Steadicam Tricks Of The Trade - Pre Show

To put it plain and simple, Steadicams are pretty darn cool. When you strap one on, it's cool. When people see you wearing one, they think it's cool. So being as cool of a device as it is, it's natural that people will be intrigued and drawn to the device. When on any set, its common that other DOP's and crew will ask to try it out for themselves, and once they get a slight taste for it, they might think its a simple design and attempt to fly the rig themselves next time rather than hiring an experienced Op. What I'm getting at is that although its a pretty niche position, Steadicam Operators are quickly becoming quite saturated within the market. In the past, you would only see operators used in the Motion Picture Industry, but now you see them on all types of television programs like sports, reality and even news. I've noticed quite a rise in amateur Steadi-Ops around the Vancouver area alone, which brings me to my next point: In any market, you can be squashed by bigger and better competitors, or in this case, smoother and more energetic Steadi-Ops. To become known as a trusted & solid Operator, you'll need to step up your game and separate yourself from the herd. You likely already have a lot of passion and some really great skills, but there's definitely some tricks on how to better represent yourself and come across as the true professional you are.

The first thing that a client will see when you show up on set is you and your gear. Two bits of advice here: when I'm operating, I need to dress comfy which usually means shorts, cloth belt and a tee shirt. When showing up to new jobs, those are exactly the clothes I wouldn't want to be wearing. At least for the first few meetings, dress nice. I like to wear a nice, loose pair of cargo pants, cloth belt and a button up shirt with a tee-shirt underneath. The pants look more presentable and still keep things airy and flexible when flying. You can also bring a change of clothes to jump into after the meet and greet. As for practical operating gear, its all about the shoes. A good pair of runners is the classic go-to shoe, plus they now have rugged hiking style runners, as well as steel toed options. Pick according to your terrain. I've seen people wear those toe shoe things and preach that they're the best, but they're just not for me. I swear though that just a good pair of insoles will make a great difference to any shoe. No matter what footwear you decide on make sure the traction is still good and not worn out. With the combo of bad traction and the weight of the of the rig, something as common as grass can become a hazard. Being prepared for the elements is key. Make sure you have a quality rain jacket, a good pair of thin knit gloves (preferably the kind where you can flip back the finger tips), bring sunscreen or a big brimmed hat. You need to be ready for it all. Any little thing that effects the way you operate will become a massive problem by the end of a long shoot day.

Now that I've finished sounding like a fashion queen, the other bit of advice when showing up to set is to have nice cases and appear to be super organized. Showing up with stuff in a plastic bag looks amateur. Spend the extra cash and pick up some Pelican or Nanuk cases. Any loose equipment or accessories will look much cleaner and professional in a good set of travel cases, plus it shows that you really care about your equipment. To organize even further, I recommend getting asset tags for any gear that you own. There are many companies that you can order from online including Maverick Label, which is the company that I chose to go with. The tags really demonstrate that you're organized and care about every piece of your gear. Very Professional!

When I show up, I make sure I have with me everything I could possibly need for any situation. Be prepared for literally anything! In my accessory kit, I have everything from tie straps, gaffer clamps, small weights, extra plate screws, grease, a bar of soap, gaffers tape, lens tissues and every BNC adapter under the sun. Plus on my belt is my most important tool of all, my Leatherman Surge. You'll also want to show up with a couple of your own thin gauge BNC cables because they always come in handy.

You never know when you might need any of these items and you never want to be screwed over by something so simple. Preparation makes for less headaches.

After you set up your rig, take a little extra time to sit down, look over your rig, tighten all the bolts, grab the grease/soap and get out all the squeaks & creaks, wipe down all monitors and your glass, etc. It's important to maintain your equipment anyways, so why not subtly demonstrate that maintenance matters to you? People can appreciate someone who takes good care of their gear.

As a seasoned Op, you might have lost sight of the fact that the Steadicam is an impressive machine, so as lame as it might sound, people secretly want to see you do some 'cool' or 'impressive' things. You can easily score brownie points with people if you do something as simple as spinning it to an upside down position. Or if you're good, let go and let it float gently beside you then walk circles around your rig. You will blow peoples minds! Aside from being the coolest person in the room, if you can pull off some cool tricks, it demonstrates that you have great understanding and control which builds confidence with producers and directors. 

When walking onto a new set, I can (almost) guarantee that this will be the first time a lot of the crew have worked with a Steadicam, so sometimes nerves can be a little tense amongst crew members. A good way to ease the tension is to be a pro and really take control of the situation. Make people comfortable, explain your thoughts, groom your subjects and backgrounds, never act frustrated. A positive attitude from the very beginning honestly makes for a better shoot overall. It just creates a better energy.

Finally, the final way to represent yourself as the pro that you are is to literally have something to show who you are. Business cards are the classic solution, however; I cannot tell you enough how important it is to have digital representation for yourself. Demo reels should be a given at this stage in the race, how else would you impress potential clients?… but make it snappy and showcase your best moves early in the reel. Peoples attention spans can be real short, so hook them right off the top. So now that you have a spiffy reel, what's the best way to showcase it? A website! It really doesn't cost much to buy a domain name and host a website. Choose your name, choose a company name, choose a fancy url like .tv or .net. If you shop around, you can find some pretty impressive deals. Youtube is the mainstream video uploader but there's just a little something more professional about choosing Vimeo instead. It's kind of like using Gmail over Hotmail…. it's just more professional. 

Word of mouth used to be how you made new connections, and there's still a truth to that, but nowadays, the best ways to spread the word is through social media. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram… these are the greatest marketing tools known to man, and they're free! Absolutely, 100% free.! So make sure you utilize them. You will meet potential clients, fellow operators, and other people who will be great to network with. All of these social network tools and Vimeo embeddings are easily incorporated into most websites, so its unbelievably easy to obtain the complete package for marketing. It's a new age for how you sell yourself, and these methods are key.