Road Movie on two wheels

Brechtie Smidt, founder and director of deepeei, received inspiration for this film project from Al Gore´s documentary “An Inconvenient Truth“: “The Dutch are especially threatened by climatic disaster because we only live five meters above sea level. Thus we got the idea of travelling by bicycle and toting a camera to visit people and companies involved in protecting the climate.” The Dutch selected the best cyclist teams out of 100 applicants for the project. Sachtler supported the teams, who used the Panasonic AG-HPX500 and AG-HPX171E camcorders with Cine 30 HD and Video 15 SB support systems.

Safety of extreme conditions and quick filming

On route from Alaska to the southernmost point of Argentina, covering nearly 27,000 km (17,000 miles), deepeei documented environmental projects in the rainforest and in the wilderness, on islands and in the mountains. “It was a road movie marked by extremes – from the chill of Alaska to the heat of the jungle, on dangerous roads or by boat in small shells. When filming for the project everything had to work right the first time. “We usually didn’t get a second chance when rolling footage”, says Milan Collin.

Sachtler fluid heads: stability and precision

Due to extreme requirements, all the equipment had to be light, robust, easy and fast to set up. “Sachtler tripod systems guaranteed stability and extreme precision for our work“, says Collin. The Cine 30 HD fluid head comes with a sideload mechanism and is perfect for difficult productions: The camera and all accessories are easily attached to the fluid head with the side-loading mechanism. This has the advantage of switching quickly between handheld and tripod operation. “Filming time in Latin America was kept to a minimum for our own safety as well as that of the equipment“, the cameraman told us. “The Speedbalance technology of the Video 15 SB enables you to work fast and accurately: The equipment is ready to shoot in no time. The Sachtler heads fully met our expectations.“

Lightweight luggage provides more comfort

The Video 15 SB fluid head offered an additional advantage to the expedition team: The head accepts cameras weighing one kilogram or more. “The four cyclists were able to take along lightweight cameras and were happy about every kilo of luggage they were spared.” With lightweight cameras it is especially important to use a stable tripod: Thus you can perform precise and steady pans, using additional equipment as well. Milan Collin summarized the bike journey as follows: “We had the perfect equipment to capture spectacular pictures and everything else went according to plan. The film project shows our ideas for mankind and nature to live in harmony – our aim is to inspire people and change their everyday life in a positive way.” The first film-cuts have already been made, the completion and worldwide release of the environmental road movie is planned for the end of 2010.

About Sachtler, Camera Dynamics GmbH

Sachtler, founded in 1958 by cameraman Wendelin Sachtler, is the worldwide market leader for professional camera support systems for cinematography and television production, its name a symbol of top quality and reliability for decades. With an extensive range of camera support systems as well as a finely modulated product line of reportage lighting, Sachtler is the highly qualified partner for cameramen, film and TV studios. Since 2000 Sachtler has been offering the artemis modular camera stabilizer system. With its numerous workshops and training sessions, the Wendelin Sachtler Academy has become a top address worldwide for invaluable know-how and the exchange of information, creating the ideal international platform for creative talents.

A Snapshot of The Vitec Group

Vitec is an international Group principally serving customers in the broadcast, photographic and military, aerospace and government (MAG) markets. Listed on the London Stock Exchange with 2009 revenue of £315 million, Vitec is based on strong, well known, premium brands on which its customers worldwide rely. Vitec is organised in three divisions: Imaging & Staging, Videocom and Services.
Imaging & Staging designs, manufactures and distributes equipment and accessories for photography, video and events.
Videocom designs and distributes systems and products used in broadcasting and live entertainment, film and video production and MAG.
Services provides equipment rental, workflow design and technical support for camera, video, audio, fibre optic and wireless technology used by TV production teams and film crews.