Hellooo, Dolly!

Most moviemakers believe the cost of owning a dolly to be prohibitive. They may reconsider when they hear about this light, compact version.

by Jack Watson | Published August 31, 1995

The sleek Eagle I in repose. For the money, this little dolly will give you the ride of your life.

MOTIONCAM USA. As with most of the MM staff, I'm not only in love with the moviemaking business, I love the ingenuity inherent in the process itself. As I've said in previous columns, I'm partial to a camera that moves in and around the action--a style not always easy to come by for the budget-lite producer. Steadicam operators can only get as high as they can climb, and dolly and crane shots are time-consuming and unidirectional or circular at best. These popular camera platforms, the mainstay of the industry, have limitations. For directors with a penchant for dramatic shots, MOTIONCAM USA, in Castaic, CA, (808) 295-0707, has a unique alternative that allows your camera to go where it hasn't gone before.

The MOTIONCAM is a small, remote- controlled helicopter that looks like a prop in a James Bond movie. But armed with a gyro- stabilized 35mm movie camera, this is one very clever concept. Scale model remote-controlled helicopters have been around the movie business for well over a decade. Usually they appear in front of the camera, crashing into mountains or each other. MOTIONCAM's tiny chopper puts the camera aloft for an incredible bird's eye view of the action as a camera platform, not a prop.

A recent Ice T music video aired on MTV which featured some MOTIONCAM shots through the windows of a highrise. Included in the video's final edit were shots of the MOTIONCAM copter hovering outside the window looking in at Ice T and company.

The helicopter can carry a 25-pound payload and the company offers several interchangeable camera mounts (call for details). Most customers opt for the MC 351 camera with a video assist which holds a 200-foot daylight film spool. The MC 351 has a crystal sync motor and can run from four to 64 frames per second forward or backward. Lens mounts for the camera include BNC, PL, and NIKON. The airborne time limit on this tiny titan is about 25 minutes per tank of gas. A B&W video assist signal is microwave downlinked to a ground monitor for the pilot, director, DP and camera operator to get the shot; all functions of the MC 351 from aperture to zoom are controlled remotely.

The MOTIONCAM platform can be rolled 360 degrees on its optical axis, and pan and tilt functions add to the palette of achievable shots.

With a top speed of 50 mph the helicopter can move the camera along with most high- speed action shots, and for chase scenes between tall buildings this should expand your possibilities.

Plan on spending about $5,000/day for this pint-sized pilotless wonder, and while this may seem expensive, consider using it for your "money shot" and what it could do for your production values. The cost of a real helicopter, stabilized mount, pilot, and camera operator per day is staggering, not to mention the liability risk and the hassle of acquiring permits to fly over congested areas. The MOTIONCAM can take you downtown, and with a little room it can even fly indoors. This is one piece of gear I can't wait to use on a production.

JBK Cinequipt. I have a couple of Arri S cameras that I use a lot for music videos, shorts, etc. With the recent addition of a TOBIN crystal sync motor to these tried and true cameras I find I'm using them more than ever.

Since Arri no longer makes the 'S' cameras, finding accessories (other than those originally offered by Arri,) is difficult, at best. JBK Cinequipt in Tucson, AZ (520) 327-0913, sent me a catalog of some of the nifty gadgets they manufacture, and although not exclusively Arri-oriented, their product line offers a number of items which increase the utility of my 'S' twins. Tilt plates, quick-release camera plates, follow focus, hand- held support, and a matte box holder for use with an Arri 6.6 matte box are just a few of the items in their catalog.

They also offer a CCD eyepiece (B&W video tap) for 16 & 35 mm cameras that mounts onto the viewfinder port. Introductory price is $890.00 and will undoubtedly be a big hit with low-budget feature makers.These folks also specialize in the repair and servicing of Mitchell and Arri 16 and 35 mm cameras.

FILMLOOK. Aspiring moviemakers often cut their teeth in video, but the problem with this format, of course, is that shooting anything in video still yields a video look--hard edged and soap opera-like. Well folks, times are changing and advanced technologies have created a way of processing high quality broadcast video so as to look like, I hate to admit it...film.

I've been reading about companies for the last year or so that are taking video and giving it a film look--that lush, emulsified texture that separates cinema from daytime TV. I recently called Robert Faber, president of FILMLOOK, Inc., in Burbank, CA (818) 841-3211, and asked for the scoop on their patented process. First of all the type of video format you use is important. To yield the best results, use a 3 CCD broadcast-quality camera. BetaCam SP is a popular format and should yield beautiful results if normal video levels are maintained with good exposure control during taping. Use of 8mm/Hi-8, VHS/SVHS formats are not recommended. Any optical filters that would be used for a film camera should also be used during production, and use of the video camera's high-speed shutter should be avoided.

