Iron Cross @ Mavericks for the last of the shots.

March 11th, 2012

It was cold out on the water in Half Moon Bay and it was strange not to see the monster waves I have become so aware of at Mavericks.  I was helping out to film surfers reacting to scenes were they had to scramble to escape large wave coming in to wash them out.  It was classic acting as the water was moderately calm and no waves in site.
It has been a great job and the Perfect Horizon performed "perfect" every time I showed up. We mounted a Red Epic with a Optimo 24mm-290mm lens to my Perfect Horizon which was mounted on a 6 inch riser.

"Of Men and Mavericks" Feb 8, 2012

The next big swell hit Mavericks Feb 8th and 9th and it did not disappoint the surfers or the film crew who saw the monster surf that Mavs is famous for.  Even Jeff Clark seemed to be impressed at how good the surf was and the weather was great.  The Perfect Horizon was the go- to stabilizer and the main work horse for Mike Prickett and Ron Condon while out in the surf zone filming great shots for "Of Men and Mavericks".

Ron condon told me that he could not of filmed the shots they needed with out the Perfect Horizon and was very pleased with the results he was able to achieve with the unit.

Of Men and Mavericks- Game Day

 January 5 & 6, 2012


   These were the days that Iron Cross Films has been waiting for in order to shoot the main footage for "Of Men and Mavericks".  The surf was huge and rolling in 20'+ and it was a perfect day for filming the monster waves. It was great being out with DP Mike Prickett  prickettfilms.com  and Jeff Clark jeffclarkmavericks.com driving the 22' Jet boat right in the line up. Mike has used the Perfect Horizon numerous times filming big wave competitions and knew that the Perfect Horizon was the best way to film up close and personal.http://youtu.be/IXdyij8AWNI This is great footage of the action the Perfect Horizon can handle.  

Of Men and Mavericks- Surfing legend Jay Moriarity

October 14th, 2011
While up in San Francisco working on "Shark Week", I was called to work on a reenactment of the life of surfer, Jay Moriarity, Maverick's surfing legend.  The first filming days took place at Santa Cruz bay with hundreds of extras in the water, giving a real buzz to the scene.  We used two Perfect Horizons on Captain Robert Brown's specialized camera boat: uscameraboats.com  The cameras were Arri Alexa, which used Optimo 14- 280 zoom lenses.   

Hunting for Sharks off the Farralon Islands.

October 10th, 2011

Discovery Shark Week's Jeff Kurr was on "Derek M. Baylis" filming scientist from Monterey trying to lure previously tagged sharks to the surface for a photo opportunity both for the scientist's records and for Shark Week. Jeff was using the Phantom High speed camera on top of the Perfect Horizon which he has use numerous times while filming Great Whites in South Africa.  After two days of filming and only one shark coming up to take the decoy we went hunting for waves...

October 12th, 2011

A big swell hit Mavericks and Jeff Kerr was able to shoot some great footage of the local guys hitting the waves.  Jeff was able to interview a local surfer and his thoughts of sharks in the area and how to keep a mental balance between doing something you love and a ever looming danger.  This was my first time at Mavericks and I was impressed by the size and power of the 'Worlds most deadliest wave". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC0IOAWjaFM

Sea Otters of Monterey Bay, CA

October 1st, 2011
Six days on the Monterey bay filming Sea Otters with NHK Japan T.V. was a great change of pace from the hustle and bussel of Los Angeles.  Phil Sammet was our boat captain and local tour/ information guide about all things in and on the bay.  We filmed great shots of a mother and cub going about the days activities of grooming, hunting for crabs, and trying out new menu options such as Planter worms,Squid, and Sea cucumbers. The camera man "Hedi'" was filming with a Proton high speed camera and was able to get some great slow motion footage of the young cub and mother swimming and eating together.

Motion Picture Marine’s Perfect Horizon on the North Sea

From the Production Log of Brent Spencer 
Perfect Horizon Engineer and AC Rigger
June 29^th 2011

I flew off to Amsterdam, Holland to work with  Eyeworks Film Productions to help get the shot they needed for their first 3D epic “Nova Zembla”. 


Landing in Amsterdam and being taken to the docks right away I knew this was an important day for the production crew. They had  tried to film from boat to boat without stabilization the week before with a Red camera 3D rig and the results weren't pretty! So I was there on a very special mission to get the job done and give them the important shots they needed to fulfill their shot list. 


The North Atlantic Sea was not as bad as she could be, but I was challenged to keep my balance as I was assisting Rolf, the DP,  to maintain his balance while lining up the shots to film a 16^th century ship he was eager to shoot.


With the beginning of the first shots and with full wind in the ship's sails, Rolf was ecstatic, saying “this is why we are here men! This is going to be in the trailer”. 


The Red Camera System was mounted in a 3D configuration and was quite heavy. The total weight with the fluid head was about 160 lbs. Given the conditions of the sea with it’s 6-10’ ft swells, it made for a interesting day of filming. 


All and all the Perfect Horizon Camera Stabilization Head was put to the test and performed excellently. The Dutch film crew all were very nice and showed an eager interest in the Perfect Horizon as they had never seen it before; they expressed a need to have this kind of system in Europe. 


As for me, I'd love to return to this picturesque land of locks, land and sea and would be happy to bring the Perfect Horizon back for more perfect 3D  shots!