Shoulder Pad for Handheld

[Erwin Landau]

It's not really Steadicam related, but if you are doing a lot of handheld, you will appreciate it...

 

I was visiting Geoff Shotz on the set of the TV-series "Caveman" which is a handheld heavy show and they where using some nice pads that I had not seen before:

 

http://www.cameracomfortcushion.com/home.htm

 

And I bought one:

 

http://www.filmtools.com/camera-comfort-cushion-com.html

 

So far I was using the one from Modular 51:

 

http://www.modular51.com/index.php?main_pa...;products_id=20

 

Just an FYI... to save your shoulders...

 

 

Erwin

[Janice Arthur]

Guys;

 

Here is my solution and its a 5 minute sewing job.

 

Take a Hard shelled knee pad put it on your shoulder long way. It will curve right around your shoulder.

 

The velcro tabs even orient the exact way the ones you see above.

 

Now just sew in a longer length of elastic to fit under your left arm.

 

I did mine in a couple of minutes.

 

It works great and stays in place.

 

Its a $15.00 solution for two!!! Sell one to your AC for $35.00

 

Janice

[Rob Vuona SOC]

Guys;

 

Here is my solution and its a 5 minute sewing job.

 

Take a Hard shelled knee pad put it on your shoulder long way. It will curve right around your shoulder.

 

The velcro tabs even orient the exact way the ones you see above.

 

Now just sew in a longer length of elastic to fit under your left arm.

 

I did mine in a couple of minutes.

 

It works great and stays in place.

 

Its a $15.00 solution for two!!! Sell one to your AC for $35.00

 

Janice

---------------------------

I gotta Party with you Janice . . . .LOL . . . . Sell one to your AC . . . . . Thanks for the morning laugh

[Dan Coplan]

Janice,

 

Great advice with one exception. Everybody who knows how to sew, raise your hand.

 

Yeah, that's what I thought.

 

;)

 

Dan "Home Economically Challenged" Coplan

[Janice Arthur]

Hi guys;

 

Thanks for the cudos, love to party with whomever shows up.

 

The sewing thing, hardest part is threading the machine and that takes 5 min to learn.

 

Sewing is going forward and backward over the beginning and end of what you are sewing to keep it from unraveling and then guiding the material. It is a mix between a puzzle and visualizing the finished project, I find it fun.

 

Get your spouse or mom to show you how to make a pillow. You'll know everything you need to know about sewing from that. It takes about an hour, total.

 

I think of it as part of a basic skill set. (Jerry Holway is very good at sewing and has made some great bags over the years for his gear.)

 

I've saved myself a lot of money over the years by sewing up new and old vest pads; fixing vest bags; etc. I use a 40 year old flea market sewing machine that does only a straight stich.

 

(If any one wants to get into sewing heavy stuff for fun and profit check out the sewing machines they sell for sailing uses. They will sew through an inch of material easily. The machines are really neat, very portable and are only about $450. I want one every time I go to a sail show.)

 

I get the joke, thanks Dan.

 

Janice

[Rich Cottrell]

I will admit as a man... I too can sew? a little.

 

I will never forget my first TV job, while I was still in college at a PBS station. It was during "pledge" --- aka the quarterly ?beg-a-thon? -- and I would have to dress in a shirt and tie. One day I lost a shirt button so I was sewing it back on burring a TV break.

 

One of the producers was in shock when he saw me re-sewing on my button. When I asked him what he did when he lost buttons, and he said he would take his shirt to the seamstress. This still blows my mind.

 

Seriously, basic sewing is a simple skill. If you can clean your steadicam arm or gimbal yourself, you are 100% teachable to sew. And if you can master machine skills, you can make anything you might need?

 

 

rich