Roden Takes Sachtler Ace On the Road for Food Forward TV

Greg Roden chooses Sachtler Ace for his PBS series Food Forward

Roden Takes Sachtler Ace On the Road for Food Forward TV

Valley Cottage, NY, October 31,2012 – Award-winning photographer/writer/director/producer Greg Roden is committed to helping people understand where our food comes from and how it impacts not only our bodies, but also the planet we live on. He’s been taking his team on the road to explore these important issues for the PBS series Food Forward. To capture stories about people who are committed to improving their lives and the life of our planet, he carries a small yet effective camera package. His most recent addition to this package is the Ace fluid head and tripod system from Sachtler part of Vitec Videocom, a Vitec Group company.

“This was my first foray into Sachtler, coming from a primarily still photography background,” says Roden. “Now as a producer/director, there are many times when we use a skeletal crew to get into difficult places to shoot. With just a cinematographer using a Sony EX-3 or Canon 5D, running onboard sound or sync sound and talent, I am able to sling the Sachtler Ace over my shoulder and head out for an all day shoot in any location, far from a production vehicle,” he says.

“A few weeks ago we followed one of our urban farmers into the bustling streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown so, she could buy some live chickens for her urban farm across the bay in West Oakland,” he explains. “We started our shoot by hopping on a crowded mid-morning BART train and were able to grab a few shots on the moving train using the Ace. By setting the head to zero drag, the tripod gave us additional stability on medium-tight shots, while giving us the freedom and flexibility as if we were shooting handheld.

“Hoping off the train, I quickly threw the Ace back into its comfortable-yet-protective bag while we grabbed some handheld shots with our farmer walking through the station,” he continues. “Because the Ace fully breaks down quickly and compactly inside the bag, it was easier to move around crowded public spaces and attract less attention from passers-by while shooting.

“Outside, we needed to grab some lock-down beauty shots of downtown San Francisco,” he explains. “We got creative with some cool whip pans and tilts off of the buildings to the busy streets full of cable cars, busses, bike messengers and people. The SA drag system, which has three horizontal and three vertical steps plus zero, makes the Ace easy to use and super smooth in the pan and tilt for every situation.

“San Francisco’s Chinatown is a hectic place with frenetic energy, people and movement,” he says. “We were able to quickly set up the Ace for a number of complicated shots off of varying uneven surfaces. We did a couple of blocked shots with our character where we started tilted up and zoomed in tight on a bright and colorful sign painted with Chinese characters. Then we slowly tilted down and racked focus while panning to the street to pick up our main character walking toward us on the crowded sidewalk, carrying her heavy box of live chickens. At times, we had the Ace fully extended using the mid-level spreaders, which provided additional support in keeping the camera locked down solidly with people whizzing by on both sides of us. The SA drag system makes the tripod function with precision and ease, producing excellent results.”

After this experience, Roden is sold on the Sachtler Ace. It’s going to be a key player on his shoots from now on. That’s because “all you need is the 75mm head, legs, ground spreader and bag and it doesn’t feel like you are dragging out the boat anchor on every shoot,” he says. “The Ace tripod really lives up to the Sachtler name in quality and reputation.”

Producer/Director Greg Roden is the winner of the International Television & Video Association (ITVA) Award for “Best Documentary” for his coverage of the Sandinista elections in Nicaragua. His series Food Forward series airs on PBS at various times in their line up.

For more information visit www.sachtler.com or contact: Sachtler, 709 Executive Blvd., Valley Cottage, NY 10989, Phone: 845-268-0100, Fax: 845-268-0113, Email: [email protected]

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About Sachtler

Sachtler, founded in 1958 by cameraman Wendelin Sachtler, is a worldwide market leader for professional camera support systems for cinematography and television production, its name a symbol of top quality and reliability for decades. With an extensive range of camera support systems as well as a finely modulated product line of reportage lighting, Sachtler is the highly qualified partner for broadcast and film applications. Since 2000 Sachtler has been offering the artemis modular camera stabilizer system. With its numerous workshops and training sessions, the Wendelin Sachtler Academy has become a top address worldwide for invaluable know-how and the exchange of information, creating the ideal international platform for creative talents.  Along with other leading brands in the broadcast and professional videographer industry, Sachtler is part of Vitec Videocom, a Vitec Group company.  For more information on Sachtler, visit www.sachtler.com

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