TECH COLUMN
Sliders Getting Their Credit
from Cinematographers
I
had a chat with Brian Young at Vistek the other day about sliders. No, not those mini patties on mini buns so often served at those chi-chi parties I never seem to get invited to, but those essential cinematographic tools. Like most things cinematographic, they’ve gotten smaller, lighter and, thankfully, more affordable, he said, pointing to the Kessler line-up as probably the most popular among clients for both rental and purchase. “It’s a well-known North American premier brand which we carry exclusively,” he said, noting the Duzi from Cinevate, a Thunder Bay company, is their bestselling, ultra lightweight slider. “The Duzi is light and made of carbon fibre and has a heavy payload with an ultra smooth action, like glass; it’s a rare combination.” Sliders are popular because they give cinematographers the creative flexibility of a dolly without the work or expense, though they are clearly much more limited in how far they will extend. “Performance and weight are the issues with sliders,” Young said. “You want them to be reliable, and what’s important is that they break out of the case and get to work and that they’re easy to transport.” Cost is also a factor, and sliders start well below $1,000 and top out around $2,000 until you get into the servopowered options, which run several thousand dollars. The average length of a slider is around two to three feet, he said, with some shorter or longer on either side of that range. They’re quick to set up, take an almost infinite variety of camera rigs, and just
24 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2015
as quick to take down and set up for the next shot. Veravon from Korea is another entrant in the affordable category, Young said, with an option for an arch slider, which is useful for shooting jewelry or other objects where the shot calls for an almost 360-degree view without using a turntable to add more visual interest. “For a small figure or something like that you can have a fairly large arc which is very smooth,” he said. Moving up the range, the Redrock Micro One Man Crew Director is turning a lot of heads because it’s a powered slider, and though expensive at US$2,450, it really does add a lot of options, especially those making documentaries with second-camera interview setups. Redrock Micro describes it as a “motorized parabolic slider which transforms your static shots with beautiful cinematic motion and includes unique features for dramatically improving interviews and ‘talking head’ videos, all without a dedicated operator.” The One Man Crew Director is just as it sounds – a second camera that can be automatically programmed to slide in or out from a two-shot to a cutaway without the need for a second operator. In keeping with servo-motor advances, it’s quiet and unobtrusive and sits on a pair of machined and curved aluminum rails with a smooth action geared to camera rigs up to 22 pounds. It is remote controlled so once set up it can be directed without the operator having to move from the main camera setup position and gives total control over the timing of the slide, meaning it can be directed to move in during a poignant stage of the interview as pacing requires.
The manufacturer claims it will replace “static shots with smooth professional camera moves” while “delivering smooth camera movements outside of interviews, for b-roll, insert shots, product beauty shots, anywhere you use a tripod.” Young notes it sets up in a minute or so and has a laser-assisted system that sets point of focus and memorizes it. “It’s very popular for those doing a lot of interviews or if, for example, you’re doing the sports intro with star players, it gives the shot a lot of movement,” Young said. “You can even do an outer arc and set it up to make a running pan of the city as a backdrop if you want.” Finally, he said, Varavon also makes a totally cool “slider-type” product which is a wire cam system with an incorporated stabilizer. “The Wirecam has the camera hang below a rope which you can run several hundred feet,” Young said. “It can travel back and forth on this rope which is pretty much the same kind of rope you’d use for mountain climbing.” It tilts and pans 360 degrees, he said, and can be easily and safely set up for concerts, for example, to get that swooping bird’s-eye shot from the sound board to the stage across the top of the audience. He said it’s similar to Defy’s Dactylcam, which carries a 50-pound payload at speeds up to 40 mph over a 1200ft span (with the upgrades). While those rigs are in the US$5,000 to US$10,000 range to buy, prices have come down considerably as the technology evolves. Ian Harvey is a Toronto-based journalist who writes for a variety of publications and covers the technology sector. He welcomes feedback and eagerly solicits ideas at ian@pitbullmedia.ca
