5 NEWS FOR OPERATORS AND OWNERS olume 2, number 1 June 1989 Masters Workshop Proposed for Europe

Thef ollowing is a note fro m Nicola Pecorini, who is organizing the next Master's workshop. -Ed. ------Steadicam has certainly gone a long way since its creation. Thanks to the techn ological achievements and to the efforts and research of the first pio­ neers, pratically all technical limits have been overcome , video assi sts exist that are more sensitive than the film stock, servo systems and radi o systems are as accur ate as possible, nuclear 12 volt batteries remain charged for years. Two factors have fueled its devel­ The Contraption Wars opment: the passion and enthusiasm of early operators who dedicated their best years and ene rgies to the cau se and to Ripoff's , Copies, and Imitations the workshop experience . It's at the work shop s, in fact, that Th ere are piles of onion skin, files up in my patent search . (I wonder if we exchange experiences, techni cal ofagreements, briefs, patent s, lawsuits, that 's his likeness in the patent dra w­ solutions, spare parts, electronic gadg­ draft s, blue wrappers, tort s and retorts ings, holding his inventi on? My drafts­ ets; venture hypotheses to be experi­ stowed all over my house in Philadel­ man sort of drew me, after all, including enced by the individual and verifi ed at phia. In decorated folders are seven the peri od haircut!). the next workshop . Without the work­ U.S.A. and forty-two forei gn patent s, shops and the attitude of the part ici­ plus divisional cases, continuations, Wars continued on page 2 pants , Steadi cam would have had a re-issues and pending applications for a tougher adolescence and wouldn 't be so dozen more. I imagine that if all of this popular. paper were rounded up and stacked, the We want to raise the level of con ­ pile would reach the roof. . JO !.z.:~~ frontation, research, aesthetics, to go More than just my l S-yea r stint as ~./ ~J" -e--l,~': beyond the current bounds: the goal is .# Cl '1' • a sometime-inventor is documented c: ~;"",;o~~r;~J8~'~[,J~7.~~·:~· ~~·~:;:;;~:;'~'<:;;;.s?"".....,.. to advance the state of the art. The tool here - the character of the whole great- .17 • // is the Masters Workshop. stream of hum an inventiveness can be '"" The first ever Steadicam Masters inferred by examining its contents. We Workshop was held in June 1988 in advance on the strength of what has Rockport, Maine. With all the limits of been discovered before, with many a world premier, it has been a great small steps and just a few great leaps success and nobod y walked away unsa­ and much re-inventing of things now tisfied and unrewarded. Unfortunately forgotten. Here around me are copies of June is one of the busiest months in hundreds of other-peo ple' s patent s - the Europe and Rockp ort is not exactly ghosts of earlier thinkers on matters around the corner. Few European op­ related to the stabilization of cameras. erators were able to attend. Here 's good old Howard K. Dear­ Together with the Steadicam Op­ born, inventor. I once thou ght a great erators Association, we therefore de­ deal about this guy and his patent. My H.K. Dearborn c. 1960 c ided to repeat the ex perience on this earliest "po le rig" version was aban­ doned partly becau se his ghost turned Masters continued on page 6 Page 2

