In Broadcast - September 2016 - 32


32

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 6 - Issue 9 | September 2016

InStudio

Miller Manage Counterbalance

The right payload counterbalance is
all about the centre of gravity...

V

ideographers & cinematographers
have more choices than ever
when deciding what gear to take to a
shoot. Whether the situation calls for
a simple DSLR camera or a fully rigged
system, the one constant in most cases,
is the tripod system. Shooters need to
take into account several things when
deciding what fluid head will provide
the right counterbalance system for
the occasion.
An important factor to consider is
how high the camera rig Centre of
Gravity (COG) stands above the fluid
head camera plate. Most fluid head
manufacturers specify the payload
range for a COG at 100mm above the
camera plate. For example, a fluid
head that can handle up to 10kg at
100mm COG, may only handle 7kg at
150mm COG. Rig attachments may
raise the COG. So purchase a fluid
head with plenty of payload range
headroom.
Counterbalance counteracts the

weight of the camera rig when tilting
during the shoot. The balance point of
the rig needs to be found by sliding the
rig backwards or forward to a point
of equilibrium with counterbalance
set to its lowest position. After the
camera rig is balanced to a point
where the rig stays level, the
counterbalance springs, builtin within the head, take over
when counterbalance is
stepped up and the rig is
tilted backwards or forward.
Too much, then the rig will
spring back. Too little, the rig
will drop forward or backwards.
When selecting the correct
counterbalance setting, users
should look to select a spring with
the right amount of force to keep
the rig at approximately half-tilt,
without springing back to level or
dropping to full tilt. If necessary add
some tilt drag to counter the springback. This method has been the

traditional way of setting up the fluid
head.
Miller Camera Support Equipment
outfitted the arrowx line with CB PLUS,
a unique sequential counterbalance
design employing a half-step in
between the larger counterbalance
steps. CB PLUS helps users achieve

repeatable, accurate and rapid
setup over a wide payload range by
featuring eight large counterbalance
steps, allowing them to get to their
needed position quickly and efficiently
and then applying half a step, when
required for finer counterbalance
control.
CB PLUS helps where frequent and
fast re-rigging is required.
Small refinements by using
the half-step quickly set
you up to any situation. If
a shooter has two to three
go-to setups, they can
quickly dial in the known
counterbalance.
If
a
counterbalance
system can't keep up with
a cameraman's setup speed,
precious moments and amazing
shots could be lost. Miller's CB
PLUS, employed in arrowx, ensures
that counterbalance is one less thing
the shooter has to worry about.
arrowx offers CB PLUS
for quick accurate setups

Autoscript's VoicePlus Hits The Mark
A

utoscript's
voice-activated
teleprompting software module,
VoicePlus, is the new solution that's
transforming broadcast one studio at
a time. With an accuracy that blows
users away, the add-on to Autoscript's
market leading WinPlus software is
getting great customer response.
One of the early adopters of the
VoicePlus module was TV MIDTVEST,
led by Project Manager and Technical
Director Niels Borg. Catering to an
audience of around 500,000 people
in the mid-western Jutland region of
Denmark, TV MIDTVEST is a publicly
funded 24-hours channel that has five
time-slots on the national TV2 station
with a prime newscast in the evening

that includes 50-70% news in addition
to a documentary piece.
Because of how the TV MIDTVEST
studio is laid out, the anchor can use
the foot pedal whenever he or she
is sitting during production, but for
standing segments they had to choose
an alternative solution. Borg chose
to invest in VoicePlus as an add-on to
his WinPlus workflow. He explained:
"VoicePlus was a great way to give
the anchor control of the prompting
without having to operate something,
giving us a brilliant opportunity to
avoid additional controllers as well as
enabling the anchors to control the
speed of prompting while presenting
naturally."

"The first test of VoicePlus blew
us away because it was completely
seamless and showed us this great
new possibility for our workflow. And,
in the end, we made no significant
changes to our original infrastructure
to accommodate it," said Borg. "We
do have an operator available right
now, so our main target is not cost
reduction, but to ensure the script is
where it is supposed to be at all times."
With the voice activation capabilities
of VoicePlus, the presenters can
control the scrolling speed of the
text simply by adjusting how fast
they're speaking. Thanks to its simple

VoicePlus offers the anchor freedom

operation, the system can be turned
on with the press of a button, and
productions can choose to include
an on-screen message informing
the presenter if voice activation is
"Enabled" or "Deactivated."
When asked to describe VoicePlus
in three words, Borg chose just one:
Freedom.
"All of a sudden you can be anywhere
and the prompter will follow you - so
freedom. VoicePlus offers the anchor
the freedom to use the prompter
without having to control it or rely on
someone else to control it."
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.millertripods.com/search.html?for=arrowx http://www.autoscript.tv/products/wp-vap/
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast - September 2016
