NEWS FOR OPERATORS AND OWNERS

~ \

Pour En Finir Avec "L'effet Report from " South Africa ------by Jean Marc Bringuier to the already abundant range of Chris faces many of the same devices aimed at gliding a camera in problems we all do, plus a few that The complete article originally space. are unique to his troubled land. appeared in Cahiers Du Cinema . The only va lid use offilm We've talked many times over the last In this excerpt , Jean Mar c has equipment, ho wever sophisticated or f ew years , including last spring when exci ting, is to help tell a story or instill [ was in South Africa. -Ed. given us a Gallic feast ofideas a visual atmosphere. It does requ ire _. _- . ~ ----- that are useful f or discussions with individuals to stru ggle with it. I'm not operators, novices, and producers. ju st hinting at the sweat dripping from Ch r is Haarhoff: I recently -Ed . the 's face (nor at the produ c­ alam agated my Stead icam with a great tion manager's pallor. ..) for Cinem a rental house down here, the Movie Panaglide and Steadicam are will always be a team sport. It was Camera Company. They were unable tools a filmmaker may use to stabilize certainly not the dollies used by to resurect their own Steadicam, a some of his views of the world. They Hitchcock which created the well­ Mod el II, and so I joined forces with are expected to free the creators' known suspense, through some hidd en their ow n in house ope rator, Gi lbert minds of several old constraints of the secret of their technology, but indeed Reed , thus reinforcin g the we ll held traditional and subtle art of dealin g the inimitable style of this Aristoc rat Stead icarn notion that unity is with the logistics of moving a film of Vision. He knew how to float his strength. He and I canvass our ow n camera. Despite the look s of en­ relentless Eye, through the scen ery work independently and share work tranced zombies often displ ayed by and around his preys, blending , that comes directly to M.C.C. We their users, and va rious mythi cal tales film technicians and machines in a have the support of the company's spread by both devotees and detrac­ subtle and oppress ive harmony. All rent al establishment, and especially of tors, Stead icam and Panagl ide are not the rest is nothing but silly ironware. their workshop for all accessories. It's part of the supernatural. Wh en used correctly, they should merge smoothly Gallic View continued on page 2 Haarhoffcontinued on page 6 Page 2

Gallic View continued from pag e 1 "One SUddenly catches disc ussions aro und a table in low the illusion of being mode. I too k a childish delight in Tinsel Vir tuos ity capable of lasciviously hedge-hopping over dishes ancl doing everything by snorkeli ng above tablecloths. I These two floa ting instrument s oneself, while soaring in indulged in show y cl ips and rises of still seem to be a hot issue, particu­ the ca mera, or in sophisticated larly in France . Their mere presence a nirvana of smugness, translations of the lens around on a set sparks off, now and then, from which you feel you insignificant fo reground objects. Deep endless Gallic polemic s, and tears of might even look down dow n, I was after flashy effects. desp air can occasionally be shed as a on poor old Newton. " Everything seemed great compared to result of some of their uses. They the frus trations of the past: no more happen to be do uble-edged: when of mo nitor ing the sho t. Bu t it does kneel ing down, camera hand -held in a correctly mastered , they can deliver also entail, as a dreadful consolation , disastrously unergonomic posture, very delicate vis ual arabesques, with that novices quick ly reach a po int ea ten up by the impossibil ity of the grace of a feather. But they can where they can start turning junk into slidin g the lens sideways or bringing also abd uct the meaning of the , tinsel, with a vengeance. Thi s it to a decent low ang le shot. It was at inflate egos and lead the opera tor sprightly regression towards ga udi­ last possible to wolf down chunks of astray for many years. nes s swiftly sweeps away all previous visual opul ence while shooting from Eve ry serious ca mera operator subtleties. The disease (who se only life. I felt in a roving mood, like a will agree that fine- tuning his manual known therap y seems to be years of dolly going on a spree, after having adaption to the trad itional camera hard tra ining) strikes especi ally hard slipped aw ay from its tracks. I even supports, fluid or gear heads, is but a in the ra nks of those who have poor had bouts of egocentric fever, so minu te part of his task. As a demand­ graphic culture and litt le love of the much so I bega n to believe naively ing front-row spectator, he is con­ Seventh Art. Its most insidi ous that I would always make do on my ce rned, above all, abo ut making his symptom seems to lie in the anaesthe­ own, witho ut the help of any . visu al and audi tive attention even sia of any visua l coherence . One acuter and more resp onsiv e to every sudden ly catches the illusion of bein g Complacencies nuance of Comedy. The virtuosity of capable of lasciviously doing every­ the class ical ope rator can only take thin g by oneself, while soaring in a Steadicam may appear as the root in a field of rigor. nirv ana of sm ugness, from which yo u ultimate high-tech cult-gizmo, but it Using a carried-and-stabilized feel you might even look down on hasn't re- invented the Motion Pictures. system such as Steadicam implies a poor old Newton. A seq uence-shot certainly won't thorough and frus trati ng re-Iearning of I persona lly remember my captiva te anyo ne, unless a de licate gest ures, shooting postures and way s ecs tasy when I started filming balance is struck betwee n co mpositio n Page 3