5~2 ' '. 148 Panavision 48 .. ', : .. 't L ' .... Th e Steadicam® patent de scribes 13 6 '\ ~ ) 138 , 6 22 perhaps the most funda mental me ch a­ nism know n so far that permits a hu­ 54 , ~/~ . ~ 1\. man -carried object to be in "controlled I ~ ( \ isolation" as we know it. To date, no othe r de vice has been able to approach i CJ( \ these res ults wi tho ut infri ngment (by 52 combining: "expanded camera equip­ ment, remote viewfinder, and piv ­ i. \ '~J otable/rot atable co nnections between camera, 's up port means,' and oper a­ ~' i ' tor"). Many, however, have tried... 26 ' " /j Panav ision was first up to bat. ~' . k~ Cha irman Robert Gott schalk had seen \ my early filmed de mo and was evi­ \ . ~ .§f' 48 - 0 / de ntly in a feverto devise a machine that 50 $';' co uld do the same trick. He stalled me ./£ by say ing he was interes ted, and began o wh at reportedly became a 2.4 milli on doll ar effort to prevail over Cine ma Products, wh o had quickly become my Craig DiBona demonstrates... licen see. At first Panavision had no idea how we did it, and G ottschalk's engi ­ Check thi s out: Industrial Espio­ neers were instructed to make a proto­ nage/ I'm shooting " Marathon Man" type based on the spring-suspende d in New York - the scene where the truck fis h-carryi ng devices Robert had seen ex plodes in flames on 76th Stree t. I : on bicycles in the Orient. Friends in the never leave my prototype rig alone for a business reported that the res ulting mo ment, but as the truck starts burning , gizmo, with camera suspended by bunji one of the teamsters tell s me there ' s a cords, mad e an appearance on "Black strea m ofgasoline leaking fro m the tank G.W. Brown c. 1974 Sunday" for John Alonzo, DP, who later of my car whi ch is parked up the street. told the Acade my Awards Committee The gas is runni ng down the street thathe had seen the "Panaglide" ! (Yo!) toward thefire! I hastily drive away and Wars continued from page 1 find a repair place across tow n where they plug the hol e somebody stabbed in The Paten t Offi ce threw Dearborn my tank with an aw l. The moment I and 45 other inventors at me, forc ing leave, guys with bent noses show up and me to "d istinguish" over them all. Since take lots ofphotos ofthe rig! (Wow !) then my ow n patents have bee n "c ited" Another round finds us secretly dozens of times aga inst inve ntions that demonstrating the Steadicam for John came later, and to the ex tent that these Boorman at Burban k Studios. Sud­ inventors ' efforts were scuttled as a denly Gottsch alk himself and an eng i­ result, I'm sure they cursed my name, neer are cau ght hidi ng behind the scen ­ without necessarily beli eving that their ery taking pictures and are summarily work was in an y way derivative. It is ejected, protesting that they just "hap­ human nature to be co nvi nce d of the pened along..." originality of ones ow n stuff. And now All of this info and more was of course all of us lie in wait on the cranked into the stream of prototypes shelves in Washington to arise and irri­ bein g pounded out in Tarzana, with tate future practitioners of "t he art," as every atte mp t presurneably being made the Patent Office calls it, and spur them to differentiate their work from ours, on to invent around us; and the Stream but the darn ed thing s ke pt turn ing out to will continue to flow on beyond even resemble Steadicams if they worked at the memory of our obscure contrap­ all. tions. By the time CP sold our first pro­ Meanw hile... Here's a chro nicle of duction version , one wo uld think that "The Contraption Wars," plus Bizarre even Robert would have admitted de ­ Imitat ion s, As tonishing Knock-offs feat, but the great huma n rat ionalizin g and one shameful Excess of Defensive A pre-panaglide "missing link" powers I referred to ea rlier must have Zeal... from Tarzana kicked in and post-flashed his mind , fo r Page 3

have entered the Panaglide for some Shinko sort of religious award, because of its miraculous resemblance to the Stead­ Suddenly, at Photokina in Co­ icam!) logne, friends began telling us of a Finally his attorneys pointed out camera stabilizer hidden in the booth at that these machinations practically Shinko Electric. Various spies volun­ guaranteed that triple damages would teered to get a look and collect bro­ be awarded for the harm done to Stead­ chures, and we decided to march on icam, and he capitulated at last and over there. Of course, Ed DiGiulio and settled out ofcourt. Panavision has paid I were recognized immediately, and us a royalty ever since on all reported they tried to cover the thing up. rentals of the PanagJide, and the Oscar was a shoo-in a year later because the Technical Committee was so steamed. Incidentally, Gottschalk's at­ tempts to patent the Panaglide were emasculated (as it were) by the priority of my patent, to the extent that the only allowed "claim" was for an LED level indicator! This was World WarI! Afterwin­ ..."tilting" a bottom-heavy ning this one, we thought that no future Panaglide for lawyers infringer could even bring on a sweat! Indeed some of them proved to be bor­ derline comical... by the time the 'Glide appeared in Canada in 1976 on "Days of Heaven", he was proud ly emphasizing that its arm ',.:/0 used different springs than ours and its camera was silent and light. (The latter item is still its great virtue - see our letter to Instructor from the Maine Shinko Panavision in this issue!) .,. Workshop "treating smoothly" Haskell Wexler took over as .i: DP and found it in the cam­ era truck and soon sent some Ultimately we had to bring suit in photos which astounded and Japan, which is an experience in and of angered us. We immedi­ itself. It requires a Japanese attorney, ately authorized Weiser & deep pockets and lots of time, but the Stapler, my trusty patent at­ good news is that the Japanesegenerally torneys, to commence legal respond fairly and will honor your Japa­ proceedings.. nese patent if your claims have over­ What a shock, I found it whelming moral force. After several hard to believe that this leg­ r-' r years of expensive maneuvers, we re­ ·~-~·x . endary film-equipment guy ceived a beautifully hand written docu­ and his famous company ~:~f~./~ ment of capitulation. Accompanying it ~~. :.~' could do this to us - and I . '. was a wretched typewritten translation more! For instance .~~~: .' saying in part: "...we also stopig the ~~:. Gottschalk actually had the " ". production and the sale concering the nerve to demonstrate the products which are doubtful to be any 'Glide in contention for the related with said both patents... our Oscar, and when the Techni­ company desires to treat smoothly with cal Committee spurned him . ,'. sincerity based upon the respect ofthe r; .. ·1 -"-,,,,_. '.: ,"', _I • and voted for us, he per­ ='1_ industrial prorietary," . ~~:' ~:~..:.,,:"_" ":.' ~. suaded the Academy Board \:" '- Looking at the photos, you may be of Governors to overturn the less than astounded to find out that it vote and delay our award for was our arm patent that prevailed. Al­ a year because of the pend­ though the Shinko device appeared to ing suit. (One wit on the be ineffective, we had to defend our committee observed that "industrial prorietaries" or leave the perhaps Gottschalk should field open to others. Pana-patent, c. 1976. Check the shoes Wars continued on page 8 Page 4 Association Letter to Panavision Re: Lightweight Panaflexes PAUL TAYLOR first a ssistant camera STEADicAM 213-459-0411 213-340-1666

