Home  Newsletters 1st Motion Picture Marine Newsletter
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1st Motion Picture Marine Newsletter |
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Written by David Grober
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Monday, 19 February 2001 |
| After ten years of blood, sweat, tears, and tests, the PERFECT HORIZON is making friends faster than Superman can stabilize rocking buildings in a California quake. Enough history - now for the fun stuff! The 1st PERFECT HORIZON began life on “X-MEN”.
Filming during freezing Toronto nights, the PERFECT HORIZON accomplished vessel tracking shots with both an Arri 435, and a Vista Vision camera for background plates. Key grip William Engel was extremely impressed with the quick set-up time and the ability of the PERFECT HORIZON to steady the large cameras. |  |
| Shortly thereafter the PERFECT HORIZON went to Fiji with David Grober for the “Rip Curl Tavarua Surf Championships”.  Cameraman Tim Bonython, one of the hottest surf shooters in the world, normally captures this event from the judging tower. But the PERFECT HORIZON allowed Tim to go “live boat” the entire event. While the 25' surf boat zoomed in and out of the swells, the PERFECT HORIZON, ratchet strapped to the wooden seat, kept the camera level and stable.
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Tim later commented “Without the PERFECT HORIZON, my shots would have been a wobbly mess.”
A few months later, Tim again put the PERFECT HORIZON to work, this time at Teahupoo, Tahiti. Top competitors like Kelly Slater and Mark Ochiluppo challenged the waves. All the while the PERFECT HORIZON, balancing a Beta SP, captured all the action right inside the surf zone, then in a first ever, broadcast it live, via uplink, to Swell's website. The world watched surfing, clear, stable and close up. “When focusing on the world's best surfers, pulling into the world's biggest barrels, your shots have to be steady. Without the PERFECT HORIZON we would have been lost at sea.” (Tim Bonython)
| | Then the really big stuff began to roll in! 
Producer J.P. Beeghly, working with director Dana Brown Jr., called to inform us that California winter storms were shaping up to produce the perfect monster waves ... not on the coast, but 100 miles offshore of San Diego. In a little known spot called Cortez Banks, an underwater mountain rises to within 3 feet of the surface. When ocean storm waves roll in, WATCH OUT! Professional surfers Mike Parsons, Ken “Skindog” Collins, Brad Gerlach & Peter Mel decided to see if this remote spot could be surfed. 
| MPM's Steve Waterford and the HYDRO GYRO were invited along on a day that made surfing history.
50' monster faces, perfectly shaped barrels and spectacular big wave, tow-in surfing at it's best ... and most dangerous. The surfers are towed like skiers behind jet skis, which then sling shot them out onto the wave faces. Other cameramen tried to capture the event.
But the footage that ended upon Bryant Gumbel's “Today” show was shot with the PERFECT HORIZON - and Bryant only got the “B” roll stuff. Just wait till “Liquid” hits the theatres in 2002. The “A” roll will blow you away!
 | | TECH TALK For those of you not familiar with the PERFECT HORIZON stabilized head, it's about the size and shape of an O'Connor 100. Weighing 30 lbs, it attaches to your tripod or high hat with a standard Mitchell mount. Dove tail and Sachtler head adapters are available. The PERFECT HORIZON is powered all day by a standard 24 DCV camera battery. The PERFECT HORIZON comes in two watertight pelican cases that go standard airline baggage with the PERFECT HORIZON technician.   Two axis PERFECT HORIZON mounted on tripod with power supply and controls. Simply mount your pan/tilt head & camera and start filming |
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