The ALIEN / Alien Revolution - All about...

[Charles King]

Let me add one quick point, Listen to people like Will working on big shows using the gear, DON'T Listen to the manufactures and their sales droids.

 

Very true...and that goes for ALL manufactures. ;)

[JobScholtze]

Let me add one quick point, Listen to people like Will working on big shows using the gear, DON'T Listen to the manufactures and their sales droids.

lol, droids? Somehow i think its funny that this is coming out of your mouth, very amusing

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

Very true...and that goes for ALL manufactures. ;)

 

Exactly my point

[Christopher TJ McGuire SOC]

Eric, Eric, Eric...!!!

 

Yeah, its interesting searching the old forum to see what people have said, about products they've owned in the past!!!...

 

And I do think that this ought to be your last post as moderator!!!

 

Cheerily...Chris McGuire :D

[JamieSilverstein]

I am not a moderator, nor do I ever plan on being one. I think that I have opinions that are at least in my mind valuable to others, and I want to maintain my subjective voice. It seems to me that a moderator's position is to moderate and not to voice opinion. If a moderator voices an opinion, he or she cannot properly moderate, their bias showing through.

I have read the Alien posts with great interest for a long time now, from the time Lynn Nicholson was deeply involved with his project to present. I have witnessed much of the tumult and tempest and I am very aware of how sensitive the subject is to many people. While I think that anyone who wants to voice their opinion regarding the Alien, or any other product for that matter has the right to, as long as that opinion is presented responsibly , I'm not sure that name calling is a proper approach.

I'm not here to protect or defend MK-V or anyone associated with MK-V. To suggest that we not listen to Manufacturer's 'droids' in reference to the discussion about the Alien, begs the question as to who the 'droid in question is. It seems to me that the inference is directed at MK-V, and not all manufacturers, and as a moderator, I for one wouldn't use the term in this instance, and for that matter at any time in this manner. It kind of shows your bias, and as I said, it seems to me that a moderator should at least present a impartial face.

Just my opinion.

Now can we please speak nicely........

[Jaron Berman]

I'll preface my opinions by saying this: I'm a newjack. My experience in the field is limited, though when I'm not shooting, I spend a few hours practicing each night on the line. At this point, through workshops, practice, asking all you guys (dumb) questions, and watching tons of footage, I'm starting to understand what makes good shots as well as solid operating. That said:

 

I went to see Curse of the Golden Flower today. It was the first use of the AR system I've seen outside of the demos online. I read the american cinematographer article on that movie (after seeing it), which mentioned the specific challenges of shooting the steadicam scenes, and why they chose AR. Specifically, they said it was due to the confined sets full of horizon references, as well as the speed at which the op had to run. In their case, AR was used to ensure level horizons and square doorframes while running.

 

The first thing I noticed was... that I noticed...every AR shot. It looked different,..pretty jerky but level. AR is a new technology, and from what everyone says, a totally different technique to operating. Steadicam wasn't an exact science in the beginning either, and like the early steadicam shots, the work on Curse had a young feel to it. I'm sure that as more people experiment with the rig, the competition and "time behind the wheel" will drive the skills. Still, besides the couple of obvious horizontal-mode shots, my feeling was that a good op on a standard rig could have done a cleaner job. Again, just my opinion.

 

As a new op, its easy to be romanced by the latest and greatest technologies. When it comes down to it though, the basics are still the basics, and even when the rig can isolate one of the great challenges. There are still a lot of other fine points of technique regardless of the rig.

 

Back to the line for me.

[WillArnot]

Very well put Jaron. If you do not have very good operating skills in place already I believe a decrease in accurate framing is entirely possible due to the very different and changing angles that you operate the gimbal on the AR (note the gimbal angle in the pic in 1st post).

 

As with so many things you have to have a solid foundation in place to then understand how to utilize advanced technology and incorporate it seamlessly.

 

To me something which attains a level horizon at the expense of accurate framing, consistent headroom etc. is not acceptable. The point being that with a regular sled good, solid steadicam skills in place, a consistent Horizon of greater than 2 degree accuracy (shoot for better than 1 degree), and good framing is totally achievable and desirable. This in itself may take years of experience to achieve.

 

Having said that I did do some running stuff w/ the AR on a commercial where it's merits really shined. After getting my body and rig up to speed, and 'locking on' to the frame I was able to look away from the monitor and really concentrate more on my run, my posture in order to maintain strength and speed, and to target my end point with greater accuracy. When it was time to slow down I took a last look at my approaching end mark and then back to the monitor to feather the end for a sweet end frame. I was shocked at how consistent and solid the run looked when I watched the playback.