Jean Marc working on the feature "King David. "

and traveling effec ts. On top of all cians alike , while fondly watching seems to be a deep-rooted habit, this, a subtl e cha ining up of highli ght s perform ance, sound and light...this judging by their transparent integra­ and rests in performance and camera indeed is the nam e of the game, and it tion in the vis ual fabri c of films . The work has alw ays been a mu st, not to has to be so forever, if one is after USA is bubbling with training mention the ferocious hunting down qu ality in the thomy field of se­ worksho ps. Veterans gather with of boring sections. Nothing new und er qu ence- shots. No techn ology can by­ novi ces to pass on their craftsmanship the sun, really, as no solid cam er a pass it, whatever far- out medium you (and assorted jokes), in a magnificent­ crews using traditional means would come up with , be it radio-controlled looneys-on-their-funny-flying­ contradict, when they are entangled in Sherpa, Louma, or even Sputnik. machines so rt of atmosphere. As I intricate choreographies, desperately attended -three times as a trainee and exchanging glances as they try to "The USA is bubbling twice as assistant/instructor- I can shape up their ballet. with training bear witness to this coc ktail of fun and The arti stic qu ality of the workshops. Veterans hard work. You rub shoulders with the photography of a movie, together with gather with novices to world's best operators, and occ asion­ the cameraman's adrenaline levels, pass on their ally outstrip them ... at frisbee. I'm suffe rs much from a camera that tend s craftsmanship (and tryin g neith er to ev angelize my constantly to ferret about in all axes, co mpatriots, with a ca ndid pro­ when not motiv ated by the plot. These assorted jokes), in a Ame rica n pitch (es pecially in these convulsions are by no means the magnificent-Iooneys­ days of heavy invasion of our symptom eith er of a genetic taint of on-tnelr-tunny-ttyinq­ cathodic-ray tubes), nor to advocate the shooting device, or of a Parkin­ machines sort of ruin ous pilgrimages in quest of the sonian deran gement that inevitabl y atmosphere. " onl y othe rworldly detergent that can afflic ts all Stead icam operators. It's a make yo ur Steadicam shots whiter, known clini cal fac t, though, that a few but it has to be admitted that the graft of the latter spend considerable time An American Graft hasn't taken deeply in the c inemato­ selling aerobics demos to direct ors. graph ic culture of my Cartesian sweet There certainl y are better ways of Ital y, which hasn't remotely hom e. hoisting the co lors of one's spec ialty reached our volume of movi e produ c­ 1L so happens that, six years ago, I than prancing and sprinting one's way tion, boasts nearl y 40 Steadicam units paid this lack of interest by a forc ed to a dubious ce lebrity. On the other and the whole of Eu rope almost a ex ile in other European co untries, hand, som e directors are con vinced hundred. This inev itably raises after a few years of Don-Quixoti sm that Steadicam can magically wi pe out questions about the 7 or so only to be wasted in a feverish and awkward all the hard ships entailed by long­ fo und in France. It is customary ill defence of what was cons idered as a drawn-out sho ts. C uing peopl e, linin g most English speak ing countries for Yan kee gadget. up all cam era positions, coordinatin g Ste adicam and Panaglid e to shoo t all the mo ves of actors and techni­ large sections of feature films, and it Gallic View continued on page 8 Page 4 New Life For Old Vests Steadicarn classes tend to be accompanied by arpeggio s of ripping velcro as vest co mponents uninten ­ tionally pull open. Unscheduled q uick- releases. and unmotivated chest- and hip-strap blowout s have long ceased to be co mical. but continue to und ignify the proceedings, ruin takes and occ ass ionally damage equipment des pite mounds of gaffers tape. We ha ve all endured the ves t's shortcomings for yea rs and severa l fixes ha ve been propo sed. Here's another inex pensive solution. A few weekends ago I looked over my oid vest - veteran of many enco unters, cut and crushed beyond hope of comfort , front plate cracked in two places. unrecognisabl e but fo r its brief appearances in Am eric an Cinematog­ separate from the suit itself. It sively against the vest. I chose the rapher - and decided it was fin ally actually look s quite good. The wider type as they matched the time to let charac ter give way to the padd ing is in three layers, two of aqua breadth of the original belt hardware, restorat ion (and improvem ent) of blue with a thin layer of strong dark alth ough I eventually replaced or function . blue nylon bonded to the side next to eliminated it all anyway. Each of the the body to absorbing friction and four straps inco rpor ated one male/ sweat.. Although I would have fem ale matin g buckle. Although all preferred the material in black four could be opened, the two on the (unava ilable), the light color attracts left side are used , as before , to "de­ more attenti on, whi ch, as you may suit." know, is basicall y ok by rnoi . I decided to have the strap s Dur ing this process I also decided tighten cross-chested, toward the it was time to redes ign all the straps as center spar. It's far easier to pull them well - not, for a change, with velcro, tight, and avoids the "Self-Chiroprac­ but rather with nylon webbing (in tic" aspec t of reaching around and black ) and those pla stic buckles used strugg ling to tighten the old ver sion . for backpack s, hip pack s, etc. All Because the strap length s must afficionado s of 'tech' will certainly accommodate both winter and have seen them . In fact, I have summer garb, I purposely left them employed a small ver sion of this long. Rather than tucking their Throwing out all the pads (for buckl e as a back strap, after a doubl e remaining length s under the vest, I put heal th's sake they probably should herni a operation a few years ago (not velcro on the ends so that they could have been burned or dro pped off at Steadicam related ) made the vest's be ove rlapped and kept flat again st the the Jersey shore ), I was left with the tendency to jam into one's groin when vest. Surpris ingly, the velcro adh e­ vest shell and the unatt racti ve using heavy ca meras temporarily sive stuck instantly to the nylon alternative of purcha sing new pads indisputable. In addition to keeping web bing (T he matin g habits of (costly), or fabri cating my own. the vest from dra ggin g down in front, materials are occassionally inspiring.) Being one who enjoys the fine art of the back straps also prevent the hip Clearly some refinement s will be custornization, I trekked dow n to the sections from s lipping down under the forthcoming, but by and large I can't local camping store to find a sheet of waist strap when tightened. help feelin g this may be a so lution Enso lite (as in sleep ing-bag pad s). These buckl es come in a va riety long overdue. The snugness of the After some ex per imentation, I of sizes (all black) and are ordi­ vest can now literally take your breath procured a spray adhes ive so effec tive naril y strong and lightweight. They away, and there is virtually no chance it took lighter fluid and a scre wdriver tighten like a vise , but loosen if yo u of the straps co ming loose or wearing to get it off my hand s (BFG Plasti­ slightly lift one end. Squ eez e the two ou t. Alth ough it is possible to over­ lock, S707). I then fabricated a multi ­ male pron gs together and they tighten the suit (previ ously unthink­ layered foam padding which , although immediatel y snap open. Perhaps not a able), and getting in and out grace ­ it might disintegrate in time for the quick release , but clo se, and at least fully requires a process of re-educa­ end of the universe, will at least never intentional. Thin, they rest unobtru­ tion , I am mo stly happy with the PageS Classifjeds For sale: Steadicam Model II with frame line gene rator, DeRose battery housing mod, 5 1 Ib adjustable arm , (has quick chang e LH/RH pin but no articulated elbow) vest, chargers, batteri es, cases. Arm just rebuilt. $22,500. 43 Ib adj ustable arm with quick change pin but no articulated e lbow , fully rebuilt. ! $5,500. Overni ght chargers, new $150. Other miscellaneous items available. Call Derrick at Whitehouse A.V. 805498-4 177 . Fax: 805 499­ 7947.

