Steadicam Workshop with Charles Papert in Sonoma, CA. - December 11th & 12th, 2009

[Scott Shama]

ACk! I can't believe I missed this!! How do I get on a bulletin list or something for when someone does one again in the SF bay area? I just haven't frequented this part of the board much the past few months but I could have flown down and stayed with friends to attend this one...

[Trevor Meeks]

Originally Posted by Scott Shama

ACk! I can't believe I missed this!! How do I get on a bulletin list or something for when someone does one again in the SF bay area? I just haven't frequented this part of the board much the past few months but I could have flown down and stayed with friends to attend this one...

Scott, not to worry - e-mail me at the address provided in the first post, with the subject line "future steadicam workshops" and i will be happy to keep you informed.

if you are at an intermediate level (have already taken a workshop or have had another form of training) the next one we're putting together may be of interest to you. If there's enough interest in a beginners' workshop again, we may look into hosting another one of those as well.

[Trevor Meeks]

Originally Posted by Sean Seah

Woah! Looks like a really awesome course. I noticed the Blackbird on a Pilot Arm by Rich! Looks pretty cool.

Hi Trevor, the Small HD interface to the FLyer LE looks very sexy. Did you have to get extra parts for the mounting? My Pilot monitor is not in the best state so I'm looking at an upgrade. If you have close up photos of the monitor I'll would be grateful. Thanks!

Hey Sean,

I posted some photos on flickr. You can see 'em here:

1. Flickr Photo Download: Glidecam X-22 and SmallHD DP1

2. Flickr Photo Download: Glidecam X-22 and SmallHD DP1

3. Flickr Photo Download: Glidecam X-22 and SmallHD DP1

4. Flickr Photo Download: Glidecam X-22 and SmallHD DP1

As I said, I used a U-Bracket (which I actually bought from SmallHD but has since been discontinued, at least for now.) You can make your own U-Bracket rather easily out of aluminum for any monitor. The DP1 is super easy to mount via U-Bracket being as it has a threaded hole on either side at the center of gravity!

Now, the DP1 WILL be ridiculously large on the Pilot. That being said, hang tight if you can... SmallHD is working on some sweet stuff... no info on release but the info is floating around out there that their next monitor will be 5.6" and of course HD, so that's going to be SUPER cool... just be patient :)

Enjoy!

[Sean Seah]

Woah thanks for the great photos. The Pilot monitor has a poor connector that causes problems sometimes. Since the DSLRs can be off focus easily the SmallHD may be a great choice.

[William Santana]

Originally Posted by Trevor Meeks

The guy taking notes is William Santana from Miami, FL. Great dude, and a better student than most of us in my opinion - he picked up on flying his Pilot/EX1 rig extremely quickly, not to mention those awesome drawings and notes! Impressive to say the least.

7 people was a nice size (we had 8 but one guy dropped out at the last minute) - I think it was certainly better than having 10, and yet there were enough of us to keep things interesting and switch out rolls in different exercises that Charles set up!

=) Thanks for the compliment Trevor, but if anyone here deserves any type of recognition it's you! Compared to my light-as-a-feather rig you were flying some pretty heavy stuff (X-22 mounting a EX-1, M2e, microX, rods, Anton Bauers, SmallHD, the list goes on people). All that weight made for a super smooth rig but I don't know hoooow you survived those two days!

I think we all did amazingly well. I remember when we first got there no one had any idea of what they were doing (expect for Hunter). But man! Charles is a excellent teacher! A real hands-on type of guy. There was definitely a drastic improvement in everyone by the time we wrapped up on Saturday. I'm already saving up for next year's workshop. It'll be interesting to see how many people from the original class will be making a second appearance and how much they've improved.

[Charles Papert]

Take note of the last three shots on Trevor's MobileMe gallery--they were from the day after the workshop where Trevor, Scott and I hit the Sonoma wineries. After a full two days of intensive Steadicam, the wine tasting was just what the doctor ordered and we hope to integrate this into the next workshop on a more formal basis!

[Trevor Meeks]

Originally Posted by Charles Papert

After a full two days of intensive Steadicam, the wine tasting was just what the doctor ordered and we hope to integrate this into the next workshop on a more formal basis!

Heck yes we do!! It's gonna be great guys... anyone who isn't already on the list, please e-mail me if you're interested and we'll keep you informed :)

[William Santana]

I third that motion.

[Dave Gish]

Originally Posted by Charles Papert

After a full two days of intensive Steadicam, the wine tasting was just what the doctor ordered and we hope to integrate this into the next workshop on a more formal basis!

You're tempting me...

[Trevor Meeks]

Originally Posted by Dave Gish

You're tempting me...

Come out and join us man!

[Scott Shama]

Originally Posted by Trevor Meeks

if you are at an intermediate level (have already taken a workshop or have had another form of training) the next one we're putting together may be of interest to you. If there's enough interest in a beginners' workshop again, we may look into hosting another one of those as well.

Do I have to have taken a work shop..? I've been shooting with it for almost a year.. have done about 20 weddings and other events with it.. Been studying the handbook to get better but would still love to do a workshop..