June 21, 1989

John Farrand, Pres ide nt Panavision, Inc. Alternative to 186 I8 Oxnard Tarzana CA 91 356 Th ick Video Cable Dea r Jo hn,

Thank you for s igning up Panavision as an associate member. We grea tly ap preciate yo ur suppo rt. Astoria, New York. We would like to reci procate with some produ ct feedbac k and the resu lts of a survey conducted am ong our 120 professional operato rs. Many of us go out on a video shoot that is not multi-camera. As the The active mem bership of the Steadicarn Ope rators Association comprises som e of Pa navisiori's mos t only came ra, our needs are basic: to enthusiastic fans. You ren t the lightest 35mm silent camera in the world for use on our Stea dicams • feed component video to the deck and the so-called" Li ghtweight" - which is mor e than twelve po unds less burdensome tha n the BL's and Mov iecams. Gi ven a choic e, any one of us wo uld prefer the adv antages that a lighter camera confers • (sometimes) to receive camera power greater mob ility , speed, stamina, etc. from the deck. Those of us who shoot with the Ikegami 79-D or E, or Unhap pily, there are simply nOI enough " Lig htweights" to service more than a fracti o n our jobs, and with the new HL-5 5, are aware of the we therefo re use the g rossly heavier BL 's, etc. for hundreds of shooting da ys yea rly. The Light • thick, cumbersome ca ble that locks weights (a ll three !) are booke d co ntinuously and we belie ve that at least a dozen mo re co uld be rented into the J-Labs adaptor. It is heavily no n-stop, and most of these rentals wo uld res ult in Panavision gear and lenses displacing BL's etc. As insulated and tend s to twist the rig you know from yo ur meetings and corresponde nce with operators, we urgently need help in this area , and we hope that you can find a way to provide more Lig htwe ights, and, if possible to provide them abo ut as you walk , tilt, pan, or do any with a dual-voltage capability. since they are even more adva n tageous if we can pow er them with 12 of the other nifty things that separates volts and avoi d carrying additional batteries. a Steadicam from a tripod with all the locks on. The Panaglid es are old and well-used, and despite the upd ating of gimba ls and batteri es, they j ust do n' t I finally got sick of the cable. I have the latest bells and whistles . In add ition : Monitors still tend to be unreli able. T he c urrent C CD ca lled Jerry LaBarberra. He owns J­ video-taps don 't perform as we ll in low light as the LDH 26 's and there are no gamma or gain boost controls to help reach for an image when shoo ting nig hts with high -speed stocks (We expec t virtually Labs. I laid out a design for a no image with Kodaks new 800 AS A!) . Also, incidenta lly, the Pana glides now cannot be " trimmed " light weight , super-flex ible ca be that sufficiently to balance the Primo 29 mm and som e of the new anarnorph ics without add ing weig hts I wo uld ca rry what I needed. He deli vered . The six foot long cable Many of our op erators arrive on a Panaglide shoot with ad aptor cables and brackets to ena ble the use locks into the J-Labs adap tor. At the of their own Seitz radi os, Heden motors, Coh eren t video transmitters, etc. and so me cven remove the vest, it connects (by way of a barrel came ra and mou nt it on a Stead ica rn, and adapt the spare camera boards to make up a "surrog ate" Ligh tweight! Altho ugh there are several operators who don't ow n Steadicams, and who wiII continue conne ctor) with the standard heavy to rely on the Panaglides, most of us wo uld prefer to use our ow n highly personal eq uip men t and thus cable. Th e new lightweight is a maximize our techn ical performance. Th erefore we hope that some of the Panagl ide came ras ca n be dream to use, and presents minim al co nvert ed to Light wei ghts in orde r to mo re c losely addr ess the rea l needs o f this ma rke t. influ ence on the balance and perform ­ ance of the rig. I haven 't had to whi p Clear ly, Jo hn, we are worried abo ut our prospects for shoo ting dialogu e sce nes into the next decade pan yet, but short of that , this cable is when there are on ly three good Steadicam cameras in the wor ld ! Our survey asked " would yo u rent a a godse nd. lightweight Panaflex that ran on 12 volts?" Ninety-four percent of our resp onden ts said an emphatic "yes'" From here, the next step is fibe roptics. I had con sidered that, but We cannot too st rongly tell you of our enthu siasm for this product, and of our nearly terminal lack-of• it snaps easily, and therefore doe sn't enth usiasm for lugging around any thing else! Please build some more of them ! Thank yo u for lend itself to Steadicam use. If you 're listen ing. interested, ca ll Jerry at The J-L abs Co. at (2 13) 457-4090, or write to S incerely, him at J-Lab Co., Box 6530, Malibu , The Assoc iation Members CA 90264. Tell him where you read about it. cc: newsletter Peter Abraham PageS

