Video Production House Relies on Anton/Bauer DIONIC 90s for Remote Shoots
GREENSBORO, NC, NOVEMBER 15, 2012—As a broadcast veteran and co-founder of the video production company Deja View Media, Council Bradshaw has shot footage in plenty of out-of-the-way places for such clients as The History Channel, FOX Sports, Carnival Cruise Line, R.J. Reynolds and John Deere, among other well-known brands. On any given day, he and his production crew might shoot a commercial in the jungle or film a public service announcement in a crowded urban landscape—often situated far away from a studio or base camp. To ensure his cameras and monitors keep running during these situations, Bradshaw turns to Anton/Bauer®, part of Vitec Videocom, a Vitec Group company, and a premier global provider of batteries, chargers, lighting and other mobile power systems for the professional broadcast, video and film industries, for all of his power solution needs.
“I’ve been in television since 1988, starting with NBC and, later, FOX,” says Bradshaw. “One of the FOX stations I worked for used Anton/Bauer to power everything—so that is how I was first introduced to the company’s batteries. Later, when we founded Deja View Media, we made sure from day one that all our cameras had Anton/Bauer batteries. It’s our preferred package when it comes to portable power.”
Bradshaw and his production crew primarily use Anton/Baer DIONIC® 90 batteries and, to a lesser extent, HyTRON 140s. They find the longevity and portability of the DIONIC 90 particularly handy for shooting in remote field locations, as the batteries give them enough power to shoot all morning or afternoon before needing a recharge. Recently, Bradshaw and his team shot footage in the sand dunes of Florence, Oregon. Located in the middle of 15 square miles of sand dunes, and miles away from their base camp, Bradshaw and his team couldn’t feasibly shuttle back and forth between the shooting site and base camp to get more batteries. So they packed four to five DIONIC 90s in a backpack to support two cameras and a monitor, and were able to shoot all morning. Then they went back to the base camp for a break and lunch, put the batteries on the charger, and were able to use them for the afternoon shoot later.
“With our more remote productions, you can’t afford to have a PA running back and forth with batteries—you just can’t count on that, especially because it’s all about daylight when we’re shooting,” says Bradshaw. “We bring reflectors in to fill, but it’s all about the moment and getting the light right so we have to be ready. There are already enough variables to deal with, but the one thing I don’t have to worry about is my batteries dying. There’s nothing worse than doing a bunch of takes and rehearsals, getting everything right, and then the battery dies. With Anton/Bauer batteries, that’s something I don’t have to worry about.”
Currently, Deja View Media employs the DIONIC 90s on Panasonic AG-HPX500 HD camcorders and RED SCARLET-X cinema cameras. After finding that the batteries that came with the RED SCARLET-X only lasted about 20 minutes in the field, Bradshaw selected the Anton/Bauer QRC-EPIC Gold Mount for the cameras to accommodate the DIONIC 90, substantially increasing the run time on the cameras. The company also uses Anton/Bauer QR-DVX Gold Mounts on Panasonic field monitors.
As for Anton/Bauer customer support, Bradshaw is quite pleased with it. “Over the years I’ve dealt with Anton/Bauer a few times—we don’t have many problems with the batteries—and it’s been perfect. We’ve had a few instances where the pin on one of the HyTRON 140s got pushed in during packing and travel, and I sent the battery to Anton/Bauer and they fixed it in no time. I look forward to seeing what kinds of new battery technologies they will come up with next.”
The DIONIC 90 was designed by Anton/Bauer to deliver consistently reliable performance even in the most challenging shooting environments on Earth. It offers a RealTime® display that continually updates the operator on how much run time remains and the state of the current charge. Weighing only 1.7 pounds, the DIONIC 90 can be transported without restrictions under the IATA and DOT safety regulations (http://www.antonbauer.com/Support/TransportationInformation). The 95Wh battery can handle a maximum load of six amps, and offers run times ranging from six hours at 15 watts to 1.75 hours at 50 watts.
The HyTRON 140 is a high-power NiMH battery system ideally suited to the power demands of today's high definition equipment and on-camera lighting systems. In lower power applications, it can provide power for many hours without limits or travel restrictions. The HyTRON 100/140 models also offer an excellent counterbalance to offset the weight of a lens. The 140Wh HyTRON 140 typically provides up to four hours of run time with a single battery. As with the DIONIC 90, it offers the RealTime display.
For more information, visit www.antonbauer.com or call (203) 929-1100.
About Anton/Bauer
Anton/Bauer is recognized as the world’s innovator and a premier provider of batteries, chargers, lighting and other key mobile power systems for the professional broadcast, video and film and medical technology industries. Based in the United States in Shelton, CT with offices in Europe and Asia, Anton/Bauer was established in 1970 and has expanded its product offerings to include many signature lines such as its leading Gold Mount® system, InterActive® chargers and Logic Series® batteries such as the HyTRON® 50, 100 and 140, and DIONIC® 90, 160, HC and HCX. Their products are compatible with every camera brand on the market today. Other Anton/Bauer high performance products include the Ultralight® 2, ElipZ®, CINE VCLX and the Tandem 150 Modular Charging System. Their superior-quality products have become an industry standard. For more information on Anton/Bauer, visit www.antonbauer.com.
About Vitec Videocom
Vitec Videocombrings together some of the most respected, most innovative and most sought-after brands in the industry: Anton/Bauer, Autoscript, Litepanels, OConnor, Petrol, Sachtler, Vinten and Vinten Radamec. It acts as an endorsing brand for these market-leading broadcast, film and pro video products, encouraging multi-brand system sales and simplifying the way that customers worldwide do business.
Vitec Videocom is an operating division within the Vitec Group, an international business serving customers in the broadcast, photographic and military aerospace and government markets. Vitec is based on strong, well known, premium brands on which its customers rely on worldwide.
Vitec Videocom - innovative products around the camera.