Steadicam and F3, a deadly combination

I only used it to zoom in once in the movie for very tight and low shot, 1' off of the floor. I had no room to move, but I rather use rails when I can. Everything but the shots outside were shot with the RED 18-85mm just as variable prime.
 
Douglas Villalba said:
I only used it to zoom in once in the movie for very tight and low shot, 1' off of the floor. I had no room to move, but I rather use rails when I can. Everything but the shots outside were shot with the RED 18-85mm just as variable prime.
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did you use a follow focus with lever to pull the zoom? just curious..

CharlesPapert said:
Yes, I know that rigs that can support heavier cameras get more expensive and of course the Steadicam brand is quite a bit more than others......
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All great advise Charles, at least you didn't give me the rant that operating a steadicam is something that you cannot do casually and you MUST be a serious steadicam operator to operate a steadicam and operate one day and night while eating, sleeping, and sh**ing.. I appreciate that! :D
 
Listen, a lot of people play the guitar. Most of them are passable at it, and that's all they care to be. They can pull it out at a campfire or a party and sing a song everyone knows and people can sing along. The folks that burn to be great guitarists will spend an immense amount of time practicing and getting great at it and when they play, it's captivating.

Steadicam is no different. Most people can achieve a basic follow-the-subject move with a few hours of practice. The horizons may be sloppy, the headroom may be off, but they are moving through space without footsteps appearing in the shot and that may be good enough for that operator. At that stage of the game, many inexpensive rigs will do the job (some are simply too poorly designed to achieve actual stability however).

Much along the same lines, some people just shoot for fun or even for a living and aren't really interested in putting in the time to learn the craft of cinematography--they just want their stuff to look "cool" or, ahem, "sick", and come to message boards to find the quick and easy way to achieve that. What settings on the camera, what piece of post software will hand me that look? Learning how to light, however, is a lifetime achievement, and I see a lot of posters frustrated that they can't quickly figure out how to light a set well. I myself have been pursuing that for 30 years and I will never stop learning, every day that I do it. One of the various reasons that I moved on from Steadicam is that I felt I had done everything I wanted to do with that job category and needed to challenge myself in other ways. Prior to that though, I had been that guy you described and I feel strongly that is what made me successful as a working Steadicam operator.

So yes--I'm not about to insist to someone who has no desire to do Steadicam more than occasionally that they are making a big mistake in buying cheaper/lesser gear, unless it's a real POS!. I'm not the biggest fan of Glidecams but they work very well for a lot of people. I have seen more than a few people go through multiple rigs in a few years and regret not having invested well the first time (FYI the resale on better known rigs is significantly better; that no-name eBay rig is far less likely to sell down the road).
 
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starcentral said:
did you use a follow focus with lever to pull the zoom? just curious..
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Hate to hijack Nick's thread. I hope he doesn't mind and is interested on the great advice we are all getting from Charles Pappert.

The answer to your question is no. The 1AC pulled focus and I did the zooming with the zoom ring. It was tight close up of the face about 2' from the camera moving back about 6' in one second with only an iPhone illuminating the face.
 
I completely relate to the analogies whether it be guitar or lighting. Guitar I gave up on, I just don't put the time into it that I should. Lighting, well I can't believe that its taken me 10 years to know what I know now, yet I still feel like I know nothing about it but when I read the posts of others just starting out lighting asking questions I realize WOW I do know something.

I tend to like versatility whenever putting money into equipment, so it will be interesting to see which direction I end up going in terms of getting a steadicam (I recently even contemplated getting one of those cheap Proaim indian ones but decided against it). I mainly want a steadicam to pull of short intro/exit shots and highlight dramatic elements and feel it is just so much easier to do with a steadicam then to setup a dolly each time which is limiting in axis anyway. I think the casual use will work out fine for me. Just not sure I want to blow $2500, $5000, or $7500. I might have a lead on a flyer for under $5000 so exploring that option.
 
Thank you guys for taking a look at my work. Haha, it was a surprise to see this thread back up top after so long! To answer the question about focal length I think Charles covered it pretty well. I was limited to the 35mm and 50mm on the F3. You guys were right, I don't have a remote follow focus sicne I've not taken steadicam operation seriously until I got the F3 and my old Glidecam rig became relevant again. I wasn't interested in it as a career because of the back problems associated with the work, but now that the Epic, F3, and C300 have come out I feel like it's only a matter of time before all the top cameras are packing ridiculous quality into lightweight designs.

There were no focus pulls in there, I would generally be working on deep focus compositions or play with the shots in a way where the static focus worked for the story of the composition.

Charles, no more dangerous setups in the backs of pickup trucks these days, that's a photo from the very first film I ever DP'd about 7 years ago if I'm thinking of the one you're talking about. When you're just getting started you do dumb things :)

Since this post I've gotten work on a few shows doing steadicam, most recently for Ultimate Factories on Nat Geo. Wish I had more narrative experience with the rig, but I'm working on that. Had my eye on the Steadicam Zephyr for a while now.

