Is anyone coming at this steadicam workshop?
I'll be there, I reserved my place last week, so it would be nice to meet some people from this forum :)

Charles, any chances to see you around?

Best Regards,
Quoc

So, it's this weekend. Still no one from this forum coming?

Regards,
Quoc

I might actually pop by--Peter Abraham is an old friend, and it would be fun to see what he is doing in these workshops. Thanks for the reminder.

If I don't see you, have fun! I'm sure you will get a lot out of it.

First day just finished. It was fun.

Yes, you should definitely come! Would be great to have two steadicam masters in the same room. Who knows, we might even ask for autographs ;)

Tomorrow we are doing actual shots (today was a lot of walk the line, learning to switch and so on).
I also brought my redrockmicro M2 adapter and their new follow focus (Peter wanted to see them), so if you stop by, you could even have a demo of these products if you never did :)

Anyway, hope to see you tomorrow.

Best Regards,
Quoc

By the way, it's from 8h30am to 5pm.

Regards,
Quoc

Thanks Charles for coming. It was great to meet you in real life.

By the way, your test shot was quite good, you probably should try to work in the industry ;)

Regards,
Quoc

Hee hee, very cute, Quoc.

It's always interesting trying on the Flyer--it's very different than a full-size rig. Did you guys get a chance to try on an Ultra during the workshop by any chance?

No, unfortunately not.
Do you think the Flyer is somehow harder to operate because of the weight? I mean, is the gimbale more subtle to operate? I heard Tom saying that if you manage to have a good control of the Flyer, you shouldn't have much trouble to control the big rigs. What do you think?

Regards,
Quoc

Sounds like fun was had by all. - generally the case at workshops!


I'll join in here (without stepping on CP's toes) with my viewpoint on the rig size discussion from my situation, which is a little different to Charles's who comes from the world of big rigs.


For the past 19 monthes I've operated a Flyer almost exclusivly.
I love the rig and it performs really well and I find it very easy to operate. I like how compact and light it is, I can throw it around and get all sorts of cool shots that may be harder with heavier rigs. I have no problems operating the Flyer, I'm used to it.

Every time I pick up a bigger rig, it feels *really* easy. The big rigs are rock solid and take seemingly huge amounts of effort to move them, so little wobbles are practically non-esistant. Of course they are heavier, which does cut back on some more extravegant moves, but generally the operating is easier due to higher tolerance for 'mistakes'.
I just bought an Archer, which really feels like a tripod compared to the Flyer. Again, comparativly huge inertia making for a really stable rig. Though it does take more muscle too, making whip pans harder for example.

Ironically at the same time as I'm moving to a bigger rig, I also just got a Merlin, which is the exact opposite! Compared to the Flyer (let alone big rigs), the Merlin is extremly sensetive. At first I was all over the place with my framing, having to learn an even finer control of the rig. I used to describe it as "squirley" to me. I'm slowly getting used to it and getting to the point where I can begin to take advantage of it's even smaller and lighter size. There are so many cool things that the Merlin can do that the Flyer (let alone big rigs) can't even come close to in nimbleness.


It's actually rather interesting to have my operating style beeing simultaniously torn in 2 directions. I can only hope that next time I pick up a Flyer that I can still use it too!

- Mikko

I'm still wondering how you guys manage to invest so much money in these bigger rig. If I recall correctly the Archer is around 30k$... What is the camera weight limit on the Archer?

Mikko, what are you using on your Flyer? This

http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2636&hl=

?

How do you do for the focus? I really wish I could fly the redrockmicro M2 adapter on the Flyer, but with the XL2, it's too heavy.

Regards,
Quoc

I'm broke (and in debt) at the moment. Archer runs $20k to $30k, depending on the configuration you get. But it's a business move. A carpenter need's his (or her) tools, and a painter need's their brush.


I use a variety of cameras on the Flyer (which is my school's, not mine). Mostly DV and HDV, and then that DVCAM pictured in the link you posted.

Normally I either use autofocus on DV shoots, or then I just whoot wide with a small iris for a deep DoF and don't pull during the shot - both work equally well on smaller video gigs.
I did one shoot with the 2/3" DVCAM in that picture that needed some basic focus, so I built a simple wired focus motor that alowed me to do rough pulls for bigger moves. Still shooting wide with a small iris though.
As I take on bigger gigs with my Archer, I will soon have to buy myself a proper follow focus, which will probably be in the form of $4k for a Bartech + M-one combo.

- Mikko ... is only slightly fuzzy.

Congratulations on your purchase Mikko!

Thanks Charles. I was hoping to hear some of your comments on using the Flyer when used to big rigs.


Oh yeah, and Quoc asked; the Archer's "ideal" camera weight range is 10-23lb. It can be made to hold more too. So basicaly most all Broadcast video cameras. (and a decent range of 16mm and 35mm cameras) I can of course fly light DV by adding a wieght plate or cage.

- Mikko

This weekend was my second time in the Flyer--the first was about a year ago when I took one over to demo for David Lynch on his DV feature (he had me do a pretty tricky shot with it in the movie, which was a bit of a nail-biter because I wasn't really used to the rig!).

As has been mentioned, it does have that "squirrely" feel to it compared to a full-size rig, but that's something inherent in the lack of inertia, not a design flaw. It's so much better than anything that has come before or exists now in this weight class; both the gimbal and the arm (especially that amazing arm) are fully up to the task, so it's just a matter of mentally scaling down the physical interaction with the rig to achieve the same type of shots I am used to. Someday I will be flying my SL Cine camera (modified 2c) on this sucker--I know the job will present itself!