REMOTE HEADS | GEAR
Remote capabilities have quickly become an essential part of production. Fortunately, these capable companies were ready to propel the change REMOTE RESPONSE
WORDS CHELSEA FEARNLEY & LEE RENWI CK / P I CTURES VAR I OUS
XM2 PURSUIT If you chat with CEO Stephen Oh about the use of drones and helicopters, the passion for his team’s work becomes apparent instantly. Alongside this enthusiasm, he also loves a good analogy. “You could be the best driver in the world at Ferrari, but it doesn’t mean you’re going to win a Formula One race. You need a good team, a good workflow and a safety protocol. It’s a harmony, and that’s what we specialise in,” he says. XM2 Pursuit consists of 33 people worldwide and the team includes highly specialised pilots, camera operators, engineers and technicians deployed in the most logistically and challenging destinations around the world. “This recipe of talents creates something quite unique,” enthuses Oh. “Unlike a lot of aerial vendors, XM2 Pursuit is able to design, manufacture and fabricate materials to deliver bespoke products.” As an aviation company, it’s expected that a lot of its remote heads are used on aircraft, but all of XM2 Pursuit’s remote heads have been designed thoughtfully for use across an array of vehicles, such as helicopters, drones, bikes, boats and cars – without breaching the parameters of their capabilities. “This design strength has been especially valuable with the new on-set Covid-19 safety regulations – namely, reducing the number of people present – because it’s always the same crew operating the remote head, whether it’s on a bike or drone,”
explains Oh. “It also saves time and costs, and that proves an attractive prospect for any production.” XM2 Pursuit’s first foray into remote heads actually began with the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise, where its crew successfully operated the drone flight of an Alexa XT for the first time. “What we brought to the table was a new paintbrush, and how this paintbrush could be applied. We weren’t just using the drone for big, high and wide shots; we were using them very close up to be intimate with the subject in very delicate operations,” outlines Oh. Since then, XM2 Pursuit has been at the forefront of innovating gear for demanding productions. Just recently, the company developed a five-camera stabilised gimbal array, an impressive piece of equipment that might be the first of its kind. Oh clarifies: “Although there are companies that have applied five cameras to existing systems, this is the first purpose-built system designed to carry five camera arrays. It’s like adding four drive tires to a Sedan and calling it a four-wheel drive. It’s not that simple.” In fact, there’s only one reason you’d add five cameras to a remote head. According to Oh, much of the company’s R&D is driven by demands from VFX crews, whose job is becoming even more complex now that filmmakers are exploring LED volume further. “It is worth pointing out that, as a filmmaker, you don’t need to
invest in the development of our products to get the results you want. Our Sierra drone is perfect for capturing images displayed on LED walls. It carries three cameras and does all the photogrammetry needed to create 3D renderings that ensure the illusion is kept hidden,” explains Oh. Circling back to the company’s thoughtful designs, every single one of its systems has versatile controls. “Most new remote systems are based on joystick control, but traditional cinematographers can’t use joysticks because they’ve grown up operating cranes with wheels,” Oh says. “So, we’ve developed our systems in a way that ensures they can be used intuitively by anyone in the world, whether by joystick, wheel or transmitter.” XM2PURSUIT.COM
BELOW The Sierra drone & Manta remote head, which can carry three Alexa Mini LFs in a toe out orientation
MARCH 202 1 | DEF I N I T ION 13
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