We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rebecca Ulmo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rebecca below.
Rebecca, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I was one of the first people on the East coast to use a gimbal on a Union Feature Film. It was 2016 and the film was “Fast & Furious 8.” It was my first job as a Gimbal Tech, which wan’t a position yet at the time.
Everyday presented it’s own set of challenges with the new gimbal system, as we were pushing it’s limits. It was early enough in their manufacturing that there weren’t any 3rd party parts to make it better, nor any handy YouTube videos for troubleshooting.
I was a 2nd AC at the time I had to teach myself quickly how to adapt and communicate to the other Operators and Grips. I found myself working for some of the best in the business, including Operator, Geoff Haley. We learned how to use the gimbal in real scenarios. We discovered it needed a lot of work to be able to compete with the gear in the field; but it was fascinating at the time to see what it was capable of doing. It was the ground floor of gimbal rigging, and we were figuring it out on set.
It became one of the most influential jobs of my career and made me want to push to be an Operator even more.
Rebecca, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
In film school, I took advantage of shooting as much as I could with the equipment provided. I felt a strong pull toward Operating right away. I made sure to help anyone I could on their projects and made home movies in my downtime.
After graduating with my Masters, I joined the Union and began working as a Camera Assistant. Over the years I learned to watch the Operator closely to see how they handled certain situations and how they positioned themselves for difficult shots. I would apply these practices to any non-union operating job I could get outside of assisting at the time.
In 2014, I picked up my first gimbal. My business partner, Daniel Friedberg, and I created our own gimbal company called “Atlanta Gimbals.” The industry hadn’t used it before and we had to find a way to make it suitable for the demands of working on set.
My willingness to learn a new tool was vital to my success. I still challenge myself to learn more about the tools I already know. “How can I make it better…” is something I say to myself every time I do a build. There is never enough to learn about this quickly evolving gimbal technology and in my opinion, it isn’t going anywhere!
Our gimbal company, Atlanta Gimbals, caters to the creative professional. We offer various types of gimbals, accessories, rigging options, and custom tools to help achieve the shot you want. I also offer my services of assisting you with your custom package to make sure you have all the parts you need. I train people with the gear if needed and I can trouble shoot over the phone in case someone needs help. I like to let people know they are taken care of with the gear and take away any unnecessary stress. That way, the client and the gimbal have a chance to perform at their best.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
I met my business partner, Daniel Friedberg, at film school. We attended a college named SCAD in Savannah, GA. We worked on projects together throughout undergrad and discovered we were a good team as Cinematographer (him) and Operator/Camera Tech (me).
Through a connection from one of the professors, we were given the opportunity to work on a feature in town that had flipped to a Union job. We were able to join the Union on that project and continue working while in our last year of Grad school.
After graduating we made the decision to move to Atlanta and start our own journey of climbing the ladder. We worked as camera assistants for over a decade while using the gimbal & camera package on the side to create content and practice our individual crafts.
My business partner (now husband) and I have come to a place where he is shooting higher-end Narrative and Commercial content and I am Operating on larger jobs while being able to work together when we choose. Our goal has always been to continue to work together.
The business is thriving and we continue to strive to make the company a source of knowledge and comfort. We are still pushing boundaries and coming up with new ways to “move” the camera. We will always strive to be the a one-stop source for any gimbal need.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
During my decade of Camera Assisting, I learned so much about organizing, rigging and power distribution. I found joy in making any camera rig better and more efficient. I also found joy in tending to what my 1st AC, Operator and DP were needing.
I became known for certain skills in my department and also found myself in leadership positions. When the gimbal was needed, they turned to me and it was my responsibility t make sure we could get our shot and do it in time. They learned to trust me whenever a gimbal was involved and soon I was requested by name.
As an assistant I’ve been in the trenches with a lot of my colleagues and we have a trust that comes with time. A lot of my clients tell me they came to my company because of the requests from DP’s, Assistants and Operators.
Being an Operator that works on set, I get to talk to the UPM’s and Producers in person. They see me perform with my gear and they know I can give them a fair price. Gradually our reputation had grown from within the film community.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.atlantagimbals.com
- Instagram: @atlgimbals
Image Credits
The bigger man in the photos is my business partner, Daniel Friedberg. The photo with 3 of us in the picture is Pedro Guimaraes. (CineMilled Owner), Myself, and Daniel my business partner. We were at NAB in this picture.