Anton/Bauer, a brand of The Vitec Group, was the behind-the-scenes power for “Through the Roof,” a documentary following the remarkable journey of Erica Davis, the first female paraplegic athlete to summit Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro. Captured Life Productions LLC, which produced the film, relied on Anton/Bauer’s ElipZ 10K batteries to keep the cameras rolling as Davis and her team made the trek up and down the mountain. The ElipZ batteries maintained power throughout the nine-day climb and still had energy to spare after it was over.
“Through the Roof” depicts Davis, along with Tara Butcher, an amputee below the left knee, as they and their support team scale the 19,334-foot (5,893 meters) mountain. It took them seven days to reach the summit, with temperatures decreasing from around 90 degrees Fahrenheit at the foot to below zero at the top. Captured Life Productions co-owners Matt Peters and Chris Theibert were there every step of the way, shooting most of the footage with a Panasonic AG-HPX170 P2 HD handheld camcorder, powered by the Anton/Bauer ElipZ 10K batteries.
“We did a lot of research to determine the best type of equipment for a shoot like this, where we would be operating in harsh conditions and without access to a power source for several days,” says Peters. “We read about many companies that really trusted Anton/Bauer, and so we immediately started looking at the company. It seemed like a perfect fit, and the customer and sales support were great. I had some pretty specific questions regarding how the batteries would handle the temperature fluctuations and the fact that we wouldn’t be able to charge them for several days, and I always got feedback right away.”
Using just three Anton/Bauer ElipZ10K batteries, Peters and Theibert captured 12 hours of primary footage for the documentary. As a precaution, they brought six of the batteries with them on the shoot, expecting to use them all. They were surprised to have three charged batteries leftover upon completion.
Anton/Bauer’s ElipZ 10K battery uses the highest capacity lithium ion cells available, providing field runtimes of more than seven and a half hours on a 10-watt camera load—almost an entire shooting day. The lightweight battery actually improves the comfort and handling characteristics of the camera by lowering its center of gravity and providing an additional handhold. The battery uses the underside of the camera as a mounting surface, away from operator controls, offering further ergonomic comfort.
