Anyone as crazy about Jibs as I am? at DVinfo.net

Rob Kroeger · November 1st, 2004, 11:27 PM

Hows it going all. As some may know, I work at a TV News Station and I do a lot of in-studio shoots. We have a 9-foot Jimmy Jib Triangle, with a Sony BVP9500WS mounted to it, and a pan-tilt head. I dont think I've ever had so much fun in my life. Using the jib is so much fun, I'll spend hours getting some creative shots.

For example, for a commercial closing shot I'll have it already zoomed in on the talent, then I'll zoom it out at a very fast speed, and fly the arm around behind the cameras, and then settle it in the corner of the studio, where you can see a glimpse of the control room.

Im just wondering if anyone else has had any previous jib experience, and I was wondering what techniques you use to get your shots.

Take it easy.

James Emory · November 1st, 2004, 11:43 PM

Howdy Rob. I've got a Jimmy Jib Lite for camera systems 20 lbs and below now that I have a new heavier duty head. All I can say is practice all the time. There are so many different combinations of moves that can be done with these things. The more you do it, the more moves you can come up with.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=24436

Rob Kroeger · November 1st, 2004, 11:58 PM

Awesome shots James, thats quite the jib. As you can imagine the jibs not mine however I'll get some pics of it and some of the shots I do.

One of the coolest shots I've ever done was actually a complete accident. If you want a faster-style shot, Zoom the camera OUT while pushing the jib FORWARD, or vice versa, at about the same speed. Although this effect doesnt do much for every jib application out there, its great for concerts, commercial-block closers, or just an all-out cool thing to watch.

It might not show up so 'cool' on the monitor, you might have to tape it and watch it over a few times.

James Emory · November 2nd, 2004, 12:05 AM

I believe that shot you are describing is called vertigo, where the background seems to compress in real time behind the subject. You can actually do that hand held if you time it just right. It is a damn cool in camera effect. However there is an inherent problem doing it with a jib because of the arc. The longer the reach the more of a sustained head on approach you can get for a shot like that. Another shot I like is when you boom in, zoom in as well or do the opposite. The speed of the move is hugely exaggerated by the compound motion.

Rob Kroeger · November 2nd, 2004, 12:14 AM

Very true. I think what makes all good jib-shots good are use of compound motions. What I'm not a big fan of is Dutch Tilt, like on some of the arms. Its a cool effect no doubt, I guess im just not a huge fan of it.

Another thing I love to do is crank the tilt and pan speed up, so I can do a quick "South-West" move. For example. at the end of a newscast at 11pm, lets say, when theres not a lot of viewers, I'll coast it about 4 feet over the top of the studio camera \\ teleprompter hood, and pull that fast "South-West" pan and tilt like I said above, to get a shot of whats on the prompter. I find it very fun to mess around with the jib. I think its one of the most rewarding parts of filming.

Ed Liew · November 3rd, 2004, 07:49 PM

have always wanted to get a jimmyjib lite but the cost of a new set is just too high to start with. any used set for sale?
and indeed an awesome work, james.

ed

James Emory · November 3rd, 2004, 09:22 PM

Ed. That jib lite system is only 6200.00. The tripod is an additional 650.00 but well worth it because it fits and is safety tested. That total is just a little bit more than an XL-2. The dolly is an additional 2800.00 and is not necessary but very convenient. You can do all the moves that the Triangle can do with the jib lite. You just can't fly systems above 20 lbs, safely that is. If you get one, you won't regret it.

Ed Liew · November 4th, 2004, 08:33 PM

james,
6,200 converted to our currency is about 25,000 and still not inclusive of shipping cost. have been on the look out for a used set for sometime now. with that kind of money, i can wait ;)

ed

James Emory · November 4th, 2004, 09:16 PM

Ooh. I didn't realize that factor. Well, maybe you out to consider making your own arm and buy just a remote head. Stanton, the maker of the Jib Lite and Varizoom offer remote head kits that can be attached to anything. However, I think that Varizoom is going to be the most cost effective.

Jimmy Jib
www.jimmyjib.com

www.jimmyjib.com/remotehead.html

Varizoom
www.varizoom.com/pages/mc100.php

Ed Liew · November 8th, 2004, 09:31 AM

i was considering cameraturret jib with remote head (ever heard of them? www.camraturret.com). i was thinking of taking up their offer of dealership to sell their product over here. its a good offer but the profit margin is not that high. i'm still looking.

ed

David Bermejo · November 10th, 2004, 06:21 PM

Nice Jib shots! I am crazy about Jib arms and camera booms. As-a-matter-of-fact, i am in the process of building one at work. I am going to design my own cable driven pan/tilt head. heck of a lot of work, but worth it....

