Goofy Foot vs. Regular

[Johnathan Holmes]

I'll admit I fly goofy foot.

 

I recently took a workshop and started off with the rig on my left (traditional) and just couldn't quite get it right. Then Paul Taylor said to switch to the other side and it all just made sense. With the rig on my left, I would fumble my hands a bit before forcing myself to operate the gimbal with my left hand, which just feels unnatural. Thinking about it more and more, I have a few theories why:

 

What I feel is most influential is the fact that I come from a focus pulling background where I pull focus with my right hand, mostly. This is the hand that I've trained to do "precise" work, and on the few occasions I have to pull with my left hand it just feels unnatural. So naturally I would be inclined to operate the gimbal (which feels vaguely familiar to a follow focus) with my right hand. I'm curious as to how many of you more experienced operators out there who fly goofy foot came from a focus pulling background, and which hand you dominantly used to pull.

 

As well, and more obviously, I'm used to operating with the camera on my right side, right eye up to the eyepiece. So any other way feels unnatural for me.

 

Finally, and this may be a stretch, but when I operate with the wheels, I often find that for the majority of the shots I come across, the tilting is what often requires precise control with your right hand for maintaining headroom and reframes. Of course pans are common, but somehow due to the shape of the frame, I feel as though my left hand doesn't have to be as critical as my right hand in trimming the headroom.

 

Thoughts anyone?

[Norbert von der Heidt]

Hi all

 

I've tried to analyze why I've always felt better goofy and it probably goes to the fact that I had a long history of handheld camera work for rock shows, docos, sports, etc before goin' steadi. I've always had a well developed sense of spatial relationships (played goal in ice hockey and play guitar) and I became very adept at operating to frame and follow shots at angles where I couldn't always see the viewfinder. This made my right hand/arm combo better for precise, controlled movements.

My first Steadicam course was a disaster till I asked the instructor if I could switch over to the right side and it was like a revelation. Heaven forbid if circumstances should force me to have to try the dark side!

 

Cheers

Norbert :D

[Andre Trudel]

At the Arrowhead workshop I was so surprised to find out that ?goofy? just felt right for me. I felt like I had total control of the rig but I went "traditional" for the entire workshop. I didn?t want to be the only one operating on the right.

 

Operating ?normal? was not a problem but, goofy just felt a little more comfortable the one time I tried it. I?ll have to try it again as soon as my leg heals but, I?ll probably do what Erwin did and just op with my left. It?s weird because I?m not goofy footed on a snowboard. Must be a different part of the brain.

Edited June 7, 2008 by Andre Trudel

[Brad Grimmett]

Why would you operate regular if you feel better goofy? That just doesn't make sense to me.

[Erwin Landau]

Because he like Donald and not Goofy...????

[Aaron Medick SOC]

I operate Goofy.

 

At the workshop, I could op regular but it felt weird to me to have the camera on the dumb side of me. It's interesting that some of you say you were encurraged to switch to goofy. I would say my teachers went out of their way to get me to op regular. I guess it looked like I could do it regular. At the work shop I oped 50/50, but did the final shot goofy.

 

Over the years, I have done a few shots regular. I would say they were ok, but not great.

 

Now with the Klassen Vest, I haven't oped regular in a while.

 

Does anyone know if it's OK to switch the Klassen arm to the other side? Since the wedge in the mount is either for normal or goofy use.

 

Aaron

[Mike McGowan SOC]

You guys have me so fcuking confused!!!

 

The socket block is on the right side of my vest.

The arm comes off the right side of my body and curvs across my body to the left.

My right hand operates the gimbal (booming up and down and moving the steadicam in space).

My left hand pans, tilts and dutches.

 

So am I "regular" of "goofie"?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

And to answer the post topic, I do it ^^^ that way most of the time but I switch from time to time when I need to be on the other side of a hallway or something like that. I'd say I'm probably not quite as good with the righ on the other side but unless I was doing some crazy persice work, knowbody would notice the difference.

 

My Don Juan on the other hand is pretty lame. I find I can do everything I need to backwards or sometimes kind of sideways but I almost never do text book Don Juan, it just feels strange to me.

[Brad Grimmett]

My right hand operates the gimbal (booming up and down and moving the steadicam in space).

My left hand pans, tilts and dutches.

