Burbank, CA. Matthews Studio Equipment recently went the extra mile for client JJ Osbun, when he found he needed a little assist to give his new Floatcam HD-DC Slider and his heavier Sony F3 and F55 cameras carrying ARRI Alura lenses for “In the Footsteps of Genghis Khan” documentary.
Osbun, a long-time supporter of MSE equipment (he started with Road Rags many years ago), and partner Chris D. Nebe focus their efforts on making cultural documentaries about China. By the 8th documentary, they became serious about their cameras and support. “After a few films struggling with the limitations of pro-sumer support equipment, I went with Floatcam’s DC Slider, which is a very serious tool for DSLR and small camera work,” Osbun explains. “However, we still needed more and the HD Slider with the Motion Control solved it all. It is all my previous equipment in one, and far more versatile even then.”
Osbun admits that pre-production for “Khan” was “a serious rush. “I picked up the new HD-DC Slider and was ready to go, then I realized that the shuttle couldn’t take a high-hat for bowl-based heads, like documentary productions typically utilize.”
“JJ need a little help – and in a rush,” says Robert Kulesh, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for MSE. “It’s important to us that we get just the right support to our customers. So, when JJ came to us, Tyler Phillips and our machining team went to work, so he could be off on his shoot.”
“I figured, if I took out the securing screw in my 1030DS O’Connor head, we could put the male version on the shuttle and screw the head right onto it,” Osbun explains.
“JJ and I were able to come up with an idea for an adapter,” says Phillips. “We had our shop make two of them – and he was off to Mongolia. We made it work!”
“It was a hat trick to get done and literally came down to eight hours before my flight, but the Matthews’ crew produced exactly what I needed. I can safely say that my O’Connor head was the first of its kind to slide those rails, adding functionality that made it truly indispensable,” Osbun says.
“Thanks to MSE’s support, and the generous loan of a tripod, the shoot was great. One of the most surprising moments was me ‘skeptically trying’ the Motion Control system at 4K with diopters at 80mm, six inches from a number of artifacts dating back to the days of Genghis Khan. The motor slid my 30lb rig without any visible jitter, shocking the entire crew. I’ve looked at it on big screens, and still amazingly smooth.”
“As soon as he got back, we met with JJ,” says Phillips. “He decided he wanted something a little fancier and permanent, so we sketched some things out together and the parts are currently going through our shop. We will soon have a new accessory for the Floatcam HD-DC Slider, and more importantly, a happy client.”
JJ Osbun’s “In the Footsteps of Genghis Khan” is the 15th in a series of documentaries from Osbun and Nebe produced through Monarex will be released in the next few months. The team is in preparation for more docs and a full feature to be shot in 2015.
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MSE is a 43-year-old manufacturer of industry-specialized hardware, camera and lighting support. Its equipment is being used on entertainment productions and in major studios in over 70 countries around the world. The company has been honored with the Presidential “E” Award for outstanding contributions to growing U.S. exports, strengthening the economy and creating American jobs. MSE is the exclusive distributor of the FLOATCAM products throughout Asia and the Americas. MSE recently moved into a new state-of-the-art facility at 4520 West Valerio Street, Burbank, CA 91505. www.msegrip.com
to view shots from JJOsbun’s use of HD-DC Slider on location: https://vimeo.com/109793340