Support Equipment

Wildlife cinematographer Danny Schmidt plunged into Colombia’s remote Magdalena River Valley earlier this year to document the plight of the critically endangered brown spider monkey in a project for National Geographic. Schmidt and camera operator Federico Pardo had just eight days to locate the rare albino spider monkeys (their albinism is a genetic abnormality cause by habitat degradation), record their story and capture the fragile environment in which they live.

If you’re one of the 23 million who have seen the Top 10 iTunes WTF (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO_3Qgib6RQ) video of Missy Elliot featuring Pharrell Williams, you likely recognize the signature moves and grooves director Dave Meyers lent to the comeback queen’s rap performance. This year Scott Cunningham, his director of photography and long-time producer, is adding his own visual influence to Elliot’s storied career.

Cinematographer Carmen Cabana relied on camera support products from Manios Digital and Film while shooting on location for the new romantic comedy Holiday Breakup. Cabana employed a Cartoni Laser head and tripod system, along with a Vocas handheld rig to support the Blackmagic Cinema Camera that she used to capture principal photography.

Intuitive Aerial will introduce a compact, ergonomic controller for the Aerigon the airborne camera platform for professional film and broadcast production, at IBC 2015. The Dominion controller is a portable device that allows camera operators to guide camera movement, focus, and other camera settings on board the Aerigon while in flight. Broadcasters, cinematographers, directors, and production teams now have even greater control when capturing aerial footage using virtually any modern camera, thanks to Aerigon’s high payload capacity and industry-leading stability and precision.