HOLLYWOOD— Several years ago I made
the move from single camera dramas to
multicamera comedy and quickly learned
that in this format there is no margin for
error, especially when you‘re shooting in
front of a live audience. That’s when my
crew introduced me to Vinten heads and
pedestals.
Currently, I’m shooting “Jesse,” a Disney
Channel series aimed at the youth market.
It’s the story of a young woman who travels
to New York from Texas to become a
star. Low on funds, she becomes a nanny
to four kids. The show offers positive social
messages about family life with plenty
of kid-friendly, gag-style humor mixed in.
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| Rick Gunter |
We shoot the series on stage at Hollywood
Center Studios using four cameras
which are supported by Vinten Vector
heads on Vinten Quattro studio pedestals.
I would never attempt to do a multicamera
show without this setup.
KEEPS PRODUCTION MOVING
My crew members are the best and are
always up to any challenge the directors
might throw at us. As we’re using Vinten
heads, rebalancing the camera to compensate
for a lens change or adding an extra
light never slows any of them down.
The Vinten heads we’re using on “Jesse”
have a full range of adjustments and work
effortlessly with a wide range of cameras.
All of the operators tell me that heads
have a really natural and transparent “feel”
to them. I rarely see any other type heads
used on the sets around here anymore. On
this show we do an incredible amount of
setups during the shooting day and we’ve
found that the Vinten heads always hold
up to the challenge.
Some of the scenes on “Jesse” require
inserts to punctuate the scene. With other
manufacturers’ heads, we’d have to loosen
a bolt to get the maximum tilt range from
the head. The problem with making such
adjustments is the time
that it takes to make the
adjustment, and after
loosening the bolts, the
heads have to be leveled
up again. However,
with the Vinten heads
we’re using in the production
of “Jesse,” we’re
able to shoot a scene
and perform extreme
camera tilts whenever
needed without stopping
down for adjustments
and rebalancing.
NO SLIPPAGE HERE
We also do green
screen insert shots
about once a week.
The storyline involves
one of the character’s
pet lizard and since we
can’t work with this lizard
around any of the
young cast, we shoot
him separately and
place the sequence in
the shot using a green
screen.
Often, we have to
leave the Vinten setup
in position for several
hours before we can
complete this sequence. It never drops
or moves in any way. The locks are superb
and we never fear camera movement during
this time. It’s been my experience
that when other heads are left this long,
they have to be wedged or sand-bagged to
keep them in place. However, the Vinten
heads with their innovative locking system
always stay exactly where we leave
them.
Vinten heads and pedestals save us
time and allow us to achieve great shots
that make the scene come alive.
Rick Gunter has shot more than 650
episodes of single camera and multicamera
series and was nominated for
an Emmy in 2011 for an episode of
“Wizards of Waverly Place.” He may be
contacted at rgunter105@aol.com.
For additional information, contact
Vinten at 845-268-0100 or visit www.vinten.com.