Technology Description | Patent Info | Inventor Bio | Moving Camera
SHORT Introduction
* The only thing that really remains constant in today's world is change. The industry of television and digital video production is a good example of this. Economic uncertainty is another example of change.
* Economic uncertainty is the type of change that can make formerly simple business decisions difficult, if not impossible, as 'the old way' of doing things becomes less rational in a new economic and business climate.
* The way to survive change is to invest and prepare for it. Learning about new and emerging technologies allows us to prepare for change.
* Keeping content fresh and leveraging the creativity of the shooters helps us keep the competitive edge.
* Vertical camera gives the advantage in visual storytelling.
* To prepare for change we must invest in new tools to become more productive and more competitive, and we must often invest in new business relationships.
* Now the SHORT positioner gives another tool option for capturing content. SHORT is modern hand held HD camera support technology.
SHORT Technology Explained
* The difference between SHORT and earlier/existing technologies is to allow a broad variety of Camera Support, positioning and Moving Camera benefits to the end user. This includes not only horizontal motion, but also substantial vertical camera motion, modern, oblique or complex camera positioning and unlimited shooting orientation, all with a single tool used by a single operator.
* As an added benefit, the compact remote camera head allows for confined space operation such as narrow-pass-through shots that are typically not possible with currently available body mounted stabilizer technology.
* This technology combines the historically separate Camera Support tools of the camera crane and the operator supported stabilizer into a single tool with all the mobility of a hand held system, while needing none of the extra crew, labor or time typically required for camera crane and/or dolly/track systems.
SHORT HD Cinema Prototype, Operational late Summer 2010
What SHORT is
* Two axis articulation at the camera end of the beam is all that is required for traditional (level horizon) camera support/motion as well as modern camera style (tilted horizon, oblique/spinning camera). This is true because the stance and grip of the operator allow for multiple added degrees of freedom in positioning. This is accomplished by extension/retraction and twisting of the beam about its long axis, WITHOUT adding additional mass at the pan/tilt end of the beam where added mass would otherwise be most limiting to the hand held cantilever device.
* The human body is one of the most diversly capeable machines known. Why not take advantage of that naturally evolved solution to mechanical motion? This is exactly what we do with SHORT. No vest. No unnecessary bulk, added weight or mechanism. Just the operator and the camera positioner. Turn it on, pick it up and use it. Simple.
* The payload is not overslung or underslung, and doesn't know the difference between the two. The SHORT camera positioner is axially balanced, with the mass center of the moving parts purposefully placed along the axis of the beam. The positioner may be held at any angle or orientation and swung through any arc during a shot without adverse effect. The aerospace composite and titanium structure is strong, stiff and lightweight. Unlimited shooting orientation is the result....
* Unlimited shooting orientation. Think about it.
* A built-in active servo stabilizer may be selected for each axis independently. This helps to smooth unsteady motion. The end results are hand held shots that the audience can't tell are hand held, more of those shots per hour spent on the scene or set, and better imagery afforded by freedom of camera path, freedom of vertical camera and freedom of operator creativity.
What SHORT means
* The freedom of camera path allowed by this technology lends a more intuitive understanding of scene space and subject within the mind of the viewer. The relationship of the subject within the scene may be better exploited for visual storytelling using this technology. This scene space exploitation process happens very efficiently with the hand held platform. Freedom of camera path and vertical camera are but a few of the many advantages offered by this emerging camera support technology. Versatility and hand held mobility are the trademark of SHORT.
* In motion image production, the shooting phase is typically a large chunk of the budget. SHORT consolidates camera Support functions of crane and stabilizer during shooting, and does so with the capture efficiency of hand held camera. Versatile. Mobile. SHORT is a more higly evolved camera support tool than the other previous support forms of crane and stabilizer, allowing you to get quality imagery with hand held efficiency.
* Effective, efficient, versatile and mobile. SHORT delivers valuable functionality, saving shooting time and in the process saving money. You also end up with more diverse imagery when you go to post because you had freedom of camera path from unlimited shooting orientation during capture.
* SHORT. A value added production tool.