Should I invest in a glidecam or dolly/jib set up?

[Ryan Elder]

Okay thanks. I should start over or reschedule maybe then, instead of trying to book multiple crew, simultaneously on a crew call then.

So I’ve had this happen in the past before, with DPs, and I am wondering how to address it now. In the past I asked DPs what I would need to get certain kinds of camera movement for the shots, and they said a steadicam. However, they did not know how to use one and they said they would need a lot of time to get the hang of one and practice with one.

If this is the case, how much time is too much do you think and you need to get pre-production ball rolling? Like how much time would a DP ask for to practice before it was too much do you think?

[Ryan Elder]

Or if I should seek out a DP who already knows how to use one, where do you find the DPs who are familiar with steadicams?

In the past, none of them were, so where do I find these DPs specifically?

[Blaise Douros]

Wow, the stream-of-consciousness thing. Exhausting.

First: You need to find reliable crew. Are you paying? If you’re not, then that would probably be why your crew isn’t reliable. If you’re paying, and your DPs are disappearing, then maybe you should consider whether there’s something you’re doing that is driving them away?

The guy who has a full stable of equipment, the one guy qualified to help you, is hard to work with, huh? Sounds like an opportunity to develop a better relationship. Pay him his rate, plus his gear-rental fee, and I guarantee it will be cheaper than buying any kind of decent stabilization.

Second, because I do see your problem, I’m going to give you the short-term solution, should you continue to struggle. This will work for a sub-8 lb camera: https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/dji-ronin-s-3-axis-gimbal-stabilizer

Heavier than that, and you need one of these: https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/dji-ronin-2-3-axis-handheld-stabilizer

Rent one of those, as well as a golf cart. It will cost you less than buying it, and with a 7-day rental, that’s plenty of time to schedule a practice day.

But for real, your DP should be working with you from day 1 on storyboards and plans. If not, then that may be why they’re quitting on you–I would not return to a DP gig that required I use the producer’s gear and lighting choices.

[Ryan Elder]

Okay thanks. Basically the reason why the DPs kept becoming unavailable on that past project is one crew or cast member will cancel for he/she is sick, or couldn’t get out of something, or for whatever reason. So a rescheduling is caused, and the DPs time was up by then, so I had to get someone else, then someone else in the cast or crew had to reschedule, and then that DPs time was up, etc.

So it wasn’t anything to do with me, it was cause of the reschedulings, from other people, and the times they were available.

I could go to the guy who has all the gear, but the last time I worked with him he smocked pot all the way through a shoot, and was high the whole time, and made quite a few mistakes that I feel he wouldn’t have made if his judgment was not impaired.

He also wanted to shoot the whole movie in 60 fps, where as I wanted 24 fps. I don’t like the 60 fps look and he was very stubborn about it, and would not do it any other way than 60 fps.

So if I go to him for and pay him his fee, what can I do to get him to be more flexible on the 60 fps thing?

[Todd Terry]

Those Marathon Man shots definitely are not dolly-appropriate…. neither for the location nor the style of shooting. I’d personally probably do a Ronin in a golf cart.

Also keep in mind that Steadicamming is an art, and one that takes a bit to learn and a long time to really master. Rarely on a real feature will you find a case where your “A” camera operator or the DP is also the Steadicam operator… it’s a specialized art.

If you have your mind made up about stabilizing… I do still have a full-size Steadicam rig (yes, a real Cinema Products/Tiffen Steadicam, not one of the cheapo clones) still for sale… ☺ “Low miles, only driven to church on Sundays… what can I do to put you in this Steadicam today?”

https://fantasticplastic.com/steadicam/

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Rick Wise]

What city are you in? Sounds like you don’t have access to what we old hands would consider a “real” cinematographer. A guy who is stoned all the time and won’t accept 24 fps is, I agree, not a good choice. You are the ultimate decider, and your DP should be able to accept that, after explaining as best as she/he can why her/his own vision is “better.”

Rick Wise
Cinematographer
MFA/BFA Lighting and Camera Instructor Academy of Art University
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com

[Ryan Elder]

Okay thanks. I am in Saskatoon Canada. I went to film school and the school hooked me up with some connections as well as rental houses, but they only have tripods and dollies only. The steadicam guy was someone I met at a convention.

Even though he was stoned and made some mistakes he still did some good work for 60 fps technically.

On very low budget projects though, I feel that I am expected to provide a good number of the equipment such as glidecams and things like that if I want them, which is fine by me. I shouldn’t expect them to have them, should I?

[Todd Terry]

Unlike a lot of other kinds of gear… because it is such a specialized thing, when you hire a Steadicam operator they typically come with their own gear. Actually, I’ll say more than “typically”… I’ll say pretty much always. In fact I’ve never heard of hiring a Steadicam operator who did not come with his own gear. That’s just the way it works.

And in fact, unless they happen to be needed on set for other duties (for example, very often Steadicam operators are also credited as “B” camera operators or second unit DPs) they’re typically only hired for the days they are needed, unless a film has a tremendous amount of stabilized shots in it.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Ryan Elder]

Okay that’s what I thought. However, since I have never been able to find a steadicam operator on past projects, is it a bad idea to start get my own glidecam and become my own while working with the DP?

[Ryan Elder]

Or I could just ask the DP if he/she wouldn’t mind practicing and being the operator if that’s better, and then I can concentrate more on directing.