DSE

The RED is easily helmet-mounted. Aside from what MB38 posted, I've seen other pix of setups. The Arri is bigger, and often helmet mounted, FWIW. All that said, to echo Cashmanimal's comments, some types of flying are better with a side mount, some better with a topmount, and unfortunately, none of the newer cameras are optimal for both positions. If I were looking to get just one camera and HD wasn't an issue, and it was just for fun, I'd purchase one of the PC/HC camcorders, and a helmet that allows for both top and side mount. If HD is important, then the question is whether it's for tandems or just fun. If "just fun" is the goal, I'd seriously look at the CX7 AVCHD camcorder. It is fast to transfer, fast to edit, and hell to render on today's current computers.

I don't think B&H sells Arri or RED. The best freefall camcorder is the one that meets your specific needs and allows you to grow.

Nice! Depth perception really gets screwed, doesn't it? Plus the SBL soundtrack is nice.

SFX=Sound FX. Very quiet, subtle, almost not heard sounds....I add them to my tandem vids most of the time, whooshes for deployments, quiet booms for drogue deployment, tiny bit of other sorts of sounds for various things in the skydive if it's warranted. We often see with our ears. As far as sorts of music...experiment. I find most skydivers don't. They're all hooked into metal, techno, or power-pop. For giggles, start with Bach. Then some Michael Hedges. Then try Nickleback or whatever pop metal you've got before moving on. Music will make the scene. The question is whether you want it to be adrenaline-pumped, serene, artistic, or silly. Yes, by slowing down the shakey section to around 80% of original speed, it'll still mostly look normal, but not quite so jerky.

Nice job, particularly for a first edit. In the shakey area, you might consider slowing only that section down to reduce shake. Credits could stand to be a bit faster. The story is told without the music; this means it holds together pretty well on its own. Adding some music and maybe SFX will bring it to a very nice finish. Congrats, you're an editor too!

Look at my number I'm a 500 jump D.

If you're in need of polarizers, Schneider is having a 70% off sale. Googled for a 4.5 and found the special...nice deals if you're into polarizing. No relationship to them, just passing along something I found.

mea culpa. jump numbers change too often to keep up, but my license doesn't.

Yup. Most of the entertainment industry is union-based, although independents are making serious headway in the past few years. SAG and IATSE have really hurt in the past few years. I have a distant relative who is an actor and a member of Actors' Equity. He says the reason the movie industry in particular is so unionized is that the big studios used to swindle the actors out of their "residuals" before the union started keeping track. The primary reason unions came about in the first place was unethical and exploitive behavior by companies, and I have little reason to suppose business ethics have made a dramatic about turn in the intervening years. this is true, *used to* being the key word. AFTRA, SAG (and other AAAA affiliates) IATSE, DGA, and the like are all their own worst enemies at this point. There *so* many ways to circumvent the industry unions now, everyone outside of the top levels are doing it. I/my company recently published a book on how to make a SAG film for under 10k. The film around which we wrote the book, stars Adrian Zmed (TJ Hooker, Dance Fever) and John Saxon (Superman among others), and it has done quite well at both film fests and picking up distribution. In other words, we got names for the film for virtually no money. this is what makes independent work, and independent is doing _very_ well these days. Napoleon Dynamite, anyone? Had we followed the rules rather than ducked the loopholes to make the film, the film never would have been made. Today...SO many films (the majority of them) are made in non-union locations, this is why so many states are now offering incentives to bring productions to their area, and spending so much money advertising in Variety, Billboard, and other trade rags. I don't accept that the industry would still be swindling artists out of residuals any more than they currently do. Yes...the unions in my industry at one time were critical, and I believe this is so of most industries. And unions still do good in some industries, IMO. But when an industry grows as large as UAW or some of the other behemoths out there that they are a business unto themselves paying gross fees to their administrators....then they need to be burned down and rebuilt or eradicated altogether. I pay my dues, because it means I can jump on a production in a heartbeat with no thought of paperwork. I grumble and moan when it comes that time. I am *not* a member of any musicians union at this time, but I still get my royalties and broadcast fees, along with very specific accounting. iTunes and other distribution outlets help tremendously in tracking this. It's true that the unions help keep some things more safe on a set, sometimes too safe, if there is such a thing, but IMO this is more the exception than the rule. Hell, today, practicals are avoided mostly because of the unions, putting many union workers out of business. It can be done in post now, for far more cheaply than bringing in a crew, so....it's a very sharp double-edged sword. I recently needed to shoot a key and found it cheaper to build my own cyc in a large room in Arizona, fly a crew from Utah to AZ, hire the gear, and stay for a week, than it would have cost me to do the exact same shoot in a union house with union ops in Burbank. In other words, I could build, rent, hotel/travel, my four own guys, rented gear, one week, than I could do my gear, rented room, two union guys, three days. Long post...but I don't for one second accept that the AAAA affiliates are in any way responsible for residuals being paid. They do keep a lot of good people not working, and they do keep sets safe in production. But those are different unions. I'll take a non-union gig with names or houses I know, over a union gig in a house I know, any day/every day. I have zero loyalty to these guys, and they have zero loyalty to me, other than holding certain projects hostage in some locations. BTW, it's one of the reasons I live where I do.

