ONTARIO, CANADA - When action sports programming producer and star Kevin Cullen hits the road to capture extreme outdoor sports in HD, his battery of choice is an Anton/Bauer DIONIC 90. From riding an ATV through the rough country surrounding the source of the Nile in Uganda, Africa, to snowmobiling around an active volcano in central Iceland, these extremely harsh shooting conditions test both man and machine to the limits. That's why 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, designed the DIONIC 90 to deliver consistently reliable performance even in the most challenging shooting environments on Earth.
"We are outside of the working limits of our equipment on pretty much every shoot," says Kevin Cullen, president of Water Productions Corporation, producer of Personal Watercraft TV (PWCTV), SLEDSENSE, The Motorhead Traveler, MXCulture and Grass Roots Racing Television (GRRTV). "As many of our programs are captured in very remote locations, we simply cannot have a problem with our camera batteries. We rely on our Anton/Bauer DIONIC 90 batteries because they always work through sand, dirt, red dust, crashing surf, impossible water conditions and minus whatever temperature when we are working up in the Arctic Circle. We have produced 156 episodes of our five programs in HD, all powered by the DIONIC 90s and they work each and every time."
The DIONIC 90 offers a RealTime(r) display that continually updates the operator on how much run-time remains and on the state of the current charge. Cullen uses two different Anton/Bauer charging systems to keep the juice running: the Dual 2722 for charging and routine maintenance and a "T" Series Twin charger for lightweight portability. As the very nature of each sports shoot is extremely physical, the DIONIC 90 batteries not only provide the power necessary to capture each event, but also strike the perfect weight balance for the cameraman, reducing fatigue.
"The programs are captured to a single Panasonic HD VariCam(r) camera system, with half the work shot from a tripod and the other half shot ENG-style off the back of a snowmobile, an ATV, a Jet Ski or the like," says Cullen. "The choice of the DIONIC 90 was in part because it is lightweight and balances the back of the camera with the lens we use. As our jobs are inherently physical, we wanted to reduce strain on the shooter's shoulder and arm. Anton/Bauer offers many models that would accomplish the job from a power standpoint, but the DIONIC 90 fits the bill perfectly for how we actually use our camera."
The DIONIC 90 weighs only 1.7 lbs. and can be transported without restriction under the IATA and DOT safety regulations, an absolute requirement for Cullen and his globetrotting company. The battery can handle a maximum load of 90 watts, offering runtimes ranging from six hours at 15 watts to 1.75 hours at 50 watts.
Cullen is also impressed with Anton/Bauer's excellent service and support. "We had a problem with a battery charger at a location in northern Ontario that was only accessible by Greyhound Bus," he relates. "We made the call in the morning and received the replacement that afternoon. Everyone from the Anton/Bauer rep to the store we purchased the equipment from made sure we were happy. For a company that has such a large market penetration, including giant TV networks and film companies, we were very happy they took the time to service our operation with speed and professionalism."
ABOUT ANTON/BAUER(r)
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(r) system, InterActive(r) chargers and Logic Series(r) batteries such as the HyTRON(r) 50, 100 and 140, and DIONIC(r) 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(r), ElipZ(r), ElightZ(r), 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.
