Special Report
lenses perform well even at these low Doug Allan filming
temperatures, but the camera body itself on location,
needs to be well insulated as it cools down accompanied by
such a lot over the course of a few hours
some inquisitive
filming. We used to carry a close fitting
seal pups.
padded jacket for the camera - aptly called a
Polar bear - and that would help to keep it
warm. For Polar shoots we normally carry one
camera, two batteries on the back and eight
others ready - enough power for the day to
keep the camera on standby so it’s at its
working temperature."
Coping with the location
Allan continued: "In places like the Arctic
and the Antarctic you’re in such a remote
location you‘re often weeks away from getting
equipment repaired or replaced, so you need to In April and May the pack ice, where I do a bears for example, they’re likely to stop
take special care. This is where experience lot of the shoots, is absolutely reliable and behaving normally and they’ll just leave. I
really counts - for example, I wrap the lenses solid. In June and July everything changes therefore need to be at least 50 -70 metres
in towels. Shaped foam becomes stiff at low and every day it is different. The ice begins to away. At that distance you need a powerful
temps and gear carried on the back of a sledge break up and you can’t afford to take any lens but also one that has a good wide angle.
takes a real hammering. You need to go self- chances. It is easy to become involved in That lets me get the real close-ups of the
sufficient - everything you could possibly shooting the subject without being aware of head but I can also pull back to take shots of
need! We’re very dependent on the reliability the changing conditions - and then you can the animal in its habitat to create the story. I
of the lenses and camera - but we also treat be close to falling in the sea or drifting away use the Canon HJ40 x14B; with the doubler
them with respect." on the ice. It’s potentially a very hazardous in it has a focal length of 1120mm at the
environment." longest end but 14mm is also great for the
Seasonal variations wide shots. It’s a beautiful lens, bright and
The lenses are critical crisp from edge to edge. With the doubler
"One thing about the poles is that I don’t you get an 80x zoom - just amazing. I think
know anywhere else on the planet where the "I’m working with what I call genuinely the image stabiliser is crucial, particularly
environment varies so much,” said Allan. “One wild animals,” said Allan. “If you want to with the Planet Earth series being recut as
month you can be working on solid ice and watch their behaviour, you need to respect ‘Earth’ for theatrical release on the big
next month that has changed to open water. their space. If you go too close to Polar screen.”
Letter to the Editor
Sir,
I read with interest the article by Brian Larter (IBE July/August 2008). As CEO of Autocue Group Ltd I feel it is my duty to our employees,
partners and customers to point out a number of inaccuracies in the text.
In his article, Mr Larter twice claims that Autoscript ‘is the only prompting company to manufacture and develop software and hardware in
house’. In reality, here at Autocue we have a large, experienced, in-house software development team responsible for the development of all of
our newsroom, production, automation, media management and prompting software. All new software builds are then passed via our in-house
technical support teams in the US and UK for thorough testing prior to release. Over the past two years, one of the key achievements of this in-
house software development team has been the introduction of the QMaster/QBox solution, the world’s first IP prompting solution. This project
originated from an extensive customer needs survey within the prompting industry.
As with our software, all of Autocue’s hardware is designed in-house, primarily by our hardware director who has over 30 years of
experience in the prompting industry. Many of our hardware products, including the QBox, are also manufactured in-house, and this will
continue to be the case as long as we feel this is advantageous to the customer. Furthermore, all hardware products, whether built in-house or
outsourced, are thoroughly tested by our in-house hardware support teams in the US and UK prior to shipment to customers. This same team
also deals with all after-sales support for these units, both within and outside of the warranty periods.
In summary, Mr Larter’s claims are utterly without foundation and I hope my words reassure the industry that Autocue not only has a
thriving in-house development team, but that it is one of the most experienced and innovative in the world. It is indeed the strength of this
team that has enabled Autocue to respond instantly to the changing needs of the marketplace and thus maintain its position as a leading
supplier to the global broadcast market.
Yours etc,
Frank Hyman
CEO
Autocue Group Ltd
IBE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 19
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