The camera crew on "Are We There Yet?"
Vinten Supports New Season of “Are We There Yet?”
When cinematographer Bill Berner began to gear up for the new season of the multi-camera comedy “Are We There Yet?” he said it was a no brainer, that Vinten, a Vitec Group brand, would be his support of choice.
“We are on a ludicrously tight schedule on our show,” he explains. “We have no time to deal with equipment failures, or even regular maintenance. Every piece of gear must work flawlessly all the time. On our budget, we can’t afford to keep a spare ped and head around ‘just in case’. With the Quattro-L, Quattro-SL and Vector 70’s it’s been a non-issue. In two words – Vinten is quality and reliability. We just take them for granted, which actually says a lot.”
“Are We There Yet?” which is loosely based on the movie of the same name, poses an unusual situation for a multi-camera production. Instead of shooting one episode a week in front of a live audience, Berner and team shoot three episodes without an audience in a four-day week. “We have to move quickly but we don’t give up production value to do it,” he explains. “With Vinten pedestals we can do on-camera moves as well as repositions easily and quietly during scenes without any fuss. Our floors are, to be kind, less than perfect, and the wheels on the Quattros are forgiving. The Quattro-SL is particularly useful on wing cameras because the smaller footprint lets us get into doorways and tight corners with ease.”
Carol Wetovich, who is Berner’s go-to operator in one of the center positions, gets the lion’s share of on-camera dolly-like moves. “The Quattro-L ped and Vector 70 head help me create many camera moves that are normally reserved for a dolly set up,” she explains. “I don’t need any assistance from a dolly grip or focus puller. The ped moves so smoothly, it’s a pleasure to work with.”
“Vinten, as a company, is terrific,” adds Berner. “I know they have a great support team but the equipment is built so high quality, we’ve never needed them which I think is a testament to the quality and versatility of the gear!”
“Are We There Yet?” shot at Connecticut Film Center in Stamford, is produced through Cube Vision, the production company owned by Ice Cube and Revolution Studios and distributed by Debmar-Mercury.
For further information, please go to www.vinten.com or contact: Vinten, 709 Executive Blvd., Valley College, NY 10989, Phone: 1 888 2 Vinten, Fax: 845-268-0113, Email: info-cd-usa@vitecgroup.com
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About Vinten
Vinten® is a global market leader in camera support technology for broadcast professionals, as well as corporate, education and government applications. The company’s wide range of equipment enables camera operators to work the way they choose without compromise and includes pan and tilt heads, tripods and pedestals suitable for ENG, EFP, OB and studio environments.
With over 100 years’ experience pioneering the world’s broadcast and film industries, Vinten continues to provide the most innovative, intuitive camera support products available by working closely with today’s camera support professionals and understanding their industry needs.
More information can be found at www.vinten.com.
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