CREATION
November 2018
13
caption
Recent users of the new flowtech100 tripod include renowned nature and wildlife
photographer Thorsten Milse (right). On a recent trip to shoot the famed lemurs of
Madagascar, Milse loaded up the flowtech100 with a Sachtler FSB 10 fluid head and his Canon
EOS-1D X Mark II camera, equipped with a heavy 600mm zoom lens.
Another recent user is Renea Veneri Stewart (above), co-owner of production company Rock
Salt Media. She recently tested the flowtech100 in a weather lull during Hurricane Hector. Set
up on a rocky area of the eastern Oahu shore, the flowtech100 supported a Canon EOS C300
cinematic camera with monitor and hood, mounted on a Sachtler Video 18 S2 fluid head.
— the actor’s theatre — which she
describes as “invaluable”.
Also set to offer valuable sup-
port to professional lighting con-
trol is Stellar, a new intelligent app
offered by ARRI. According to
ARRI, Stellar re-imagines lighting
control by automatically managing
complex DMX settings, and by
featuring control interfaces with
“stunning graphic design”.
Whether a large film with many
scenes and set-ups, or a small pro-
ject with just a few fixtures, Stellar
is built to work in all scenarios,
says ARRI. Coded intelligence and
advanced communications make
connecting ARRI SkyPanel and
L-Series fixtures to the app “simple
and straightforward”.
Stellar is also the “final link”
to a complete ecosystem of ad-
vanced lighting control products
from ARRI. The SkyPanel features
Art-Net, sACN, DMX and RDM
implementations for a wide range
of control options. Combined with
SkyLink, a large rig of SkyPanels
can be controlled wirelessly —
Stellar further brings all these
pieces together with intuitive
controls that work in tandem with
the Skylink, SkyPanel and L-Series
hardware.
At I B C 2 0 1 8 , A R R I a l s o
launched the OCU-1 operator
control unit, designed to help
camera operators take control of
lens functions. An addition to the
WCU-4 lens control system on
the Alexa Mini, OCU-1 enables
operators to over-ride and return
focus, zoom and iris controls at the
touch of a button.
Christine Ajayi, product man-
ager, PCA electronic control sys-
tem, ARRI, elaborates: “This is a
simple device that does exactly
what the name implies. It gives
camera operators full control of
their lenses when they want it.”
Also new from ARRI is the
Lightweight Matte Box LMB 6x6,
the latest addition to ARRI’S
LMB range. According to Philip
Vischer, product manager, PCA
mechanical accessories, ARRI, the
LMB 6x6 will make short work of
on-set challenges. “It’s streamlined
and light, and altering the various
applications doesn’t require any
supplementary tools — that will
make set-ups really quick and
easy,” he explains.
The LMB 6x6 is able to be used
with gimbals, drones or Steadicam
rigs when used in a single-filter
configuration. It can be simply
clamped to a lens or used with rod-
mounts, either 15mm or 19mm
studio rods, or — in conjunction
with an adaptor — 15mm light-
weight rods.
For Sachtler and Vinten, the
Vintec Group companies encour-
age users to go with the flow, or
more specifically, flowtech100,
the latest addition to the flow-
tech carbon-fibre tripod range.
Compatible with all major 100mm
fluid heads, flowtech100 sup-
ports a payload of up to 30kg (66
pounds), making it well suited
for heavy-duty electronic news-
gathering (ENG), electronic field
production (EFP), and a wide
range of wildlife, commercial and
documentary productions.
For instance, the flowtech100
was the choice of renowned na-
ture and wildlife photographer
Thorsten Milse when he recent-
ly went on a six-week trip to
photograph the famed lemurs of
Madagascar. On the Madagascar
expedition, Milse loaded up the
flowtech100 with a Sachtler FSB 10
fluid head and his Canon EOS-1D
X Mark II camera, equipped with a
heavy 600mm zoom lens.
