V16 vest question

[Michael Collier]

Still keeping up with the rig. Getting better and stronger. Yesterday in a 1.5 hour period I had the camera off post for an hour, getting promo footage for a local news cast. I was sweating bullets, but I caught a second wind like in jogging, I am sure I could have kept it off post for another hour. No plans for a training program yet, but maybe I can squeeze one in when I go down to the lower 48 for Sundance. I do have a guy who went to one who is helping me learn, but you know, its not as good as having a pro who teaches all the time, and has decades of SC experience.

 

OK, so my question is about my vest. Glidecam V-16 rig. I bought it off the director of the last short I DPed, and during that shoot we broke the vest. It was something like -25 shooting in snow for 14 hours, and wouldn't you know it the VERY FIRST and only SC shot of the night the vest breaks. It looks like the upper part and the lower part of the vest is connected to eachother by small collars that were press fit to the vest. It seems that in that cold weather, the colars shrunk faster than the vest, and as weight was applied (JVC HD-110, light camera for that rig.) the colars popped out. (thank god my operator was quick on his feet, and kept the camera from falling into the ice and powder.)

 

I couldn't get new colars to work, and the old ones don't hold much weight at all, they can be popped back into place by hand. Right now its held together with two flush machine bolts put through the two plates with washers and two nuts each. Its solid and works, and the bolt and the washer isn't uncomfortable at all, but I am wondering if there is any problem with this system until I can get a propper fit. The only conceivable issue from my viewpoint, is the two plates used to be about 1/4 inch appart, spaced by the collars. Now they are bolted together and have no gap. what issues can arrise? I might get it fixed propperly, but shooting in -25 isn't uncommon and I would feel more confident with a bolt directly through.

 

any advice or knowledge from someone who knows better than I?

[Richard Romero]

Still keeping up with the rig. Getting better and stronger. Yesterday in a 1.5 hour period I had the camera off post for an hour, getting promo footage for a local news cast. I was sweating bullets, but I caught a second wind like in jogging, I am sure I could have kept it off post for another hour. No plans for a training program yet, but maybe I can squeeze one in when I go down to the lower 48 for Sundance. I do have a guy who went to one who is helping me learn, but you know, its not as good as having a pro who teaches all the time, and has decades of SC experience.

 

OK, so my question is about my vest. Glidecam V-16 rig. I bought it off the director of the last short I DPed, and during that shoot we broke the vest. It was something like -25 shooting in snow for 14 hours, and wouldn't you know it the VERY FIRST and only SC shot of the night the vest breaks. It looks like the upper part and the lower part of the vest is connected to eachother by small collars that were press fit to the vest. It seems that in that cold weather, the colars shrunk faster than the vest, and as weight was applied (JVC HD-110, light camera for that rig.) the colars popped out. (thank god my operator was quick on his feet, and kept the camera from falling into the ice and powder.)

 

I couldn't get new colars to work, and the old ones don't hold much weight at all, they can be popped back into place by hand. Right now its held together with two flush machine bolts put through the two plates with washers and two nuts each. Its solid and works, and the bolt and the washer isn't uncomfortable at all, but I am wondering if there is any problem with this system until I can get a propper fit. The only conceivable issue from my viewpoint, is the two plates used to be about 1/4 inch appart, spaced by the collars. Now they are bolted together and have no gap. what issues can arrise? I might get it fixed propperly, but shooting in -25 isn't uncommon and I would feel more confident with a bolt directly through.

 

any advice or knowledge from someone who knows better than I?

 

Try clicking the link on the right side of the page "Glidecam" I'm sure if you call them the should be able to fix your vest.

 

Rich