RTS MagCam And Newton Camera Head Combo Debut At The Grammy Awards
A remote camera dolly on wheels that follows a magnetic tape line instead of tracks.
RailCam Robotic Systems premiered the new RTS MagCam paired with a NEWTON stabilized camera head for the TV broadcast of the Grammy Awards.
The RTS MagCam is a wireless remote-controlled wheeled dolly with telescopic tower, that follows a thin magnetic tape line adhered to the floor. This tape can be attached or adjusted in seconds which allows for quick and safe installs of repeatable moves along a determined path that can be made in curves, straights, circles and forks. If conditions change, it is also possible to switch to free-running mode and steer away from the magnetic path.
The MagCam proved very practical on the Grammy set. Brian Sheid at RailCam explains: “There were a lot of cameras in a small room that needed to keep up with very quick stage changes. A dolly on rail tracks would have been too cumbersome and would have required many timely rebuilds, but with the MagCam, we just needed to tape a new strip on the floor in the path the director wanted.“
The MagCam system was operated by Dave Eastwood, who drove the dolly with foot pedals and controlled a Sony HCD-P50 camera and Canon HJ14x4.3 lens with a NEWTON stabilized camera system. Dave Eastwood also supplied 2 telescopic camera towers with NEWTON stabilized heads through his service company Fluid Pictures Inc and a 4th NEWTON system was provided by RailCam on a Chapman dolly. "The 4 NEWTON’s used on the show all preformed wonderful and it’s always a pleasure to operate ours. This was my 25th year as camera operator on the Grammys and I wish the NEWTON had been around back in the day as well", says Dave Eastwood.
You might also like...
HDR & WCG For Broadcast: Part 3 - Achieving Simultaneous HDR-SDR Workflows
Welcome to Part 3 of ‘HDR & WCG For Broadcast’ - a major 10 article exploration of the science and practical applications of all aspects of High Dynamic Range and Wide Color Gamut for broadcast production. Part 3 discusses the creative challenges of HDR…
The Resolution Revolution
We can now capture video in much higher resolutions than we can transmit, distribute and display. But should we?
Microphones: Part 3 - Human Auditory System
To get the best out of a microphone it is important to understand how it differs from the human ear.
HDR Picture Fundamentals: Camera Technology
Understanding the terminology and technical theory of camera sensors & lenses is a key element of specifying systems to meet the consumer desire for High Dynamic Range.
Demands On Production With HDR & WCG
The adoption of HDR requires adjustments in workflow that place different requirements on both people and technology, especially when multiple formats are required simultaneously.