For Sa le: Now available for Steadicam Model I and II Owner/Ops: ARTICULATE D ELBOW, made of composite materials (carbon fiber and results. Finally, the ny lon webbing For sale: P.A.G . fastchargers, epoxy), total weight 12.5 oz. Installs comes in a variety of colors so one ARRI viewfinder tap from Prec ision in less than ten minutes. Simply now has an additional fashion option Camera. Used CP quickcharger for remove hinge, slip on ART ICU­ as well- "This month 's operator is sale by the pound . Call us with all of LATED ELBOW, install and fasten velcro-free, and displays the aqua­ your Steadicam needs including eight screws, and you're ready to go! lined suit trimmed in day-glow orange batteries and re-builds, etc. We are A simple process to enable your nylon. Here he comes down the dealers for Cinema Produ cts, Seitz, Steadicam's upper arm to move like runway now; Jet's give him a big P.A.G., Russell, Coherent (video Models III and IlI A, a full 360 0 for hand!" trans), Precision Camera, etc. Call added operating flexibility. Modifica­ Derrick at Whitehouse A.V. 805 498 ­ tion kit complete, including 8 screws Ted Churchill 4177 , Fax 805 499-7947. and special wash ers. For more infor­ mation, contact PRECOM INTER­ Please refer to pag e eight of NATIONAL, 20 I 492-9256. Volume 1,Number 1 ofthe Letterfor all effective way to modify the back pad of your Modelll vest and eliminate the need for moun ds of For Sale: BUll camera #35 829 'S tape. Combine this with the with right hand pistol grip, sliding advice above and you'll have a great bridge plate, 2 cables, one set of Zeiss vest. There's also a picture ill the prime lenses with PL adaptor, same issue ofTed 's fa mous vest before $85,000. BLlI #'s 35296 and 35517 , the overhaul. both with right hand pistol grip, - Ed. sliding bridge plate, 2 cables, matte box, lens strips, and set of Zeiss primes lenses in bayonette mount , .:1... $40,000 each. A lso many accesories, Arri lIC's, etc. Contact: The Power For sa le: Model I or II handle. Brok er, 117-F Riverside Drive, Highl y modified. Handle is I 7/8" Newport Beach, CA . 2 13 470-7569, " Delrin, knurled. it is 5 1/4" long. Fax: 213 474-7705 . I Gim bal is packed with brand new berarings and lightweight Teflon DEADLINE lubricati on. The "Live Yoke" part of For sale: Steadicam Model III-A the right -hand-held portion is from a with 54 Ib arm, vest, cases, 4 batteries, for the Next Issue: model III. Factory installed, it is PAG rapidcharger, 2 CP chargers, thinner and more co mfortable than the Coherent video transmitter, spare November 27th stock yoke. The bearing s have only plates, spare dovetail, spare vest 20-30 hours on them. Ask ing price: receiver. Purch ase new 1/89. $500. Call Peter Abraham at 7 18 $37,000 . Call Mike Ga llagher at 30 I 956- 8807. 882-0377 and leave message. Page 6