JIBS ARE AWESOME!!!!

Rob Kroeger · November 10th, 2004, 06:27 PM

Rock On!! I want to build a jib or even buy one but if it doesnt have a pan-tilt head I just cant deal with it. Its gotta have some sort of electronic head or pully system.

Let me know how the design goes, I'd love to use some ideas to make one myself.

David Bermejo · November 10th, 2004, 07:00 PM

I built the main "shaft", out of a sign pole, "b-line". And took the wheel off a castor and used that as the main boom pan/tilt. I used another tube to level the camera mount, almost like the cable you see on some jibs to level the mount. All i have left to do is make a tripod out of some tubing and stuff and then make my pan/tilt head with a pulley system.

Yeah its too expensive for me to buy one. The lowest priced Jimmy Jib is like almost $3,000. Too much for me. So far I have spent $8.41. And thats on some cables and nuts and bolts that i didnt even need to use. :(. I might by a pan/tilt head from a surplus store cheap! But the feeling of having total control of the pan/tilt makes me feel a bit more comfortable. I have played around with the joystick on the jimmy jibs....they're still cool..

Dave Stewart · November 17th, 2004, 02:26 AM

how'd you keep the Canon in focus. I'm assuming you're not manually focusing and moving the jib around. I've got a xl1 on a jib and it goes out of focus if you pan or zoom.

James Emory · November 17th, 2004, 10:22 AM

I was using the wide angle lens with autofocus on. The focus will not adjust dramatically, causing softness, if there is a good contrast between the subject and the background. It will lock on to the dominant foreground, the subject, as it did and has always done for me. The wide angle lens is more forgiving than the long 16x lens. I never use the 16x when on the jib or steadicam. If you have the wide lens or can get one, try it on your jib and see if it works better. With the wide angle lens, you can focus wide, then leave the focus on manual and still get away with clear images while moving the camera because of that wide field of view.

November 1st, 2004, 11:27 PM	#1
Rob Kroeger Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Saratoga Springs, Ut Posts: 31	Anyone as crazy about Jibs as I am? Hows it going all. As some may know, I work at a TV News Station and I do a lot of in-studio shoots. We have a 9-foot Jimmy Jib Triangle, with a Sony BVP9500WS mounted to it, and a pan-tilt head. I dont think I've ever had so much fun in my life. Using the jib is so much fun, I'll spend hours getting some creative shots. For example, for a commercial closing shot I'll have it already zoomed in on the talent, then I'll zoom it out at a very fast speed, and fly the arm around behind the cameras, and then settle it in the corner of the studio, where you can see a glimpse of the control room. Im just wondering if anyone else has had any previous jib experience, and I was wondering what techniques you use to get your shots. Take it easy.

November 10th, 2004, 06:21 PM	#11
David Bermejo Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 36	Nice Jib shots! I am crazy about Jib arms and camera booms. As-a-matter-of-fact, i am in the process of building one at work. I am going to design my own cable driven pan/tilt head. heck of a lot of work, but worth it.... JIBS ARE AWESOME!!!! __________________ I love camera booms!! Never underestimate the power of a video camera!

November 10th, 2004, 07:00 PM	#13
David Bermejo Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 36	I built the main "shaft", out of a sign pole, "b-line". And took the wheel off a castor and used that as the main boom pan/tilt. I used another tube to level the camera mount, almost like the cable you see on some jibs to level the mount. All i have left to do is make a tripod out of some tubing and stuff and then make my pan/tilt head with a pulley system. Yeah its too expensive for me to buy one. The lowest priced Jimmy Jib is like almost $3,000. Too much for me. So far I have spent $8.41. And thats on some cables and nuts and bolts that i didnt even need to use. :(. I might by a pan/tilt head from a surplus store cheap! But the feeling of having total control of the pan/tilt makes me feel a bit more comfortable. I have played around with the joystick on the jimmy jibs....they're still cool.. __________________ I love camera booms!! Never underestimate the power of a video camera!

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November 1st, 2004, 11:43 PM	#2
James Emory Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,892	Howdy Rob. I've got a Jimmy Jib Lite for camera systems 20 lbs and below now that I have a new heavier duty head. All I can say is practice all the time. There are so many different combinations of moves that can be done with these things. The more you do it, the more moves you can come up with. http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=24436

November 1st, 2004, 11:58 PM	#3
Rob Kroeger Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Saratoga Springs, Ut Posts: 31	Awesome shots James, thats quite the jib. As you can imagine the jibs not mine however I'll get some pics of it and some of the shots I do. One of the coolest shots I've ever done was actually a complete accident. If you want a faster-style shot, Zoom the camera OUT while pushing the jib FORWARD, or vice versa, at about the same speed. Although this effect doesnt do much for every jib application out there, its great for concerts, commercial-block closers, or just an all-out cool thing to watch. It might not show up so 'cool' on the monitor, you might have to tape it and watch it over a few times.

