot]

Good questions guys.

 

I am giving Howard the courtesy of full disclosure at NAB in a couple of weeks. After that pictures will abound I'm sure.

 

The principle is simple. Yes Mikko, automatic horizon correction. On the roll axis. As Paul pointed out in the previous thread you can simulate AR moves with your Steadicam right now. Simply roll it to one side or the other just imagine that the camera stays level. Therefore once the rig is inverted into Low mode, the camera is of course right side up.

 

The genius is that the monitor exactly mirrors what the camera is doing, and therefore stays upright as well, always giving you correct viewing.

 

How is this achieved? Without giving away too many specifics, the camera is mounted within a leveling head. Picture a Libra head, or a 3 axis Weaver-Steadman head, something where the roll axis is controllable.

 

As the sled is "rolled", the camera stays level by a feedback system. As the sled rolls 1° the camera is leveled by 1°. Therefore a level sensor is attached to the bottom of the sled. The level talks to a receiver that interprets the information. This information is fed up the post to another communication box at the top of the sled near the head, and also to the monitor, so it can do what the camera does in maintaining level.

 

The box up top tells the camera head how to stay level. Simple. Yet extremely difficult to make a reality as Lynn's 12 years of research and development attest to. Howard has been / is working himself to the bone to make this come alive. He has seen the brink of where the fastest technology in the world stands. Howard currently far exceeds the speed in information exchange, and is limited by the existing hardware available in the world.

 

This means that from a regular operating standpoint there is no lag between what you do as the operator and what the machinery can do. However if you set out to beat the system (up) it is possible. By performing manuevers that would never be applied in a real working scenario it is possible to beat the hardware and create a lag. This amounts to perhaps only 1° lag that will correct itself in a matter of seconds as the hardware catches up to the brains.

 

To reiterate, this is not a reflection on Howard's technology which operates at speeds comparable to the world's fastest computers, but on the existing leveling technology.

 

Mikko, you asked some keen questions in terms of operator controls and manual overrides. This will be critical to the success of the AR, and is the last piece of the current puzzle of this first wave of AR's. We don't have the manual override yet, but it will be integral as you pointed out to achieving amazing shots. Spinning the camera as the sled stays level. Or rolling the sled and not having the camera remain level so that you can do a dutch angle. Then when and how to make the camera come back to level again.

 

Howard is very close to completing the override control and implementing it. He is aware of it's importance. But as you can see, our brains and expectations are often far ahead of what currently exists. So we must gently make reminders of what is needed and generously contribute our creative energies into helping the AR realize it's full potential.

 

This forum is very important for such reasons. Thank you Matt for re-starting a clean thread.

 

Will

[Mikko Wilson]

Will,

Thanks for the great reply!

 

Hmm.. I wonder if one could gang multiple ARs on seperate axis... Oh these are exciting times!

 

If only I could make it to NAB :(

...Yet another reason to wish it was allready September and IBC time...

 

 

- Mikko

[Peter Abraham]

I could not agree more with Wil and Mike's thoughts regarding starting out. There is a very fine line between charging a bit below prime price because you are new, and aggressively wrecking the market for everybody.

 

No, nobody expects a person who just got their first rig and is struggling to get gigs on student films to demand $ 2,000.00 for a 10 hour day. No student could bear that load and that person would never get work. That's understood. On the other hand, it behooves all new owner/operators to keep a very close eye on detailed information such as that presented in posts like this one.

 

Know your market, know the prevailing rates. Do not be afraid of experienced Ops in your market !! They will respect the hell out of you, rather than resent you, if you call them up blind and say, " Hey I am pretty new with my rig. Can I ask you some basic questions about rates for different gigs in our area? I don't want to top out my price, but don't wanna step on any toes either. Would you give me some guidance? "

 

I can speak from experience here. Before I switched to a less gravity-driven rig, I owned a Master Series with all the trimmings and worked any gig I could get as long as they would pay the rate. It came to pass quite a few times that I would be pitted against an unnamed Op in my area, whose video operating rep is beyond reproach. The Production would play nickle and dime with he and I. Finally, he and I talked, and we agreed to be straight up if we found out he and I were competing for the same gig. No hard feelings if one or the othe got the gig- that's business. But we at least had a leg up on Production's shennanigans because we spoke about the gig. It wrecked production's efforts quite a few times to play one off the other in an attempt to save a few hundred dollars. It's really a pitiful environment to exist in. We do not know who our competition is for work frequently, but we can at least be honest and forthright about a range of rates for different work.

 

Did I bill $ 2,300.00 a day for commercials? Yah baby. Did I dare try asking for such a rate on corporate / industrials? Whaddya kidding? Of course not.

 

Get a sense from seasoned Ops in your area of what the prevailing rates are, and be blunt with one or two, and you will find that - even though we compete for similar work in an overall work environment that is very very tight- that we play straight up with each other whenever we can, and try not to backstab.

 

Peter Abraham

[WillArnot]

Hey thanks for the props Peter. I always like to remember and tell people how you helped me get going. How I pushed dolly for you and humped your sled through a certain junk yard back in the day!

