SOUTH JORDAN, UTAH— Since purchasing
my RED Epic camera earlier this year,
I’ve had a lot of fun in getting out and
shooting with it. I intentionally configured
the camera and related equipment
for lightweight run-and-gun style of
shooting.
Some of the things I’ve tried on
the new camera so far have included
shooting footage from a helicopter,
while at a freestyle terrain park, and also
capturing automotive “rolling shots.” In
gaining experience with the RED Epic,
I’ve used it both with various camera rigs
and also in a handheld operating mode.
Not too long ago, I was fortunate
enough to be one of two individuals
chosen to capture the Official SBK
Superbike World Championship, which
takes place in several locations around
the world, and one of these is at the Miller
Motorsports Park here in Utah. (It’s just
outside Tooele and is one of the world’s
most amazing race facilities.)
As I’m a huge car nut, there was no
way that I was going to turn down such
an opportunity to get out and shoot this
racing event, which happens in late May,
and is a Utah Memorial Day tradition. It
mixes motorcycles, motor cars, music,
stunt shows and military hardware,
with bullet bikes from Yamaha, Ducati,
Honda, BMW, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Aprilia
battling at up to 200 miles per hour, and
driven by some of the world’s best.
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| Wes Howell |
MILLER GOES PERFECTLY WITH RED
For shooting an event such as this I
needed a high-quality tripod that would be
silky enough to allow me to get high framerate,
slow-motion shots, but one that was
also portable enough to easily move around
to various positions on the track. I found
that the Miller Compass 25 was a perfect
match for the lighter RED Epic setup and
provided me with the flexibility I needed
for the times when I need to use a heavy
rig or long lens.
For a good portion of this year’s event,
the second shooter was off on assignment,
or otherwise involved in covering other
events around the track. I was responsible
for moving around all of my camera gear,
lenses, tripod and support gear, mandating
gear that was easy to transport, and more
importantly, was very quick to set up for
operations. I found in particular that the
Sprint-locks on the carbon fiber tripod
were a big life saver, as they allowed me
to adjust and level the height of the sticks
without assistance.
I’ve always found that Miller camera
support equipment is spoken very
highly of—both online and by my peers.
I frequently check into the RED Camera
user Website, and have observed that
Miller gear is been held in the highest
regard by other RED aficionados too.
This is one of the things that brought my
attention to the versatility and overall
value that Miller gear provides.
I’m very pleased with my Miller support
gear and know that I’ll be using it with my
RED Epic for a long time to come.
Wes Howell has 15 years of experience
in the film and video industry. He may be
contacted at whowell@adobe.com.
For additional information, contact
Miller Camera Support at 973-857-8300,
or visit www.millertripods.com.