Opinions on Shoulder Braces / Wireless Video Transmission Pitfalls Newbie

[pjtgrizzly]

The company I work for works with a group that wants to have a roaming wireless camera as part of a 2 camera video shoot to cover programs where there is physical therapy type demonstrations - by the speaker in the front of the room as well as attendees in groups practicing at their tables while the speaker goes around answering questions, showing techniques etc.

We did the first one as a completely wired, tripod mounted shoot with a camera at the front of the room and one on a riser at the back. IMO this worked well with only a couple shots partially obstructed.

These events are all over the country (we pack up and fly there and pack down) in hotels and typically smaller conference rooms (20'x30' type fare).

The group as well as the uppers in the company I work for are insistent on roaming wireless camera and aren't concerned with expense. That said - I'm concerned these programs being 8 hours long, even switching an 1/2 way mark is standing for 3-4 hours, the remote camera would need to be battery operated, wireless preview monitor picking up final mix from vid switcher (how does my shot compare with back camera - what's going on), wireless transmission (titan or some transmitter/receiver pack) of video signal to vid switcher as camera source, all mounted on shoulder brace and navigating around a room without tripping, banging into someone or blocking the view of someone who paid $200 to attend the seminar.

Both cameras are hmc150's and the OIS isn't exactly what I'd call stellar on it. Thus I see more limiting shots while the remote cameraman is navigating to get a shot. I also see the fact that they get a shot and start to move and it's back to back's of bodies and whatnot necessitating a switch to the other camera and then the remote cameraman is in the shot most of the time. I also look at the tripod mounted camera mixed with shoulder mount being constantly edited together as a bit disjointed.

These events are run by two techs. Back camera is well...another cameraman, audio guy, video switcher... front of room (or roamer as they want) is close ups, secondary shot depending on which way speaker is facing - only camera. For our first shoot - we were 100% ON the entire time - no downtime in duties.

In a nutshell - I have a host of other concerns about turning front camera "remote" but seeing if anyone has any pros/cons or pitfalls in general about shoulder rigs and these transmission systems? We shoot these live and "in the can" archiving - I'm concerned about any transmission issue causing a source problem and having to go into Post. Beyond standing for multiple hours - do these shoulder braces typically offload a huge chunk of weight/strain to the tune where 4 hours straight should just be considered the strain of standing? Are you typically holding breath sniper style to get the best possible shot without any motion? Do even best of the best of AV transmission have potential issues that are unexpected and could cause a 5-10 minute interruption of signal? I feel I have a solid list of concerns where I feel going wireless will actually affect in a negative way the program shoot but shopping it out to the pros as I've never used a brace or transmitted video but my opinion is - simplify the shoot as much as possible - don't make it more complicated than it needs to be to effectively get the shot.

Thanks in advance for any opinions- attached are pictures of the conference room and setup from our first wired shoot for this group - SMALL room.

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[wgzn]

do these shoulder braces typically offload a huge chunk of weight/strain to the tune where 4 hours straight should just be considered the strain of standing?

they can, to a large degree, if rigged well. and that means counterbalance. so youre adding weight to balance the rig front to back and the weight is carried on your shoulder rather than with your arms. so the actual payload will have a lot to do with the total amount of wireless gear youre adding on - WHICH could actually serve as the counterbalance...

Are you typically holding breath sniper style to get the best possible shot without any motion?

i think you do instinctively on a really tight or really important shot. but i find its generally wiser to just breathe as normal. especially with a shoulder rig, where breathing doesnt have a huge effect on the camera.

another thing to consider for long term shoulder rig use is grips, youre not going to want to hold your hands up on the camera for hours on end. so you'll want arms and grips that put your hands at about mid to lower rib cage (or even lower depending on the rig) and with that you'll also need remote lens control to manage zoom and focus (maybe even iris) i use zoe's bebob and foxi for this on my hpx170.

prolonged use is one case where i wouldnt scrimp. ive used a lot of shoulder+grip rigs and the only one to never fail me (by slowly coming loose) is zacuto. and youre probably looking easily at $2000-$3000 depending on how tricked out you go.