diverse because often the same guy who wrote the show will produce, direc t, and edit it. The key points from above still apply but in a cond ensed form. Obvio usly the industrial people may want to create a look like "The Untoucha bles" but may not have the resources to puJl it off. Discuss creative situations like walk ing through the Plant with the CEO rather than a comparable film look shot. Corporate films are becomi ng much more sophisticated and thei r producers need to know when to use a Steadicam and when not to. It is important to discuss how a Steadicam can be integrated into a show shot on Public Speaking Increases Your Visibility a tripod. Corporate films are are great way to talk yourse lf into work. Often there's a project that needs and Promotes Jobs three Steadicam shots but can' t justify the expense; have a coup le of Pub lic speaking to a group of and situations you create change with shots you can demonstrate that will your peers can make a good impres­ different gro ups. make the Steadicam useful to them sion and ultimately get you more Age ncy people want to know for an entire day. (Don't oversell, work. It can also be a horrible HOW it can be creatively used so they 'll get the idea.) experience if you are unprep ared. have some good examples ready. Students are a fun grou p to talk I've been asked to speak a Some examp les I use are "The to but half of them are considering number of times and from that Untouchab les," "T he Shining," and Steadicam operati ng as an occupa­ experience I've deve loped an outline "Wolfen." In addition have some tion. Stress the cost and fatigue. that may help. Just like the experts examp les that you can demonstrate. The key, no matter what the say, you must follow a proceedure, Emphasize the different "looks" you group, is to always talk abou t compo­ assume no prior knowledge, and can achieve. Show how you can go sition within a mov ing frame and how summarize your key points. from a swish pan to a dolly to a run , to use the Steadicam in both conven­ Begin by explaining Steadic am seamlessly. Remember these are the tional and non-conventional modes . design and operation. With the sled people who will "create" a use for You arrive with a mysterious piece of set up on the docking stand r explain Steadicam only if they are exposed to gear. Before they leave, make sure its balance points and why they are some innovative techniques. they know how they can use it in thei r there. (Someone always asks why the Direc tors want to know the produ ctions. screen is green.) I explain why it' s HOW TO of Steadicam. They want As you speak you don 't have to shaped the way it is and anything else to know how the "Letterman Open " wear the Steadica m. Encourage that seems pertinent. was done, and the specific gear that questions from the audience . Your Forge t abo ut precessing and very was used to create it. Be able to talk style can be whatever suits you but techn ical stuff; the audie nce will be about the "floa t," how to get a lens have a genera l form to your presenta­ lost. This ten minu te intro gets you height, dolly mou nting, vehicles, tion. Have the outline nearby. If you limbered up and starts everyone out wind, and follow focus. Directors are jump from subject to subject the with the same basic knowledge. By the most demanding group. "It audience wi ll get lost and you wiJl this time I 'm suiting up. I also doesn't do that" won't stand up with look disorganized. Don't try to explain how the vest is good for them. remember everything, refer to your playing "Warden's Wife" with a Prod ucers want to know the other notes and keep the presen tation spouse. end of the scale. They want to know conversational. Go through the simple moves ­ the time, the money, how long will it Examples of shooting are great (walk forw ard, shoot back, et a1. ) take, and what you've done. You but tell only good stories. If there these give your audie nce a good must be the most careful with this was a bad Steadicam shoot it is unders tanding of Steadicam operation gro up since they act on what you say . guaranteed that someone associated and use. If it really takes you 45 minutes with it will be in the audience or Your audience can be prod ucers, instead of 15 to go to Lo-Mode they know someone who was. direc tors, agnc ies, or even student s. get unhappy fast. Also remember As a wrap to the program, show Determine what they want to hear don't brag about gear you don 't have. some examples of your work. Be from you and how can they apply They assume if you mentioned it sure to highlight the specifi cs like what you have to say. Your outline you've got it. choregraphy. This is a great place to remains the same, but the examp les Industrial people are the most Speaking continued on page 11 Page 6