He reflects: “In Madagascar,
fast set-up was a critical require-
ment for capturing the lemurs,
which move really quickly in the
high treetops. Not only was flow-
tech100 incredibly fast and easy
to set up and adjust, but it also
allowed us to get to a really low
position fast, which is really im-
portant for capturing those fleeting
ground shots.
“With the lemurs, sometimes I
only had a few seconds to get the
shot. But I was able to approach
with my camera and lens in one
hand and the tripod in the other,
open the legs with my foot, adjust
the height, snap on the camera,
and shoot.”
With quick-release brakes
located at the top of the tripod, the
flowtech100 legs can be deployed
simultaneously and adjusted auto-
matically to the ground’s surface
— saving operators from having
to bend over and manually ad-
just multiple brakes on each leg.
Another key feature, particularly
for photographing wildlife, is the
flowtech100’s ability to adjust al-
most instantly to heights ranging
from 26cm-153cm.
Another recent user of the
flowtech100 is production com-
pany Rock Salt Media, which
deployed the tripod for the pro-
duction of its Family Ingredients
lifestyle programme, which show-
cases the many cultures that have
shaped the Hawaiian Islands.
Renea Veneri Stewart, co-own-
er of Rock Salt Media, and execu-
tive producer/cinematographer for
Family Ingredients, recently tested
the flowtech100 in a weather lull
during Hurricane Hector. Set up
on a rocky area of the eastern Oahu
shore, the flowtech100 supported
a Canon EOS C300 cinematic
camera with monitor and hood,
mounted on a Sachtler Video 18
S2 fluid head.
Stewart says: “We’re always on
the lookout for tripods that are
fast and lightweight, but still really
strong and stable. After testing the
flowtech100, I have no doubt it can
provide the necessary support and
stability for even heavier payloads
— even in residual wind from a
hurricane!
“The flowtech100 is not only
fast and convenient, but you can
also feel the quality and crafts-
manship for which Sachtler and
Vinten are known. It’s going to
become my go-to tripod.”
Bringing “smart” to robot-
ic camera systems is Shotoku
Broadcast Systems. Leading
this initiative is the company’s
SmartPed Robotic Pedestal, a fully
robotic XY pedestal that addresses
the creative and commercial de-
mands of on-air environments.
The three-wheel smooth-steer
pedestal has recently been up-
graded with multi-zone collision
avoidance and detection systems,
a precision-engineered, electro-
mechanic al steer/drive system,
Shotoku
Broadcast
Systems’
Robotic Pedestal
is a fully robotic
XY pedestal
that addresses
the creative
and commercial
demands of on-
air environments.
and a new height column that
eliminates any need for pneumatic
balancing.
SmartPed also offers instant
switchover between local/remote
operation, which makes the ped-
estal versatile and easily operated
in any application, according to
Shotoku. No re-reference or cali-
bration is required when switching
between these modes and a pan
bar-mounted local joystick enables
easy control from the studio floor
as necessary.
Shotoku has also introduced its
SD and SE manual tripod series.
The SD range has been developed
to provide a quality, affordable
system for handheld cameras.
Available in two variants, the SD20
and the SD40 support 3kg and
5kg cameras respectively. The
systems feature fixed counterbal-
ance and drag systems tailored to
the payload of the head,
and come complete
wit h two-st age
tripod mid-level
spreader and soft
carry case.
The SE range, on the other
hand, evolved from a concept
of providing support with high
functionality and wide-ranging
applic ations for the extended
range of camera systems available
in the market today, says Shotoku.
The SE80 and SE150 are the first
products to be launched under the
SE range, and both feature a high-
quality drag system to ensure
“smooth on-air moves”, and a
multiple level counterbalance
system to provide accurate
balancing for a wide range of
cameras.
The SE80 supports up to
10kg payloads, while the SE150,
up to 16kg — both come com-
plete with aluminium or carbon
fibre two-stage tripod, ground
or mid-level spreader, and a soft
carry case.