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Steadicam and the inevitable


Dan Coplan

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a line of coke to get the point across as to how the shot would look better.

2 valiums so the AD stops pissing you off.

a small bucket of speed for running shots and loading the van at the end of the day.

chrystal meths if it s a buy out with no overtime.

3 tabs of acid so you finally understand what the hell the directors on about with his "make a little more wavy"

morpine and three hot nurses for the aches and pains the next day.

angle dust and a small handgun to get money off production.

 

You would be a fool with no longevity in this industry to go on any big production without the above.

 

 

LOL!

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50 lbs. is the lightest? Cool - my ego just got a boost. I'm flying an Aaton 35 with my pig of a Glidecam Eclipse monitor (trying it for fun over my Transvideo LCD). People have been asking me how much the whole setup weighs and I was guessing around 50, maybe 55 lbs. But my new Steadyrig arm is theoretically supposed to max out at 63 lbs. and I'm not close to full tension on the springs. I guess I have no idea what all this stuff actually weighs in at.

 

Apologies for ending above paragraph with a preposition.

 

Segue to joke...

 

A guy pulls over to ask directions. "Where's Main St. at?" The person he's asking replies, "Don't you know you should never end a sentence in a preposition?" "Ok. Where's Main St. at, dickhead?"

 

Ok, I'll stop typing. I'm going to nap now...

 

Dan Coplan

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  • 2 weeks later...

Remember the X and G2 and Bl4 mounted on a steel bodied sled?

 

Each year I get a little heavier (fortunately for my operating a lower center of mass is helpful) and the cameras get smaller and lighter (I just shot a tv show on HDV, who knew hand held would mean at arms length?) Even the rigs are getting lighter, carbon posts, lcd monitors, lithium batteries, carbon vests, G arms, etc.

Eventually, Even the alienated steadi sled will be lighter as the camera becomes small enough. Garrett sees the future and it looks like a flyer...

 

When my knees are replaced with carbon fibre. In the new operation with replaceable pads.( this is real I just filmed one) When The hours I spend in the gym on off days become longer than a day, When my longest run of the day is to the bathroom. When I'm older than the producers.. (Well maybe already)....

I'm still gonna operate!!!!

 

I intend to operate until I can't remember the move anymore!!!!

 

So who is the oooooldessst Op?????

 

TJ

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  • 1 month later...
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Even the alienated steadi sled will be lighter as the camera becomes small enough. Garrett sees the future and it looks like a flyer...

 

 

God bless you, sir. I don't plan to stop for another 20 years, I'm 44 and have 20 years in a rig already. It has literally been the cornerstone of my belief for the last few years that the cameras will come to me. Weightwise, and with appropriate accessories.

 

15 pounds is the Magical Number. All that we need for a given shoot, at that weight threshold up top on the mounting plate. The bits and parts and cameras themselves are indeed coming towards this goal.

 

I'm a patient man, and love what I do.

 

Peter " Respect That Threshold " Abraham

 

New York

Stuttgart

Addis Abbaba

Nice

Vladivastock

Rome

The Other Rome

Skanneatolis

Porquis Junction Ontario

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God bless you, sir. I don't plan to stop for another 20 years, I'm 44 and have 20 years in a rig already. It has literally been the cornerstone of my belief for the last few years that the cameras will come to me. Weightwise, and with appropriate accessories.

 

15 pounds is the Magical Number. All that we need for a given shoot, at that weight threshold up top on the mounting plate. The bits and parts and cameras themselves are indeed coming towards this goal.

 

 

I'm not certain that's going to happen Right now the viper is about as light as it's going to get for HD and the body alone is 14lbs, not including the mounting plate, Lens, Lens motors etc etc. In the config that I'm flying the camera and all associated gac is 28 lbs

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I think the best answer to your question is "nobody knows yet." Steadicam hasn't been around long enough where there's any meaningful data on average age of retirement due to physical limitations. Add to that the fact that for the first twenty years or so (coinciding with CPs patent protection) there were comparatively few full time operators, and it's hard to have a large enough sample to really make any useful conclusions from. The first generation of operators are getting "around that age."

 

It sure would be interesting to see a long-term scientific study of the effects of steadicam on the body, to see if there are any "problem areas" where steadicam ops tend to get injured more than the average for non-ops in similar load-bearing conditions. Everyone talks about proper technique ensuring long-term viability, and that surely has a lot to do with it, but it seems logical that extended periods of time under hard physical conditions could contribute to a greater likelihood of certain injuries. (Not unlike smoking - Smoking doesn't guarantee lung cancer, but it greatly increases your odds of getting it!) I wonder what the average career of a Sherpa is. :-)

 

Of course, GB will operate forever, right? He's probably built like groundskeeper Willie, from years and years of steadicam.

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