 | With a dizzying array of gadgets and gizmos in the marketplace today, Boards investigates one simple yet versatile device that allows any camera to capture stabilized images in environments where pitching and rolling would otherwise destroy a cinematographer's ability to construct a balanced, calculated frame. |
As gnarly surf pioneers Ken "Skindog" Collies, Mike Parsons and Brad Gerlach devoured 50foot waves at Cortez Banks in January a Super 16 Arri SR3 camera with a Century/ Canon 150-600mm zoom lens captured aggressive surfing from a floundering 35 foot boat. Although the sea created heavy pitching and rolling that day, the Arri filmed with no hint of the dizzying movement encoun-tered as the monster waves swept in. Thanks to utilizing the PERFECT HORIZON digital stabilization head from CA-based Motion Picture Marine, all footage seized that day was as solid as if shot from land. Director Dana Brown ("Endless Summer 2") is using this footage for a surfing movie entitled Liquid, scheduled for release in 2002. Primarily designed for water-based productions on anything from powerboats to jet skis, the PERFECT HORIZON works admirably on rough seas and has additionally become a popular gadget both on land and in mid-air when tough filming scenarios beckon.
Designed to mount between the tripod
and fluid head in about five minutes, the camera stabilization sys-tem provides perfectly balanced footage for lenses up to 550 mm in length. Weighing in at 32 lbs., the hands-on unit is half the weight of other more cumbersome remote heads and can carry loads weighing up to 150 lbs. It is also waterproof to 30 feet and mounts to any vehicle, vessel, aircraft, crane or cable system.
The unit is a necessary addition to any crew clambering to capture essential footage in myriad uncomfortable and constrained scenarios ones that prove to be a daunting challenge for even
the most accomplished cinematographer. With harsh filming environments constantly experienced by many productions worldwide, the PERFECT HORIZON offers them an extremely useful and simple tool, especially so when footage needs to be shot on tough terrain, undulating waters or even midair. For use on moving vehicles, the PERFECT HORIZON can incorporate a lightweight, two inch thick, anti-shock and vibration dampening system, aptly called the Shocksorber, to free movement and reduce fine vibration caused by constant contact with ground.
When attached to an aircraft, the system has the added bonus of mounting without the need for heavy ball mount systems and complex stabilizing devices. Further, it can be fixed on dollies to eliminate track entirely and also keep the camera level on cranes regardless of boom angle. The unit was successfully employed on the set of X-Men to film background plates in Vista Vision and various action water scenes stabilizing an Arri 435 camera. More recently, the stabilization head was used at surfing events on the World Championship Tour, primarily the Gotcha Pro in Tahiti and the Rip Curl Pro in Fiji, where the unit balanced a Beta SP camera to uplink live images of radical maneuvers to the Websavvy masses. Added clout comes from the fact that the system is currently being tested on the mammoth IMAX system and other large format cameras, plus a new 3 axis was unveiled by Motion Picture Marine this month. The full 3 axis remote head offers easier use on cranes, camera cars, helicopters and planes. The versatility of this unit is best experienced by production companies about to embark upon filming the vistas of outlandish on land terrain, arrogant airborne play and chivalrous seaborne adventures.
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