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Super Low Mode


michael carstensen

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Calling on the Greats... I'm struggling with Super Low mode. In an ideal world I can get the lens height about 50cm ( 19inches) off the ground.

 

When shooting with the Red Epic on the last 3 commercials I have had to put the camera on the deck. POV of a dog or a soccer ball or a lawnmower. After setting up the shot it's usually the Director wanting to go lower lower lower - so I move my gimbal right up drop my arm post take off my shoes ... Anything to just get the lens inbetween the blades of grass. Sometimes asking for a tighter lens helps but it doesn't always fly with the powers that be.

 

I only have a 2 stage post, I don't have the spare cash for a superpost and I fly an Italian rig called a UniSteadicam that is in its build quite similar to PRO but with a 1,7" post.

 

Somedays I have had to hard-mount her onto a desert dolly with my Garfield mount, I can go as low as the soil but it hampers your operating and you can't run around the set like a dog/cat/soccer ball.

 

If you guys have any tips I could look at, I have a low mode cage but I'm looking for a comfortable way to work and still delivering what they want.

 

Thanks for your time

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Sometimes a super post is the only practical way to scrape the ground without hardmounting.

 

If you can get the camera as light as possible, add some extra weight at the battery end and use a long post in your low mode bracket you should be able to get rather low but some directors just aren't happy until the camera is underground.

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Michael

 

I made a home made cage that drops me to floor level ,very basic it gets the job done which is what its about...yes obviously on a rickshaw or dolly with hard mount is great but you will end up in places where you can't have them...only downside to my system is a rather large counter weight at the bottom (battery) to equal your new extention but for those super low shots its worth the pain in weight, you get the shot and move on ...no changing junction boxes etc , its quick.

 

PS you could have phoned me!!

Edited by adriaan visser
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Hi Adriaan,

 

interesting. I assume the cage increases the distance between the camera body and the top stage? I have thought of this myself sometimes. I used to have a super-post (5 years), but never used it. So I got rid of it. But have had some request lately. Typical.

 

Anyway, my question. Won't the increase of the camera body from the top stage put a lot of extra stress on the top stage?

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Yes, it will increase the stress, so it really pays to have a light camera.

Brant Fagan and I made a similar thing called a "peg leg" back in the day, but we were very careful with the camera weights and the type of moves we would do with it, to keep the stresses down on the stage.

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Lars

 

Yes it puts more strain on your top stage.. the whole rig becomes heavy I have done it only with heavy cameras as well like Alexa, but sometimes you have to improvise to get a shot without spending thousands of $ for something you need now and then..the rig itself can handle it and the times you need to scrape the floor it works fine.Its basically a riser cage with bottom plate and top plate and four lightweight posts about 24" holding it together,that gets me down on the floor ,you do then need to add more weight at your battery end to balance .At this end of the world that is the extremes you go to!

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