Damn

[Michele Coser]

The night before i was exited, but in a bad way... i was anxious.  I was feeling something.  But, hey, what can goes wrong? Is the sixth time i work with Alex for a commercial-style (not a commercial in the american sense) thing.

So i start from my home at 6.50 a.m, but, due to traffic on the highways i arrive on the set at 9.15. Good enough, my convocation was for 9.30, so i'm in time (as i always try to be).   This time there is also a DP and his assistant (wich later became also mine).

I set up my XL2 and balance the rig. Everything is fine.

Until i see some lines on my sled monitor.

Detach and re-attach the cables.

Nothing.  Dead.   Batteries are dead.

Just to be clear. I charged them the day before. Checked the night before and double checked before putting the rig in the car.

But now don't work.   Need quickly a solution.  Charging the batteries will take hours, and i don't have backup batteries (the day of shooting was initially monday 14, but was advanced to yesterday, 11, did'nt got the time to buy a pair of ones)    In the end we used another monitor, that Alex (the director) take out from his video box taped over my monitor, and attached the power at the straps on my vest.

It works, but i remark myself for unprofessionality.   Is not something tragic, but...

Well, in the end the job is done.  I hope there is more work in the future, but i'm not sure.

[Martin Amada]

Michele, from my point of view your post is timely, as I'm now at the stage where I'm considering how to set up my monitor/battery.

Are you using a "consumer" monitor that has built-in rechargeable batteries? I have an inexpensive portable DVD player with this kind of power supply and a mini-jack video input, and based on my experience with it, I told myself I had better get a decent monitor that uses an external battery until the reliability of these things get somewhat better. I have used mine many times with my jibs, and I always feel it's a crap shoot (a risk) as to whether it's going to fire up, regardless of whether I charged it the night before or not.

Martin

[Michele Coser]

Sure, my monitor is not a professional one. I think was in the 100-150 Euro/$ range (it was already with the rig when i purchased it, much like the batteries).     My plan are to change batteries, but when i can finally do a decent electronic wiring inside the d-box.   Back at home,  i saw that i probably was my fault of not charging correctly the batteries.

The sad note is that yesterday i called Alex, asking him how the day before was.

"Well, it can be better.....  (pause) ... but it can be also worse"

I did'nt ask much more. I don't know if he's talking about my shot, or he's talking about the entire day.   As for my shots, i don't got the chanche to see it.    But usually Alex keep asking me to shot until the right take.  Sometimes is after 8 takes, sometimes i nailed at the 2nd.  Plus i don't think i did a job worse than the previous times.

Maybe is just the nature of the shot, wich is more a dolly-type, rather than a steadycam one. Look at the last photo. Most of the time is a semi-circular shot, keeping the subject (the object on the lower table) in frame and keeping ,when possible, the actors also (usually sit on the black sofà).
Since the object-subject is at a lower height, the shot is tilted all the time (i don't have a tilt stage that probably is very helpful in that kind of situation); look at the last photo again (reposted and photoshopped)

A- is the starting point
B- is the ending point
S- is the object place point

Usually it was walking forward and backward from A to B, keeping the S object in frame, but not hitting the 500w on the way...

Or maybe i'm just a poor operator and nothing else.  Time to sell my rig...

[Job Scholtze]

If its better for a dolly, use the dolly. Thats what i would have sayd.  Protect your proffesion and make sure you could do the shot the want, if not tell them you need more foreground in the shot or get a dolly in there.