Miller Tripods

Supporting the world’S leading camera operatorS

Founded in 1954, Miller Camera Support Equipment designs and manufactures professional fluid heads and tripods in Australia and delivers to the film and television industry, providing support for the world’s leading camera operators. Celebrating over 63 years in the industry, Miller is a longtime global leader in the field of camera support and holds the first patent for fluid head design for film cameras, which it obtained in 1946. Today, Miller’s tripod and camera support systems are used daily during electronic news gatherings (ENG), electronic field production (EFP) and studio productions by the world’s leading networks, production houses, corporate, educational and government institutions and worldrenowned film makers in over 65 countries.

A good example of a world-renowned Miller user is Weta Digital who in August 2016 added Miller’s newest product arrowX to their existing fleet of Arrow 40. Weta Digital, the groundbreaking visual effects company based in Wellington New Zealand, needed to add to its tripod fleet; based on their previous positive experience of Arrow 40, they turned to the new arrowX 5 Fluid Head on the Sprinter II 2-Stage Carbon Fibre Tripod System from Miller Camera Support Equipment.

A five-time Academy Award-winning visual effects company, Weta Digital is known for uncompromising creativity and a commitment to developing innovative technology. They were one of the first companies to develop performance-driven digital characters such as Gollum from The Lord of the Rings and Caesar from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Recent blockbusters the company has been involved with include The Jungle Book, Independence Day: Resurgence, The BFG, Pete’s Dragon as well as upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, War for the Planet of the Apes and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

Weta’s camera requirements are diverse and vary from year to year. In addition to its own capture stage, the facility sends teams around the world to different locations as part of the company’s on-site visual effects team. Weta’s visual effects crew requires gear that is sturdy enough to stand up to the elements, while also being dexterous enough for run-and-gun applications, reducing setup time from shot to shot. The arrowX 5 is able to provide that flexibility for Weta Digital to achieve any shot required.

“After experiencing the Arrow 40 Sprinter II 2-Stage Carbon Fibre Tripod System, which we used for the upcoming War for the Planet of the Apes film, we are excited to take the next step in this versatile fluid head range,” says Matt Tuffin, camera operator, Weta Digital. “We’re looking forward to taking the arrowX 5 fluid heads on set and much like the Arrow 40, we anticipate they will become cornerstones of our arsenal for a long time.”

The arrowX Series features CB PLUS, a new and unique sequential counterbalance design, which takes traditional counterbalancing a step forward, resulting in repeatable, accurate and rapid setup. CB PLUS features eight large counterbalance steps, allowing the user to get to their needed position quickly and efficiently. The CB PLUS switch adds a half step enabling counterbalance refinement.

The arrowX 5 has a wide payload range from 4.4 - 46.2lbs (2 - 21kg), 16 positions of counterbalance and 7+0 pan and tilt drag positions. The fluid head provides Weta with the ability to easily mount the head on flat base surfaces such as sliders with the removal of the clamp stud or adapt for a Mitchel Base. The arrowX 5’s 120mm sliding plate travel helps the team to quickly rebalance changing camera payloads. Precision ball bearing supported pan-tilt movements deliver silky smooth starts and soft stop fluid actions. Floating pan-tilt calliper locks ensure bounce-free on-off locking.

This addition of the arrowX 5 is based on the company’s familiarity in using the Arrow 40 fluid head on Sprinter II 2-Stage Carbon Fibre Tripod for War for the Planet of the Apes. For this movie, Tuffin faced the adverse conditions of the Canadian mountainside. Rain and snow persisted throughout the shoot and were sometimes even part of the set. Miller was with Tuffin’s team every step of the way weathering the rugged conditions.

“We needed our setup to work on the side of the Canadian Rockies in minus 20° Celsius, without giving up any of the performance we expect on the studio floor,” says Tuffin. “The Miller Arrow 40 and Sprinter II was the perfect choice in terms of support and payload for our Sony F55 camera package. The smoothness of the Arrow 40 gave us the ability to shoot long lens with no resistance. The Sprinter II being two stages gave us the versatility

needed in such varying terrain and the carbon fibre was a relief when carrying the tripod up and down the mountainside. Another benefit which is unique to Miller is the two-stage release on the tripod being in the same place, which meant the system was safer for all of our operators to use in challenging terrain.”

Following on the heels of the success of arrowX at IBC 2016, Miller launched arrowFX, designed to be employed in highdefinition television broadcasts, where augmented reality effects are inserted into live broadcasts. arrowFX also delivers high-precision pan and tilt positioning information for cinema-quality visual effects productions in feature films and commercials, ideal for operations such as Weta Digital. By employing robust, highresolution magnetic encoders integrated into the fluid head, arrowFX can precisely monitor and communicate in real time, the exact position of the fluid head with zero latency. The three arrowFX, arrowFX 3, arrowFX 5 and arrowFX 7, deliver pan resolution of 1,589,248 counts per 360 degrees and tilt resolution of 491,520 counts per 180 degrees.

Miller Camera Support will continue to support the television and cinema content creation industry with the highest quality and most innovative products at an affordable cost with inbuilt reliability complemented by three years of factory warranty. In its endeavour for innovation, Miller will be introducing a collection of new products in 2017 to continue to enhance and extend its range providing even better choices to users.

contact

miller camera Support equipment

30 Hotham Pde Artarmon, NSW 2064 Australia Tel: +61 2 8436 6111 Website: www.millertripods.com

Joseph White Regional Sales Manager, Asia & Africa Tel: +61 2 9439 6377 Tel: +61 (0)437 774 445 Fax: +61 2 9438 2819 Email: joseph.white@miller.com.au