[Emre Tufekci s.o.a.]

Thanks Nick,

I’ll give them a call.

Cheers,

Emre
http://www.productionpit.com
Boxx Tech PC, dual-dual AMD 2.0,4BG ram,Avidexpress HD w/Mojo,UVW-1800,DSR-25, Adobe production studio.

“Creative cow is udder madness.”

[Emre Tufekci s.o.a.]

I have tried the Glidecam (gold series) and I would definitely recommend Steadicam over it. Depending on what you need to do with it I would rather spent $35K and get something like Clipper 2 over anything thats out on the market but is $10K less. It’s worth the investment.

Also on the lower end I think Steadicam flyer out preforms them all. Even though the artemis got the best bang for the buck it has a MAJOR flaw that was not mentioned in the article. They have added a twist release to the gimble to adjust the drop which is great because it’s tools free. BUT as I was taught many years ago and I teach my students today; the most vulnerable time in setting up is during the drop adjustment in which the artemis forces you to take your hand of the camera to release the lock. This exposes your rig to a fatal drop should anything be loose or forgotten. Many is a time I have seen fellow operators almost drop their rig only to be saved by their right hand which was holding on to the camera( and closely watched by their spotter.)It happens even to the most disciplined operators.

I would recommend anybody who wants to learn to be an operator to take classes and never ever attempt to run a big rig without training. A spill will break your rig and your bones.

My preference:

Big Rigs ($25-$60K)
1-Steadicam
2-Sacthler
3-Glidecam

Small Rigs:($6-$15K)
1-Steadicam
2-Artemis (sachtler)
3-Glidecam

Cheers,

Emre
http://www.productionpit.com
Boxx Tech PC, dual-dual AMD 2.0,4BG ram,Avidexpress HD w/Mojo,UVW-1800,DSR-25, Adobe production studio.

“Creative cow is udder madness.”

[Emre Tufekci s.o.a.]

I have used one at NAB for about 3-4 minutes and depending on your strength that about the limit you can carry one before your arm clamps up. Loss of stamina results in loss of stability.

It’s cheap and provides a semi stable shot but dont expect it to be like a steadicam. You will have a hard time keeping a good horizon,there is little or no dynamic balancing and you have to have an on board lcd.

On the positive side unlike a steadicam, you dont have to spend 6K-60K and the learning curve is a lot shorter.

Hope it helps,

Emre
http://www.productionpit.com
Boxx Tech PC, dual-dual AMD 2.0,4BG ram,Avidexpress HD w/Mojo,UVW-1800,DSR-25, Adobe production studio.

“Creative cow is udder madness.”

[Emre Tufekci s.o.a.]

you can find DC rental prices here:

http://www.dc-camera.com

Emre
http://www.productionpit.com
Boxx Tech PC, dual-dual AMD 2.0,4BG ram,Avidexpress HD w/Mojo,UVW-1800,DSR-25, Adobe production studio.

“Creative cow is udder madness.”

[Emre Tufekci s.o.a.]

I would highly reccomend http://www.lynda.com

You can learn at your pace for only $25 dollars a month, and get access to everything they have. Photoshop,cinema 4D,Excell, Mac OS…you name it.

First tutorials are free. Check it out.

Emre
http://www.productionpit.com
Boxx Tech PC, dual-dual AMD 2.0,4BG ram,Avidexpress HD w/Mojo,UVW-1800,DSR-25, Adobe production studio.

“Creative cow is udder madness.”

[Emre Tufekci s.o.a.]

I do believe you are being underpaid,(thinking your former colleagues were being paid double for the same job.)

1-If the firm is doing bad,that is not your concern. If you are not paid percentage or bonuses every time your firm does good why should you be expected to undercut yourself when the firm does bad. Do you think your boss is concerned about paying you extra or buying a new BMW? If you think there is no other work available and you are lucky to have your job, you are stuck in a rut. Maybe it’s time to change your field.

2-I have always been referred by my employers as a amazing editor/animator/shooter and the best they have ever seen in their lives; they are lucky to have me. But not once was I offered an raise and when I asked for one I always got “It’s a bad time”. I only got their interest when I said I was leaving and they sprung to action. By that time I didn’t want to work for them anyway and changed jobs for a higher pay.

3-I fooled my self many times by saying, I have it easy here, I don’t want to move, I know the equipment, I built a reputation, My boss loves me….etc None of it is relevant.

4-Start putting your demo reel together,find out what the market is like around you. Then talk to your employer and ask for a raise and SET A DEADLINE for an answer. If you are good as you say, the worst case scenario is you will get a no, then you can start looking elsewhere.

This is what I would do or have actually have done in the past. It has always worked out for the best for me.I hope at least it would put things in perspective for you.

