Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) October 2017 Volume 34, Issue 8 | Page 22

22 CREATION October 2017 Sachtler and Vinten’s next-gen flowtech tripod supports fast and easy set-up in rugged locations by audrey chang Audrey Chang is Channel and Customer Marketing director, Asia-Pacific, Vitec Group. With its “fast- deploying legs, versatile height range, and exceptional torsional stiffness”, flowtech is designed to simplify and accelerate the workflows of camera operators on any type of broadcast, film or video project and in every type of remote production environment. For any on-location shoot, the tripod is the most critical piece of equipment that is often taken for granted, as the operator has more interaction with the camera and fluid head than with the legs supporting the gear. But the tripod’s importance cannot be overstated; it is often a major factor in an operator’s ability to set up for a shoot as quickly and efficiently as possible. Luke Thomas, a freelance news and documentary cameraman based in Los Angeles, USA, has plenty of appreciation for tripod technology. Having recently shot a travel show with motoring enthusiasts all around California, he had to stay constantly ahead of the pack and be ready to roll when they arrived, which meant finding and setting up the perfect shot as quickly as possible. “With so many things to consider on any given shoot, it’s important to travel light and fast. My gear should be the last thing to slow me down,” he said. “Often, I would only have a matter of minutes to grab my camera and get set up before the convoy of cars rolled into frame. On jobs like that, a fast tripod is everything because as soon as you start wrestling with your tripod, the shot has happened and you missed the moment.” These are the types of considerations that Sachtler and Vinten took into account when they set out to design their vision of a new evolution in tripod technology. As global innovators in camera supports for more than 100 years, the two companies were looking to literally transform the work of camera operators by thinking through every detail of an on-location shoot. The result of that joint effort is flowtech, a new carbon-fibre camera tripod technology with unique quick release brakes and easy-adjust levers that enable camera operators to set up and begin using the tripod immediately. With its fast-deploying legs, versatile height range, and exceptional torsional stiffness, flowtech is designed to simplify and accelerate the workflows of camera operators on any type of broadcast, film, or video project and in every type of remote production environment. The tripod is designed as a companion for digital cinema cameras such as the Sony PXW-FS7, Blackmagic URSA Mini, and the Canon Mark II. To qualify flowtech’s performance, Sachtler and Vinten put the tripod through a rigorous testing process in punishing environments ranging from sludge and sand to extreme temperatures. After more than 30,000 lab-testing cycles, in which the tripod was repeatedly deployed, and 1.5 million clamp operations on the test endurance rig, the companies determined that flowtech exceeded the stringent performance targets for both the Sachtler and Vinten brands. Luke Thomas was on the team that field-tested the new tripod technology. He commented: “Clearly, Sachtler and Vinten put a lot of thought into flowtech — they looked at the fundamental ways tripods are used and came up with a solution that will greatly improve camera operators’ workflows. It is unusual to see this amount of innovation in one tripod.” flowtech combines the speed and portability of a Sachtler tripod with the torsional rigidity of a Vinten product. This exceptional torsional stiffness ensures that the tripod will not twist during camera panning movements, an extremely important consideration in all motion picture productions. Lightweight and easy to transport, the tripod is specifically designed to be carried comfortably on the camera operator’s shoulder, with magnetic locks ensuring that the tripod legs are stable during transport. Another early adopter of flowtech is filmmaker David Spurdens, who has lived and worked in the mountainous French Alps for 25 years — making him no stranger to its unforgiving terrain and climate. Shooting a film in the Tignes Val d’Isère area, Spurdens would have only himself to carry and set up his equipment. After testing the new flowtech tripod, he commented: “It’s fantastic for operators like me who don’t have assistants. It simplifies how I shoot by cutting the amount of time I