Drop times for real

[Jerry Holway]

Thanks to both of you -

 

Next week at the SOA workshop we'll test a few more ops (including me!); see how we do.

 

Jerry

[TJ Williams]

Hi Jerry good to see you at NAB. Enjoyed trying out the new ultra.

 

This all seems quite scientific to me. Maybe this is just off the wall but it seems to me that the degree to which the bottom is heavy depends on the shot and conditions. I'm not so concerned about the absolute drop time of different sled lengths, super post etc. as I am with the type of shot ie how much tilt, how much wind, how much dutch, how fast going around corners.

Usually I set a nice light drop time and mime the extremes of the move to see how the rig feels. For instance with my rig which has no cool movable electronic top stage. The film running down is increasing drop time. So if a big tilt down was at the beginning of the shot id set drop time differently than if the tilt was at the end. Is this why I had so much trouble with math in school?

[Jerry Holway]

This all seems quite scientific to me. Maybe this is just off the wall but it seems to me that the degree to which the bottom is heavy depends on the shot and conditions. I'm not so concerned about the absolute drop time of different sled lengths, super post etc. as I am with the type of shot ie how much tilt, how much wind, how much dutch, how fast going around corners.

 

TJ- You are absolutely right. Operators should use this aspect of balance (like any other) to help get the shot, and there's no perfect or right way, etc.

 

What I was trying to get at, am trying to get at, is a sense of what a "normal" drop time is.

 

This "research" is for new ops in particular, who might hear "I use a 4 second drop time" from an op - but not knowing how that was counted, go out with a short rig and a "measured" four second drop time... and be frustrated.

 

It's also just a way to see how well we all count seconds... some are better at it than others, it seems.

 

Thanks,

 

Jerry