Haarhoff continued from page 1 everything. Every shot you take is peril. can be seized and other promoting Steadicam. If Steadicam unpleasantness, but most of this is in a really reassuring arrangement that I can't do it well or safely, then don't do the past, I hope. would recommend to any other it, because you'll end up doing it again SL: What sort of jobs do the operators who are able to work and again. blacks hold? closely with a rental house. Gilbert The most important thing for me CH: They're mostly at the gound and I support each other, and I can go now is educating people about the level. In the camera department there wavesailing knowing that my rig isn't Steadicam. I want to be shooting are some loaders I've worked with that rotting in a cupboard. longer sequences, four minute scenes, were okay, and there are some gaffers dramatic stuff that I can help design a that are top-rated. There are two "You just can't say yes series of shots for. Unfortunately, the routes to positions in the film industry to everything. Every industry here isn't geared to that very here, college or university, or appren­ shot you take is much. That kind of shooting seems to ticeship, up through the ranks. promoting Steadicam. be few and far between. But it's Colleges and universities are open to If Steadicam can't do it getting better. There are a lot of blacks, but I don't know of any that well or safely, then foreign movies being made down have gone that route. There was a don't do it, because here, and better films are coming in. foreign producer who made a picture you'll end up doing it over here and sprinkled black faces in various positions, but it was unneces­ again and again. " "If you work totally apart from the tax sary. There are a lot of good black system, you can make sparks, grips and gaffers. There are SL: How is the film industry any sort of film you also strickly black productions, and doing? want, but at your own two black TY stations. They program CH: Pretty good. The industry in a particular language. There are here seems to be picking up and peril. Footage can be seven different black languages here. movies are getting more interesting. seized and other In the past, they were cheapie Gilbert and I are on the leading edge. unpleasantness, but productions, but now that's where the Before we were competitors, but now most of this is in the money is. The advertisers know that we can cover more ground. The past, I hope. " the blacks form the biggest market for major problem we face is affordabil­ their products, so more and more ity. Scheduling gets too tight, too SL: When I was in South Africa, money goes into advertising and the much is scheduled for a day, and you the crew I worked with was fairly quality is getting very good. The end up compromising your work. We integrated... was that typical? black productions are largely unpoliti­ feel Steadicam must become a CH: Mostly so. The young cal; the anti-apartheid films are being consistent tool, not just one for filmmakers are well prepared to make made by the liberal whites. shots. anti-apartheid films and the crews are There was a false boom in the SL: How are you working to integrated. Some of this has backfired industry here in the last few years, a avoid that? recently, though. The film technicians lot of foreigners making quickie CH: It's difficult. You can union is black based, as are most of movies. But that set up the infrastruc­ undercut yourself too much, you can the unions in South Africa. And the ture that is now making movies here. give it away. But that doesn't work in union is very dogmatic about which What's left is more serious, and will, I the long run. We try to work on as films it sanctions. And while films hope, supersede movies like Dry much low budget stuff and show the are becoming a vehicle to push anti­ White Season and Cry Freedom. film community what we can do; apartheid, a lot of films can't be These movies were not made by that's really the basis of our work shown in festivals unless they are South Africans and don't speak to the now. And I'm refusing to do risky strictly anti-apartheid. For instance, present conditions. I think that future things-- shooting off motorbikes or Jobman and The Stick, two films that films made by South Africans wiIJ running down muddy embankments showed a certain level of injustice, but both be an education and entertaining. into rivers while in low mode with the weren't strickly anti-apartheid In many ways, petty apartheid has Arri III in plastic just barely able to couldn't get shown at the London Film fallen away and there's a lot more stay above water. .. Maybe that's just Festival. And they can't be shown openness. But recently I was working the life of a young operator, but those here, locally. So that viewpoint or on a commercial for South African kinds of shots and the monster's sensibility is lost. Airways in the Northern Traansval, a POY's aren't very interesting on the There are two types of films conservative stronghold. We booked screen, either. It's not worth it. being made here, tax-based and in to a resort, but when we got there at Safety's a big consideration and I've independent. The tax-based films are 8 pm, they barred us from entering. gotten uneasy with . Too many mostly awful, tax scams, really, and We had a 13 year old black boy with squibs and fire sequences getting out the scripts must be vetted by the us, one of the artists (talent). We of hand. A couple of people have government. That's de facto censor­ were shocked. We'd stayed at the gotten killed in pyrotechnic accidents, ship. If yotrwork totally apart from same place several years ago while not while I was operating, but it's ~Qe tax system, you can make any sort working on The Gods Must Be Crazy happening. You just can't say yes to of film you want, but at your own II with no problem. It was okay then. Page 7

