Recently producer Danny Grizzle went out for three weeks to shoot footage not only of the exquisite Satterwhite homes but also to document the lifestyle of homeowners. “I covered homes in the Blue Ridge area of Northern Georgia to Safire North Carolina which is prime high end territory that rivals Aspen Colorado. Then I went to the Northern neck of Virginia just 12 miles from where George Washington was born – where I captured the story of a family that raises bison for the restaurant market ” he says. He shoots with a DSLR package that includes the Vision blue pan and tilt head and tripod system from Vinten. “I had little time to shoot and interesting angles to capture ” he explains. “My package includes a Canon 60D rigged with a follow focus and a wide variety of lenses which I often have to change quickly. To document the Wildt family who raise bison I had to go from intimate interviews inside their house to climbing up on a hay wagon they brought in so I could shoot over the 10 000-Volt fence that surrounds their very unfriendly bison. “I bought the Vision blue specifically for these kinds of situations ” he explains. “It’s near ideal for DSLR filmmaking – a real step up from any entry level video tripods. Vinten’s ‘Perfect Balance’ system is what sold me. Working with DSLR cameras is challenging and different from the way video shooters typically work. One major difference is frequent lens changes and constantly changing rig configurations. “Every change to the camera alters the weight and balance on the head ” he adds. “The beauty of Vinten’s Perfect Balance is the speed and accuracy of resetting the head to precisely match constant reconfigurations of the payload. I have never owned or used any tripod so ideally matched to the specific task of DSLR filmmaking. “The Vinten Vision blue pan and tilt movements are outstanding and free from backlash ” he continues. “This is critical for any image sensor such as DSLR because slow movements are required in order to avoid negative ‘jello’ image artifacts. This head delivers outstanding quality pans and tilts without the kind of slight repositioning that can ruin shots when the operator eases movements into final position and releases muscle pressure on the pan bar. “I also appreciate the illuminated levelling bubble as well as the overall build quality ” Grizzle says. “I selected the mid-level spreader because much of my work is outdoors on rough ground. And I truly appreciate the not-so-little things like the inclusion of a high quality fitted carry case. I travel constantly so I value good cases. Vinten leaves nothing to be desired in this area.” Grizzle’s most recent documentaries on the Satterwhite Log Home lifestyle are now running on the company’s website. He is scheduled to go out on another run to document more of the 30 000 homes the company has built throughout the country.
