OCONNOR Takes Mathers Through Battlefields for 1000 to 1

James Mathers chooses OConnor for 1000 to 1

James Mathers with OConnor 2575D on 1000 to 1

OConnor Takes Mathers Through Battlefields for 1000 to 1

Burbank, California, August 16, 2013 — Cinematographer James Mathers often chooses projects that have passion, heart, and a positive message. Such was the case of his latest production, 1000 to 1: The Cory Weissman Story. For the inspiring true comeback story of a gifted college basketball player felled by a catastrophic stoke, Mathers knew his shooting package had to perform flawlessly. That’s why he chose the RED Epic paired with Angenieux, Zeiss, and Fujinon lenses, along with the OConnor 2575 for support.

“The OConnor 2575 came in particularly handy shooting the opening title sequence which featured to lead actor David Henrie dribbling a basketball through the historic Gettysburg battlefields,” says Mathers. “These battlefields make up a National Park protected by the U.S. Forest Service and are directly adjacent to Gettysburg College, the setting where the actual story unfolded. They are very picky about what filming activity they allow on the battlefields. We were able to secure a daylong filming permit with strict limitations; one of which was that the total number of cast and crew would be no more than five, and any basketball bouncing could only happen on the narrow roads that ribbon the monuments. There would be no big crew for dolly tracks or cranes, but I managed to keep pace and get good solid camera support with the 2575 on sticks and hi-hat.”

A big fan of OConnor support, Mathers explains, “Sticks and heads are, of course, a matter of personal taste. But even as digital cinema cameras are getting lighter, large sensors make for larger lenses, and there are also more electronic accessories to hang on the camera such as range finders and wireless devices for focus, iris, sound and picture.

“Though the camera itself might only be seven pounds, by the time I set up a studio configuration with zoom, accessories and battery power, I could be lugging 70 to 80 pounds,” he adds. “So, I need something fairly substantial. After years of dependable service, I am partial to the OConnor brand — my favorite being the 2575D, which I had on 1000 to 1.”

Mathers says the OConnor 2575D is hard to beat for smooth solid dependability and “The continuous counterbalance is adjustable for any particular shot or camera load and configuration,” he adds. “A numerical readout makes these settings easily repeatable. Having recorded some of my typical setups, my Camera Assistants have the head ready for the shot when I set up the camera, whether it be a near 90 degree tilt with a heavy camera load, an extremely long lens tracking shot, or a whip pan.

“Camera technology is evolving at an ever-increasing pace with new models constantly arriving on the scene, but no matter what the acquisition device, the OConnor 2575 remains my go-to head and my camera package is never complete without one.”

Mathers served as co-producer as well as cinematographer on 1000 to 1, which was produced by Bob Burris and Bruce Gordon and directed by TV veteran Michael Levine. In addition to actor David Henrie, the project also stars Beau Bridges, Jean Louisa Kelly, Michael Lerner, Luke Kleintank and Cassi Thomson. 1000 to 1 has secured worldwide distribution and will be released early in 2014.

For further information on OConnor Accessories, or other OConnor products, visit www.ocon.com, email [email protected], become a fan on Facebook, follow the company on Twitter; or contact OConnor, 2701 N. Ontario St., Burbank, CA 91504, Phone: 818-847-8666, Fax: 818-847-1205.

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About OConnor

OConnor has been the choice of professional cinematographers since the invention of the fluid head 60 years ago by founder Chad O’Connor. OConnor’s award-winning fluid heads are known for their smooth feel, fluid movement and intuitive control. Designed for film-style shooting, each facilitates seamless transition when changing payloads and offers stepless, ultra-smooth pan & tilt fluid drag for maximum control. In addition to fluid heads and tripods, OConnor offers a growing line of camera and lens accessories engineered to fill the needs of today’s fast-paced camera work. The line includes the CFF-1 and new O-Focus DM follow focus systems for cine and still photo lenses, the award-winning O-Box WM mattebox, innovative O-Grip handgrip system and the Universal Baseplate. OConnor products are respected and trusted by individual users and rental houses worldwide for their reliability, longevity and toughness.

Along with other leading brands in the broadcast industry, OConnor is part of the Vitec Videocom, a Vitec Group company.  For more information on OConnor, visit www.ocon.com

About Vitec Videocom

Vitec Videocom brings together some of the most respected, most innovative and most sought-after brands in the industry. It acts as an endorsing brand for these market-leading broadcast, film and pro video products, encouraging multi-brand system sales and simplifying the way that customers worldwide do business.

Vitec Videocom is an operating division within the Vitec Group, an international business serving customers in the broadcast, photographic and military aerospace and government markets. Vitec is based on strong, well known, premium brands on which its customers rely on worldwide.

Vitec Videocom – innovative products around the camera.

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