We asked them why it wasn't now. wires up the post. Trim II put me in the nut house. They said they were now under a The effect we got with the side­ Working it out in the real world took different ad ministration and were to-side imbalance was similar to what two weeks, but this is what we foun d allowed to be strictly white. It came you described as the Betacam Effect. out. as such a shoc k to us. It's not like 20 The camera j ust see med to rollover. A perfectly balanced rig is years ago, and when you run into it It was very strange. wond erful to use. It will even seek it's still a bit of a fright. It's ironic; level in a whip pan. You don't even here was the national airline trying to "One of those have to think about it anymore. It portra y a new So uth Africa to the Continental Body may indicate why beginners have so world, and we co uldn't shoot in our Mounts ...rents out of much problem with whip pans. own country. a competing rental SL: It seeks level? SL: Does apartheid affec t your house and it actually CH : Yes. It's amaz ing; it's a ow n work? gets used about ten really different feeling. It really CH : Serious film techn icians times more often than behaves we ll and yo u do n't hav e to won't wo rk for ce rtain fo lks, the the Steadicam. And think about your pans. It was really SATv , for instance. It's j ust a it's a piece of junk. " fun to watch the rig on our set up. mouthpiece for government news, You'd spin it hard , and if it started out seriously tainted new s at that. Many An yway, all that took about four of kilt er or wobbly, then it would ju st techni cians feel as I do, and won't days of fiddling aroun d, taking notes , settle dow n into a nice horizontal pan, work for them. Largely, in the film and retesting. We then rem oved our like a frisbee. It was rea lly worth the industry, the people and their carefull y mac hined weight and ran our effort to figure it all out. sentiments are anti -aparth eid. tests with eve ry cam era in the rental SL: Wait until this hits the SL: Back to your Steadicam. house. We fo und that every camera Letter. How do you like sharing your rig with with every configuration needs a C H : Speaking of the Letter, G ilbert Reed? different setting of the fore and aft. we've got a problem dow n here that I CH: It works well. Gilbert is As a result, we have added a fine bet noone else is facing. One of really comm itted to Steadicam, and measure on the side of our rig for those Co ntinental Body Mounts that that makes all the difference. calibration . Even the movement of Garrett described in the last issue When we kicked off the arrange­ film from top to bott om of the ma g is rents out of a competing rental hou se ment with M.C.C., we were deter­ a change. Th e change of lenses, and it actually ge ts used about ten mined to modify the rig to the max part icularily the l Smm T 3 or T4, times more often than the Steadica m. and understand more abo ut trim. We which pu shes the matte box way out And it's a piece of junk. Gilbert and I studied TRIM II (Vol. I #2) and further, makes a big difference. We are trying to arrange a shootout checked straig ht into a nut house. also foun d that it was very difficult to betw een the Steadicam and it, because Th en we decided to se t about discov­ trim for a goo d spin if the rig was the footage is really awful. ering more about the rig in the real unusually bottom heavy. SL: If the footage is so bad, why world. At the Masters, Garrett had SL: But that co ntradicts the does it get rented all the time? suggested quietly that the way to test theory. Placement of the gimbal C H : Because peo ple don't know trim would be to set up you rig so that shouldn't matter if it's in dynamic better, and because anyo neone can it could spin unhindered, around and trim . rent the thing with out any training. around. We went the route of losing CH: But it does. The whole And maybe one shot in a whole day the J-b ox and machining a uniform exercise took two weeks, but I thin k it comes out okay, but it's not cheap to weight as the camera. Then we found is the only effective way of coming to rent either. After the shootout, fore and aft positions on the sled for grips with the realities of trim. We everyone will know what a piec e of variou s config urations: with and found that there were often two sweet junk it is, and maybe that will help without camco rder, Coherent , etc. spots, and one of them , under ce rtain both our business and the quality of Th at told us a lot about the sled. conditions, was with the sled slightly work we're seei ng. But right now, it's Check this out: back heavy. still stea ling work away fro m the First, precession due to a false SL: That can't be. That goes Steadicam. axis from side to side is the real against... Unde r what conditions? gremlin in the works. We installed a CH : Th at's what we found. small weight to co unter the tripple r When using a camcorder, yo u have to Garrett hopes to continue Chris's and make the electronic package rack the elec tronics/battery very far investigations at the European perfectly trim. forward for neutral balance. This puts Masters later this month , and come up SL: It was that sensitive? the battery relatively close to the with some practical rules or stratigies CH: Yes. And we found we had monitor, in a fore and aft sense. We for getting a Steadicam in still more to line eve rything up very ca refully found that und er these co ndi tions, a p erfe ct balance. He will report hack. for consistent results . A slight shift of slightly back heavy sled made for a on this and other discoveries in the the moni tor to the left or right really perfectly trimmed, dyn amically next issue. - Ed. made a difference. Cabl es have a balanced rig. Perahps it's because the profound effect on trim. I think Ed battery is at such a steep ang le to the DiGuilio ought to co nside r puttin g the mon itor. I don't know. As I said, Page 8

