Historic pix redux: Your First Steadicam Portrait

[Charles Papert]

Thought it would be fun for the old-timers here to dig out, scan and post a really old pic of themselves in the rig. Some have appeared here in other threads (thanks to Erwin) but I know there's a lot more out there. C'mon, it's fun to see ourselves with bad hair, boxy rigs and ridiculous fashions; the knee- and elbow-padded cinewarrior of the 80's giving way to the spandex pirates of the 90's. Trot 'em out folks.

 

I'll start us off with a still from my first promotional ad, circa '89. Unmodified Model 1.

 

[jay kilroy]

You haven't aged a bit Charles!

[Philip J. Martinez SOC]

Well I would not call my self an old timer... This is me in 1999 using a rig for the 1st time. I did not get my hands on an other one till 2005. I do not even know what model Steadicam this is.

[Charles Papert]

That'd be a Model 1 Phillip, just like the one in my picture. Characterized by the monitor permanently mounted in the lower housing (the appearance of which gave birth to the phrase "sled" in describing the rig). The arm is Mod. 1 also, with the silver components and the vest looks like an updated or customized Model 1 design.

[Brad Grimmett]

Well, I'm not quite as "experienced" as you Chas, so I don't have any pictures with a rig as old as the one you do, but I do have a picture with a camera I flew in the "old days" (that's roughly 6 years ago) that I will never fly again.

The Panaflasher was just a bonus!

[John Buzz Moyer]

Back in the days of 6 foot multi core cable to guy carrying a 3/4 inch deck off of his shoulders.....My Model 2 sniffle, sniffle.... Oh how I miss thee ...okay not really.

[John Buzz Moyer]

And a Model 1 Low Mode...circa 1988 .....Mullet and 4 day facial hair, nnnice.

[Charles Papert]

Model 1 low mode, Buzz--thems were the days. I love the orphaned post sticking up to nowhere. I have some great behind the scenes stuff from around that time of doing a high low mode shot and straining my neck to catch a glimpse of the monitor up top.

 

I think I still have some of the mirrors I had cut so that I could mount them 45 degrees under the monitor with the sled simply inverted instead of that tedious flipping over procedure. Had inversion switches put in to right the image again. All the while dreaming of a Model 3...

[John Buzz Moyer]

The model 1 was from the Maine workshop...I was lucky to start with a model 2 from Derrick...then quickly modified to a single post. I do believe it still is done with mirrors though Charles.

[Charles Papert]

I do believe it still is done with mirrors though Charles.

 

true that.

[Robert Starling SOC]

.... and 20 years from now we'll be looking back on old photos of the current day rigs like the Ultra2 and HD monitors as antique technology. "Remember that RED camera craze?"

[Peter Abraham]

My first day of work with a Steadicam.

 

Well. Truth be told, I did exactly what I beg my students not to do. I took a day of work the weekend after I got my first rig. It was with an Arriflex BL-IV and my Model I simply flipped upside down. That was with the "long set" of posts and the metal weights on the post at the bottom. Then.... I waited 6 months, practiced like mad.

 

And did my first day at the Philadelphia Zoo. Unmodified Model I sled, which now resides in Garrett's collection. Serial # 022. Built in April of 1976, near as I could determine.

 

Named "Old Smokey" because of the life-ending damage done during the fire at Seitz Technical Products.

 

First thing I did? Make a black Delrin cylindrical hand grip, knurled. Quite similar to the new lovely handgrip on our Flyer LE sleds !! Second thing I did? Cut off the battery mount and put on an Anton Bauer. Machining costs? Zero.

 

Battery upgrade costs? Bazillions !!! :blink:

 

Yes. My left hand is too low. Yes. Charles' left hand is placed perfectly........ So???? What of it ???? :)

 

I loved that sled...........

 

Peter Abraham

Dir. of Technical Services, Steadicam

The Tiffen Company

 

pabraham@tiffen.com

[TerryWest]

Hey Charles I have quite a number of older Steadicam Photos that used to hang on my bulletin board above my workbench at CP. You should come by and see if you want to copy any of them. I also need to know the pinouts for the 16-pin connectors on the RED. They won't tell me due to proprietary concerns. I can't imagine that they are using all 16 pins.

Your friend Terry

[TerryWest]

I also have several of the Workshop class lists. How many of you are on those lists?

[Ed Moore]

I hardly count as an old timer but during my first gig (whilst at university) a housemate of mine put a photo up on the Wikipedia page for Steadicam where it remains to this day... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steadicam (second photo down).

 

Looking at it now I'm not too sure I was in DB... :)