Emre
http://www.productionpit.com
Boxx Tech PC, dual-dual AMD 2.0,4BG ram,Avidexpress HD w/Mojo,UVW-1800,DSR-25, Adobe production studio.

“Creative cow is udder madness.”

[Emre Tufekci s.o.a.]

One important thing is if you get avid express HD with a mojo, you will not be able to use the mojo for HD external monitor preview. It is set up for SD only and will not display HD. There would be no need to get a Nitris as it is for finishing hi-rez projects. The convenient but not cheap way to go is adrenaline with DNxHD board. You would be able to pump DVCPROHD and preview it and finish it on the same machine(if your final output is HD).

If your final delivery is not HD but SD you ingest MXF DVCPRO HD material, export your media as as quicktime to another folder and re-import to an SD project into your avid drives on a express,composer or adrenaline.(thats the method I use as avid expess will not transcode/downconvert HD TO SD wtih out a deck downconvert. If there is a better way, I would love to find out as it is an pain.)

hope it helps,

Emre
http://www.productionpit.com
Boxx Tech PC, dual-dual AMD 2.0,4BG ram,Avidexpress HD w/Mojo,UVW-1800,DSR-25, Adobe production studio.

“Creative cow is udder madness.”

[Emre Tufekci s.o.a.]

If you received 720p material shot at 60fps, avid will interpret that as 30i with each frame occupying a field. That would cause the footage to run at normal speed (not slo mo) and look strobey. If you actually apply and speed effect and slow it down %50 you will get the footage properly interpreted, looking slowmo at 30i. This is the formula I use when filming 720p 60fps with hvx200 in avid.

With Final cut pro you need to download and use the frame rate converter from the Panasonic website to achieve this.
https://www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/support/fcphd.asp

If this is not your problem can you be more specific,your system,footage resolution, frame rate…

Cheers

Emre
http://www.productionpit.com
Boxx Tech PC, dual-dual AMD 2.0,4BG ram,Avidexpress HD w/Mojo,UVW-1800,DSR-25, Adobe production studio.

“Creative cow is udder madness.”

[Emre Tufekci s.o.a.]

Sounds Like you’ve got a good starting investment there,

Try to calculate what your hourly worth is; If you spent $8000 on your equipment (which you will be providing for the event) find out how much it’s renting in your area. A JVC package in my area Washington DC rents for $250 a day and you have to get insurance for it. Then calculate your worth an hour, let’s say $30-40 a hour(My plumber charges me $80 an hour).

IMPORTANT: Don’t think of it as an free entry into an event, you are there to do a job. Getting to film something you enjoy is just a perk. I am sure all of us would do what we are doing for free, but that doesn’t pay the bills.

If you really want to do it and do not want to charge them much use this approach: Let them know in writing what you would normally charge (let’s say $400 for an event like this) and you are willing to give them an discount of %30-35 for this time only as they are new customers. If you flat out low ball it you never be able to charge them your worth, when you are filming something you don’t enjoy that much.

I would recommend reading the business and marketing section of the cow.Great info there.

Cheers,

Emre
http://www.productionpit.com
Boxx Tech PC, dual-dual AMD 2.0,4BG ram,Avidexpress HD w/Mojo, Adobe production studio.
“Never judge a book, from it’s movie.”

[Emre Tufekci s.o.a.]

Backwoods,

I am sure more people will follow up with more useful advice but I wanted to bring up an important point. Do not consider how much you should charge according to how long the fights/matches are. You are not there just for the 5 minutes of the fight; you have to count in the fact that you leave your office, drive to the location, do some scouting, talk to your clients about the best possible shots, wait for the matches, film the fight, wrap up and drive back. You will effectively tie up your entire day so you should charge accordingly.

I was recently asked to film a 10 minute concert with a steadicam. When I asked for $1800 for the event the client was amazed and said “but you’re only going to be filming for 10 minutes, that’s $180 a minute!!!”

I had to explain to the client that what he wanted was for me to leave at 5am be at location at 6am(1 hour) , talk with the director and coordinate the shoot (1 hour), set up my gear (1 hour) wait for the event (3 hours), film (10 minutes), wrap up and drive back (2 hours). That was an 8 hour day for me and my spotter. And most importantly what people for get the most often is the fact that it was 8 hour+my gear+my experience of 13 years.

To give you a better answer to what you should actually charge for the event, it might help if you list your equipment,number of people in the crew, total duration of the day,delivery format and maybe your year of experience (optional).

Emre
http://www.productionpit.com
Boxx Tech PC, dual-dual AMD 2.0,4BG ram,Avidexpress HD w/Mojo, Adobe production studio.
“Never judge a book, from it’s movie.”