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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

New "Game Changer" Movi Handheld Stabilizer

ok not exactly what I am talking about , nor I understand your explaination on boom and gyro , and what you mean exactly, the gyros are sensors and tiny, but in any way you probably mean that they float on a boom spring device? Iam not that familiar with this technology noe see how this works, but maybe there is some sort of tech allowing that, I still cant see how you can pan and tilt and specially tilt , in a wide range of angles... thats why I d like tosee this. Thiking about it I have thought of at least 2 electronic ways other than joystick to do this, but cant see them on board on this rig. Thanks for clarifying, would like to see this working.
 
Brett Harrison said:
From what Tabb has said about the M10 it's possible to operate for long periods with some experience with it (new muscles). The majestic mode allows for single mode panning. As for vertical suspension, there's some boom on the gyro itself that smooths out the human arm noise.

Crazy that a rig like this with wireless video and ff can last 45 minutes and recharge in 20 https://vimeo.com/63297368.
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Funny, I never developed any new muscles from using the Fig Rig... shot with an HVX on it back in '07 for 60 days straight, and day 60 was just as grueling as day 1.

The difference here, it appears, is that you can hold it by the top handle and hand it off from one hand to the next - giving each arm a little break while the other one carries the load.

I could see how you could definitely go for longer takes than with a Fig Rig style config where both of your hands always need to be gripped firmly to control the framing.

I can't wait to hear the scoop from people who test it at NAB.
 
Noel R. said:
Would love some of these batteries. That solves a big issue with REDvolts which currently only deliver 25 minutes of power with a 2 hour charge time.
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Do they use a battery similar to these?

http://www.flightpower.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15&products_id=273

I just can't see operating that thing on eye-level. If you hold it in front of you like the guys do, the camera is only as high as the stomach. For eye-level you'd have to lift the arms above your head?!
 
Brandon J.F. said:
Interested in doing a REDuser group buy? I'm sure a lot of people here would jump on it.
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Redusergroupbuy_zpse7c81eee.jpg
 
This is an interesting tool. I don't mean to be critical but most of the shots seem wiggly (for lack of a better word) and haphazardly composed. I'm not sure if that's due to the gyro or the 2 operator situation. It's most evident on lateral moving shots but not quite the same as a mistimed back pan. Also, a lot of times the compositions seem to suffer- headroom is bumped, there's excessive foot room, and it's not consistent and changes greatly during the shot. The operator doesn't seem to be able to hold an intentionally composed frame while moving, which is pretty much the entire idea behind Steadicam. There are nice moments in there for sure but it seems like only occasionally the operator was able to achieve the intended composition. From this video it looks to me like it would be difficult to execute a shot if you have specific compositions in mind. I can't wait to try it and it looks like an exciting tool. It would be nice to hear from an objective third party how easy or difficult it is to use and achieve the desired result.
 
The main trick is getting time to work and practice with it. Just like with the steadicam but instead of years it will take days to get decent and months to get phenomenal. This video reminds me of garret browns early tests with the steadicam. Not perfect but still quite incredible. I see this making big changes in the way we move the camera. It does have its limitations but so does any system. The main thing I see with it is you could theoretically mount it anyway you want and have a stabilized hot head for car mounts, cranes, cable cams and other sorts of rigs. You don't just have to hold it in your hand. All for $15k.

Any hollywood movie currently shooting on an epic cine package could utilize this system for specific shots. Yes they will have to remove all the accessories to get it to the weight limit but thats a small price to pay if you can work around it.


This is coming from a guy who invested $90,000 in a steadicam system just over a year ago. I don't see my big rig going anywhere soon, but I definitely want to add the movi to my kit. And I am pretty sure I will.
 
Bryant Swanstrom said:
The main trick is getting time to work and practice with it. Just like with the steadicam but instead of years it will take days to get decent and months to get phenomenal. This video reminds me of garret browns early tests with the steadicam. Not perfect but still quite incredible. I see this making big changes in the way we move the camera. It does have its limitations but so does any system. The main thing I see with it is you could theoretically mount it anyway you want and have a stabilized hot head for car mounts, cranes, cable cams and other sorts of rigs. You don't just have to hold it in your hand. All for $15k.

Any hollywood movie currently shooting on an epic cine package could utilize this system for specific shots. Yes they will have to remove all the accessories to get it to the weight limit but thats a small price to pay if you can work around it.


This is coming from a guy who invested $90,000 in a steadicam system just over a year ago. I don't see my big rig going anywhere soon, but I definitely want to add the movi to my kit. And I am pretty sure I will.
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A1 professional attitude right there. Humbled.
 
Brett Harrison said:
A1 professional attitude right there. Humbled.
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As a Steadicam operator myself I fully agree. I think this could be a nice addition to my arsenal maybe for AR style shots and running shots. I wouldn't try to do subtle moves or whip pans with this. There is a much finer degree of control in a mechanical device than in a remote system. I'm also wondering how loud this is, any clue? My feeling is that the sound of the digital gyros making all those corrections may be too much for sync sound but I could be wrong.
 
Matthew Greene said:
As a Steadicam operator myself I fully agree. I think this could be a nice addition to my arsenal maybe for AR style shots and running shots. I wouldn't try to do subtle moves or whip pans with this. There is a much finer degree of control in a mechanical device than in a remote system. I'm also wondering how loud this is, any clue? My feeling is that the sound of the digital gyros making all those corrections may be too much for sync sound but I could be wrong.
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I think that's a good point about the finesse of a fully mechanical device. The software is unlikely to be as expressive. There will be a curve to this as the creators start a dialogue with MoVi operators. For my money the shots in the $3 'Extended look' video feel almost uncanny how they are glued to the horizon line, which is a cool aesthetic but not always appropriate (kind of like how a perfect sine wave or what-have-you is not always desirable in music synthesis). I think when it comes to creative software it takes a technician with as good an eye/ear/hand as the best of the end users to enable any expressiveness to take place.

