American Cinematographer - July 2016 - 81

for all-in-one systems that enable virtual
sets, augmented 3D graphics and previsualization.
In a studio environment, StarTracker
places no restrictions on where the camera
can go and what it can do, since it does not
interfere with the set or lighting. The
camera can do 360-degree pans and move
anywhere in the studio as long as enough
stars remain in sight of the tracking camera.
For outside broadcasting, StarTracker offers
an ad-hoc solution for Steadicam systems
with a net fixed with ready-mounted stars
or a "star carpet" that can be rolled out on
location.
With no drift of tracking data and no
recalibration required, StarTracker is
immune to light sources from above, as it
uses blue or infrared LEDs. The system is
also compatible with all popular render
engines.
Mo-Sys has also extended the
ViaRail product range - a family of broadcast traveling-rail systems - with the introduction of the ViaRail dolly with a column
that allows vertical camera movements. The
rails can be customized and built to any
length, exploring the whole studio
from one end to the other, and
allowing for curves with a
minimum radius of 4m.

The ViaRail is available as a floorbased or ceiling-hung rail system. It offers
optional VR data output, a dual-joystick
console for camera control, and a ShotBox
touch screen for preprogrammed camera
positions. The hanging ViaRail system incorporates a scissor-lift that lets the camera
drop from ceiling height to eye level; a gyro
camera leveler compensates for the
centrifugal force of the hanging camera as
it travels along a curve. The unique rubbercapped rail provides a single continuous
running surface, reduces noise and removes
joint ripple.
For additional information, visit
www.mo-sys.com.

Matthews Rolls Out Dutti Dolly
Matthews Studio Equipment has
joined forces with dolly grip James Saldutti
to produce Saldutti's Dutti Dolly at the
company's Burbank facility. "James has
managed to pack a whole lot of punch in a
small, light, stable and efficient dolly," says
Robert Kulesh, VP of sales and marketing
for MSE. "It can get into extreme low
angles or can carry a bazooka or tripod for
other heights. The stability gives the operator the ability to whip pan and quick tilt. It
rolls directly on the ground or can be
mounted on stands or track, and can be
over- or under-slung. It can fit in places
where conventional dollies cannot fit -
airplane or bus aisles, or even church pews.
Dutti Dolly is great for long takes, stunts,
poor-man's process and more."
Saldutti devised the dolly while
working with cinematographer James M.
Muro. "The dollies out there rest too high
on track," Saldutti opines. "To make shots
work for James, I had to get lower."
"I'll put the Dutti Dolly on top of the
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table in the White House situation room for
HBO's The Brink," Muro offers. "It can,
obviously, fit in a much tighter space than a
conventional dolly. It simply makes for an
intuitive operating experience, where there
is not a lot of discussion, not a lot of laying
track, not a lot of big equipment. With the
Dutti Dolly, I can be in and out of the location quickly and still have a massive amount
of production value.
"On the television series Southland,
we were always trying to have smaller,
simple solutions to get the camera crew in
and out of the locations within two to three
hours," Muro adds. "A couple of 12-foot
planks, the Dutti Dolly and various-sized
sliders [were] pretty much all we needed.
The dolly ended up being the staple of the
camera movement on that show."
Joaquin Sedillo, ASC has also used
the Dutti Dolly. "While shooting Glee
sequences on stage at [the] McKinley High
Auditorium set, rather than taking time to
remove one or several rows of auditorium
seats, I simply used James Saldutti's setup,"
he says. "We could easily throw down a 16foot plank, a couple of 'A-frame' lengths of
simple track, and his lightweight but solid
Dutti Dolly on the armrests of the seats, and
we could pull off a tracking shot in record
time.
"The same thing with low-angle
shots on the edge of our auditorium
stage," Sedillo continues. "It saved us valuable time in a frequent scenario where,
rather than hoisting one or more of our
regular dollies from the stage pit
onto the stage with chain
motors, we'd throw
down Dutti's lightweight track
and dolly. It
[provided] a
huge
time
savings
plus
July 2016

http://www.mo-sys.com http://www.theasc.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - July 2016