 

You helped set a great example. Thank you.

 

And thanks for helping to clarify some important points. Of course, everybody has to start somewhere, but once you get somewhere don't undersell yourself and ruin things for others in so doing. Good suggestion, feel free to call and talk, this forum is but only a starting ground too in that regard.

 

Will Arnot

[Peter Abraham]

Will, you surely had my back that day. What slayed me was not only the long tracking work ( which was rigorous but fun to do ) but how what might have been a neat sequence was hacked up. The usual.......

 

Folks, this man carried my sled back to 1st mark take after take after darned take. A fully loaded Moviecam Compact, on Master Series rig. All day he helped me get through a string of long shots.7 weeks on location, a pleasure to be with. A saint, I tell you. Also possessed of an incredibly deft and genteel touch with a Fisher 10...........

 

No wonder his Steadicam work is so nice to look at. :)

[guillermo nespolo]

well guy i have get in contact with a video of the alien revolution on the nav

let me star like this there is no better name for the sled ....its complete new and unique tool

the first thing i must say its that will bring a new side to operating its not only the high mode low mode ....that came for freee... for me ist puting the camera where i never can do it with a standard sled......its a complete plus to the sled a new add on , expand the amount of things u can do with a steadicam....like starting a shoot on the other side of the table and then continue as a standar sled

i thing the amount of things that alien revolution can do its until now unown ... my first impresion its that with time operator will give new uses to the alien revolution .....for me its a start of a new great tool to do greats never thinked shoots

 

 

well its was my impresion....in few word ...i want to wear one now and discober what can i invent with it.........

congratulations mk-v

[Marc Abernathy]

are there any pics availabe for viewing? hopefully ill be able to see one at cinegear but id like to have a teaser....

[bobgilles]

Here ya go!

[bobgilles]

Here ya go!

 

 

[Marc Abernathy]

thanks bob. looking to see this puppy in action at cinegear...

[WillArnot]

Hi All,

 

I will be shooting nights on the Warner Bros back lot starting Tuesday 31. The AR has seen 10 full shooting days on Rent so far and we will be there for 2 weeks finishing the picture.

 

I have been too swamped to post pictures, footage, or testimonials yet. But suffice to say that the AR has been proving itself and earning money.

 

One Master shot we did for a big dance sequence was studied by our Director Chris Columbus, who finally exclaimed after 20 mins..."where the hell do I cut into this??"

 

It sums up alot as to what the AR can add to a shot without even having to do any fancy Hi / Lo inversions. There is a definitive sense of seamlessness that is beyond what a conventional Steadicam can offer.

 

To all those who will be at Cinegear which is on the Warner Bros lot, feel free to get in touch with me personally if you want to come and talk / view the AR working in a real world scenario with a full 35mm set up (Arricam LT), with 2 Preston lens motors, Panatape with readout on both sides of the Mattbox, and the Preston MDR mounted to the bottom of the sled in order to place as much mass at the bottom of the sled.

 

Did a great shot today on a staircase where we successfully utilised going from Hi to low to accomodate height differentials.

 

Tomorrow the camera will be cruising over the middle of a pool table as the lead actress crawls across it.

 

They cancelled using a Technocrane for this 6 minute song and dance and are paying me accordingly for using the AR instead.

 

e-mail me or call my cell # you can find in the IATSE 600 directory.

 

Hope to see you / speak to you soon.

 

Will

[Andrew Jansen]

I flew the AR this week and will to be putting in my order soon... Very impressive indeed. Very well built. No compromises. Incredibly well executed. Amazing ! Brilliant ! Great hanging out with my fellow Brit Howard who is a pure genius !!

 

Looking forward to those beers next time you're in New York Howard !! You c....

 

Cheers, Andrew

 

www.steadicamguy.com

[RonBaldwin]

I consider myself a friend of Howard's, so I know he knows I'm not taking any credit from him...but let's not forget Lynn Nicholson in Las Vegas who developed the Alien Prototype. I can't begin to imagine how much time, effort, and $$ Lynn had invested in this device when I tried it 4 years ago.

 

Howard, I'm looking forward to another fun evening at BJ's digs. It was great to play a few weeks ago.

 

Ron B

[mattmarek]

was speaking with a friend steadicam op recently and we touched on the ar. he said it now gives the ability to have newbies compete with us in terms of quality of shots given. (ie. horizon is corrected for them)

 

is the ar going to be marketed like this in the future? 'break into the steadicam world with the technique of a seasoned vet' - or something like that?

 

i argue this point and say. a newbie still needs to develop the right posture and stamina as well as being able to walk without hitting the rig every step he/she takes. plus the ar makes a rig heavier than normal (?) and this will take even more conditioning. plus, all gear fails at one point or another. try being on set and your ar goes down and you have to execute a normal walk and talk and you can't hold a horizon worth a bag of lint.

 

cheers all and look forward to trying this baby out. lynn offered me a fly about 3 years ago, but i was never in the area. soon i hope.

 

any stops in the frozen north howard? ;)