Broadcast News

Bookmark and Share
21/05/2007

Axis Films To Provide Equipment for Channel 4 Documentary

Axis Films has been asked to provide equipment for the making of a new documentary to be broadcast on Channel 4 later this year.
Lighting cameraman Simon Reay said: "Having spent the last year working with Bear Grylls on Channel 4's 'Born Survivor' series, I was invited to film Bear's latest expedition to set the world altitude record in a paramotor that was entirely designed and built by Gilo Cardozo. Bear and Gilo have decided that a flight over the Himalayas, and notably Mount Everest, would provide the benchmark for this record, with the flight going up to 30,000 feet.
"The ultimate challenge for me - and for the equipment from Axis Hire - is to film their world record flights from a helicopter at 24,000 feet."
All camera equipment for the project has been supplied by Axis Hire, with whom Reay worked on 'Born Survivor'. "I had no doubt that they would meet the challenge," said Reay. "The camera package is two HDCAM 750s, Z1 HDV and A1 HDV, plus two Sanyo Xacta HD720P solid-state mini cams fitted to the helmet of each pilot. Axis Hire also provided a lens package consisting of HJ22, HJ11 and HJ40, along with custom-built adaptors to fit century fisheye lenses to the two headcams. The set up of the cameras used in the project was aided by specialist camera operator, Andy Milk."
The headcam design is critical to the success of the project, as Reay explained: "Axis Hire helped to design and build a releasable headcam unit recording on solid state SD cards that are key to shots during Bear and Gilo's flight at extreme altitude. It will enable them to 'snap' the camera on and off their helmets during the flight to give not only POV angle but also hand-held variations, including shots of themselves. The helicopter from which I'm filming their flight can only go to 24,000 feet, so the headcams are the only way of recording the rest of their ascent to 30,000 feet."
The production team has now left for its base camp in the foothills of the Himalayas, but not before a rigorous testing programme was undergone by personnel and equipment alike.
The world-record attempt is currently taking place and has a three-week weather window being built into the filming schedule. "We did a month of filming Bear and Gilo's preparations for their expedition in the UK," said Rob McIver of Diverse Productions. "This included filming in RAF Henlow's decompression chamber simulating an altitude of 25,000 feet, and MIRA's wind and temperature chamber which enables you to experience temperatures down to minus 65 Celsius."
Reflecting on the nature of this unusual but rewarding project, Axis Films MD Paul Carter said: "Our Hire department excels at supplying demanding productions such as this one. Not only do we carry a wide variety of accessories to meet any eventuality, but we are also able to customise equipment for use in just about any application."
(DS/SP)
Solidmate Ltd Memory Card Hire London

Top Related Stories
Click here for the latest broadcast news stories.

19/06/2023
Matthews Offers Better Way To Level Up Camera Rigging
Matthews now offers a better way to level up camera rigging with the latest addition to the patented Infinity Arm system. The new interchangeable ARRI
28/09/2023
International House of Music Acquires Marshall Electronics Camera
When the International House of Music (IHOMI), a staple of Downtown Los Angeles for over a century, was looking to revolutionise its live streaming ex
26/09/2023
RE:LIVE Productions Acquires Ikegami UHK-X700 4K-UHD Camera Systems
RE:LIVE Productions, formerly known as Pufferfish Productions, one of Singapore's leading providers of creative video, event management and live strea
30/08/2023
TNDV Puts New Sony And Panasonic 4K/HD Camera Fleet To Work
TNDV has been putting its new Sony and Panasonic 4K/HD camera fleet to work this summer for high-resolution content acquisition of live and recorded e
22/08/2023
CineArray Launches With New State-Of-The-Art 8-Camera
CVP and specialist asset finance house CVF were instrumental in ensuring CineArray's latest state-of-the-art 8-camera cinematic array based around 8x
15/02/2024
PMC Monitors Used To Record And Mix Music For The New Mean Girls Movie
US based producer and engineer Hanan Rubinstein has recently completed the music for Paramount's new Mean Girls movie, a musical teen comedy based on
21/04/2023
Parabolic Deploys Cleanfeed To Re-Record High Qulaity Audio
Audio post production facility Parabolic is using Emmy Award-winning Cleanfeed to re-record high quality audio, in real time, from anyone and from any
12/03/2024
Ikegami USA To Display Range Of Broadcast Quality Camera Systems
Celebrating its 60th Anniversary this year, Ikegami USA is to demonstrate the latest versions of its wide range of broadcast quality camera systems an
11/03/2024
Hitachi Kokusai Now Shipping DK-H700 4K Box Camera
The Hitachi tradition of delivering exceptional visual quality and superior price/performance value for live production applications continues at the
06/03/2024
Timeline Deploys Video Broadcast's Camera Control
Timeline is using Videosys Broadcast's camera control to deliver coverage of the British Basketball League championships, which are currently screened
21/03/2024
Joseph Electronics To Display A Range Of Videosys Camera Control Products
Joseph Electronics will be showing a range of Videosys camera control products at NAB 2024 (Booth C1708). Joseph Electronics will highlight Videosys B
21/03/2024
Riedel's RefCam Referee Camera System Debuts In German Bundesliga
Riedel Communications' RefCam referee camera system made its German Bundesliga debut in a recent match between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg,
06/12/2023
Sky Secures Broadcast Rights To Show Record Number Of Premier League Fixtures
Sky has secured the broadcast rights to show a record number of Premier League fixtures in a new four-year deal. With up to 100 more matches each seas
02/11/2023
Record TV Refits Its Audio Production Studios
Avid® has announced that Record TV, one of Brazil's leading TV broadcasters, has refitted its audio post-production studios with the Pro Tools | HDX™
14/02/2011
IFTAs Awarded In Dublin
The winners of the 8th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards were announced at a gala ceremony held at Dublin's Convention Centre. The main categories