ACS debuts new Tracking Vehicle at Cheltenham Festival
Our new tracking vehicle provided coverage for Channel 4 at the Cheltenham Festival. Six weeks in development this specially adapted Landrover Discovery is the latest addition to ACS’ fleet of tracking vehicles.
The vehicle can be fitted with an HD Cineflex V14 or HD Gyron Stabilised Mount (pictured here) as well as various open stabilised mounts allowing for 3D rigs or 4K cameras, all of which can be operated from racing seats configured within the back of the vehicle.
ACS has also taken delivery of a further operating vehicle adding to the company’s continual investment in providing clients with the very latest specialist camera systems.
ACS provide aerial coverage of UEFA Euro 2012
ACS has delivered one of its largest aerial filming projects, providing all aerial coverage of the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament. Filming began late last year with our aerial unit filming pre-event aerials of all eight host cities for the tournament, completing this element of the project in April. Working across Poland and the Ukraine, ACS crew flew over 300 flying hours providing coverage of every match during the tournament period.
Six AS355 twin engine helicopters were supplied for the project and fitted with HD Cineflex V14 stabilised camera mounts. ACS crew included the aerial unit's award-winning operators, an aerial co-ordinator and project management team as well as experienced filming pilots. The provision cumulated in three helicopters being deployed for the final between Spain and Italy, offering live aerials of the match and surrounding area as well as the post-match celebrations.
The work follows on from our successful delivery of aerial coverage for the 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland.
For further information please contact Antonia news@acsmedia.com
ACS Celebrates Queen's Diamond Jubilee
Following on from the successful coverage of commemorative services and events including last year’s Royal Wedding, ACS was chosen by BBC Events to help provide specialist camera facilities for the Jubilee with planning beginning late last year. Included within this delivery, ACS supplied and operated eight SMARThead™ remote head camera systems on board the Royal Barge at the Jubilee River Pageant.
The BBC Events production team conceived the idea at an early stage of providing extensive coverage on board the Royal Barge using solely remote cameras in preference to manned and PSC style cameras. As a result, eight ACS SMARThead™ remote pan and tilt heads were installed equipped with Ikegami HDL51 ‘brick style’ 2/3 HD broadcast quality cameras. Six were fitted with Canon HJ14 lenses and the remaining two with Canon HJ22s. The cameras offered shots of Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Party on board as well as giving their POV of this unique flotilla.
Along with this provision on the Royal Barge ACS also supplied a further SMARThead™ with P1 camera channel rigged to Tower Bridge, offering a unique shot of the flotilla passing through. Travelling within the Pageant was an HD Gyron 935 Plus stabilised mount rigged and operated from one of the one thousand boats that took part, again offering a unique perspective of the flotilla as it made its way down the Thames.
Not far from this celebration other ACS crew supplied and operated three HD Cineflex V14 stabilised mounts rigged to hoists for coverage of the Concert at the Palace and the Royal Procession on the Tuesday, placed at Canada Gate, Hyde Park and The Mall. Our ACS Tracks department also operated a Railcam at the back of the stage for the concert.
The Tuesday saw a further ACS team supply five ACS SMARTheads™ for the coverage of the service at St Paul’s and other crew rigging these discreet remotes at The Palace of Westminster and Whitehall making a total of over twenty different ACS specialist cameras supplied to capture this historic event.
ACS Managing Director Phillip Becket commented: “2012 is turning into a year of exceptional large scale deliveries for ACS. Everyone from our specialist camera operators to our engineering department have worked tirelessly to deliver incredible results during a very busy time for the company and I for one am extremely proud of the team and what they’ve achieved on this project.”
For further information please contact Antonia at news@acsmedia.com
ACS debuts 3D Flown Railcam
SKY Sports coverage of the Super League Grand Final from Old Trafford had a new rig this weekend in the form of a 3D flown railcam system. In previous years, ACS has successfully provided a 100m flown system for Sky Sports’ 2D coverage of the Grand Final using a HD Cineflex V14 stabilised camera mount to provide a unique and dynamic view of the action below. This year, Sky Sports upped the challenge by requesting ACS provide the same view but in 3D.