Gallic View continued from page 3 backache simply doe s not exis t if we Nob ody was interested in it at fine-tune our physique as carefully as , tha t , except for some shoddy our gear, and keep it on the supple stunts. I don' t at all regret goi ng side . Real trou ble is more like ly, in abroad beca use I found the opportu­ fac t, amo ng Sparks who spend large nity to pick up some pointers on big port ions of their lives lugging HMI film s. That also enabled me to doct or balla sts...Having said that, I must the ga lloping Steadicamania of my adm it that our modern BL IV's or beginnings, in the days when I used to Moviecams offer, on top of their fee l like a one-track-minded glide r ex treme silence , the unsoph isticated pilot unwilling to land (and incapable joy of having half of our ow n weight of doing so). To help me come dow n floating besides us, in a gracious to earth with a bump, I even received ballet which will certainly benefit in the radical eye -opene r and frenzy­ precision and repeatabil ity if our bod y soother of six months of parad e succeeds in keeping pace. The Sp irit ground treatm ent (in the whol e range can not breathe on the Steadicam if of precisioni sm) from a tortured , the Flesh is weak and flabb y. London-based , Ju piterian , and thoroughly brilli ant Ame rican Ritual Psa lmodies director. I didn 't, though, ge t the chance to reac h the peak of 102 takes Filming with carried-stabilized • with a BL, an unequ alled record held came ras is taken on the serious side in by my Master Garrell Brown (the the UK, if one is to go by the many inventor of Steadicam) for a famous weeks of work usuall y apportioned to shot in the maze of the "Shining." their specialists by Produ ct ions which I wonder, in the same breath, are not necessarily all American. It whether an excellent heart pump, must be said that one is expected there strong legs and a very goo d back, all to addi tionally de liver classical wrapped up in sharp orthope dic work . science, are not the necessary (but not This comes in very hand y for a sufficient !) imped imenta for those clever use of this expensive contrap­ who rate themselves specialists of this tion , which, far too often, is consigned enthralling pursuit. Steadic am to a ghetto. A round trip ticket operators share with other professions betwee n fluid and geared heads. hand­ , the fact they make a living on their held shooting and Steadicam (used body (and on their diplom atic touch ), either hardm ounted or with the so we'd better keep both ready for the harness) is a very good way to level ..~~~~,~ tripl e some rsault backw ards we may one's head and' hands-off. You may be at risk to be paid into. In my view , then acquire a clear feelin g of the Page 9

real Magic of the Silver Screen rap idly wears thin when tools take over, or when some of their addicts declare their fascinating ventral appendage to be a necessary evii, on the way to a doubtful paradise.

