Sachtler Ace L Provides New Support

When Rob Kaczmark of Spirit Juice Studios takes on a new assignment, he knows that two things will remain consistent: a tight budget and limited time. "Being from Chicago, we have to fly a lot of equipment with us to locations," Kaczmark says. "Having a lightweight tripod like the Sachtler Ace L system with us on the trip really makes our job easier, especially due to the run-and-gun nature of the shoot. The Ace L is easy to set up, smooth, and most importantly, extremely portable." Sachtler is part of Vitec Videocom, a Vitec Group company,
The Ace L is a 75mm fluid head with a choice of carbon-fiber tripods to support a payload range of 0-13.2 pounds. It provides seven-step counterbalancing and patented SA dragTM (Synchronized Actuated Drag) with three vertical and three horizontal grades of drag (+0) for an authentic broadcast feel and familiar dependability.
Always suitable
The new Sachtler was exactly what Kaczmark needed for a recent vocational video for a religious community, The Daughters of St. Paul. "These sisters devote their lives to using modern media to spread their message of peace and hope," he explains. "We were hired to film them on a weekend in Phoenix, Arizona — the hottest weekend on record! The sisters needed us to film multiple stand-up interviews as well as B-roll of them as they prepared for the initiation of a new member. We also needed to get B-roll of Phoenix and the great desert around it. It was fast-paced, quick set-up — a packed weekend."
"On Saturday, the temperature was a balmy 101. We began our day early to film B-roll of the Phoenix desert, Arizona State University and the Phoenix botanical gardens," he continues. "We only had three hours to capture as much as we could. Without the Ace L, the already difficult conditions would have been even more so. The Ace L was light, easy-to-use and smooth as butter! It handled the weight of the Canon C300 camera with Canon still glass, the Rode NTG 3 microphone, and our heavier long lenses just fine!
Ease of use
"The Ace L gave us versatility, and the professional features make our set-up and tear-down easier, quicker, and more efficient than other professional tripods we have used," he adds. "One of my favorite things about this tripod is the clear and simple-to-use drag system. It might be lightweight, but it has a professional strength and durability that is required for the type of work and travel we do."
Sachtler
(MH/CD)