Masters continued from page 1 icam and production planning, the includes use of the castle and fac ili­ side of the Atlantic. The first European actor and the mobile stage, camera ties, 6 nights at the castle , 6 break ­ Steadicam Masters Workshop will be body modifications, Professional and fasts, lunches, and dinners, insurance held at the Castello Di Brolio, Siena, electronic interferences , dolly grip or for all equipment, other ex penses Italy, from October 22 through 28th, camera operator?, com puting compen­ (rentals, co-ordination, guests, etc.) 1989. sation and compensating for fatique, Fees for Husband/W ife/Lover will be Please note that the dates match back-ups and gaffer tape, we could 800 .000 LIT ($550 US) , which with the vintage, and being in the go on for ages. includes all the above except "les­ heart of Chianti, we can also consider But we don't want to plan too sons." it a wine workshop: something much in advance. The goa l is to have Entrance requirements: To be unthinkable in Maine. the chance to face all the problems effective, the Mas ters cannot be All participants will lodge in in we care about, to solve all the doubt s overcrowded. We believe that 20 to the castle in doubnle or single rooms. we have, fill all the gaps we have. 25 would be the right number. The castle is fantastic and the We will have con tributions of distin­ Priority will be give to those who 1) surro undings of Siena are beneath the guished cinematographers who will have at least one year of Steadicam most beautiful places on eart h, tease us with their points and objec­ experience, 2) own or have access to consider the possibility of comi ng tions, encourage us with their a Steadicam with acces sories and with your husband/wife/lover. enthusiasm. brin g it to the castle, 3) belong to the All the masters must show up by Bring along all your Steadicam Steadicam Operators Association, and 7 p.m. of Sunday, October 22nd. At equipment, especially the personal­ 4) have attended one or more work­ dinner we will start planning the ized accessories, the "s lick gadgets," shops in the past. program for the following days. the state of the art toys. Also bring There will be no instructors or along your tapes (better if VHS) so To apply, fill out the following students. The program must emerge that we can discuss and analyze a lot form and mail to BASE, Via Ampolo from the common needs, curiosities, of footage. n.14 , 20 139 Milano, Italia or FAX to and stimulations. We can certainly Cost: All the participants will BAS E, fax number 02,48 14706. suggest some topics: camera move ­ cove r all of the expen ses. The fee is ments and visual perception, Stead- 1.200.000 LIT, about $800 US, which Nicola Pecorini

1st European Masters Workshop Via Ampolo n.14 20139 Milano, Italia Name: Address: Phone: Fax: ------­ I attended the following workshops: _

Steadicam owned: Modell:_II:_III:_IV:_V:__ Radio system: Seitz: CP:_ Blue Art: _ Home made: __ Motors: Heden: _CP:._ Futabo: Home made:__ Quick charger: CP: _ PAG:_ Blue Art:_ Video transmitter: Coherent:_ Acacia: _ Home made:__ Channels: _ Other interesting gadgets: _ Camera bringing with Steadicam: _ Will you come by car? _ Mother tongue: _ Other languages? Comprehension? (1 very little, 5 'fluent) Please enclose your resume. Answer notified by cable. For additional information contact: Nicola Pecorini, Phone: 02, 569 1223, Fax 02, 4814706 Page?

can be unstable in tight turns, conser­ vative drivin g is a must. It is not recommended for use on paved roads, and is noisy, thus not suitable for dialogue recording. Call the Database line, (2 I5) CALL CAM, in order to organize a rental. The whole pack age, includ ing variou s brackets, speedrail mounts, seat, extra wheels, etc. is available F.O.B. Philadelphia area , providing:

l. Vehicle must be picked up and delivered - preferably with pickup­ truck or large van. 2. The rate is $1OO/day travel, $200/day shoot, OJ; $500/week flat. 3. Production must provide a certificate of insurance for a replace­ ment value of $6,800, and provide a hold -harmless letter and proof of liabil ity insurance. 4. Rentals available only to active members of the Association, subject to availability, first-come-first-served.

Custom Steadicam ATV Th is is the first equipment item available for rental by your associa­ tion. For the future we are consider­ Available from Association ing the logistics of rentin g throated magazines, radio focus equipment, and possibly a Steadicam III, in order Is currently at work on "The footprint by 8 inch es for greater to provide back ups for Association Freshman" with Marlon Branda stability in turns. It also has 26-60 psi members. and Matthew Broderick. custom air shocks installed in front to prevent diving onto the stops when heavily loaded. The Hond a 4WD is a Active mem bers can now rent a heavy and rugged vehicl e, capable of custom Honda 4WD ATV adapted for speeds in exce ss of 40 mph . off-road Steadicam shots. The It is suggested that only qualified vehicle has been extensively modified stunt drivers be allowed to run it, and with welded seating and foot plat­ all standard safety practices for shots forms front and rear, and with a total of this type are strongly recom­ of four welded mounts for 1.5 inch mended. Anyo ne riding or driving it vertical pipe. In addition there is a must do so at their own risk. Opera­ heavily-reinforced central mounting tors should thorou ghl y rehearse and socket on both front and rear for a test the vehicle and the route before swiveli ng molded racing-type seat actual shooting. As these vehicles with removeable footrest. Although the vehicle can easily be used in the conventiona l ATV manner by hanging on and shooting hard-mounted, it also permits a safer and more comfortable operating position with the swiveling seat mounts which perm it 180 degree freedom of rotation. These seats can be used for both hard and soft mount shots, including those which require the operator to mount or dismount. The vehicle comes with a special Larry McConkey on "The set of tires and rims which mount on Freshman" the front wheels and widen the Page 8

