A Conversation Starter

On just about every one of my video shoots, I’m asked “what the heck is that thing strapped to your back?”

The official name of the device is an Easyrig Minimax, and its purpose is to provide support for my video camera by redistributing the weight of it thoughout the body harness. It reduces shake in the footage that I typically would get if I were handheld, and it also allows me to film for much longer periods of time.

But what it looks like is my camera hanging precariously by a thread attached to a curved pole that sticks out over my head, which leads most people to tell me I look like a Ghostbuster, or even an Anglerfish, and that’s fine…and funny, too!

Because what I’ve come to discover is that this device could be called a conversation starter, or a barrier breaker, because it leads to discussions with the people I’m filming, and isn’t that the point of storytelling? To make people comfortable enough to share their stories with me and make me a man with a camera…instead of just a cameraman.

In the meantime, I’m looking into how easy it would be to connect a light to the front of the Easyrig, to really give myself that Anglerfish energy.