22
CREATION
October 2017
Sachtler and Vinten’s next-gen
flowtech tripod supports fast and
easy set-up in rugged locations
by audrey chang
Audrey Chang
is Channel
and Customer
Marketing director,
Asia-Pacific, Vitec
Group.
With its “fast-
deploying legs,
versatile height
range, and
exceptional
torsional
stiffness”,
flowtech is
designed to
simplify and
accelerate
the workflows
of camera
operators on
any type of
broadcast, film
or video project
and in every
type of remote
production
environment.
For any on-location shoot, the tripod
is the most critical piece of equipment
that is often taken for granted, as the
operator has more interaction with
the camera and fluid head than with
the legs supporting the gear. But
the tripod’s importance cannot be
overstated; it is often a major factor
in an operator’s ability to set up for
a shoot as quickly and efficiently as
possible.
Luke Thomas, a freelance news
and documentary cameraman based
in Los Angeles, USA, has plenty of
appreciation for tripod technology.
Having recently shot a travel show
with motoring enthusiasts all around
California, he had to stay constantly
ahead of the pack and be ready to
roll when they arrived, which meant
finding and setting up the perfect
shot as quickly as possible.
“With so many things to consider
on any given shoot, it’s important
to travel light and fast. My gear
should be the last thing to slow me
down,” he said. “Often, I would only
have a matter of minutes to grab
my camera and get set up before
the convoy of cars rolled into frame.
On jobs like that, a fast tripod is
everything because as soon as you
start wrestling with your tripod, the
shot has happened and you missed
the moment.”
These are the types of
considerations that Sachtler and
Vinten took into account when they
set out to design their vision of a
new evolution in tripod technology.
As global innovators in camera
supports for more than 100 years,
the two companies were looking to
literally transform the work of camera
operators by thinking through every
detail of an on-location shoot.
The result of that joint effort is
flowtech, a new carbon-fibre camera
tripod technology with unique quick
release brakes and easy-adjust levers
that enable camera operators to
set up and begin using the tripod
immediately.
With its fast-deploying legs,
versatile height range, and
exceptional torsional stiffness,
flowtech is designed to simplify
and accelerate the workflows of
camera operators on any type of
broadcast, film, or video project and
in every type of remote production
environment.
The tripod is designed as a
companion for digital cinema
cameras such as the Sony PXW-FS7,
Blackmagic URSA Mini, and the
Canon Mark II.
To qualify flowtech’s performance,
Sachtler and Vinten put the tripod
through a rigorous testing process
in punishing environments ranging
from sludge and sand to extreme
temperatures. After more than 30,000
lab-testing cycles, in which the tripod
was repeatedly deployed, and 1.5
million clamp operations on the
test endurance rig, the companies
determined that flowtech exceeded
the stringent performance targets for
both the Sachtler and Vinten brands.
Luke Thomas was on the team
that field-tested the new tripod
technology. He commented: “Clearly,
Sachtler and Vinten put a lot of
thought into flowtech — they looked
at the fundamental ways tripods are
used and came up with a solution
that will greatly improve camera
operators’ workflows. It is unusual to
see this amount of innovation in one
tripod.”
flowtech combines the speed
and portability of a Sachtler tripod
with the torsional rigidity of a Vinten
product. This exceptional torsional
stiffness ensures that the tripod will
not twist during camera panning
movements, an extremely important
consideration in all motion picture
productions. Lightweight and easy
to transport, the tripod is specifically
designed to be carried comfortably
on the camera operator’s shoulder,
with magnetic locks ensuring that
the tripod legs are stable during
transport.
Another early adopter of flowtech
is filmmaker David Spurdens, who has
lived and worked in the mountainous
French Alps for 25 years — making
him no stranger to its unforgiving
terrain and climate. Shooting a film in
the Tignes Val d’Isère area, Spurdens
would have only himself to carry and
set up his equipment. After testing the
new flowtech tripod, he commented:
“It’s fantastic for operators like me
who don’t have assistants. It simplifies
how I shoot by cutting the amount of
time I