Jean-Marc Bringuier

" ' '''''' . ", . . •."", ,,,,,.­

The J-Bracket There have been a few change s since we last went to press. First, Diane Bow ersock is no longer with us, much to our dismay. We wish her the best in her new job. We hav en't registers in which eac h instrument Con cerning the damnation to run, fo und anyone to replace her yet, plays best. I always found it wise to pass the either. In co ntrast, bein g ca lled on a relay to our friends the Grips. Accord ­ Secondly, I've moved a bit furth er feature in France boils down, quite ing to the lay of the land and to the west of Ph iladelph ia into more often, alas, to intoning the anci ent shot contem plated, one shouldn't permanent lodgings. My new number Litani es of the earl y Steadicamites' hesitate to hint at a surrealistic list of is (2 15) 524 -5979 , Fax 524-5946. Liturgy : Thou Shalt run, Thou Shalt co ntrivances to be pushed, pulled or In other news , there are a coupl e climb and Thou Shalt be read y to take eve n dr iven . The ca n of workshops co ming up in addition nasty bumps. [ emphasize this last then dev ote his thre e arms to the to the Palm Desert Cla ssic. The issue (wh ich caused many a frenzied finesse of jolt-free shooting. Grips Maine Photo Workshops will be workmate to ove r-fantasize) because, have always been keen experts in holdin g one in November, burrrr... in my humbl e op inion, Steadi cam is a navigation and it would be criminal and there's go ing to be one in Sweden dud with helicopt ers (in whi ch Tylers not to use their talents for the maso­ in December , and other Helivision are what the chistic fe ar they may steal the show . Contact MPW at (20 7) 236­ doctor orde red), a dud (and a danger­ A Steadicarn operator, who is too 8581 for the workshop in Camden, ous one...) with horses, and is practi ­ often pigeon-holed into his spec ialty, Mai ne. For the workshop in Sweden, cally unusable in places where a should ideally be ca pab le of ada pting call Jar! Hoffman, (01) 3 1- 19-2 115 violent wind or stream of air caused himself to any directori al requirement: for details. by high speed tends to seriously from the Baroque style all in sophisti ­ Other news: Th ere seems to be a perturb the delicate balance of masses cated twists and volutes, to the cornucopia of new gadge ts and after­ requ ired for precise work. Jansen istic rigor of those who can't market do-dads out there, some from Of course, one often end s up see the world other than throu gh a new sources, and some from our old making do when the shooting must go 50mm, nor forgetting the obsessive suppliers. I try to steer as many as [ on at any cost. I have a fond memory cutters or those who are wary of hear of into the Letter (see the Classi­ of these Vietnamese ex tras on "Full gratuitously pretty movements. I fied sec tion), but I'd love to hear from Metal Jacket," clenched-teethed personally tend to feel that the only the bold pioneers who have bou ght volunteers for the camera wind­ gauge of quality for Steadicam work these gadge ts and fin d out how well breakers fatigue-duty, clinging with is its humbl e fusion in the full sco re of they wor k. Even Cin em a Produ cts is the energy of despair, in pairs and in the film , when fram ing respec ts the co ming out with new toys (the side­ several ranks, to wicker boards intimate music of actors and script, to-side plate of the IlIA is very nicely bending in gusts of a wind which while gliding over cinematographic done), and there are rum ors of a vest threatened to send the whole party challenges. Technicalit ies are never so that will fit WOMEN' I'm spre ading into the nearby Thames. All this was perfect as when nobody is aware of this rum or in the hope that it becomes to make it possible for me to zigzag, them . true. in a relative calm , among Marines Thi s opinion stirs up my perfec­ bloodied up to their ears, and very tionist scruples about assembling a Jerry Holway busy playing their noisy games in the "show" reel: the shots of which I'm inimitable English mud . most proud are on the subtle side . Th e Page 10 Boffincam in Oz

Recently, I was invited to a meetin g with a producer and director from a production company that had won the contract for "RED SHIELD APPEAL." a one shot, 90 second commercial for The Salvation Army, an organization that help s the needy in Australia . Now they needed to know how to do the shot. Should they use a crane, doll y, trackin g vehicle, sno rkel lens? Having been through the basics during the Masters course last Jun e in Rockport. and having already put a Handlebar Rig into development on a previ ous film, I thought this would be a great opportunity to put it to the test on a real job. I told tbem I had the answer. The lens would be inches off the gro und and I would be using the Sreadicam: They were doubtful. "But we know you can onl y get so low comfortably, and this is a mo ve of 90 seconds , and you 'll never be able to keep it that low and be stable etc., Ian navigates the gutters and sidewalks of Sydney etc! " My answer to them was "It's all in the handle bars!" A date was set for a test. "50 there I was with this On test day, as I started assem­ The test was to determine len s baby sitting on the bling the gear, I overheard the size, len s height , speed, how far (in ground ready for take production ma nage r exclaim, "They distance) doe s one travel in 90 off. What I needed next really are Handle Bars!" So there I seconds, and also we want ed to test was the boffin, someone was with this baby sitting on the the conce pt itself. If it all worked, who doesn't think or gro und ready for take off. What I then we'd proceed to the next step and needed next was the boffin, som eon e choose a locati on . complain..." who do esn't think or complain, to hold the other side of the bars . The boffin was, of co urse, the directo r. (Thi s was onl y the test, mind you). At that stage I reall y hadn 't worked out which side to operate from. I discovered that han gin g on to l~~-,.."",,~the handle with my left hand and the centre post with my right was the most comfortable. So off we went, roll ing film , following a centre line (our first mistake: providing a reference point), having peopl e cross frame, and talking positi vely. "Just foll ow my actions!" "Don't lift, so high ." "Don't react!" "Slow downl!'' Then the wind picked up... A few day s later I rang up the production company, inquiring abo ut the results. I imagined that maybe it was ju st a little primitive, both in conce pt and results. But every one Jerry Holway, Editor

