One of our main goals here at Zacuto is to make shooting a better experience for our clients. We’ve been working in the business for a long time and we understand that filmmaking is an extremely complicated process that involves many people. Anytime we hear about Zacuto gear aiding you in getting the shots you want, saving you time or simply just making your shoot easier we consider that a great success on our end. Our good friend, Rodney Charters ASC, CSC, (DP for Fox’s 24 and cast member of Zacuto original series, Filmfellas) was recently on a shoot with a Zacuto EVF. As the day was coming to an end, the crew scrambled to get the shots they needed. In typical Zacuto fashion, the EVF stepped up to the challenge and got the job done. Rodney’s Gaffer, David St. Onge, was kind enough to share the story with us.
It’s late in the afternoon and the ritualistic panic is on as the sun slowly settles in the west. The scene has a strange resemblance to that old school demonstration of atoms in a nuclear blast as hundreds of ping pong balls are thrown randomly by hundreds of mouse traps, the crew and 60 background artists running around trying to set up the next shot of four left to make our day. The director is screaming, “I must have my crane shot,” knowing there is not enough time to get the shots that are left and then mount one of the Alexas on the jib. The Director of Photography, Rodney Charters, promptly turns to a camera assistant and calmly says, “Mount the 60D on the Jib.” Then the questions start coming. How are you going to see what you’re doing? What if you have to tilt the camera? So from atop a 6 foot ladder Rodney stands with a Zacuto EVF attached with a 6 foot HDMI cable in his hand. A 60 inch C stand arm is attached to the fluid head and Rodney successfully gets the directors crane shot. Once again, we make our day.
-David St. Onge, Gaffer
Zacuto developing the EVF
After hearing about this incident, Zacuto immediately began developing a handheld system for the EVF. It consists of a Z-Grip Handle, a 2” F/F rod and the Zicro Mini. You can also add a ZGrip Glove for extra comfort.
Rodney Charters on set with the Zacuto EVF
“When I saw our friend Rodney Charters holding the EVF in his hand while doing a crane shot, I immediately said, we have a grip for that,” says Zacuto Product Designer, Jens Bogehegn. “Our hand grip with adjustable ball mount was the perfect tool for the job. You can angle the grip anywhere you need to get that perfect comfortable position. The EVF is the perfect Directors Viewfinder.”
We love hearing stories like this. Sometimes, as in this case, these stories can even lead to new products. If you have a similar story about Zacuto products making your shoot better, we’d love to hear it. Send us an email at sara@zacuto.com
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