I suspect you'll find that in most cases, they're one and the same (haters being the ones that skydive for an honest living). As you go along, *if* you become a skydiver, you'll come to understand integrity and a solid reputation are very important in this sport. At only one tandem jump and experience with only one DZ, you don't yet know what you don't know. Keep posting, but one jump far from an expert makes.

Yup. Most of the entertainment industry is union-based, although independents are making serious headway in the past few years. SAG and IATSE have really hurt in the past few years.

It may be that as a Skyride employee, he/she gets a discount on services. Caveat Emptor, however.

You'll probably want/appreciate a quick release, or at least a few extra thumbscrews as they tend to grow legs. Cookie, Bogen, Schumacher, Bonehead, and others offer good QR systems that aren't terribly expensive.

It's pretty obvious from the thread that like everything else, to each his own. Bear in mind that different aircraft, different heights, environmental conditions, various helmets, camera types, and uses all call for the value of a box or not. I have a box on my side mount, because I'm concerned for riser slap. I don't have a box on my FTP. Our environment is much like JT's; very warm on the ground (typically 100+ in the summer) and cool up top and practically zero humidity. I'm less concerned about those days than I am about my camera being in the warm car on the way to the DZ in the fall, and then hitting the near zero temps aloft (like today), and then coming down to the 50 degree temps. I don't think there is a right or wrong, but given the variables...it's safe to say that generally, a camera kept in a box or condom is likely to last longer or at the least have less exposure to risk than an exposed camera may be.

I have a spare tongue switch in my locker at Erda if you want to make arrangements to stop by and pick it up. Conceptus has them in stock and can get one to you, and Skydive Utah has bite switches in their merchandise racks.

If it's anything like the one I got from them (had it sent back for alteration, but it still has problems), the waist isn't tight enough and it will pop in a sit, not to mention the wings don't properly follow the contours of the jacket edge, and the fastex connectors are too long. Additionally, the wing (on mine) is too narrow, and could easily stand an additional 1.5" along the trailing edge, and be sewn all the way to the wrist. All that said, they're cheap, and a good first jacket, IMO.

As an update, Warren Jeffs was convicted a short while ago of two counts of rape by accessory. The jury felt he placed the young girls into a position of subjugation to the men they were forced into marrying, which culminated in the rape/force sexual relations with their husbands. Jeffs is expected to face similar charges in Arizona, Idaho, and Colorado, and still faces tax evasion and fraud charges in Utah and Arizona.

Buy a Sony XDCAM EX or a RED One. On a subject such as freefall photography, you might want to update your jump numbers? Find a used 109 around somewhere, or a PC100. Any narrow-profile camera will do for a sidemount. especially if you don't need LANC. Bite switches are for still cameras. Maybe an HD cam? AVCHD? HDV?

Franco, What body are you shooting with?

I wonder if there have been any correlation studies linking the proliferation of ADD to Sesame Street or Zoom ratings?

unless I'm mistaken, the Sigma isn't as fast; it's F4 vs 2.8. That shouldn't matter much unless you're jumping late, but worth mentioning. A prime/fixed lens is generally better for ease of use and quality is typically better from a prime vs a zoom as well. Having no experience with the Sigma in the photo world, I can only say that their zooms have a unique chromatic abberation when used with 35mm adapters on low-cost video cams. The Nikkor and Canon's don't, they're timed correctly. I do have a Canon 15mm, and it's used for most jumps. Love it.

It would more likely be Jack "Ryan-esque" but hopefully the US is doing everything possible to protect the guy. The fallout aside from any conspiracy theories, would be horrific. Our trust factor would drop from near zero to below zero.

http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/articles/PencilSketch.htm http://vasst.com/?v=ultimate/us3/us3_special_FX.htm http://www.vasst.com/product.aspx?id=cb115d9c-fef9-43ba-9a3c-64b4f1186f27 Here are some tutorials/tools for Sony Vegas. This of course, can be done using similar/same tools in Premiere, Edius, or FCS. HTH

yes, you can "over clean" or "over polish" a lens by cleaning too often or pressuring too hard, or by using paper-based cleaning products, or a mix of all of the above. Found a good page on

The back of the lenses and camcorder lens see a "polishing" any time I take it off. Otherwise, I don't mess with them. I do use a sealant on the threads of my wide adapters tho, so that possibly makes a difference. Bear in mind, where most of our/my work is done is in 5% humidity or less. Very different story where you are. Short answer however, is yes...the backs and camcorder lenses are treated on occasion.