MōVI STARTS MOVING

Earlier in the year a couple students, including myself, posted about the new MŌVI... a hybrid type of steadicam that can provide very smooth shots in versatile situations. The device is already being used in a couple productions, but one production team has actually worked with MŌVI technicians to mount a RED Epic camera onto this flagship device. Their creation is pretty cool looking... a mechanical dance routine on an artistically lit backstreet, all with the MŌVI flowing around the scene:

When interviewing GAREN, the producer of the music video, he stated:

Did using the MōVI make my job as a producer easier? No. Did we come across difficulties because of its learning curve? Yes. Did it cause us to lose some time? Yes. But these things are all to be expected when embracing new technologies.

His answer seems very logical and brings forth the point that the MŌVI is not yet meant for anyone to pick up and start making their very own backyard video. It's a technical piece of equipment and it will take the industry a little bit of time to discover its full potential. 

Of course what would any of this be without a handy behind the scenes video?

Read more about this on nofilmschool.com

MŌVI: The Future of Filmmaking

As I sat on my porch today enjoying the nice sunny weather, my roommate came out and showed me this new piece of technology made by FREEFLY.

Link to their homepage.

MŌVI (pronounced moe-vee) is a camera rig that breaks the process of cinematography into two pieces. Normally, the camera operator is focused on framing, focus, and the general movement their body needs to make in order to get the right shot. This can be very difficult, especially when you want a panning shot of someone in a car or someone running down the street. The steadiness of a camera can really define a quality film. With MŌVI, the process is broken up between two different operators. One is focused on getting the camera where it needs to be, and the other is concerned with framing and focus. How does this work? Think of it as advanced remote-controlled steadicam.  They have a few demo videos that explain it best.

The taxi shot they get about 3 minutes into this clip is incredible. To get a shot like this in the past you would need a substantial budget with several camera operators. They had two operators and a pair of rollerblades. Amazing. 

These rigs are not available to the public yet, and pricing has not been set. They say they will release them in the 4th quarter (October-January) and they probably wont be cheap. 

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I would consider a purchase like this a heavy investment that would pay off in the long run. If you put it to good use, you could probably compensate the price of the rig after just a few effective shots.

This second video goes even further into the possibilities of their products, especially the CINESTAR, a helicopter-like rig. We will probably have to be ready to drop several thousands of dollars for any of these products... but holy crap what a payoff. I myself will probably not be ready to purchase something like this for a while. But if anyone else is, let me know! I may want to borrow it. You know... if that's cool.