The process of giving videotape a film look is a videotape to videotape digital transfer process. For 'made for TV' projects, commercials, home video markets, or many projects with a high shooting ratio, this definitely is a process worth considering. The cost is a bit steep ($85.00/min. for the first 30 minutes, with a 10-minute minimum) but the results are really quite startling. Not only do you get instant dailies without the cost of processing and one-light prints, but the editing process is quicker and should be far less expensive than film editing.

The demo reel that Mr. Faber sent me made me a believer in the medium. To see what FILMLOOK offers, watch The John Larroquette Show. The show's producers are committed to the process, and even music giants like Prince, and The Rolling Stones are using FILMLOOK's processing in their latest music videos which, you guessed it, were shot in video.

With a choice of 24 or 30 simulated film frames per second while rendering your video- tape with film texture, film gray scale, and color, the end product is almost like the high-priced spread. For about $9,000.00 you can make your 90-minute video feature look like film, and a shot at the lucrative video market might be on the horizon. Transferring the end product to film will not yield a film-quality product, however. If you want a film print you still have to shoot in film.

I've already begun pre-production on a feature (to be shot in BetaCam SP) in which I plan to use the film look process on the final edit. Until I saw the FILMLOOK demo reel I wouldn't have considered this. Granted, my video feature will never see the big screen, but the video stores are full of features that have never seen a box office debut. Give FILMLOOK a call. It could help make your feature a reality and even get you a studio deal. Stranger things have happened.

FIRST LIGHT VIDEO PUBLISHING For those of you who want tips from the pros on how to light, film, write, direct or accomplish about any task on a movie set, you can go to school, take seminars, or call the folks at FIRST LIGHT VIDEO PUBLISHING, in Venice, CA.(310) 558-7891. They've got a catalog packed with how-to videos designed for the avid moviemaker. They sent me the KODAK Cinematography Master Class Series of videotapes to review and, in a word, they were spectacular. I sat in awe at the set lighting brilliance of Dean Semler (Dances with Wolves), and John Seale (Dead Poets Society) as they recreate scenes from these movies and explain in great detail their techniques for dealing with difficult lighting situations, while maximizing the number of takes each shooting day. My favorite in the series was 'Shooting for Black & White with Allen Daviau and Dennis Lenoir." Allen Daviau, who shot such greats as The Color Purple, and Bugsy, shows in detail how the early masters employed the tricks of the era in creating cinema masterpieces. This entire series is about eight hours, and I found myself looking at several of the tapes two and three times. They each contain a wealth of information for the serious moviemaker, with 3-D computer animation used to illustrate the techniques employed by these masters of the craft.

In addition to the 30-plus page catalog of "how to" tapes for moviemakers, the folks at FIRST LIGHT also represent the AKELA and LOUMA cranes. I'm a great fan of both of these cranes. The AKELA can reach out to 85' with a 100-pound nose load. The LOUMA crane features automatic backpan compensation (SMARTPAN) which pans the head in the opposite direction of the crane arm movement. This keeps the framing on one point as the arm swings left and right, resulting in smooth crane pans without an operator having to manually pan the camera as the crane arm swings. You can rent a LOUMA crane system for about $4,000 per week, and with its 25-foot arm you can capture a lot of action (including reversals) with a single camera setup. This rig can really save you money and time if properly used.

TROVATO MFG., INC.: My old friend Joe Trovato (TROVATO JIBS) has been busy at his Rochester, NY, based company, (716) 244-3310. I wouldn't be surprised if someday this guy got an Academy Award for special achievement in the movie industry. Sure he makes some of the best JIB ARMS around, but he continually keeps refining and adding to his product line. Brand new is a PEDESTAL which can be dolly-mounted or placed on his newly-designed STUDIO BASE. Designed to accommodate his jib arm line-up, this is a beefy steel pedestal which, like all of the TROVATO products, is beautifully crafted at an affordable price.

Joe has also come up with a basic HI HAT and a MITCHELL LOW HI-HAT which are also affordably priced and superbly manufactured.

For those of you requiring heavy duty precision jib arms, Trovato manufactures the QUATTRO series JIBS with MITCHELL RECEIVER HEAD. The QUATTROs will handle just about any camera and are designed for the rigors of repeated use on feature films.

I talk to Joe about once a month by phone and am always impressed at how dedicated he is to finding simple and exquisite solutions to camera platform problems. When he finds a void in the platform market he works out an engineering solution. Such is the case with his new TROVATO CAM JIB, which is designed to handle nose loads of 50 pounds. As always, TROVATO will make custom jib arm lengths for a nominal charge. If you see a void in the camera platform market, call Joe. This guy and his company are truly amazing.

Until next time...stay in focus. MM