EPIC OUTFITTING - POST YOUR EPIC RIGS WITH DETAILS PLEASE

[Michael Olsen]

Just have to say, I'm loving the look of some of these "under-the-rails" solutions. I haven't seem much of that up until now...

[Kim Frank]

Michael how is handheld style working with the Kenyon gyro? I read that you can't do quick pans or something. Are you still getting a handheld look or does it get a floating look? And does it make noise? Would be great if you could share how and why you use it?

[Alexander Christ]

Yes, shoulder-mount is from ActionProducts and fits in Arri-style bridge plates. The battery plate "SwapPack" (hot-swap and provides RED battery information) is mounted with a adjustable "Swivel".

[Patrick Tresch]

Doesn't it look like a cat?

;-)

Pat

[Michael Kromschroeder]

Here is my Setup:

[Meryem Ersoz]

Been building my ultimate EPIC-M documentary rig.

Here's the stuff I used:
x top plate + mount + rods
A-box
Bogen nanoclamp + Pearstone hotshoe widget.
Zacuto widget thingie - I think it is called a Zud, at the very least it starts with a Z
Element Technica speedy clamp + Battery mount
Gitzo G11510N mic mount
RED ONE handle with the end cap unscrewed and removed
RED Mattebox (not pictured, I use screw ons with the 11-16)

The problems I faced - get it all on the camera - very few of the rigs that I've seen accommodate audio - once you start rigging for audio, it gets crowded fast. Other problem - how to rig the EPIC LCD - it has a differently configured base mounting system than the RED LCD. I wanted it to be quick-release and also lightweight so that I could pack it up quickly.

As much of it is quick-relase as possible, so that I can mount up and start shooting fast. I don't need any wrenches to set up my camera. I figured out a way to add both a mic mount and an extra hot shoe - the extra hot shoe holds a Litepanels Micro onboard light or else it can hold a wireless unit.

My goal with this set-up is documentary shooting, and what I like about it is that I can pull things off fast, my LCD is now quick-release and also swivels in the Zud thingie, so I can share the monitor (even better, I dusted this widget off the shelf, so it didn't cost anything).

I can pull the RED batt easily if I decide to switch to REDVOLTS (don't have any yet...) and a battery pack.

The extra hotshoe mounts (nanoclamp + pearstone) fast and gives me a lot of accessories flexibility.

I don't care what anyone says about secondary audio recording - when I shoot a feature, I like a scratch track and when I shoot a doc, I like to have a shotgun on there to pick up ambient sound and my wireless channel so that I can either wire a speaker or else set up a wireless shotgun that I can put on a little micro-stand and place much closer to my subject. So I will always keep the Gitzo locked on the top of the handle regardless of what I rig for....

I'm pretty happy with it - it took me a little while to solve the puzzle - the upside of the EPIC is it is so tight and light - the problem (I wouldn't call it a problem, exactly, more of a puzzle) is getting all the same crap onto it, that you would load onto RED ONE.

I'm pretty excited to finally start shooting my doc project with this bad boy - it's so light I'll probably avoid shoulder mounting and shoot it off my monopod, which uses the same junky plate as my junky Bogen 516, which I can also quick-release onto my slider and my really junky moco head -

The size and weight of this thing, lightly rigged, has breathed new life into all my junky gear. Very excited to get shooting.

[Meryem Ersoz]

whoops, photos should now appear....

[Anson Fogel]

THanks a TON Meryem. Some pics would be darn peachy as well.

Edit: Exact same time post universal magic. Ignore.

[Patrick Tresch]

Interesting doc setup. I would love to see with what Sanjin comes up!

I wonder if the cam mic hears the fan of the camera?

It's true that the mounting option of the evf is little due to Red design.

PAt

[Meryem Ersoz]

here's a different view that shows a better view of the Zud thingie - the nice thing about it is that, if you pull the end cap off the regular RED handle, there's enough room for the monitor to swivel a full 90 degrees either to the right or left.

the other thing that I like about it...it feels very solid, stable, and is quick-release - I tried my EPIC LCD on the RED noga arm, rail-mounted, and just wasn't that psyched about it - the arm + nano added a lot of weight and did not feel nearly as solid as this does - this weighs nothing and, while not quite as versatile as the noga arm, has plenty of versatility with 180 degrees of swivel.

also there is still room on the rail to add the noga arm for a 2nd monitor, if needed, and my 2nd monitor will mount more solidly on the arm, given its design, and be easily accessible to the focus puller, if I used one, without the 2 monitors bonking into each other.

tried to post this pic yesterday but the uploader rejected it, and I ran out of time to crop and re-load it.

I haven't tested my EPIC-M audio noise issues thoroughly yet - my camera arrived with a dead board, and I didn't want to return it to RED for repair until my feature film wrapped - but I used to get very useable onboard audio from my RED ONE, so I'm hopeful that when I hit the record button, I get audio I can use when the fans go silent on the EPIC - we'll see.

Either way, I am almost always happy to have an audio scratch track - most of my useable audio will come from a wireless mic (not pictured) loaded in the extra hotshoe, where the micro Litepanels is located) - as I already mentioned, if I'm shooting a doc, I either have someone wired, or I have a buttplug + mic on a tiny little microstand

I like this one - doesn't weigh anything - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...one_Stand.html

and this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...icrophone.html

throw it in a backpack, doesn't weigh anything - with a wireless mic + buttplug, it lets you position the mic closer to the subject and further from the camera...superior audio control with no added weight.

my RED ONE audio board was exceptional - I know that RED ONE in-camera audio boards weren't always entirely consistent among cameras, but mine happened to be exceptional - very clean and almost indistinguishable from my external recorders (Edirol R-4 Pro with Oade preamps, sound-wise equivalent to a Sound Devices with Doug Oade's mod, but in a lighter and more doc-friendly lightweight plastic housing).

I'm hoping that EPIC-M audio board is as clean as my RED ONE, that would make me very happy - but I couldn't really try it out until I had my doc rig configuration figured out - and that has taken me a little more time than I expected.

pretty excited to get this thing in the field, now that I've got it rigged as tightly as possible with everything I like.

it is the little things, when you're shooting a doc, like having multiple audio options, enough battery power, no weight - that will make the experience feel organic, rather than like a series of workarounds. all of these options pop off easily, to add or subtract weight fast, so I can run light without a wrench, or add the things that I need, in a matter of seconds, without having to pull the camera to rig it.