BIG GIMBALS GE AR .
ACS Media Stabilisation is one part of the equation. The other is the ability to put it in an interesting position, which is where Aerial Camera Systems (ACS) comes in. Despite the name, the organisation handles not only helicopters – where its large inventory of gimbals (all free of ITAR restrictions) such as the GSS 512, GSS 516 and Shotover, find a natural home – but tracking vehicles and rail systems of its own construction, too. Head of the company’s aerial unit, David Manton, confirms: “Manufacturers primarily build them as helicopter mounts, but there’s more grip applications nowadays. We’ve put them on our rail and wire systems, airships, tracking vehicles, quad bikes for early horse trials, motorbikes... anything, realistically. In a famous effort, a gimbal was strapped to an elephant – but that wasn’t us, it was the BBC Natural History Unit! We had a request for a hot-air balloon at one point.” The practicalities of getting equipment to location are, Manton says, a huge concern. “It’s easy to fit cameras into a big [gimbal], but transportation of the kit becomes a large consideration. It can be
expensive to travel with. If they’re shipped, they can often take a while in transit. It’s far easier to hand carry these systems, and GSS have made that more of a possibility as the gimbals get ever smaller. Our GSS 516 is a 16-inch dome and the 512 is 12-inch; they’ve shrunk it, which makes transporting the kit far more flexible.” Given the adventurousness of the work, circumstances are not always friendly to equipment. “Vehicles can be attritional if going over rough terrain. They hit big bumps and so can boats.” Solving the problem, Manton goes on, is down to the grip. “Articulated arms help take out the big lumps. The GFM guys make wonderful vibration mounts, and gimbal manufacturers will issue distinct tuning profiles, depending on what you’re doing. They set it up differently for a helicopter shoot than a car shoot, for instance, because forces won’t be the same.” ACS has provided global specialist camera services to athletics, equestrian, winter sports, large aerial co-ordination projects, wildlife and nature productions, relying on the subtle art of combining the technology into a working system.
vibrations such as those created by helicopters. Still, Shotover’s platforms are as often mounted on specialist tracking vehicles, cranes, or anything else that moves around and has the weight capacity. But no matter how good the technology, a car bouncing over a rough track, or boat chopping across rough seas, will eventually overwhelm the ability of the
ON THE MOVE ACS works with gimbals on helicopters (top), as well as rail systems on the ground (above)
55. DECEMBER 2021
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