Do even best of the best of AV transmission have potential issues that are unexpected and could cause a 5-10 minute interruption of signal?

thats a good question. and i wouldnt say a 5-10 minute loss unless something was fundamentally wrong. but in my experience, anytime someone tries to just throw a wireless transmitter into the mix without a SOLID understanding of how it works and potential roadblocks - youre going to run into problems.

ESPECIALLY in hotels. ESPECIALLY in a room with a slew of attendees carrying God only knows what kind of or how many random assorted wireless devices.

this could be a good call for a wireless camera. but do your homework and get the good stuff (which wont come cheap. no less than id guess around 5k) and LEARN how to use it well before actually doing so.

[pjtgrizzly]

Thanks wgzn...as we have zero control over what someone in the room may have in their pocket, be using as you indicated - is something like this Titan transmitter/receiver along the lines of a product that would knock out any transmission issues? As our company does post in a speedy way (uh - VirtualDub, CutAssistant hello - Final Cut, Sony Vegas who?) - we're encoding the final mix on the fly and doing any fixing up of transmission issues would be a nightmare (doesn't everyone do 3 jobs as one these days?). The big cheese says price isn't an issue - just looking for what types of issues would arise on any system, what anyone can do about it, and what cuts through it best and at that level what are the potential issues. Is there any super comprehensive post or site on the web that goes through wireless video transmission recommendations/issues for newbies? I could see testing at the office and "wow - how smooth" and then going to an event and it's a freakin nightmare of issues to the tune where the program is unsalvagable.

[wgzn]

admittedly, im the wrong person to ask about specifics of HD video wireless products. ive had about 70-30 bad experience with them and each time somebodys just handed me a camera and said GO.

that said, its done all the time. so im sure there's an easy answer...

id suggest simply calling an adorama, b&h, texas media systems or full compass place and telling them what youre up against and what cams youre using and they will tell you what they suggest.

[brandtb]

On shoulder rigs - I've been using Varizoom Media Rig for a few months (along with the VariZoom - VZRock-PZFI
Rocker Controller mounted on one of the arms)...very nice, well thought out, and well made. It transfers nearly all the weight to both your shoulder and to your waist via the spring loaded telescoping arm which fits into a waste belt...arm btw can be fixed with no movement. I would definitely recommend it.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Media_Rig.html

[pjtgrizzly]

Thanks for the suggestion brandtb - have you used this on full day shoots with any issue/pain?

Also - quick question on these shoulder rigs - if we were to do this - we'd switch person mid-way through shoot (standing up that long is painful) - are these things a huge hassle to set up for a different person/body type or pretty simple 5 minute job?

[wgzn]

a traditional style shoulder rig (not one of those with the waist bar) can go from one shoulder to the next instantly, the only difference is personal ergonomic needs. like if one person is more far-sighted or has longer arms than the other guy.
the better (more expensive) rigs can pretty much adjust confidently on the fly. the cheaper and more wiggly ones will take longer to secure confidently.

[brandtb]

Thanks for the suggestion brandtb - have you used this on full day shoots with any issue/pain?

\
I haven't used it for full days...about 4 hour stints...no "pain". Note, again you can lock the telescoping (spring loaded) waist rod...so nearly all the weight of the rig goes to the waist...the rest to the shoulder...and the amount of weight I "feel" on my shoulder is not even noticeable. I would say it is perfectly designed for what it is...and very well priced.

[wgzn]

the problem with a lot of shoulder rigs is that if you suddenly need to go for a low angle, its cumbersome to get them off and then manipulate smoothly at a low level.

id look into something in a cage configuration or at very least with a top handle, so if you need to shoot at waist-level or lower, it will be a reasonable option.