Camera Corps Heads to Australian Rainforest

“Camera Corps has co-operated successfully with us on many television productions, including this very demanding series,” comments Gearhouse Broadcast Chief Operating Officer Kevin Moorhouse. “ ‘I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!’ is always particularly challenging for everyone involved, being set at Murwillumbah in the tropical rainforest of New South Wales. Murwillumbah is one of the hottest and wettest environments on the planet. We have to protect the kit from torrential rain and prolonged humidity as well as insects that look on a camera as an ideal place to set up home.

“The cameras themselves are a mix of Camera Corps Q-Ball remotely controlled pan/tilt/zoom heads, Camera Corps MiniZooms, Hitachi DK-H32, Iconix HD-RH1 and Toshiba IK HD1. The Q-Ball heads come in a fully weather-protected machined-aluminium sphere so the only extra protection needed is to ensure rain doesn’t land directly on the lens if they are used outdoors. Each Q-Ball has an integral pan/tilt drive which operates very smoothly and practically silently, allowing live follow-shots of contestants performing their challenges or moving from one location to another. Picture quality from the Q-Ball and MiniZoom cameras is stunning, fully justifying the decision to capture the programme in HD.

“Three Camera Corps technicians, Steve Lintern, Cameron McGrath and David Sisson, are working alongside our own crew to install, control and reposition the cameras both inside and outside of the camp. All three have worked with us on earlier ‘I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here’ productions .”

“Camera Corps MiniShot remote pan-and-tilt heads are being used to allow remote control of the Hitachi cameras,” adds David Sisson. “Like the Q-Ball cameras, these are operated via assignable joysticks and remote control panels. The Toshiba cameras are being used in a variety of applications including ultra-wide angle shots via Theia lenses of the celebs in the helicopter prior to sky-diving into the camp. As ever, we brought a very wide range of camera mounts and waterproof housings to cater for every scenario from rocky ground and riverbanks to all imaginable varieties of tree.”

'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' is a reality television series in which contestants compete to become King or Queen of the Jungle. Originally developed in Britain by Granada Television for ITV and first shown in 2002, it is produced by ITV Studios and licensed globally. Viewers vote by phone for a chosen contestant to complete a Bush Tucker Trial and money is raised for charity with a donation being made from every call. The last remaining contestant, after others have been evicted, is declared the winner.