After further development and testing, ACS supplied a specially configured 3D gyro mount, comprising of a STAB-C Compact stabilised head mounted with an ET Pulsar rig in a side by side configuration and fitted with two Sony HDCP1 cameras and Canon HJ22 lenses.
An ACS Telecast Copperhead fibre transmission system fitted to the railcam camera buggy allowed all signals and control data to be routed back to the OB via a single SMPTE cable. The railcam operator and stabilised mount operator were positioned within the stand with a clear view of the pitch and the railcam itself, whilst full control from the convergence position in ACS’ dedicated 3D OB unit was carried out using a Sony MPE 200 3D processor to aid mechanical and optical alignment. Capable of moving at speeds up to 8m/second, not only did the track and mount play a significant part in Sky Sport’s 3D coverage of the game, it also featured heavily in the simultaneous 2D coverage of the event with a HD feed taken from the ‘left eye’ of the rig.
ACS has made a significant investment in the development and delivery of 3D specialist camera systems and has provided facilities for the 3D coverage of Horseracing, Rugby, Premiership football and live music events amongst others.
For further information please contact Antonia at news@acsmedia.com
ACS Australia prepares for busy Summer season
Crews from our Australian office have been gearing up for their busiest season of the year which begun with ACS aerial cameraman, Peter Davis, filming aerials of the Red Bull X Fighters on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour. Special approval was granted by CASA to fly at 200 feet in the harbour to achieve dramatic shots of the riders during their performances which finished with the overall champion being crowned for the Red Bull X Fighters World Tour. Re-locating to the Gold Coast, ACS then filmed aerials for the Coolangatta Gold endurance race.
Our crews will also be supplying live aerials on this week’s AFL Final in Melbourne and railcam at the NRL Final in Sydney as well as tracking vehicles at Royal Randwick. With teams operating in Sydney for the start of the horse racing season for ACS, coverage will continue with the Carnival season in Melbourne where two ACS tracking vehicles will be used to follow the racing around the course.
ACS Australia’s Managing Director, Mick Kagel, commented, 'We’ve had a great start to the season with some really positive feedback from clients. A lot of the jobs we’re doing this year are repeat work which is really encouraging to see, including the provision for Moto GP at Phillip Island at the end of the month. The crews are working really hard and the results have been fantastic.’
For further information please contact Antonia at news@acsmedia.com
ACS’ 3D Railcam at Heineken Cup Final
ACS has successfully completed another 3D railcam shoot for Sky Sports. Covering the Heineken Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on the 21stMay, the ACS railcam was fitted with a Stab-C COMPACT stabilised mount supporting an Element Technica Pulsar 3D mirror rig. Two Sony P1 cameras fitted with HJ22 lenses were installed in the Pulsar rig in the under through configuration. The mirror rig and camera combination was controlled and powered via one SMPTE cable, utilising a Telecast Copperhead 3G Fibre transmission unit with real time correction of the 3D output via a Sony MPE200 processor. A HD feed was also taken from one of the cameras providing simultaneous HD & 3D outputs for both SKY Sports HD1 and Sky Sports 3D channels. The complete 3D Railcam system was installed and operated by ACS’ in-house operators and technicians.
The game also coincided with the first outing of ACS’ new 3D operating vehicle which the team took delivery of this month. The vehicle, fitted with five operating/engineering positions, allows control of eight ACS SMARThead™ remote heads in standard configuration. A 3D position is also included which consists of a Sony LMD 2451TD 3D monitor and Sony MPE200. The unit is 3G/3D capable up to 1080 50P with twin 40x40 routers and 16 way 3D multi viewer with dual independent outputs.
The 3D track and operating vehicle represents just some of ACS’ continuing investment into 3D with research and development currently being conducted on various specialist rigs including mini cameras and remote heads.
For further information please contact Antonia at news@acsmedia.com
ACS plays part in The Royal Wedding
It’s been another exciting, hard working and successful week for all those at ACS none more so than for our team of technicians and operators who worked on the Royal Wedding.
