1st AC's: Could use some advice on a wireless steadicam set-up and technique

[Michael Solomon]

Hey guys,

I could use your help. I'm about to embark on a rather interesting shoot. It's going to be a 30 minute long continuous steadicam take. Shooting on a 35mm @ t/4 on the Alexa. I could use some advice in regards to the set-up and what technique you think would work best. I'm familiar with pulling remotely on steadicam rigs, but this is a first for me when it comes to the length of the take combined with the complexity of the moves. The op will be going back and forth between crane, dolly, and roaming. I would love to get your opinion on which gear to go with for the following

1) Wireless follow focus (leaning towards preston)
2) Wireless transmitter/receiver (would appreciate a money no object, and then a "reasonable" option)
3) Possibly a monitor (see below).

I'd also love to get some input from you guys in regards to technique.

1) Typically, in the past, I've always followed and pulled along side/behind the steadicam op but that may be difficult this shoot. Would you advise trying to stick with him or go the route of pulling wirelessly from a monitor?
2) Is there a way to rig a smaller 5-7" monitor to the preston with a cinetape readout and a wireless video feed etc. so I could somewhat follow with the steadicam op? Would that be a better route to go than sitting next to a 17" field monitor?
3) Also, I'll be using cinetape for the first time in my career. Do you guys have any suggestions or is there anything I should prepare myself for? I'm still not entirely 100% sure about the mechanics insofar as how it functions and knows what the camera is looking at. I know it's there simply to be a spot check and I shouldn't rely on it.
4) Do you think that 1-2 anton bauers could actually power the camera, WFF, cinetape, and all the other gak for a 30 minute take?

Any other tips for pulling on extremely long takes would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance guys! I really value the advice I've gotten on here in the past!

 

[Awesome Box]

Okay. So my background as a focus puller includes pulling for SteadiCam on a number of films now. And from my experiences, with takes lasting between 30 seconds to 7 minutes, it is best for me when pulling from near the operator watching the scene unfold as opposed to having my head buried into a monitor over in video village.

On one particular feature, we were filming a skateboarder coming down a hill at over 80kms with our SteadiCam attached to our chase vehicle trying to stay in front of him and not cause an accident. In that situation that skateboarder would start around 60 feet or more away from us at the top of the hill and the moment we started he would quickly catch us and linger at between 30 and 15 feet behind us. However when we came to corners, he would easily outpaces us and go flying past us. The operator would keep him in shot as long as possible and so I found that he would close to a distance of 8 feet when he went past the car, all within a matter of seconds.

In the beginning of the day I tried to pull from a monitor inside the chase vehicle, but found it impossible to judge the speed the skater was going and would constantly lose him on the corners. After about an hour I decided to jump in the back of the vehicle and try and eyeball it through the back window. It worked. I was able to judge how fast he was going and could see when he was gaining on us.

Of course your situation sounds different, but I would apply the same style if possible. I recommend that you try and stay with the operator and eyeball the distance. If you are good at judging the distance and keep practicing you will find it almost become second nature to guess how far away the talent is to the focal plan on the camera. Combine your skill with the depth of field that if calculated for that set-up would be around 2 feet, when the subject is 6 feet away. Then you should have a good margin for error when you aren't quite 100% right about the distance.

If it was me doing it, I would try and stay as simple as possible. Mucking around with attaching a monitor to the follow focus will just distract you. And all too often do I see the guys using the Cinetape messing up because they come to rely on it and second guess themselves. And I find that by the time you look at the reading, and look down to pull then you've already missed the mark. The same happens with monitors a lot if you are using it as a guide. You look up and they've already past the point.

Also, blocking is your best friend in this scenario. While the actors are blocking through the shot, talk with the operator and then try and measure distances for key points. And then just practice, practice, practice.

I would recommend on the tech side that you aim for a Preston or something that you are familiar with if you've pulled from a wireless before. The Bartech is a favourite of mine as its simple to use and once you get used to it, pulling becomes almost instinctive.

I hope something from what I have written helps. Good Luck

 

[jax_rox]

I'll second everything that's mentioned above.

Go with a hand unit you're used to - I have most experience on a Bartech, but if you're more experienced on a Preston go with that. I've used M-One motors in the past, amongst others.

In terms of a monitor - I hate using one to pull focus. Some pull exclusively off monitors, some use it as a guide, some use it now and then. I dislike it. I prefer to stand next to the operator. The difference with your shot here is that there's going to be craning and dollying. Whether you'll be able to stick by him will probably come down to the setup on the day. Monitor vs judging might also come down to the setup on the day. Realistically, go with what's going to get you the best results - if you're going to pull better off a monitor (I know I certainly don't) then do it. I'd certainly advise against putting a monitor on a hand unit as a 'guide', using a monitor in such a way is almost pointless, I find, for the same reasons mentioned above.
That said, it's more likely you'll be able to switch on the Focus Peaking (if that's the kinda thing you go for on monitors) on your own personal monitor, than be able to do it on a Director/Client monitor.

On the battery front - I've never used AB batteries, so I'm not sure what kind of life they have. If they're similar to the IDX V-lock's more common here, then you might get away with using two, though you'd want to swap to two fully charged batteries immediately before rolling.