Polecam HD Used In New Top Movie Release

Polecam HD has been used to great effect in the major new movie 'Arctic Tale', recently released in the US.
The movie comes from Paramount Classics and National Geographic Films, the people responsible for the hugely successful 'March of the Penguins'. Arctic Tale follows a real life walrus and polar bear from adolescence to maturity and parenthood in the frozen Arctic wilderness, and graphically shows the effects of global warming and how it affects their existence.
Polecam was used on the ice close to the walrus colony, and allowed the onboard Ikegami HD camera head to sweep over the ice and out right in close to the walruses below. The small head profile of Polecam is unobtrusive, and helps to capture natural shots even when in-close right amongst the animals.
Steffan Hewitt, designer of Polecam was operating the rig. He also set up Polecam in a small boat to get in close to the walruses as they swam off into the icy water for some great in-close tracking shots.
Adam Ravetch Co-Director & Cinematographer of an Arctic Tale said: "When I was making Arctic Tale there were shots I wanted to achieve of walrus that I never was able to do before. It was the big screen, and we wanted to obtain cinematic and epic shots of walrus migration. Five years ago I was at the Wildscreen Show in the UK and met Steffan Hewitt and saw his Polecam. My imagination began to spin. For a wildlife cinematographer it’s all about getting interesting and amazing shots to tell a great story, but in the Arctic that is near to impossible. You are dealing with wild animals that you have no control over, and the harsh arctic dips to 40 degrees below zero which takes a toll on your gear. You have to bring equipment that is reliable, light, that and mobile. With Polecam's compact size and diversity as a crane, I was able to achieve one-of-a-kind shots that would never have been possible with conventional gear."
With more than 200 delivered, the Polecam system is being discovered at an increasing rate by producers, directors, cinematographers and other creatives worldwide, as well as rental houses.
Polecam can be fitted with selected broadcast quality SD and HD cameras. There is a new cradle to mount small HDV cameras. Underwater add-ons DiveBag and FishFace are available to allow underwater and air-water-air transition shots, as used to great effect in the Olympics and other high profile sporting events.
Polecam will show new and existing products at IBC 2007 in Amsterdam, on the Polecam stand 10.349.
(SP)