ACS provided over twenty SMARThead™ remote head systems and camera channels supplying coverage for the BBC, Sky News and ITN, not forgetting the world’s media. An HD Cineflex V14 Stabilised Mount was also supplied and operated by ACS providing aerial coverage of the crowds and balcony scenes at Buckingham Palace. But it was perhaps within Westminster Abbey itself that our crew met their biggest challenge fulfilling the majority of the camera positions that were to broadcast the ceremony world-wide.
ACS Technical Director, Sam Heaphy, and his team delivered and installed 16 of the 23 camera positions within the Abbey for the BBC. Utilising 12 Sony P1 Camera channels and 4 Ikegami HDL 51 cameras, two of the remote heads included a 40x lens; a first for ACS’ new development with this particular lens and SMARThead™.
Several spectacular shots were achieved including a dramatic high shot over the Sacrarium for the first time in HD and with the shot developing to show the incredible scale of the internal architecture of Westminster Abbey. Two cameras were also discretely positioned in very sensitive areas to the side of the high altar in order to show the couple from the front during the very intimate and important parts of the wedding service. Shots of the Abbey’s bells peeling at the conclusion of the ceremony were also a first.
ACS SMARTheads™ could also be found positioned along the wedding procession route at Parliament Square, Whitehall, Horseguards and The Mall contributing to the full coverage of the couple’s journey to and from the service.
SMARThead™ had been chosen by BBC Events for the Abbey because of its small size whilst offering 2/3 in full HD quality and single cable operation, an important consideration when working in such a venue. The quality of control allowing full use of the lenses zoom range from Canon HJ40 to HJ14 with total subtlety of movement were vital to this type of production. This technology is coupled to many years of continually developing the client relationship and the results have clearly won universal appreciation.
ACS Managing Director, Phillip Beckett, commented, “The team here feel an enormous sense of pride at being involved in such an historical event. Everyone has worked really hard in the planning and delivery which began at the end of last year. We’re honoured to be able to say, ACS were there.”
For further information please contact Antonia at news@acsmedia.com
Shooting in the Antarctic
ACS award winning operator, Simon Werry, has just returned after two months in the Antarctic filming, Tears of the Antarctic for MBC. Operating the HD Cineflex V14 attached to a Unimount bracket, Simon was at sea for six weeks capturing dramatic shots of the area's wildlife.
‘We appreciate all of you guys at ACS for being so professional and being so good at what you do. Thank you so much and I hope to work with you again in the future.’ Assistant Director, Juweon Jonathan Kim.
For further information please contact Antonia at news@acsmedia.com
Aerials, Blimps, tracking vehicles and horses
March was a busy month for ACS with the 2011 racing season well underway.
ACS crews were recently at the Meydan Racecourse for the annual Dubai World Cup, providing aerial filming, tracking vehicles, remotes and mini cameras for the live TV coverage of the world’s richest race day. With a total of three HD Cineflex stabilised mounts being supplied, it was also a first outing for ACS’ new Unimount bracket since being on a two month shoot out in the Antarctic (see below). The Unimount enabled the tracking vehicle to have two stabilised camera mounts fitted to its roof to provide simultaneous wide and tight angle shots of the racing whilst a third Cineflex was used for aerials.
Previous to this, our crews were at the Cheltenham Festival which was broadcast for the first time by Channel 4 in HD. As well as providing two ACS HD tracking vehicles and mini-cameras, our blimp crew was also on site with the Sportingbet Blimp, achieving dramatic live aerials of the course and the action below. Programme Director for Channel 4 Racing, Denise Large, commented on the blimp;
‘It has provided both commentator and viewers with a unique and different insight to how the race unfolds – this angle shows something from the air that no other single camera can achieve. It also supplies us with the most astonishing shots of the tracks and surrounding areas.’
For further information please contact Antonia at news@acsmedia.com
ACS Tethered Blimp flying over Oslo
Working with host broadcaster NRK and OB Team, the ACS Tethered Blimp has been flying above the city of Oslo providing aerial coverage of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. Fitted with a HD Cineflex V14 stabilised mount the blimp is currently operating in temperatures of around -20°C whilst achieving dramatic shots of the Championships.
Along with the Blimp our crews are also providing beauty cameras, mini cameras as well as come and go cameras on the Ski Jump.
For further information contact Antonia at news@acsmedia.com
