Safety-Cam
COVID-19 has impacted the film and TV production industry significantly. Traditionally, production crews work together for extended periods, often in close quarters. This has prompted new guidelines and protocols for safety of crew and on-camera talent. Some might suggest that cameras on set will need to be further away from talent, pushing long distanced shots, or static setups, compromising the resulting production value in the name of meeting distancing guidelines.
But there are alternatives. Brant Hadfield has been using a remote camera control system for most shoots for the past two years. Now that system has become even more relevant because it can put the camera operator in a completely separate space. When used in tandem with a remote camera dolly system, this system provides the opportunity to get the camera close to the actor, with dynamic, remotely controlled movement. Loosely called “Safety-Cam”, the system is easily portable, light enough to be repositioned and adjusted on set between takes by one person, and it offers precise dolly sled repeatability take after take, using the programable dolly motor system.
Safety-Cam doesn’t solve all the challenges of production in the COVID-19 environment, but it removes one hurdle in capturing high quality results otherwise assumed too risky or expensive.
Remote Quiet Slider System
Some production requirements call for a remote camera control system that provides the opportunity to record dialogue. The custom control system shown in the following video uses a remote camera head with a 50-pound payload, and it operates on a heavy-duty slider that can be mounted to a dolly, stands, or apple boxes. What’s more, is the system’s relatively quiet dolly motor allows dialogue to be clearly recorded. The included cabling provides a 60-foot distance from the camera to the operator, and an accessory cable (not pictured in the video below) can be used to further separate the remote camera operator from the slider motor operator.
