Another Cat Tale

This week, we headed back to Hersheypark for a few more days of HD filming of rides and attractions.  We had a lot to accomplish in a short period of time and we were grateful to the park's public relations department for organizing the logistics to move both camera crew and extras to each location.  


Our first opportunity was a small water park.  The early morning sun was still fairly low in the sky and the light was beautiful.  There was plenty of visual access around the perimeter and it was easy to get pretty shots of the kids having fun. 

Our biggest challenge was a wave of water vapor, every time one, of two giant water buckets tipped.   Arion covered the EX3 camera with a protective raincoat from Camarade and with the additional aid of a 4x4 polarizing filter, the camera and lens remained dry.

There was also a series of water slides and a terrific surfing ride called  Wave Runner which, if given the time, we would have happily put down our gear to try out. 

We moved seamlessly from one attraction to another, ending the day with a sunset, vista shot of the park.


The next morning, we started our day by mounting a POV (point of view) camera on a wooden coaster  called Lightning Racer.  Two cars, each with 24 passengers,  race around a classic, old style roller coaster and we wanted to show the point of view of the riders in the front car as they swoop down and around bends and drops racing the opposite car to the finish line.

I used the Sony EX1 for this, as it has a smaller profile as the EX3 with the same beautiful HD quality.   I added a unique, heavy duty base plate to camera from Juice Designs.  http://www.juicedesigns.com   The plate attaches to the camera chassis and strengthens the connection to my tripod while also eliminating any wobble that might be caused  using a camera with a plastic bottom.  It made a big difference in the camera's performance and our confidence in getting our camera back, alive.  Like they say about flying, "Any landing that you can walk away from is a good landing, but if you can use the plane again, it's a great landing."

We mounted the camera using the same still camera mount from Manfrotto that we used for previous rides, only this time we used bungee cords rather than clamps.  I also turned off the camera's stabilization as we wanted to catch some of the frenetic motion of the ride, without it just looking like crappy video.  A few trial runs and then a few takes with extras in the opposite car.  Each time we shot, we all gathered around the cameras monitor to make sure that everything worked as it should, which fortunately, it did.

The day moved on and we filmed S'Mores, the Kissing Tower, the Storm Runner coaster and kids eating ice cream.  Once again, the Manfrotto 536 carbon fiber legs, this time supporting a Vinten Vision 8 head was essential for gaining clear visual access to angles obstructed by buildings or safety nets.  It saved us a lot of time.  And speaking of which,  it was almost time to call it a day.  Just one more location to go.


Hershey's Zoo America had just obtained a pair of Ocelots and we were asked to film and photograph the new cats for their debut at the zoo.  There was a small challenge here.  Ocelots are nocturnal animals and tend to sleep during the day.  These cats had recently arrived from a zoo in San Francisco and they were not only timid in their new surrounding, but possibly jet-lagged, as well.  


We arrived at the zoo later that evening only to find two very shy, reclusive cats and very fortunate for us, one of the cats decided to give us a few minutes of face time.

Arion set up two small Lowel Pro Lights, point through the glass, with one on each side of the rooms enclosure.   He slowly adjusted the light level and direction of the lights, so as to not startle the animals.  The Nikon D3 had no trouble giving me a decent image at ISO 3200.   The sensor in the EX3 video camera is a lot less sensitive, yet I was able to get a good image, wide open at plus 6db.  Any gain higher than that would introduce totally unacceptable noise and grain.  


The results were worth the effort.  Our client's reaction?  "The shots are great!  We love it!" 
Our footage appeared on an ABC affiliate in the Harrisburg area, today.  Sweet!  


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