Cont ributin g Editors Ga rrett Brown Ted Churchill

0;" r •• l.'f-'rk Jean-Marc Bringuier

Steadic am Letter is published quarterly in Ph iladelphia by The Steadicam Operators Association 108 Church Street Phil adelphia, PA 19106. Phone : (2 15) CALL CA M. Fax: (2 15) 922 -1753 . Subscriptions: Free with member­ lan's camera path is hidden in here somewhere ------­ ship. For non -members, $42 .00 per seemed happy! Wh en I saw the test it past stop sign posts, dropping down year USA, $52.00 foreign. was clea r that following a reference into gutters and pop ping back up Advertising: Classifieds : $10.00 per line is a big no-no. 1 imagined that it agai n, my and 1 had to do 100 words for members, $20.00 for wasn't the re on the screen and som e really fancy foot work togeth er. non-members. Space advertising rates thought , "What a great angle; we Be sure to choose a gr ip you don't on req uest. haven't see n this before! The ground min d being clos e to a ll day long. passing by is unusual, and the end "RED SHIELD APPEAL" goes frame, a crane up to hip height, makes to air in Australia as this article goe s it that much more unusu al! " to print, so I am not sure what the Shoot day: Low Mod e. BL [II, commercial reaction will be. I am PAUL TAYLOR 18mm Zeiss lens, 524 7 Eastm an, ce rtainly happy with the final results first assistant c a mera 25fps. The Key Gr ip was my partner of both the 90 second and a shortened (no more boffins , this was for real ). 60 second version of the co mmercial. STEADicAM 213-459-0411 213-340-1666 We ge t a half day for rehearsal, half And. of co urse, the Handl e Bars fit day for the shot. As we rolled nicely into my vest bag these day s. came ra and my little circus of technicians move d from Action to fan Jones Cut. the 's dep art­ ment was busy co-ordinating extras, vehicles, motor bikes , push bikes, and people walking and jogging. After many hours and man y adjustmen ts to image and action, we had it in the can. At the end of the day I was very happ y with our results. I felt the concept had worked. It was defin itely simpl e and flex ibile. Any change of the ac tion or the path of came ra happened instantly, with no maj or dram as. While operating in the "Boffin Mode." I was learn ing all the time. I found there was n't much room for error with regards to gimble to Handl e Bars' clearance. The bend ing over for such a low shot was a killer, I have to adm it. Also, as I was manouvering over bundles of papers, tracking around news paper stands. slipping Ian also bubbles on The Great Barrier Reef Pa e 12

In short, it' s been a terrific 18 Report from New Zealand month s with our new rig and we feel that we ' re tak ing it to the market Now do n' t get me wron g. After down here, which , up until recently, running an older rig for thre e yea rs had reverted to commercials. How­ lve got a lot of respe ct - even a ever, earlier this year I did some relationship - with that unit. But if Steadicam on the Australian featu re anyone need s convincing to step up to Con fidence (starring Bry an Brown, a new rig our market ex perience Michael Jenkins directing, Russell should be noted. Boyd DOP). More American feature From the time we flew off the wor k is promised here in New plane with the new rig, we have more Zeal and in the near future. Will keep than doubled Stead icam 's usage in yo u posted. New Ze aland , and we are expanding people's perception and use of the John Mahaffie beast each month. Th at exercise is made so much easier with a rig that has all the extras and looks like the promises you 've made. On the down side, ea rlier this year we had a dis aster with a pin in the arm snapping and the rig and BL Workshop in IV hitting the deck . More about that in the future when research s the full extent of the problem. Th ank­ California fully, insurance covered it and we're up and running again . The Palm Desert Steadi cam Steadicam in New Zealand is Last wee k we had a course Workshop will be held December 3-9, alive and well. specifically for cam era assistants, 1989. The workshop is sponsored by Since returning to New Zealand dealing with everything from the Cinema Products and will be taught 18 month s ago with a brand new history of S teadicam to the latest by Ted Churchill and friend s. Enroll­ Model III mod ified by Seitz with all technology. They guys (and gal) had ment is limited to 25 people. Th e fee the extras, the response from the the chance to focus pull a reen actment is $1,200.00 per person plus room, market here has been great. of the fight scene from Mad Max III . board, and travel ex penses . For Five years ago I decided to start It proved to be a wo rthwhile exercise furth er information , cont act Chu ck operating and base myself in New and onc e again put the emphasis on Jackson at Cin ema Produ cts: 32 1I Zeal and once again, havin g completed that diffi cult role of foc us pulling South La Cien ga Blvd., Los Ang eles, a number of films in Australia and the from a plat form as versatile as CA 90016. Phone: 213 836-7991, USA as Steadicam assistant to Toby Steadic am . Fax: 2 I3 836-95 12. Phillips. At that stage there was one rental rig here, a Model I co nverted to a Model II, and with much lovin g care and coax ing we managed to do a numb er of loc al films. It soo n became obvious that the rig was suffering an identity crisis with the commercial market. I was constantl y tellin g peopl e of the inno vativ e and creative potential of a highl y sophisticated piece of techn ol­ ogy and then turning up on the set with a rig that raise d an eyebrow or two .

_ Sales _ Service _ Rental New & Used Systems. Parts, Access. WHITEHOUSE AUDIO VISUAL ! 2696 Lavery Gaur/ 1I8NeWbury Park GA 91320 John Mahaffie teaching at the Steadicam Assistants Course offered by l'f:• Ph: 805·498·4177 _ Fax: 805·4 99-794 7 Steadicam I\JZ and Film Facilities Rentals Ltd of Auckland