November 2nd, 2004, 12:05 AM	#4
James Emory Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,892	I believe that shot you are describing is called vertigo, where the background seems to compress in real time behind the subject. You can actually do that hand held if you time it just right. It is a damn cool in camera effect. However there is an inherent problem doing it with a jib because of the arc. The longer the reach the more of a sustained head on approach you can get for a shot like that. Another shot I like is when you boom in, zoom in as well or do the opposite. The speed of the move is hugely exaggerated by the compound motion.

November 2nd, 2004, 12:14 AM	#5
Rob Kroeger Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Saratoga Springs, Ut Posts: 31	Very true. I think what makes all good jib-shots good are use of compound motions. What I'm not a big fan of is Dutch Tilt, like on some of the arms. Its a cool effect no doubt, I guess im just not a huge fan of it. Another thing I love to do is crank the tilt and pan speed up, so I can do a quick "South-West" move. For example. at the end of a newscast at 11pm, lets say, when theres not a lot of viewers, I'll coast it about 4 feet over the top of the studio camera \\ teleprompter hood, and pull that fast "South-West" pan and tilt like I said above, to get a shot of whats on the prompter. I find it very fun to mess around with the jib. I think its one of the most rewarding parts of filming.

November 3rd, 2004, 07:49 PM	#6
Ed Liew Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Malaysia Posts: 226	have always wanted to get a jimmyjib lite but the cost of a new set is just too high to start with. any used set for sale? and indeed an awesome work, james. ed

November 3rd, 2004, 09:22 PM	#7
James Emory Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,892	Ed. That jib lite system is only 6200.00. The tripod is an additional 650.00 but well worth it because it fits and is safety tested. That total is just a little bit more than an XL-2. The dolly is an additional 2800.00 and is not necessary but very convenient. You can do all the moves that the Triangle can do with the jib lite. You just can't fly systems above 20 lbs, safely that is. If you get one, you won't regret it.

November 4th, 2004, 08:33 PM	#8
Ed Liew Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Malaysia Posts: 226	james, 6,200 converted to our currency is about 25,000 and still not inclusive of shipping cost. have been on the look out for a used set for sometime now. with that kind of money, i can wait ;) ed

November 4th, 2004, 09:16 PM	#9
James Emory Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,892	Ooh. I didn't realize that factor. Well, maybe you out to consider making your own arm and buy just a remote head. Stanton, the maker of the Jib Lite and Varizoom offer remote head kits that can be attached to anything. However, I think that Varizoom is going to be the most cost effective. Jimmy Jib www.jimmyjib.com www.jimmyjib.com/remotehead.html Varizoom www.varizoom.com/pages/mc100.php

November 8th, 2004, 09:31 AM	#10
Ed Liew Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Malaysia Posts: 226	i was considering cameraturret jib with remote head (ever heard of them? www.camraturret.com). i was thinking of taking up their offer of dealership to sell their product over here. its a good offer but the profit margin is not that high. i'm still looking. ed

November 10th, 2004, 06:27 PM	#12
Rob Kroeger Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Saratoga Springs, Ut Posts: 31	Rock On!! I want to build a jib or even buy one but if it doesnt have a pan-tilt head I just cant deal with it. Its gotta have some sort of electronic head or pully system. Let me know how the design goes, I'd love to use some ideas to make one myself.

November 17th, 2004, 02:26 AM	#14
Dave Stewart Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 109	how'd you keep the Canon in focus. I'm assuming you're not manually focusing and moving the jib around. I've got a xl1 on a jib and it goes out of focus if you pan or zoom.

November 17th, 2004, 10:22 AM	#15
James Emory Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,892	I was using the wide angle lens with autofocus on. The focus will not adjust dramatically, causing softness, if there is a good contrast between the subject and the background. It will lock on to the dominant foreground, the subject, as it did and has always done for me. The wide angle lens is more forgiving than the long 16x lens. I never use the 16x when on the jib or steadicam. If you have the wide lens or can get one, try it on your jib and see if it works better. With the wide angle lens, you can focus wide, then leave the focus on manual and still get away with clear images while moving the camera because of that wide field of view.