Salt Lake City, UT Steadi Ops?

[Galen Murray]

Hey All!

Galen Murray here.  Been living primarily in the Doc, Live and Reality worlds for about 10 years now, with the last 6 or so being primarily as an Op and DP on smaller gigs and Reality.  It's time to add this awesome tool to my quiver!  Taking the SOA workshop in February and couldn't be more stoked!

Anyways, does anyone here know good Steadicam Ops in the Salt Lake City, UT area?  Would love to buy ya lunch and pick your brain a bit!

Thanks!

[Keith Wood]

I'm near Reno, but shot events around General Conference in October and get over that way now and then.

I started with a Merlin2, then added vest and arm, then took it up to a Pilot, and now have moved up to a Flyer.  Definitely low-level, low-budget, flying an EX1R.  Having fun doing it.  Goofy Foot.

Dunno if there is anything that I could tell you, except watch the (ancient) Operating Tutorial video a couple of times.  Even better if you have a rig to play with while you watch.

If you don't have a rig, start cheap, just with a regular camcorder.  Early on, spend a day flying Goofy Foot, especially if it feels like you're doing things with the wrong hands.  Those of us who fly Goofy Foot don't do it to be special, we do it because it feels more natural. 

It doesn't take long to get comfortable flying, and sooner than you expect, you will you stop thinking about the mechanics, and discover that the camera is reading your mind . . .you want a shot, and you have it.  Remember, the objective IS the objective.  The billions of dollars worth of studios, sticks, Steadicam, remote vans, location setups, C-stands to gaff tape to batteries to sets to helicopters to costumes to props, PAs, ADs, Craft Service, ALL OF IT is there for one purpose, to put the objective lens in the right place, pointed the right way, at the right time to see the right thing.  Steadicam is a whole new way to do that, a new process, and one which gives a level of freedom that nothing else will, but it takes practice.  Get a rig, play with it, even before the workshop, if you can. 

The workshop will take you from basic to expert -- maybe even master.  From what I've been told, you get a year's worth of skills in the first couple of days, then build on that like learning a new language.  If I could justify the expense, I'd be right there beside you. 

[Galen Murray]

Thanks for the response Keith!  Definitely give me a shout if you make it over to the SLC area!

I'm looking at a Zephyr right now.  I have an Fx6 with a few DZ0 primes and a couple indie DP/Op gigs on the calendar for the year so it seems like it could be a good fit.  I've had a few friends I respect tell me to save up and go for a big rig off the bat but that would be a pretty big risk for me I think as my network historically is in Reality and Doc.  That and paying for the workshop was a decent chunk already.

Lots to think about and consider.  Either way can't wait for the workshop and the journey that's ahead.  Getting into Steadi, as scary as the numbers are, feels like the right move and has me more excited about operating than I have been for a long time.

[Keith Wood]

The LAST thing that I would do would be to spend $5000+ on a Zephyr as a first rig.  You can get a Pilot  under $750, work with it for a couple of weeks of playtime and develop the feel -- or you may decide that it's just not what you want to do.  It's not for everybody, and whether you stay with flying and move up to a higher level rig, or push it aside, it will be a lot easier to sell a cheap rig than something that cost you thousands of dollars.  Everything that I got came from someone who thought they wanted to fly, then gave up on the idea. 

A Pilot (now called the A-15) will fly 10 lbs, the Flyer 15 lbs and a Flyer LE 19 lbs.  This should handle your camera and lens.  My Pilot was flying a Sony EX1R, V-mount battery, Sennheiser receiver, shotgun mic with dead cat AND was doing all of this on a Sony tripod plate (I like to be able to jump back and forth between sticks and rig).  This worked fine for me, except that I wanted a better vest.  While looking for a vest, found a great deal on an early Flyer rig -- from, as I said, someone who had thought they wanted to get into it, then gave it up.

You may discover that a prosumer or entry-level rig is actually all that you need.  We're not talking Fisher-Price, few who aren't Steadicam operators could tell a Pilot from a top of the line rig costing more than some cars.  The lower-level rigs work JUST LIKE any full-manual rig.  So, you buy the cheap one and work it while you save your pennies to move up PAST the Zephyr into the higher levels with power steering, turn signals, AM/FM stereo and fuzzy dice . . .if you decide to.

Consider the Merlin to be the "consumer" grade -- perfect for DSLR or phone -- adding the Merlin vest and arm set is entry level to actual Steadicam work (thus high-end consumer grade).  If you then find a good deal on a Pilot sled, you can buy the correct pin to replace the Merlin pin, and thus have a Pilot (moving up to "prosumer" level).  I knew one event shooter who ran the Pilot for years and never moved up.  The Flyer is basic pro level, Flyer LE is a half-step up, then another half-step gets you up to the Zephyr, at several times the street price of the Flyer.

Whatever you do, I would AVOID any of the knock-offs.  First of, original Steadicam quality is as good as it gets, without any issues.  The other part is, as I mentioned, that your clients KNOW the name "Steadicam" -- giving you instant respect.  You pull out some Chinese, tofu-dregs thing and they will wonder why they didn't just spend $150 on ebay and do the shooting themselves . . .it's like they hired a specialized-load heavy hauler, but you show up with a pickup truck.  You hand over a card saying "Steadicam Operator" and you're using a rig with that name on it, they figure that you're the EXPERT.   All that counts now is what you give them after the shoot . . .and that takes practice.