Your right hand operates the gimbal HANDLE, not the gimbal. Your left hand operates the gimbal. You operate regular.

[Mike McGowan SOC]

Fair enough, but by that logic, my right hand operates the gimbal handle and my left hand operates the wrapgrip............

 

I think that's what confused me.

 

Good to know I'm not goofy!

[Rob Vuona SOC]

Fair enough, but by that logic, my right hand operates the gimbal handle and my left hand operates the wrapgrip............

 

I think that's what confused me.

 

Good to know I'm not goofy!

 

I beg to differ Mike, from your posts and past posts I'de say your as goofy as hell . . . . .LOL . . . .

 

For the record, not goofy here iether, but I can't say that I have had to shoot anything goofy . . .why would you ever have to shoot anything doing it on your bad side ? wouldn't you just accomodate with your good side?

 

Like most of us not liking DJ we do it backwards with the exception of Peter Abraham who loves DJ you freek!

 

OK, Just my Two cents

[Jess Haas SOC]

My Don Juan on the other hand is pretty lame. I find I can do everything I need to backwards or sometimes kind of sideways but I almost never do text book Don Juan, it just feels strange to me.

I felt the same way until I took a workshop with Peter Abraham. Since then I have even done DJ while walking backwards to avoid switching to goofy. Before the workshop I once did goofy while walking backwards to avoid Don Juan. Hmm, maybe Peter is contagious.....

 

I think it has a lot to do with where you are positioning the sled and what angle your body is at. It seems like it needs to be a certain way for DJ to be comfortable.

 

~Jess

[Dave Isern]

I learned I was goofy-footed when I was a Steadicam Assistant back around '95. I used to be an avid skateboarder and still snowboard on occasion. Both of those activities I'm goofy-footed. Not sure if there's any connection but.......

I can operate "Regular sided" but it feels awkward.

 

Erwin, you did a poll years back that counted Regular vs. Goofy.

Must be in the archives.......

 

Dave Isern

[Emre Tufekci]

I am goofy foot,

 

My instructor (Paul Taylor) was goofy foot so I ended up that way. That was 7 years ago but I found no reason to go regular. I am ambidextrous but still find goofy foot more comfortable to operate, especially for HD jobs and having the smart side of the camera facing me.

[Peter Abraham]

I am goofy foot,

 

My instructor (Paul Taylor) was goofy foot so I ended up that way. That was 7 years ago but I found no reason to go regular. I am ambidextrous but still find goofy foot more comfortable to operate, especially for HD jobs and having the smart side of the camera facing me.

 

I'd no idea you were a goofy foot. This might impact all of our future communications. Pity :D

 

Seriously, here is what I tell my students. Goofy foot is fine IF your body/brain is wired in that unique way. If it IS, then it is more maddening to operate a Steadicam on the "regular" Operator side. There are drawbacks, however, to feeling like you need to be on that side:

 

If you can see information given to the Camera Op, you are powerless to make adjustments. Even if you were agile enough to take a hand off of the gimbal, you couldn't tweak audio levels or anything else without compromising the integrity of your shot.

 

As a regular side Operator, it actually made sense to me. If my body is on the "dumb" side and it is a video job, my audio person can SEE the VU meters easier than if I were on the Operator side. That way, he/she can ride levels by wireless mixer and keep a sharp eye on the VU on the camera as well.

 

I've never gotten stuck, but once, needing Goofy. Otherwise, I've used Don Juan moving forwards and backing up, to make the shot. This includes running.

 

Bottom line is, if your hands and brain are more in control and happier, go Goofy ! Paul Taylor is an excellent example of why it just does not matter.

 

One last remark. We should remember that the Steadicam was originally invented as a single-handed operated device. Garrett only used his left hand to do all of the work. That is why the Steadicam 35, Model I and Model II had a white "bicycle handle"-style grip on the centerpost.

 

This is not to say that one couldn't swap and go righty. Just saying, it didn't even require two hands originally.

 

Peter Abraham

Director of Technical Services

The Tiffen Company / Steadicam

pabraham@tiffen.com

[Emre Tufekci]

Hey Peter, I thought you knew I was goofy!!! Why do you think I had Dash brainwashed to be GF. :rolleyes:

 

I would like for you to know that once our people (GF) come to rule the world your name will be on the scrolls for those who will be protected. :P

 

Cheers,

Emre