Burn's Tom Putnam - Left, Mark Eaton - Right (director of photography)
SOOM to Support “Burn” Feature Documentary
December 26, 2011 – Sachtler, a Vitec Group brand, announces that filmmakers Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez have chosen the highly adaptable Sachtler SOOM support for their feature documentary “Burn”. The project focuses on a year in the life of Detroit, as seen through the eyes of its firefighters, the men and women tasked with saving a city that many have written off as dead. The documentary was executive produced by Denis Leary and partner Jim Serpico and produced by Putnam and Sanchez.
Much like the popular television series, “Rescue Me”, the film relies on the reality of the moment during intense situations. Therefore, the production staff of “Burn” must be able to be up and running in seconds. “That’s where the Sachtler FSB 6 head and SOOM support for our Canon 5D DSLR cameras and Zeiss prime lenses have been great for us,” says Putnam. “The SOOM is essentially three tripods in one and it allows us to move quickly and keep our gear light. It can raise the camera six feet in the air, so it’s great for getting unique angles at the fire scenes. Plus it can break out into a set of baby sticks too, which has been invaluable. It is simply the sturdiest tripod I’ve ever seen, which is key when you are working under the tough conditions we’ve been putting it through.”
The “Burn” crew has been taxing their equipment for a year, filming a wide variety of situations, each a challenge to the shooters and the equipment. “I remember once when we were filming in a burnt out building where it took us half an hour to work our way through the debris,” Sanchez recalls. “I decided to get a low angle shot and the SOOM was right there to become our baby legs. Without it I would have had to send someone back out of the building to get other support and that would have cost us an hour.
“We also filmed during the rehab of one of our firefighters who had been paralyzed,” she adds. “Because the SOOM can go so high it’s like having a jib arm, allowing us to instantly get great, very stable overhead shots during his rehab sessions. We also used it extensively for time-lapse on various building roofs. It’s heavy enough and has a wide enough spread that we never worried about it getting blown over in the wind.
“The fluid head turned out to be an invaluable part of our production,” Putnam adds. “We’re often going from heated interiors to freezing exteriors, which would cause many of our lesser fluid heads to freeze up and stutter. But the FSB 6 head was always rock solid. Much of our filming took place at night, and the illuminated bubble level was a great time-saver as well.
“We’ve put the SOOM and FSB 6 head through rain, snow, hail, and blistering heat from fires. They’ve been blasted by fire hoses a couple of times as well. We’ve never had a problem. I’d take my Sachtlers anywhere, in fact, I have!” he adds.
“Burn” will be completed in early 2012, and will begin the festival circuit before the theatrical, broadcast and DVD release. A percentage of profits from the film will go to the Leary Firefighters Foundation, earmarked to buy equipment for The Detroit Fire Department.
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: info-cd-usa@vitecgroup.com
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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.
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 organized 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