Digital Video - May 2008 - (Page 27)

TYPE-S JIB IN REVIEW MOVING ON UP THE TYPE-S JIB IS A GREAT TOOL FOR EXECUTING IMAGINATIVE CAMERA MOVES. BY CHUCK GLOMAN dding vertical or diagonal movement to your production creates a distinct feel. No other tool can quite mimic the jib arm. Jimmy Jibs reach into the stratosphere, but there are smaller, more affordable jibs that fall in the 10'-or-less range — one of the newest is the Type-S jib from J. Michael Media. The Type-S jib sells itself the first time you lay eyes on it. A jib does not have to be a complicated device with wires and pulleys - in fact, the Type-S is simplicity itself. Packed in a Storm Case weighing 39 pounds (the jib itself weighs 19 pounds), once attached to a tripod, it can handle cameras up to 12 pounds or more, depending on the capacity of your tripod. This jib falls into the “compact” family in that it’s easily transportable on a plane — if don’t mind explaining what’s in the long, black, flat case — or in a car trunk. The case has places for just about everything you’ll need. Undoing the latches and seeing the full-color instructions, the assembly looks more complicated that it actually is. An online instructional video is available to assist in the set-up, and well as footage of what the Type-S jib did on some previous productions. One of J. Michael Media’s partners, Jared Clarke, arrived at DeSales University with our review-model Type-S jib and was available to demonstrate it. The first step is to choose a tripod with enough strength to support the jib arm and camera. Sachtler immediately comes to mind, but our beefiest tripod was a Bogen. The “reach” of the jib arm depends on two factors: the height of the tripod and the length of the jib arm’s extension. The Type-S jib extends 3' from its collapsed position and is locked in place with pins. Needing a solid base, set up the tripod and level the head. With just the first leg extension down and the spreader compressed, we were ready to add the jib arm. Their literature states that in “less than 60 seconds” the jib arm can be set up and ready to shoot. If Jared was not having us assemble it and explaining the process, I believe 60 seconds would be accurate. The first thing you notice about the jib is that it feels solid. The aluminum is covered with that same material that is sprayed on pickup truck beds (Rhino Linings) to prevent nicks and scratches. The black finish will not reflect light, but it will get warm if used outdoors in the summer. www.dv.com A Company rep Jared Clarke (far right) instructs useage of the Type-S jib. The foam in the case keeps the metal from moving and allows you to see everything at a glance. Although you don’t need tools to assemble the Type-S jib, a screwdriver is needed to attach the jib to the tripod’s plate. Using both screws (1⁄4" and 3⁄8") for stability, the tripod needs no extra support. The arms assemble only one way and the stainless steel bearings are simple to connect. With no cables to get in the way, this jib is really quite simplistic in design, yet functional. It really does not look that stable, but this is a well engineered piece of http://artbeats.com/resource http://www.dv.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Digital Video - May 2008

Digital Video - May 2008 Contents DV Update Close-Up AJ-HPX3000 Camcorder Sidecar Raid Zoom H2 Recorder Instant Expert 324 Flat-Panel Display Extreme 35MM Adapter Type-S JIB How Slow Can You Go? Global Gastronome Mixing It UP Long-Distance Runaround Tools & Technology DV 101 Production Diary

Digital Video - May 2008

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