Brant Fagan On Anton/Bauer...

Cinematographer and Steadicam® Camera Operator Brant Fagan has spent the past 20 years using batteries, chargers and Gold Mounts® from Anton/Bauer®.
He recently explained his decision to stay with the company's products.
"Anton/Bauer offers the best power source for motion picture production worldwide," he said.
To power his Steadicam, Fagan runs Anton/Bauer HyTRON 140s, while powering his onboard cameras with DIONIC HCs.
"When we’re not shooting, we dock the batteries and plug the sled into the Anton/Bauer CA-ARRI CINE VCLX cable. We then have that battery on a sling hanging off my stand and plugged into 'shore power'. This way, when I need to pick it up, we just disconnect it and run the batteries onboard.
"If it weren’t for the DIONIC HC, I would not be able to power this type of camera on a Steadicam and have that kind of dependability."
The DIONIC HC was designed to handle the demands of today’s power-hungry equipment, utilising lightweight, high-current and high-capacity lithium-ion cells.
The HC series uses a honeycomb design to protect cells from punctures and minimise damage if a battery is dropped during production.
The 91Wh DIONIC HC sustains a 10-amp draw and can operate a 40-watt HD camera for more than two hours. It includes a motion-detection feature that incorporates a 'deep sleep' setting, reducing battery self-discharge, which allows for extended periods of storage.
The battery can be 'awakened' by the built-in motion sensor. To ensure precise run-time data and superior reliability, the DIONIC HC includes an enhanced RealTime® LCD that indicates both fuel gauge and remaining run-time data simultaneously.
The HyTRON 140 is a NiMH battery system designed for 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 HC, it offers the RealTime display.
In addition to working on feature films, which have included such hits as Madea's Witness Protection, The Other Guys and I Am Legend, Fagan works with consumer brands and networks for commercial production.
"I worked on two large Nike commercials this year, and the convenience and longevity of Anton/Bauer batteries really came into play," he says.
For the commercial titled 'I Would Run to You,' Fagan and his team traveled across the U.S., following a long-distance couple who decide to run toward each other from opposite coasts until they met up.
"We shot 16-hour days, ultimately producing a complex, two-and-a-half-minute commercial that was precisely choreographed to the song’s lyrics. We ran the camera, pre-amps, wireless equipment and monitors all off Anton/Bauer CINE VCLX batteries and were able to charge the batteries in the vehicles on location. Knowing we’d be able to complete the day’s filming made the production trouble-free—if you don’t have power, you’re not working.
"I can’t tell you how many times over the years people say 'Thank God you have these or we’d be stuck'."
www.antonbauer.com
(IT/CD)