LOS ANGELES, CA — Thanks to the reliability and ruggedness of Anton/Bauer® DIONIC HC battery, award-winning veteran documentarian and TV cameraman, Allen Dewey, doesn’t miss a trick while on-location, shooting in extreme conditions for his many reality TV projects. Anton/Bauer®, a brand of The Vitec Group, and the world’s premier provider of batteries, chargers, lighting and other mobile power systems for the professional broadcast, video and film industries, has remained the exclusive battery of choice for Dewey since first trying out the brand in the 1980s and has continued to power his cameras for the variety of reality TV shows he’s worked on, including Gene Simmons Family Jewels, The Girls Next Door, American Restoration and the last four seasons of A&E’s Criss Angel: Mindfreak.
The Academy Award-, Emmy- and Telly-winning videographer tested the new Anton/Bauer DIONIC® HC battery during Season 6 of Criss Angel: Mindfreak, which airs on the A&E Network. The show stars famous illusionist Criss Angel, who pulls off some of the world’s most dazzling stunts, including walking on water, levitating above Las Vegas hotels and jumping out of moving vehicles.
“Because most shoots are extremely challenging and I try to be as close to the action as I can safely be, we need equipment that we can count on,” says Dewey. “On the live A&E special, ‘Criss Angel: Building Implosion’ we spent over two-weeks preparing for the live implosion of a hotel in Clearwater, FL. I was the cameraman on the balcony shooting close-ups as Criss was handcuffed to the railing. The fire department's ladder truck lowered me to the ground as the countdown to implosion continued and I hid behind a Plexiglass shield during the explosions, which leveled the building completely. Then, with my live camera, I rushed forward as the dust and smoke settled to find Criss rising from the rubble, completely unscathed. In many scenarios, you have one opportunity to get the ideal footage and this was the perfect example of a time we needed a reliable battery. The DIONIC HC is super sturdy and reliable, which allowed us to not have to worry about missing an important shot.”
Known for its stellar performance and unmatched construction, the DIONIC HC delivers up to 10 amps for high current draw applications, including camera lighting. It offers 91 watts of power and can operate a 40-watt HD camera for more than two hours. The DIONIC HC weighs only 1.8 lbs. and can be transported easily under the IATA and DOT safety regulations (carry-on no minimum; checked baggage one battery installed in each piece of equipment).*
The DIONIC HC also incorporates new construction and additional features that ensure cell protection as well as the integrity of its performance.
“I recently had to upgrade my Quad 2702 PowerCharger to the newest firmware version for my DIONIC HC batteries,” Dewey adds. “Customer support sent the new chip right away, and in a few days it was installed and functioning flawlessly.”
Anton/Bauer designs its batteries and power supplies to deliver reliable performance even in the most challenging and remote shooting environments, such as those often encountered during the production of many reality TV programs. The consistent reliability of the batteries has proven to be a huge benefit for Dewey, who recalls shooting a reality show in Morocco, where power sources were scarce. “I worked for Mark Burnett on his first reality show before Survivor, called Eco Challenge,” recalls Dewey. “We were in Morocco for 22 days, and in some locations the power was very unreliable. We often blew internal fuses, even in hotels in some of the big cities. Situations like this happen often, and they make having reliable camera batteries of the utmost importance.”
Dewey began using Anton/Bauer batteries and chargers in the early 1980s, while working on documentaries including, Women for America, for The World, which won the Academy Award in 1987 in the Documentary Short Subject category. Since then, the company’s products, which are known for their stellar performance, reliability and durability, have remained the first choice for Dewey.
“When I first started out, all the pros in the industry were using Anton/Bauer,” he says. “They were definitely the universal battery of choice.” Over the years, their batteries have evolved right along with camera technology. “The equipment I use now needs to be more powerful, compact and lightweight than its predecessors, especially since I need to keep up with the fast-paced nature of the subjects that I shoot. Today’s cameras draw a lot of power. With a top light, monitor, video transmitter and audio receivers, everything is pulling power from one source. This is why Anton/Bauer has worked so well for me, because the company’s batteries just keep getting better. On reality shows, we’re constantly running to keep up with the action. And when your camera’s battery doesn’t need to be changed all the time, it makes a big difference.”
As the owner and CEO of Photographic Equivalents, LLC, Dewey has an exceptional body of work to his credit including short documentaries, feature-length films, television reality shows and sports videos. Some of his most notable clients include NBC, A&E, HBO, Showtime, Discovery, CBS’ 60 Minutes and National Geographic.
*It is always recommended that you check with your airline before departure as travel restrictions may vary.
About Anton/Bauer
Anton/Bauer is recognized as the world’s innovator and premier provider of batteries, chargers, lighting and other key mobile power systems for the professional broadcast, video and film industries. Based in the United States in Shelton, CT with offices in Europe and Asia, Anton/Bauer was established in 1970 and has expanded its product offerings to include many signature lines such as its leading Gold Mount® system, InterActive® chargers and Logic Series® batteries such as the HyTRON® 50, 100 and 140, and DIONIC® 90, 160, HC and HCX. Their products are compatible with virtually every camera brand on the market today. Other Anton/Bauer high performance products include the Ultralight®, ElipZ®, ElightZ®, CINE VCLX and CINE VCLX/2. Their superior-quality products have become an industry standard. For more information on Anton/Bauer, visit www.antonbauer.com.
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. More information can be found at www.vitecgroup.com.