decisively over Continental. In the end The Russians the Body-mount was either abandoned orjust withered away. We never got to Patents in the USSR used to be of court, and never had a formal surrender dubious value. I know. In the begining ceremony with ritual humiliations and we sold ten Steadicams to various So­ pillaging, but eventually their attorneys viet studios and I met several eastern must have advised slinking off, and bloc operators at shows like Photokina. suddenly it was over. One Bulgarian guy was terrific and The course of this struggle pro­ strong like bull, but sweated so pro­ vided a great lesson in obscure offen­ fusely that he had to frequently empty sive and defensive maneuvers over in­ his shoes. tellectual property. Many people don't Anyway, when Jimmy Carter understand that even if a device is pat­ pulled out of the Olympics and embar­ ented it may still be infringing on an rassed the Soviets over Afghanistan, earlier patent. Your application can our current order for ten more units was only "claim" what's new and different instantly cancelled. We soon heard that about your invention, but if any aspect they were building them in Bulgaria, of what you're selling is previously and that they were made of iron and claimed in someone else's patent, for heavy as hell. The Russian operators Continental Body-mount example, you may get to meet the local supposedly preferred to use our old version of the redoubtable Weiser & ones. Stapler! Unless of course you are a large Wars continued from page 3 global superpower...

The next installment was notice­ ably devoid of humour... "One Bulgarian guy was Continental Camera terrific and strong like bull, but sweated so profusely This one required a real battle ­ that he had to frequently long, costly, and acrimonious. Maybe empty his shoes. " the Steadicam patent is difficult to understand, or maybe attorneys tend to be overly optimistic about their clients' chances of avoiding infringement suits, but in many cases our adversaries seem to embark upon these unstable seas with about the same grip on reality as the Spanish Armada! John Carroll and Ernst Nettmann believed their "Body-mount" was dif­ ferent. It sort of hung sideways, after all, and didn't use an actual arm, and Bulgarian-cam in missionary their feelings were hurt when we con­ position cluded that they infringed and asked them to desist. Although we didn't believe that the device was ofmuch use, or commercially threatening, it couldn't Several years later I finally saw a remain unchallenged, so I had to fly picture of it on a brochure posted in the from an award ceremony for Steadicam Soviet booth at the London show. The at the BKSTS banquet in London direct operator might have been the Bulgar­ to a rooftop shootout in LA mit attor­ ian. (He looked damp!) neys in order to demonstrate infringe­ Rumours have foretold new Rus­ ment beyond a shadow of doubt. They sian orders for years, but none have weren't convinced. materialized. Perhaps perestroika will The result was a paper war that turn this around. I can assure you that spanned years, and produced chal­ we won't be suing anyone for infringe­ lenges to my patent which persuaded us ment. I don't want any adversaries with to have it re-examined and reissued by nuclear weapons. Continental haircut, c 1980 the Patent Office in order to prevail Who is this guy? Page 9 Imitations So me are whimsical and experi­ There have been an astonishing mental, and othe rs appear to be serious number of im itations, and some are fu nctioning machines whose owners quite sophi sticated. Wh en the original shou ld ju st lie low and not adv erti se ! sells for as mu ch as a pair of BMW's, Of the whole collection, the most there is definit ely an incen tive to build interest ing knoc k-offs are third-world. your own. As long as they are n' t offered Whil e in Bangkok to give Ste adicam for sale or flaunt ed as ren tals, [ person­ lessons, [ discovered a brilliantl y-m ade ally am for it. I can't answer for CP , but leather and alumi num co py of the vest, perh aps someda y we ca n come up with and a we ighted, featureless dummy an amnes ty program and trade them in sled built in the mach ine shop of T hai for the ge nuine articl e. filmmaker Prince Bhanu for the sale pu rpose of preventing his cameram en "Practice " vest and sled for the from 1. sweating up the brand-new CP Thai Steadicam Workshop ves t, and 2. falling down and denting the rea l sled ! Th e ves t was fabulous and much he opened the door and appeared to rec­ more desirable than the plastic and vel­ ognize me immediatel y (from Cinema­ cro one we sell, but it was way out ofmy tographer articles, I heard later) be­ price range - it cost the prince $25 to ca use he started laughing hysterically. buil d it! Afte r I strang led him for a while, The most remarka ble of all imita­ he showed me his eq uipment inc luding tions was built in Sri Lanka by a ve ry a fab ulous Steadicam knock-off made gifted local engi nee r and machinist who of steel, can vas and an o ld Chrysler cop ies (by eye) any piece offilm equip­ torsion-bar. He apologized incessantly ment , including Elema cks , cranes, and because it was rusting, but explained light s for renting out locally. While that aluminum , velcro, titanium, etc. are there to work on "Indiana Jones II," I unobtain able in Sri Lanka. Eve n lead kept hearing about this guy and his can 't be found, hence the huge crane Whimsical-cam copy ofthe Steadicam ! One evening on weights made from length s of rai lroad the way back to the hotel in Kand y I trac k. Can yo u ima gine? For tha t mat­ spotted what loo ked like a Tulip Crane ter, imagin e working 12,000 miles from with an oversized rear end park ed out­ both CP and Seit z! ("Just kidding ... side a shop along the main road. In the Whe re's everybody goi ng? Come window was a profus ion of film gea r, baaack!") and we figured this had to be " the guy." I knocked at the house in back, and Wars continued on page 10

Serious-cam Sri Lankan Steadicam awaits shipm ent of WD-40. Page 10

him . He sent back to us all of the postage he had co llected , and all of the xeroxed sheets, and abjectly promised never to do it again or even to go to the movies fo r the rest of his life. It was path etic. My stupid joke had esc alated in ahsentia into WWIII, and I am ashamed to admit that I have never bee n man eno ugh to ca ll him and set it right. I just wake up sometimes in the middl e of the night, pic turing what this guy might have accompli shed in this business if I hadn't been such a jerk. Jack, I apologize...

