Just a short sprinting shot, my first attempt at running with the Pilot and Sony Z1: http://www.vimeo.com/1393821
I had a bit of a breeze to contend with, but as you can see the arm has beautifully eliminated all vertical movement. Believe it or not but I find it better running with a 60 pound set up.

Nice speed Nick! Interesting that you prefer a heavier rig for this sort of thing--certainly it will make it easier to maintain framing but the mass tends to reduce either the speed or the length of the run for most (alas, one's age and condition is always a major factor in this also)! It's not all that often that I have to do a flat-out run but traditionally I start jettisoning bits and pieces off the rig and now have built a bantamweight running rig for just this purpose.

The systems looks nice and solid, no vibration which is often the case with a high-speed run like this. Good too see the Pilot works well for this type of thing. Thanks for posting.

Yeah Charles, I found running with a big rig or even watching another operator running exhilarating, so smooth! BTW I can go much faster, might post again. Next time I run though I wont have a protein shake beforehand!

Yeah Charles, I found running with a big rig or even watching another operator running exhilarating, so smooth! BTW I can go much faster, might post again. Next time I run though I wont have a protein shake beforehand!

sounds like me before any exercise.... must be on an empty stomach.

Yeah, it's usually my luck that the biggest Steadicam shot of the day comes right after lunch--it's bad enough when I know about it in advance and have to eat light, even worse when it comes as a complete surprise and I'm packing a full load!

Gee Charles, thats one thing that I never thought about, you would just about have to be hungry all day - eat very very light so you don't end up throwing up.

Add to that the Klassen (back-mounted) vest, which has a wide area that presses against your belly--really helps with this sort of thing!

Absolutely right, Charles. The Klassen and a full tummy just do not mix. Fortunately, catering is not always the most gourmet of foods, and therefore doesn't encourage me to pig out. I'll typically try to stick to the salad and small portions of pasta. Another thing that helps me is to simply have a granola bar or two throughout the day, especially close to a meal, again discouraging heavy eating. It also maintains a more consistent level of food in the gullet, minimizing that first-mount-after-lunch shock.

...I'm sure you've all seen this commercial...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ll7qjk2jF0A


:-)

Absolutely right, Charles. The Klassen and a full tummy just do not mix. Fortunately, catering is not always the most gourmet of foods, and therefore doesn't encourage me to pig out. I'll typically try to stick to the salad and small portions of pasta. Another thing that helps me is to simply have a granola bar or two throughout the day, especially close to a meal, again discouraging heavy eating. It also maintains a more consistent level of food in the gullet, minimizing that first-mount-after-lunch shock.

Jeez Afton, you are going to make us all look bad.

Then again, I'll check back with you after you start getting full-time episodic work. That tends to lay waste to one's exercise and diet regimen in a big way.

Well I should be getting my steadicam soon and I have had to change how I eat.

Up till now, Ive liked my food too much and kinda piled on the pounds. So at current weight, I would be the steadicam equivalent of the good year blimp!

By the time the device arrives, I will be decidedly thinner. To allow me to do shots like this.

I do remember in the steadicam forum gathering that Charles said (i think) that due to the nature of the steadicam, it is its own exercise machine.

Im waiting for the publication of a 12 step exercise program for the steadicam ala Ted Churchill style :)

Then again, I'll check back with you after you start getting full-time episodic work.
Oh, snap!! You'll be the first person I call, bro.

A very common question about Steadicam is, "What type of exercise do you do?" I don't think there's any better "steadi-exercise" than just putting the damn thing on and either working or practicing. Do lunges, go running, climb stairs, do squats, and all that, but do them because they're just good for you anyway, not because you want to be in shape for Steadicam.

I used to instruct a kickboxing class. It was a very intense, one hour workout. Yet since I would do it six days a week, I was conditioned enough to get through it quite easily. A friend of mine is a triathlete, and one day he and another triathlete friend of his came in to just try out the class. Now, I would consider these guys to be near the absolute top of the fitness chart. They swim several miles, hop on a bike for a couple hundred, and then run to Phoenix... or something like that. Things I could never do then or now. After 10 minutes of my class, they were wiped out. Why? Because it's a different type of exercise. They were working muscles differently than their normal training regimen.

The Olympics are starting soon. If you haven't already, look at the shapes of the athletes' bodies. The swimmers all look different from the sprinters, who all look different from the distance runners, who all look different from the weightlifters, and so forth. These are the top athletes in the world, and I'm sure they all do general exercise for all around fitness, but when it comes time to actually train, they just do it. ....hmmm. That would make a good slogan.

Currently leg pressing 700 pounds. Helps get the speed up. Been training hard in the gym for 24 years. Long time fan of the Governor, before he hit Hollywood.

I don't think jogging or lifting weights would make a huge difference in the stability my shots. The best exercise for me is flying hands free. Balance is more important than strength. Besides, the Pilot isn't that heavy, even with additional weights.

Actually, I take that back. There is one aspect that requires some strength - lugging all the crap around! The camera case, monitor case, and Pilot backpack together makes for a heavy load.

Good point there Dave - that's a good reason to bring the wife along. -))))

The great thing with rigs like the Pilot is that it allows even those who are not necessarily all buffed up like Nick and Afton to be able to shoot for good lengths of time without fatigue being an issue. Naturallly once you move up to the 60 (70...80...!) pound rigs, strength becomes much more of a factor.

Dave, you are so right about the cases--I have a saying now that when I'm dayplaying, they are paying me to shlep the gear and build it /break it down rather than actually working with it, as the shlepping is the more tiresome! Maybe I'll take a picture sometime of the cases I drag around with me that are just Steadicam--it's not as much as some, more than others but I'm a bit jealous of the single-case rigs like the Pilot for sure!

Afton, true that about the Olympics. When I was at the aquatic venue in 96 (with GB's crew doing Skycam), I saw a couple of the water polo guys attempt to train with the synchronized swimmer gals. Those guys were in unbelievable shape but after 10 minutes they gave up.

Very interesting thoughts on exercises.

No one would ever confuse me for an athlete, but I did about 2 and a half hours in my Merlin/Arm/Vest rig last weekend, climbing about a 50' high pile of rocks. I could certainly feel it, but I was not completely wiped out.

But what I find most interesting is about a year ago I flew a JR with a Canon GL2 handheld for about 25 minutes - one continuous shot, and my arm was just fine. The only thing I think I can attribute this to is my extensive work as a puppeteer. I've regularly had to manipulate a puppet over my head for long periods, once for the entirety of an hour-long performance. So it's not that I have particularly "buff" arms (far from it, actually!), but my arms have been conditioned to holding weight for long periods at some distance from the body.