Thomas Winston with Sachtler Video 25 Plus at the Yellowstone National Park, WY
Thomas Winston with Sachtler Video 25 Plus at the Katmai National Park, Alaska
Thomas Winston with Sachtler Video 25 Plus at Wyoming, just outside Yellowstone National Park
Thomas Winston with Sachtler Video 25 Plus at Kodiak Island, Alaska
Thomas Winston with Sachtler Video 25 Plus at Kodiak Island, Alaska
Richard FX Smith with Sachtler Video 25 Plus at Yellowstone National Park
Thomas Winston with Sachtler Video 25 at Yellowstone National Park, WY
Thomas Winston with Sachtler Video 25 at Yellowstone National Park, WY
Thomas Winston & Brutus with Sachtler Video 15 SB near Bozeman, Montana
Winston Uses Sachtler for National Geographic’s “Expedition Wild”
August 29, 2011 – When Thomas Winston geared up his company, Grizzly Creek Films, for a new series of National Geographic “Expedition Wild” specials, he chose Sachtler, a Vitec Group brand, for support. He selected a line-up of three systems, including the Sachtler Video 25 Plus, the Sachtler Video 15 SB, and the Sachtler DV 4 II, for the seven episodes.
Executive Producer/Director of Photography Thomas Winston is a longtime Sachtler fan. “Filming wildlife is tough – both on the people and on the gear. We have come to rely on our Sachtler equipment as the always there, always reliable, and always crucial elements of our field production kit”, he says. “Simply put, the equipment lives up to its reputation as top-notch and durable— even in adverse conditions.”
The Sachtler Video 25 Plus with two stage carbon fiber legs became the perfect solution for long lens shooting with the Varicam 3700/Fujinon 42X lens set up. “It was lightweight enough to carry into the deep backcountry and also stable enough for long lens blue-chip wildlife shots like filming wolves in Yellowstone Park or brown bears catching salmon on Kodiak Island,” Winston explains.
The Sachtler Video 15 SB with two stage Speed Lock carbon fiber legs was also used extensively for the series. “As the lightest sticks for the Varicam 3700 which was paired with the Canon wide angle zoom HD lens, it was a fantastic option for getting set up at lightning speed,” he explains.
The Sachtler DV 4 II with two-stage aluminum legs, relatively speaking, the smallest of our supports — was employed for time-lapse photography and HD video with various DSLR cameras. It also proved useful for star, Casey Anderson, to carry on his solo missions into the wild.
“Expedition Wild”, a seven-hour original series, showcases wildlife expert Casey Anderson and his charismatic animal companions on an action-packed odyssey through North America’s diverse wild places, revealing a rare glimpse of the beauty and complexity of the natural world from the inside out. These first seven episodes following Casey and his best friend Brutus (a nine-hundred pound grizzly), are now airing on the National Geographic Wild channel.
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