 

Now this was w/ a 235. In general I utilize the AR only for specific shots, especially on feature films where I am always flying sync sound 35mm (heavy). I have a 2nd PRO sled built in case I don't have time to convert my primary XCS sled back to conventional mode. The Nexus does convert in and out of AR mode somewhat faster.

 

Point being that my appreciation for the simplicity and accuracy of a normal steadicam currently outweighs the effort it takes for me to handle the AR all day long, mentally and physically. A complete re-design of the entire system would be needed in order to shed the necessary weight for heavy applications. When your shots and working speed are under the microscope on challenging hi budget movies, let alone a tv show (frantic work pace), simplicity and accuracy are paramount.

 

So many tools for the job these days. Picking the right approach in the interest of speed and accuracy for the sake of the schedule is part of the camera operators job. If the DP and Director want to go for an ambitious shot then great, as the operator you can prepare them and the AD for the necessary time requirements needed to achieve what they want - and pick the appropriate tool to achieve this.

[JamieSilverstein]

Will;

 

Brilliant. A really well thought out insight, perfectly voiced!!

 

Jamie.

[Charles King]

Thanks Will for that analytical assessment. A darn fine one I must say. Though I'm no where near your operating ability, it is definitely good to hear experiences and try to incorporate them among the many we all learn on a daily basis. I'm learning, So these are some very good points. Thanks.

[TJ Williams]

Will

That was a really interesting post. Just wondering what the proceedure is to add or remove the Alien from your XCs sled and how it differs from use on the Nexus sled? Allso curious to know, what changes you had to make in the XCs to fly the Alien.

TJ

[Ramon Engle]

Hi TJ. I can tell you that the change over from AR mode to regular steadicam on the Nexus sled is fairlely quick:

Remove AR roll cage

Remove processor and sensor module on the bottom

Remove monitor braket

Attach standard monitor bracket.

All of this is about 10minutes or less.

 

The hitch would be if the camera is in the Roll cage when you need to change over and how the Preston is configured. Then decabling could slow you down.

I shoot with the Varicam on a show that flip flops from AR to Dolly to Table top dolly all day long. We've setup the gear so the camera never comes out of the cage. I use one of Markus Baer's Cat Grillers. It's a sexy little receiver plate that mounts to a sliding base plate and accepts steadicam plates.

 

Ramon

 

[WillArnot]

Hi Guys,

 

For me the most time consuming factor is positioning the focus system. I seem to only ever be dealing w/ 35mm and therefore tipping the scales as far as weight goes with the AR. In general I am very particular about how my sled is configured and cabled. This being for a number of reasons, but mostly when I have ignored my own standards in the interest of time, I always regret it and the shot suffers. For the most part, the jobs I am on expect perfection for the money they are paying, and perfection we must deliver.

 

I am a big believer in preparation and presentation. If you show up with cables sticking out all over the place looking like you just slapped everything together, the producers are going to feel like you are not worth what they are paying you.

 

Conversely, if you run a tight ship, they feel like they did the right thing and it's a win win situation. Now apart from all this, as I said the bottom line is the shot and what will get you the highest result on screen. We must know our gear and how best to incorporate it effectively. I have written before about my issues with balancing and building the AR, but mainly I don't think the issue of focus, Iris, zoom is addressed properly at all by most AR operators.

 

In Ramons pics I see that he is running all 3 channels from his Preston. With the video camera it is great to be able to mount the Preston at the back of the camera. Film cameras other than the 235 mean that it is not a good idea at all to mount the focus device at the camera for weight considerations.

 

It's always a good idea to be able to provide Iris control, except if you are under totally controlled lighting conditions. Re-balancing and reconfiguring the AR to accomodate an extra lens motor and or iris receiver like for a Bartech, can be extremely time consuming as clearance and balance within the AR cage is critical. So I like to have a set up where I am prepared for any eventualities. DP's appreciate this. It doesn't look good if you have to hold up the show just so your boss can pull the Iris half a stop.

 

The primary weight concern I have is a potentially lengthy discussion on rig set up for the AR. Paramount to realising an effective height in both lo mode and hi mode is getting the gimbal away from the camera. If the gimbal is close to the camera your effective lo mode height is hi-lo-mode at best.

 

The 2 ways to achieve this are length of sled or bottom weight. A long sled quickly becomes ungainly and awkward, and can take up way too much room to do an AR move effectively on a set. So I think the most effective way to have the best of both worlds is to get as much of your useable mass down to the bottom of the sled, this includes flying the Preston (2lbs) right at the bottom of the sled. This way you are not yet adding weight, but effectively placing your accessories where they lend to a shorter sled AND getting the gimbal away from the camera. I see alot of AR ops also placing the monitor motor quite close to the gimbal high up the post. This seems so ridiculous to me for the reasons I have laid out above.