Garr ett Brown

This concludes the Early History series. The next issue will he devoted to articles fro m our international mem­ bers . Garrett greets Sri Lankan inventor ...... . • ! •." J." .. , ,~. Wars continued from page 9 Jack lm es Jr.

Trade Marks As promise d, the Wretched Excess of Defensiveness Award. Not only do we have to protect the It wasn' t deli berate. I was leaving bloody patents, but we must also stop on vacation when someone sent me an unau thorized use of the the precious articl e from Cinema gic mag azine titled word "S teadicam® " or it may get to be "The Floating Effect" whic h offered as generic as kleenex. plans for a home-made camera stabi ­ For examp le, we must attempt to lizer using a crutch, a shower ball joint, discourage the Hasbro Toy Company hinges, and football pads . Just send from selling "G.!. JOE -Repeater - the eight stamps to Jack Imes, Iowa city ,for Steadi-Cam Machine Gunner." complete xeroxed instru ctions. At first glance it seemed to be a jo ke - there was Jack in his big old shorts, looking very serious, like somebody's first ad in Cinematographer, but he's wearing a junk-caricature of the Steadicam! Upon closer inspection I could see that he was serious, and that his cheapo version might work j ust fine with light cameras. He had it just right, and he must have been a very clever guy to com e up with thi s ju st so his readers Jack Imes Jr. and the floating effect could "s ave $16,000!" (Jac k, what abo ut the other $24,000?) Unfortunately I showed his article to my secretary, and jokingly said " We oughta go after this guy! Show this to Check this thing out - their designer Weiser, ha, ha." Then I left for Austra­ must have seen John Ward 's Steadicam lia. I should have known. arms in the movie "Aliens" Th is toy She sent it to Wei ser who landed • Sales _ service • Rental includes "Electro-mechanical machine on Imes like a Panzer div ision. Letters, New & Used Systems. Parts. Access. WHITEHOUSE AUDIO VISUAL gun and body mount." (Heden motors threats, and dem ands followed in close 11511 West Pice Boulevard sold separa tely?) succession. Jack never knew what hit l'!, Los Angeles. CA 90064 (213) 479 ·83 13 Page 11 Letter to the Ed itor The J Bracket

After giving it some thought, I International news to be focus of next issue think includin g a rating or rank. or skill level on operator referrals is a I was going to reveal the sec rets charac ter who wo re gold bangles and bad idea. of my dockin g stand in this issue, but necklace chains with p endants Trying to categorize an operat or there wasn't enou gh space for the be/fore such ornamants became the by number is like trying to grade art. drawings and photo s. Maybe in a standa rd Hollywood dress . Each operator is unique. A Ted " I0" couple of issues ... We'd like to devote So , skilfu lly camouf laged in red does not compare to a Larry" 10". the next issue of the Letter to interna­ shirt, fl owered silk scarf, tight jeans Neal Norton is a "10" operating the tional (non-USA) events, ideas, contai ning mor e than ample flesh , way Neal Norton operates. Who credits, and tales from the front. and croc odile boots, Gottschalk wants to be considered mediocre A couple of operators have flashed his camera and then fled. because they haven 't done 83 features written to us already, but we clearly Gareth ra n af ter him, trying to ge t the in Bangkok, Bolivia, and Poland ? don't have enough for a complete Steadicam going to record eviden ce Believe me, a producer will see a "6" issue, yet. of this flagrant indu strial espionage. as mediocre. It was a gre at triumph f or the You will never be able to Steadicam. Gareth, wearing the convince a Producer that someone Deadline for the next camera, was actual/y ga ining on a rated a "6" is highly competent and International issue man running flat out and carrying able to do the job. Anything other only about 40 pounds ofexcess fat. than a" I0" will immediately exclude September 8,1989. Gottschalk just made it to his car and an operator from most of the jobs go t away, but not hefore Gareth was comin g from a referra l. Who wants able to record his shame on film . to work with mediocre people? I We 'd also like to devote future Poor Gott schalk was later murd ered don't. issues to technical problem s or (not hy Gareth), and Panavision People are starting to ask me for concerns, so if, for instance, you have eventually made their own device the database phone number. Aware­ a desire to learn about antenna design ca lled the Panaglide." ness of the database is growing. I or how to build yo ur own hardwire don't know how important referrals focus controller, let us kno w. One of "Gareth's version" of the same could become, but I don't think we us had probably been through it, has appea rs on page two of Garr ett's should take it lightly. Please delete the design, or know s where to get the article! my rating from the database. Gear information. we can quantify, people we cannot. The following excerpt, from John J ereth Holway How about more discussion on Boorman's book, The Em erald Forest this issue? How abo ut a vote? Diary , coincidentally came to our at­ tention today. Garrett claims it's only Sincerely , partially true. (The spelling is Nea l No rton Welsh.) Speaking continued from page 5 "...Gareth Brown ... made some Reducing credentials 10 numbers (01' even a list ofcredits) can never produce astonishing shots f or m e on The interje ct war stories and I enco urage an accurate or comp lete picture of Heretic in 1976. At the time the the audience to call me if they have abilities. II's a form ofshorthand. like the came ra was still in the prototype questions about a specific project. number of hours ill pilot ratings, that stage. It had cost him a lot of time One last observation. Steadicam provides a starting point fo r a rushed and money to develop it. At one point is becoming more and more regional­ production manager who needs an he approach ed Panavision , one of the ized ancl as it does you must learn to operator quickly. (Is the alternative f oremost camera equipment manufac­ cultivate recognition within an area. simply a list of names and telephone tu rers , and tried to se /! it to them . Find out who 's in charge of the numbers? No one has obj ected to these Th ey examined it caref ully , rejected groups by going to their meetings, categories yet.) Should we continue to his offer, and set ah out making their then volunteer to speak. The worst include in the database only the informa­ own version. 1t proved m ore difficult thing he/she can say is no. lion each operator sends us? than they thought. Good luck, and remember: 1 still fe el we should give out as much As Gareth wa s getting strapped STAY OUT OF MY AREA. information as possible. How we should int o the camera at Burb ank to do a operate the database referral system is shot f or The Heretic, a fi g ure leapt Jan ice Arthur certainly open to more disscussion (as are out of the shadows and began taking other issues). Write to us and tell us if you pictures of the St eadicam. It was ~ think the "experience" category should Gottschalk, the President of Panav­ ~ exist at all. ision, no less. He was a flamboyant -Ed Page 12

