SteadiOp Blog

Time to Go ~ With the Alexa

Sun, 4 Sep 2011 15:34:44 +0100

This shot was taken from a recent Alexa shoot for Sony Music. Useful to have the custom designed and machined Alexa plate to speed up rigging and it came in equally handy for use with the AR.
The Alexa is a sweet camera with an exceptionally aesthetic look to the images but as usual, it seemed a little power hungry. I will have to spend more time looking at solutions to minimise the number of batteries it eats!
More shots from this shoot to appear in the gallery soon.

Quad work on Nectar Race Fuel

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 15:34:21 +0100

Steadicam Quad work: Another trip out on Simon Wood’s specially tricked out Quad. Its custom designed for Steadicam work with fore and aft platforms for the operator and a counter balance system designed to work even when shooting with the MK-V AR.
Great fun working with the guys and an interesting concept of ‘racing yourself’. Finished spot below.
Want to know more about working with a Quad or Segway, or general assistance with your production, give me a shout via the contact page.

Great resource for 3D Steadicam

Sun, 3 Jul 2011 21:02:48 +0100

Pedro works globally based out of LA. He has worked on numerous stereographic productions including features, commercials and music videos. He has also had on set production experience with many stereoscopic rigs, including PACE’s Fusion, 21st Century’s BX2, BX3, 3DVX, Element Technica’s Quasar, Neutron, and mini rig, Swiss rig, P+S Technik freestyle, Sean Phillips steadicam rig and many other prototype 3D rigs.
He has also worked with various camera’s in a stereo applications. Such as 3DVX, RED One, F35, F23, Sony 1500, F950, Sony EX3, Si-2k Mini, Phantom HD, Phantom 65, Weisscam HS-2, Iconix 2k, Ikagami HDL50 and a few others.
As a result, Pedro has accumulated a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge about what works well and doesn’t work at all. Pedro has also accumulated many hundreds of rig pictures which are helpful to operators to determine the broad assembly of a rig and how best to get it balanced. Visit his site at www.steadi3d.com for more details and his up to date thoughts on 3D.
So... check Pedro’s website out for all things 3D Steadicam and if you’re looking for a UK based 3D Steadicam operator or assistance with your production, give me a shout via the contact page or check out more here.

Production Services: Spain & LatAm

Fri, 1 Jul 2011 20:33:23 +0100

I am pleased to announce our latest partnership with Macondo Pictures.
Together with Alejandro Ochoa of Macondo Pictures, we are able to offer the highest quality support for UK producers seeking to shoot in Spain, Portugal and Latin America.
Macondo have tremendous experience of organising film and photo shoots all over the South of Spain, and Latin America for foreign production companies mainly in the field of TV Commercials, Feature Films, Video Clips, Still Shootings and Documentaries. Macondo also have one of the largest location archives, providing all types of location scouting support.
We can arrange all necessary scouting, permits, insurances, hire crews, rent equipment, prepare all necessary paperwork, transport, travels, accommodations, and castings.
In addition, we can arrange for the hire of crew individually according to your shooting requirements. All crew members are able to communicate in English, and most have another language, making it easy to integrate with crews from overseas.

We have provided production services to international production companies including:
- Farrier Limited, London. "Relic Hunter". TV Series.
- Second Republic, Canada. "The Magician Wife". Feature Film.
- Primate Films, Los Angeles. "Latin Show" TV. Show.
- Quasar Films, Madrid. J&B. TV Commercial.
- Fireworks, Canada. "Relic Hunter" TV Series.

We have offices in Colombia and Venezuela. Our associated companies in Latin América are:
- México, Central Films.
- Argentina, Bender Cine.
- Costa Rica, La Comuna.

Please use the contact us page and drop me a line for full details and a copy of our brochure.

Arri camera equipment for sale

Sun, 5 Jun 2011 15:43:56 +0100

For sale... Arri SR2 body super 16 modified by ARRI
S16 Ground Glass
Extension Eyepiece
Eyepiece leveller
Integrated colour video assist
S16 Video Elbow
Arri Sliding Base
Arri Bridgeplate
2 x 15mm Rods
Light Weight Rails
Light Weight rail extender
Arri Follow focus
Arri MB17 Matt Box
3 x Magazines
4 x Onboard batteries
VSU 5-75 frames
Timelapse unit

Additionally, we also have some lenses for sale. Glass as follows:
Zeiss T1.3 (9.5mm, 12mm, 16mm, 25mm)
Zeiss T 2.2 180 mm
Zeiss Zoom 11-110
Canon 300mm T 2.8 ( Converted by van diemen )
Optex 5.5 mm
Pentax 250-600mm T5.6 with doubler ( converted by van diemen)

Please use the contact us page and drop me a line for full details.

