LOS ANGELES (December 10, 2014) – Team5, a full service aerial production and rental
company for the motion picture and advertising industries, announced today the debut of the
SHOTOVER Hydra, an advanced, gyrostabilized imaging platform designed for the visual
effects industry. Developed in partnership with SHOTOVER, the maker of high performance
aerial camera systems for the motion picture and broadcast industries, the Hydra synchronizes
six Red Dragon 6K cinema cameras to enable motion picture productions to capture panoramic
images of the highest dynamic range and quality. Warner Bros.’ upcoming film Tarzan is the
first to utilize the new system.
The SHOTOVER Hydra addresses the costly and time consuming process of creating
background plates used for digital compositing. By capturing 36K of images with a greater than
150 degree field of view, the Hydra allows aerial units to shoot panoramic backgrounds that can
be seamlessly matched to foreground images by visual effects supervisors. These virtually
distortion-free images are recorded alongside platform metadata that includes GPS positioning
as well as the heading and camera angles of each discreet frame.
Via a long line stand developed by ACS France and Team5, the Hydra as well the single
camera SHOTOVER K1can be suspended from 50 to 150 feet below a production’s camera
helicopter. The SHOTOVER Hydra can also be mounted on cranes and camera cars.
“Creating background plates has traditionally been an incredibly time-consuming, imprecise and
expensive practice with aerial units flying multiple passes to try to exactly match the angle of
view, lighting and other variables of the foreground shots,” said SHOTOVER president Alan
Purwin. “With the SHOTOVER Hydra, we’re not just improving upon the single camera method
of shooting plates, we’re raising the bar in terms of what producers can demand from multicamera
systems, offering a single source solution through Team5 for productions to get the
Hydra, all six cameras and all associated lenses. It’s the only multi-camera solution that can be
set up in hours rather than days.”
The SHOTOVER Hydra will initially be available through Team5 Aerial Systems, a newly
launched aerial production and rental company serving the motion picture and advertising
industries. For the Tarzan shoot, currently filming in Gabon, Africa, Team5 is providing
comprehensive aerial services in addition to capturing background plates.
“Working with the SHOTOVER Hydra, we’ve not only been able to shave days off our shooting
schedule in Gabon, we’re able to deliver background plates of unprecedented quality in even
the most demanding environments,” said Fred North, aerial coordinator for Tarzan. “The
system raises the bar for what visual effects supervisors will be able to achieve in assembling
the most realistic and lifelike aerial sequences. David Yates, the director on Tarzan, has been
extremely pleased with the footage we have shot.”
The development of the SHOTOVER Hydra builds upon the company’s success in building
industry leading, single-camera gyrostabilized aerial systems for the motion picture industry.
The company’s flagship SHOTOVER K1 has fast become a Hollywood blockbuster staple with
credits including Jurassic World, Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Insurgent, San Andreas, Black
Mass, Ride Along 2, Antman, Magic Mike 2, Monster Trucks and Warcraft.
About Team5 Aerial Systems
Team5 Aerial Systems is a full service aerial production and rental company for the motion
picture and advertising industries. Founded by a team of the industry’s most accomplished
aerial coordinators, film pilots and aerial cinematographers, Team5 provides unparalleled
service and support for productions around the globe. Team5 is online at
[url=http://www.team5.rentals/]http://www.team5.rentals/[/url].
About SHOTOVER
SHOTOVER is a developer of high performance aerial camera systems for the motion picture
and broadcast industries. The company’s line of gyro-stabilized camera platforms offer aerial
cinematographers an unprecedented level of stability, control and versatility in a compact
package easily configured for 2D, 3D and Ultra HD shooting with the world’s most advanced
cameras and lenses. Developed in partnership with the motion picture industry’s top aerial
cinematographers, SHOTOVER systems are fully upgradeable, allowing operators to utilize new
professional cameras, lenses and accessories as they come to market. SHOTOVER is online
at [url=http://www.shotover.com]http://www.shotover.com[/url].
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