Soundman Tobias Ehleben: Courtesy of Petrol Bags
Petrol Bags Protect Jurifilm’s Audio gear for Soccer Championships in South Africa
To document South Africa and the Soccer World Chapionships for TV Station ZDF in Germany, Jurifilm’s Field Sound Operator Tobias Ehleben and cameraman Dieter Goerke needed a tight shooting package that was safe and easy to access. That’s what they got, thanks to Petrol Bags. “We were filming for seven days in different places and completely different environments in South Africa; Table Mountain and the wine area of Capetown, the small University city of Stellenbosch, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Kruger National Park. That meant we had to move quickly, have high-quality equipment and make sure it was always in top condition,” explains Ehleben.
The small team was either driving to or flying in and out of different locations every day with a small shooting package, including a DVW 970P camera, DigiBeta PA1, Sachtler tripod, lighting kit, field mixer, wireless and wired mics, K-Tek boom pole with zeppelin and slip on windshield, and more all protected by Petrol Bags and pouches.
“The Eargonizer was perfect for this kind of movement,” he explains. “The bag had enough space for the 302 Field Mixer, three-channel with external NP battery power, two Lectrosonic Wireless Microphones with a SR Dual Receiver and 2 Lectrosonic UHF Transmitters, and an Electrovoice RE-50B hand mic with a UH-400A transmitter. And, I didn’t have to change the working configuration even for plane travel. Wherever we went, I was ready to work immediately and didn’t have to reconnect cables or receiver. I could also rely on the fact that the sound equipment was stored securely and was protected for bad weather. Nothing could drop out or fall when we were running and filming, which was sometimes necessary.”
While at the University at Stellenbosch, Petrol’s configuration made the outside shots easy – and safe. “Everything was protected inside the bag as we moved through the rain,” he says. “Weather is often a challenge for many of my shoots. Things change quickly. We get rain. We get wind. We get sand. Whatever the challenge – I know my equipment is safe and will be in working conditional when I need it, as long as I’ve got everything in Petrol bags.”
The material Tobias Ehleben captured aired on Germany’s ZDF Television, one of the biggest nationwide public broadcasters in Germany. Additional footage was edited into the ZDF material to create a longer documentary called “24 Hours South Africa”.
For further information, please go to www.petrolbags.com or contact: Petrol Bags, 709 Executive Blvd., Valley College, NY 10989, Phone: 845-268-0100, Fax: 845-268-0113, Email: info-cd-usa@vitecgroup.com
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ABOUT PETROL
Petrol is a leading producer of professional carrying bags and accessories for portable cameras, lighting, audio, support and other production equipment. The Petrol product family encompasses a full line of layered, multi-compartment bags, backpacks, cases, pouches, protective gear and more. Petrol works closely with industry professionals to create carrying systems designed for safe transport as well as quick and easy access on the job. Along with five other leading brands in the broadcast industry, Petrol is part of Camera Dynamics Inc., which in turn is part of the Vitec Group of companies.
A Snapshot of The Vitec Group
Vitec is an international Group principally serving customers in the broadcast, photographic and military, aerospace and government (MAG) markets. Listed on the London Stock Exchange with 2009 revenue of £315 million, Vitec is based on strong, well known, premium brands on which its customers worldwide rely. Vitec is organised in three divisions: Imaging & Staging, Videocom and Services.
Imaging & Staging designs, manufactures and distributes equipment and accessories for photography, video and events.
Videocom designs and distributes systems and products used in broadcasting and live entertainment, film and video production and MAG.
Services provides equipment rental, workflow design and technical support for camera, video, audio, fibre optic and wireless technology used by TV production teams and film crews.
More information can be found at www.vitecgroup.com.