Products From Litepanels, OConnor Sachtler And Anton/Bauer Play Role In 'Mountain Rest'

High-performance products from Litepanels, OConnor, Sachtler, and Anton/Bauer, all Vitec Production Solutions brands, played a starring role in the production of "Mountain Rest," the feature-film debut of writer/director Alexandra O. Eaton.

The film was created through an AbelCine Feature Film grant, in cooperation with Film Independent (FIND), and produced by Los Angeles-based Exhibit Entertainment.

Starring Frances Conroy, Natalia Dyer, Kate Lyn Sheil, and Shawn Hatosy, "Mountain Rest" is a compelling drama about three generations of women in a family who are linked together by one man. The film premiered in May at the Nashville Film Festival, where Eaton won the Audience Award for Best New Director and Ashley Connor, the Director of Photography, received the Best Cinematography award. The next screening of "Mountain Rest" will be Aug. 2 at the Woods Hole Film Festival on Cape Cod.

Through its feature-film grant, AbelCine, a Vitec Production Solutions Premier Partner, supplied the "Mountain Rest" production with an ARRI Alexa camera and equipment loaner package co-sponsored by Vitec. The package included four Litepanels Astra LED lights, an OConnor 2575 fluid head and tripod with high hat and low hat, Sachtler quick-release plates, and Anton/Bauer Cine VCLX batteries.

"Having access to such sophisticated and top-quality gear from Vitec Production Solutions made such a difference on our production — even on a small budget, the film looks and feels very professional," said Eaton. "Regarding the Litepanels Astra LED lights, a lot of 'Mountain Rest' was shot indoors, which meant we often had to create extremely natural daylight when shooting at night or even when rain was pouring outside. The Astras were fantastic for that, and they gave us the versatility we needed for scene continuity. In fact, the film looks like it was shot using only natural light, which was really important to me."

Commenting on the OConnor fluid head and tripod and on the Sachtler accessories, Eaton said: "Because we were a small production, we needed to be as nimble as possible. The OConnor fluid head and tripod and the Sachtler gear were not only easy to use but very lightweight, allowing us to change locations quickly and easily. At the same time, the tripod gave us an extremely steady and solid base even when we were in more precarious locations, such as scenes shot at waterfalls, in a cave, and in the woods."

ErinRose Widner, channel marketing director of Vitec Production Solutions, commented: "It was a privilege to partner with AbelCine and FIND to support 'Mountain Rest.' This award-winning production is a great example of the exceptional work that emerging filmmakers such as Alex and Ashley are turning out, and it was even more satisfying to support an all-female production crew. Their use of our products in myriad locations and environments is a great example of their versatility, quality, and ability to integrate anywhere, and we are so happy to have been involved in this project."

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