My second experience wearing a Steadicam Pro rig
 

Sounds like you had fun James, good deal. All I can say is, you get used to it!

Hi James,

May I ask how many pounds were you flying?

Regards
Leigh

The whole system was probably 50 to 60 lbs depending how configured (downconverter, lens control system etc). It is possible to for an HD package to approach 70 lbs depending on the lens; the Panavised F900's are notorious for this. By no means a lightweight setup.

Hi Charles,

In real life, I mean if the steadicam operator is paid for ten hours a day including some breaks. How long the operator has to carry 60 lbs package? 9 hours?

TIA

Regards
Leigh

Length of operating time depends entirely on the shoot. I've gotten off easy with maybe an hour in the rig for a given day, or hauled it around for as much as 8 hours over a 14 hr day.

James, those sounds like the IDX batteries, pretty neat in terms of being able to snap them together, which circumvents the issue with transporting Lithium batteries of a certain size on airlines. Although they are comparable to the Anton Bauer Dionic 90's in weight.

Here are a few production stills so you can see the cameras. I was the 2nd AC for A camera. I shot these because of the fact that more than $200K worth of gear was being handheld in that pool, one misstep and....... At one point on a backswing the jib camera's rear did dip into the water briefly but there were no issues.

http://198.65.158.133/images/product...usicvideo1.jpg

http://198.65.158.133/images/product...usicvideo2.jpg

http://198.65.158.133/images/product...usicvideo6.jpg

"In real life, I mean if the steadicam operator is paid for ten hours a day including some breaks. How long the operator has to carry 60 lbs package? 9 hours?"

On the things I've PA'd on with a steadicam operator, he took the sled and camera off and put them on a stand in between takes. He wasn't wearing the whole rig except when he was actually using it or just about to use it.

Of course. Docking is critical. On some jobs though, you can still rack up many hours of actual flying time regardless--and sometimes it's easier not to dock inbetween takes depending on the circumstances. I will occasionally hand the rig off to the grip or AC if I can't get to the dock though.

Hey James,
Awesome pictures. Was this shoot in Atlanta? If so, who was the band and where was it shot? Is that a local production company doing the shoot? I really like to find out about locally produced shoots that I may have the potential of joining in the future. Nice work by the way.
-Chris

This location was at Berry College in Rome, Georgia about an hour northwest of Atlanta. It is the largest campus in the world as far as acreage. The band is a called Casting Crowns and this was their second video. The production company is called Triple Horse Entertainment and they are out of Conyers, Georgia southeast of Atlanta. They were really nice folks to work with. The owner apparently used to work at Turner Studios and started this company. I didn't shoot any of it, I was the 2nd AC for A camera.

Casting Crowns
www.castingcrowns.com

Triple Horse Entertainment
www.triplehorse.com