Some Flyka shots for the feature I'm on

Sat, 4 Jun 2011 05:12:11 +0100

So... moving on from the handheld work, time for some tracking shots on the Flyka (www.flyka.tv).
As can be seen, we had brilliant sunshine as we set up in Victoria Park in East London where we were then able to have a good few runs with the tracking shot of a Marathon runner. More difficult was a Segway shot attempting to circle a runner whilst he continued to run forwards and then lock off with the runner running into the distance.
More to follow when we make it the Quad later this week.

Handheld for a change

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 21:06:23 +0100

Not often that I shoot without a Steadicam Rig in tow but this time it was an opportunity to get out and shoot some plates on one of my RED One cameras, for the VFX boys to work their magic with on a feature I’m currently working on. Makes a change to work in the totally empty and closed of London streets.
Back on Steadicam though for the rest of the shoot. Series of SteadiSeg, Flyka and then some Quad scenes to follow. Keep tuned in for pictures.

More Arri Alexa Kit Arrives

Sun, 22 May 2011 13:23:48 +0100

The Alexa® has a narrow 1/2" deep channel between the rod supports resulting in a gap at the base of the camera when mounting my Steadicam dovetail plate. I already have one excellent custom piece of machined aluminium to solve this problem but this new plate has the addition of a ‘floating-nut’.... read on.
The Steadi-Alexa plate solves this gap problem with a single piece of aluminium, professionally machined and anodised black. The plate comes complete with two captive stainless steel 3/8" screws for attaching the Alexa® and two non-captive stainless steel 3/8" screws for attaching to the Steadicam dovetail plate.
Unlike other adapters, this Steadi-Alexa plate features a 'floating nut' making it a universal fit for all available steadicam dovetail plates.
Mounting the ARRI Alexa® camera to my Steadicam® dovetail has never been so easy with this Steadi-Alexa plate - another additional reason to book your operator through SteadiOp when shooting on the Alexa.

The New SteadiSeg

Sat, 21 May 2011 12:38:19 +0100

The 3rd-Generation Steadicam Segway. A dolly without tracks. Wherever you want—whenever you want.

The Steadicam® Segway® is instantly available to create anything from a subtle perspective change to a dramatic traveling shot. The Steadiseg modification replaces the conventional Segway handlebars with a control-stick module between the knees, freeing the rider's arms to operate camera stabilisation systems. The addition of the hard-mount assembly eliminates carrying strain, permitting bulky camera setups (IMAX, 3D rigs, etc.), to be flown for extended periods without fatigue. The Steadiseg is intuitive to ride, and entirely fluid in its movement, allowing dynamic and complex moves to be executed with precision. Stability at all speeds is excellent: ramping effortlessly from a slow interior architectural track to a fast outdoor chase scene, it offers rapid set-ups and delivers stunning results.

Ulik Kahlert, the inventor of the Segway handsfree-steering system, and Steadicam operator and instructor, Chris Fawcett, have worked together to entirely redesign the Steadicam Segway, engineered specifically for improved ergonomics and safety. New features include:
• The Control-Stick Module is divided into separate 'accelerator' and 'braking' components, each con- figured for enhanced interaction with the rider, with full 'set and for- get' adjustability in 4 linear and 2 rotational axes. The pads are formed with triple-layer cushioning and finished in a mix of normal and reversed full-grain leathers to facilitate degrees of slide and traction where necessary, making the new Steadiseg nimble and responsive, and exquisitely comfortable. The entire module swivels to aid cornering and balance via a fully-adjustable, self-centering mechanism. When operating soft-mount, you can face into the rig, bringing it closer to your centre of gravity, diminishing load and twisting strain on your back.
• The Hard-Mount Assembly is especially versatile in its placement possibilities. A precision-steel articulated arm with 1 translational and 5 rotational degrees of freedom delivers the hard-mount block to any usable position, including extreme high and low- mode possibilities, without obstructing the operator. It's also exceedingly strong, so you can fly heavy camera packages with confidence.
• The Fender System works with the narrow i2 wheels in their normal configuration, allowing for a svelte 66 cm (26 in) profile in conjunction with the new hard-mount assembly, while the overall height from the ground is low to maximise stabiliser boom-range. The new system projects no sharp edges, and the outer fender sections wrap around the wheels to safeguard against accidental contact with its surroundings.

More details? Click here.

Cannes 2011

Thu, 19 May 2011 22:10:17 +0100

As the title suggests, I took a brief trip to Cannes to catch up with friends and acquaintances at this year’s festival. The festival itself had a little of everything from controversy to great pitches and much more.
My time was spent wisely catching up on projects both from a production perspective and for my other area of specialism, film finance. Two great projects to watch out for in the coming next two years include ‘Leicester Square’ and ‘Collision’. More on both on blog entries to come.
Needless to say, it was a great trip and yielded some excellent developments which I can get my teeth into over the next couple of years. So... Cannes out of the way, back to schlepping a camera around!