 

My monitor motor and Transvideo 6" superbright together probably weigh close to 5 lbs. By also placing this assembly low down the post I am also keeping the sled short so that the monitor doesn't end up more than 5 inches further away from my viewing than if I had it close to the gimbal. The short sled has several benfits aside from just physical clearance of people and objects on set. One being that the arc of the camera during a switch from lo to hi mode is minimised and so I am able to have a much straighter vertical move without having to move my feet 5 feet to one side and back in order to take out the arc. In addition to the fact that it is important to have the camera at a realistic eye height for the actor and not have the sled and arm boomed all the way down so it's really awkward to walk if the sled is long.

 

The one thing Ramon forgot in his list of things to switch back to normal steadicam mode is replacement of the Focus device to it's normal operating position. So to get back to your question TJ, it takes me probably an additional 3 minutes to re-configure the bottom of my sled since I have custom attachment of the sensor pack and electronics. There are empty, isolated wires in the XCS post that Greg modified for me and added the 6 (or 5?) pin lemo connectors at the top and bottom of my sled whereby the AR computers can talk to each other without any interference. This is critical. Then we also provided isolated 12 volts to the bottom AR lemo so that the sensor pack can be powered up and warmed up separately to the other electronics. This is also important for the AR.

 

Aside from these mods the XCS makes a fantastic AR sled as the top stage is more rigid than any other sled in the world, again critical for the AR. The power distribution is 2nd to none, regulated and isolated; and the telescoping batteries mean I can keep the bottom of the sled compact if I have to for clearance, or long for inertial control, all without having to switch to different rods. Let's not forget that the XCS sled was at first being designed to work with Lynn's Alien, so alot of the sled has been designed from the ground up to accomodate the AR.

 

For this next movie with Russell Carpenter and the Genesis, we are renting an XL for the AR work since the Genesis will not even come close to fitting in the AR cage. So I have my PRO lite w/ DB III and 2" XCS post and gimbal in addition to my XCS sled. When the AR comes out we will dedicate the XCS to that and be able to have the Genesis also built on the PRO sled to give Russell every option possible. Then if my 2nd MDR 2 is working on the A camera all I have to do is switch my MDR between the XCS or PRO sled.

 

I go on about the Preston / any focus device, because it is an important part of the picture that is overlooked at trade shows and the like. You don't realize what you have to deal with until you are on your own in the hot seat, and the DP wants to fly a small zoom lens in order to zoom and the abillity to still pull Iris. Good luck with the weight of the zoom and putting your Preston w/ the camera. Recipe for disaster. Or how about trying to get 3 Bartech receivers going. Nightmare for the AR.

 

With the Preston down at the bottom, I am covered for all possibilities and any lens choice, with out compromising AR performance b/c the sled is a mile long or the gimbal is 5 inches away from the camera. Remeber, if you don't have a gimbal to lens distance of at least 12 - 13 inches you are going to be in trouble on your switches.

 

will

[Matt Petrosky]

Great post Will. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences in a well-articulated and honest manner. Threads and posts like this are the main reason I regularly read this board.

 

Cheers,

Matt

[RobVanGelder]

It is interesting to see how things change.

 

Some years ago I mentioned on the forum that i would like the Preston down there, for the very reason of weight distribution, specially with the heavier sync-sound cameras.

 

Then some operator(s) told me that the ONE AND ONLY PLACE was ABOVE THE GIMBAL......

 

It's good to see that it can and needs to be done differently, sometimes.

 

Will, I admire your setup and hard work to make things workable.

And your explanations are terrific!

[Christopher TJ McGuire SOC]

Hi all... dont know how long this post will last, but...

 

the AR is adaptable...

 

There are a numerous amount of rigs in the world, all working...bringing in fresh, positive and innovative ideas to the world of illustrative industry.

 

If you have a particular way of working you can adapt the rig to work with you... you can work with any type of follow focus or video link... if your confident, and grasp the outside-of-box way of thinking you'll get the AR and blow the demo reel out of the water!!!

 

I'm still waiting for a better demonstration... (havent seen anybody elses footage in the last 3 years! - I've asked - but its never been forth-with )

 

 

Grow some bollocks!

(If this is deleted, E - had to pay for something!!!)

 

 

All the Best...Chris 'get on with it' McGuire.