Key element for steadicaming

[Buba Kastorski]

now I know what i was missing to get that perfect, like on rails look in my steadicam shots - shoes,
you have to have the right ones! @ 3:00 Charles says that himself, so Charles please tell us what are the right shoes?

sachtler demo on Vimeo

Charles It would be really great if you could find the time to shoot a short (maybe couple hours :) instructional how to video, I'm sure it'll have great commercial success.

[Charles Papert]

Wow, that's bizarre, I didn't remember a camera being there! HD Expo, right?

We've had a thread on the Steadicam Forum about shoes choices, and while everyone has a different opinion about most things, this was an area that virtually no-one agreed on. The best shoe seems to be the one that you find the most comfortable. Some liked shoes with almost no support so they can "feel" the ground, others like cushiness. I can work in a variety of shoes that tend more to the cushy but I generally use high-top Nike cross trainers. In that video I was wearing street shoes with harder soles from the look of it, definitely not the right ones for Steadicam!

[Jeff Anselmo]

On most of the reality show sets I'd worked on, the camera guys almost always wore Merrells. (Maybe they're sponsors?)

Anyone use a Steadicam in flip flops?

[Charles Papert]

If one's idea of a good time is to carry an 85 lb burden wearing flipflops, well, have at it.

I have even heard of guys who like to operate barefoot. Completely baffling to me. I get the Kenyan long distance runners and all but they are only carrying their own weight...!

I actually find the Skechers Shape-Ups very comfortable for normal walking-around days (they are supposed to be a workout but they actually just keep my feet from getting tired), I wore them all through NAB and they helped with those miles of nasty concrete floors. I tried doing Steadicam with them just once--finally I felt the workout in a big way!!

Years ago I taught a workshop with Steadicam legend Larry McConkey. He extolled the virtues of Mephistos. I went out and dropped $225 on a pair and couldn't stand doing Steadicam in them, I felt like I was wearing slippers with no support. So there you go.

[Brian Drysdale]

I've operated in steel capped Wellington boots that health and safety required when we filmed on the roof of an office block still under construction. There was one advantage, the roof was covered with large 2" deep pools of freezing water, so my feet were dry, even if they were chilly (in spite of the thick mountaineering socks).

[Charles Papert]

On a recent music video in NYC, with rain forecast all day and scheduled exterior night shoot, I ran out and bought a pair of Goretex Vasque hiking boots that morning. First Steadicam shot up took me right through a substantial puddle. Spent the rest of the night in similar conditions, ending up in a muddy cementary. Feet were perfectly toasty and dry all night. I'd had an old pair of Vasque's that I liked for their flexibility, good for Steadicam (many of the competitors feel somewhat rigid), and these were along the same lines and even more waterproof.