-Nick

CharlesPapert said:
Nick:

Footage is looking good. It will help when you get some more narrative work on there--most of the critical "tells" of Steadicam reveal themselves when following actors (headroom, horizons on turns etc) rather than rotating around/pushing in and out on fixed objects as much of this reel reflects. But considering the hardware you are working with, it's solid work.

I would not recommend that you include BTS footage, especially the suggestion of a director discussing a shot with you. There's a reason that doesn't show up in reels--it's irrelevant and can easily be construed as arrogant. Also: you are young and your setup is, to be honest, not top-of-the-line and it will be advantageous for you to minimize those facts rather than promote them.

As far as showing that a given shot had obstacles such as cables on the ground--that's all in a day's work as a Steadicam operator. Making the terrain disappear, making walls and corners and tight spaces invisible to camera is what the job is all about. On a reel, all that counts is the shot itself, not what it took to get it (unless it is a "wow" shot that obviously incorporates an elaborate and unusual setup--but that's more of a bonus featurette that would accompany a reel, not part of a reel proper). I made the same mistake for years by including this shot on my reel that required me to step over the (large) actor lying on the floor, in low-mode, no less. Eventually I realized that it was only the complication of achieving the shot that made it impressive, and that the actual operating was slightly flawed and it didn't belong on my reel, so out it went.

As far as hanging out your shingle as a Steadicam operator, obviously you will be somewhat limited with the weight capacity of the cameras you can fly but there are quite a few options these days. I would suggest that you always have a conversation about any add-ons that could possibly be mounted on the camera and make sure the DP is aware of the weight capacity--there's always the possibility of a ring light or zoom or prompter or gag mounted in front of the lens that no-one is taking into account, but could create issues when your system can't support it. I'm assuming you own or have access to wireless lens controls--I didn't note any focus pulls in the footage in the reel but I may have missed them. Working a "set-and-forget" focus is done more than I would think possible these days on low budget shoots but it has to be understood by all (to me it's non-negotiable when shooting with a large chip). Other standard items that I would expect would be a video transmitter or at the very least you having lightweight BNC jumpers, i.e. being comfortable with being cabled; and a vehicle mount (I saw that pic of you being held onto the tailgate of a pickup truck--please be careful Nick, that's not a good idea).
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Nick Harris said:
Charles, no more dangerous setups in the backs of pickup trucks these days, that's a photo from the very first film I ever DP'd about 7 years ago if I'm thinking of the one you're talking about. When you're just getting started you do dumb things :)

Since this post I've gotten work on a few shows doing steadicam, most recently for Ultimate Factories on Nat Geo. Wish I had more narrative experience with the rig, but I'm working on that. Had my eye on the Steadicam Zephyr for a while now.

-Nick
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Yes, I certainly did some dumb things myself back in the early years (thankfully pre-internet so no pictorial proof out there to haunt me)!

The Zephyr is a solid rig.
 
Now that I've actually sat and read through this whole thread I'm compelled to chime in again with all the fantastic advice that's flying around! Charles I LOVE your analogy of casual guitar players to the general shooter looking to buy a cheap steadicam rig. I would say that a couple grand on something like the smooth shooter is well spent for people who just want access to steadicam moves on their own stuff and maybe pull it out for a client here and there. I was hard pressed to ever call myself a steadicam operator until just recently because it just kept coming up and I found myself becoming better and better at it. But I've gotten my F3 with rails, matte box, a bartech on the smooth shooter and actually had a friend machine a mounting arm for my external recorder to come off the vest itself. Unfortunately that means you're tethered to your own vest and it aint ideal but it's a workaround that works for me and gives me access to my unrestricted F3. It's not the best to explain your jimmy-rigging to new clients but it gets the job done for the money invested and in the mean time you can work on your technique.

My advice, if you're going to take it seriously is to work out constantly and take it seriously. Doing long days under my rig used to wreck me, so one day I went to my chiropracter who happens to be a personal trainer for advice on a routine that would specifically help the muscles involved in steadicam operation. Not only can I now go for hours and hours without really getting fatigued if I need to (at least on my light rig), but having the strength to hold slow steps without shaking and losing balance has made my work heaps better. I refuse to become the old man with a crooked back because of my camera work. I also book deep tissue massages at least once a month (if I could afford bi monthly or even weekly I would). Nothing is more important than your health when the job is such a strain.

I've been toying with the idea of getting into Tai Chi but haven't done any research. Charles I'd be very interested to hear if you do any training aside from running your rig!
 
Well Nick, it's all behind me now--I put down the Steadicam a couple of years ago and work solely as a DP at this point. I will say that while I had periods of legitimate weight training over the years I operated, at a certain point I was working so much that the job itself was enough of a workout to keep me going (nothing like hauling a 75 lb rig through 14 hour days, week in and week out!!)

Question: what outboard recorder are you using, and had you considered mounting it to the base of your sled, replacing the counterweights? Can you post a picture of your setup? I'm curious.
 
Guys I can get a Glidecam V20 locally here for a pretty good price, but looking at it the arm looks super large, like designed in the early 1900's.

Anyway and advice on this model?
 
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