New Associate Member To Provide Technical Support

Press release follows

August Design and Development ofPhiladelphia has joined our association. They have a broad background in ser vo systems, comput­ ers, robotics , and motion control, Recently, while working on Skycam lI®, they becam e aware ofthe Stea dican i community and our needs. -Ed.

August Design and Development (ADD) announces its intent to market its services to Steadica m users. ADD spec ializes in the custom design of electronics and softwa re for govern­ ment and indu stry. In ex plaining the move, partner Ed Dougherty said, ''The inventive­ ness show n by the Steadicam group is Vehicle Available for Active Members; see page 7 for details impressive and exc iting-- and we'd like to be a part of that. We feel that ADD's techn ical capabilities can help to qu ickl y turn many of the idea s into Classifieds practical realities. " While ADD is new to the field of 108 Church Street Steadicam, the co mpany has a broad For Sale: Steadicam Model II Philadelphia, PA 19106 background in related technologies. with 41 Ib adjustable arm, vest, two Phone: (215) CALL CA M ADD is currently working on some of batteries, chargers, cas es; arm and suit Fax: (215) 922-1753 the world 's sma llest and largest high just overhauled, $17,500. tech devi ces, including a miniature, Steadicam Model II with frame long term card iac monitor, and the line gen erator, DeRose battery Jerry Holway, Editor world 's largest robot. hou sin g mod , 51 lb adjustable arm, The 140 foot robo t arm will load vest, two batteries, charge rs, cases. Contributing Editors and unload con tainer ships at sea. $22,500. Call Derrick at Wh itehouse Janice Arthur The arm will automatically posit ion A.V . (213) 479-8313. Garrett Brown itse lf over the cargo with the aid of Ted Churchill three CC D ca meras, two laser For Sale: B.U. Russel V ideo Nicola Pec orin i scanners and high speed digital ima ge Mount, possibl y new , may have been processing. close to Daryll Hann ah & Jessica Steadicam Letter is publ ished "Working on contracts with large Lange , or for lady steacli's, Tom quarterly in Ph iladelphia by the agencies is stab le," adds Doughert y, Selleck and Don John son . History Steadicam Operators Association, Inc. "but it tend s to be impersonal and Here- call quick - goo d de al. Special slow moving. We look forward to price to muse ums ! Bob Ulland, Subscriptions: Free with member­ work ing one-o n-one with creative (813) 294-7274. ship. For non-members, $42.00 per indi viduals." year USA, $52.00 foreign . For Sale: P.A.G . fast chargers Co ntact Ed Dougherty at August and the new Arri viewfinder tap from Advertising: Classified s: $ 10.00 per Design and Development, P.O.Box Precision Ca me ra now in stoc k. Call 100 words for members, $20.00 for 235, Merion Station, PA 19066-0235. us for all of yo ur Steadicam needs non-members. Space advertising Phone: (2 15) 642-4000. including battery re-builds . We are rates on request. dealers for Cin em a Produ cts, Seitz, P.A.G., Ru ssell, Cohere nt (video trans), Precison Ca mera, etc. Call Derri ck at Wh itehouse A.V. (213) 479-8313