Very very interested to see some movement from the 'majestic' and 'shaky cam' modes.
 
Matthew Greene said:
Thanks Tabb, would I be able to use it on a Steadicam to simulate AR style shots?:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uLaCCEQ8PI
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I think in a certain degree you will, but here is the thing thatr might be a problemo there, as you probably know already AR earlier modules have a problem working at the 180-360 degree range in terms of the sensor being confused, and maybe some other stuff that mixed with software errors, and made the AR to go crazy rotaton and even cut cables as this was a very sadden thing.
the problem under my poor knowledge of sensors of that kind arrises specially when the sensor is tilted at 180 degrees of even more going to complete a 360 rotation. Maybe that doesnt happen now here as its probably sensor and software ability and that has come into great progression those days. Also you will have to lock your tilt and pan motors and just use the roll
action unless you want to have an active joystick too. That was the very concept of the old Coptrvission head, that was also demonstrated many years ago, wity their arm and vest, terrible look but still , a pan tilt roll head on a sled, and a second operator to play with.

Also about the learning the joystick thing. I think it will take you more that 1 month to know what you do and follow at 80% most of tyhe sghots , joysticks is a chalenge and this is also a running device so what Iam saying is , a long practice and a good joystick responce, is the key, but it will not happen in a week Iam afraid. What works out of the box is the gyrostabilization, and though its not perfect like big aerial expensive systems, it works pretty well , I could see some horizon flows on the videos here and there, but most of it is leveled.

In any case a much better approach of any aerial 3 axis gyrostabilized head ( thats what it is) with handles to go handheld. the design gfollows the filmotechnic design and as many did it works well, but there are some limitations specially on aerial rolls.

the main thing is that those guys are very clever and doing their own motors and sensor devises is prooving that the days of space science of space cam, gyron and others is coming to a easier and cheaper approach. If those guys used of the self sensor IMU and motors it would be an expensive rig as there is not much of it in design or originality in the axis, but I know for susre that direct drive motors and sensor development and software is a very expensive job and it can certaingly be expensive if they dont sell 100s of units.
I use direct drive motors in my moco designs and believe me they are very expensive, so even smaller ones are more challenging and still very expensive.

regards
 
Eric Haase said:
This is an interesting tool. I don't mean to be critical but most of the shots seem wiggly (for lack of a better word) and haphazardly composed. I'm not sure if that's due to the gyro or the 2 operator situation. It's most evident on lateral moving shots but not quite the same as a mistimed back pan. Also, a lot of times the compositions seem to suffer- headroom is bumped, there's excessive foot room, and it's not consistent and changes greatly during the shot. The operator doesn't seem to be able to hold an intentionally composed frame while moving, which is pretty much the entire idea behind Steadicam. There are nice moments in there for sure but it seems like only occasionally the operator was able to achieve the intended composition. From this video it looks to me like it would be difficult to execute a shot if you have specific compositions in mind. I can't wait to try it and it looks like an exciting tool. It would be nice to hear from an objective third party how easy or difficult it is to use and achieve the desired result.
Click to expand...


i find it funny how only one comment (or maybe i missed some) saw what i saw too. wiggly shots, heads cut lots of times, not really good composition... and this all on just 24mm. i wonder what will happen on 85mm...
i like the idea a lot but i want to see something else than a "viral ad campaign" before i call it game changer
 
Uros Zuraj said:
i find it funny how only one comment (or maybe i missed some) saw what i saw too. wiggly shots, heads cut lots of times, not really good composition... and this all on just 24mm. i wonder what will happen on 85mm...
i like the idea a lot but i want to see something else than a "viral ad campaign" before i call it game changer
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I noticed as well. I think part of the problem is that the natural position for the rig is at chest level so unless the operator is a giant it may be hard not to cut off people's heads.
 
yes you are correct there are head cut flws and other errors but I really believe that thats down to the operator that operates the joystick and head, and not a system flow its self. You can cut heads and have bad framing in all with a 100k steadicam rig too.
Its down to both camera stdy skills and joystick control skills combined, that why I say its not a weeks practice.
it can be better or worst.
I cant justify about how smooth and high resolution the joystick wireless module is, but I have see bad responce joysticks in very expensive remore camer brands in the older days.
so everything matters.
I mostly care about vibration and horizon flows as well as left right and up and down tilt motion errors and how well this or any other system responds to vibrations at low or higher frequences.
All the rest is doable with good practice and education.
 
Constantine: yeah sure that might be part of the bad operator, but calling it a game changer, using less production money,... and all that stuff in a promotional blog post - advert,... with that kind of footage doesnt convince me as i have doubts what will look like on a normal production where the scene is not set up to promote the rig but to get what director imagined...
remember the 5D MkII promotional blog post and how the footage was amazing with a full crew, tons of lights, helicopter,... and then it didnt even had manual function to set shutter and iris yet,... and it was shaky as its not a shouldercam,...
as i said - i love the idea and i hope it will be perfect one day, but ill wait until some independent testing before ill jump on a wagon "will buy one to replace steadicam" :)
 
Uros Zuraj said:
i find it funny how only one comment (or maybe i missed some) saw what i saw too. wiggly shots, heads cut lots of times, not really good composition... and this all on just 24mm. i wonder what will happen on 85mm...
i like the idea a lot but i want to see something else than a "viral ad campaign" before i call it game changer
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Glad I'm not the only one.

Also, the aerial shots are terrible. They are fine for your short films and vimeo videos or what not but I would never deliver those kind of aerials to a client.
 
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