Blog
Active Camera Systems Goes Country
Calling all country music fans! One of our clients completed an impressive project for singer-songwriter Dustin Lynch. Active Camera Systems shot footage for “Ridin’ Roads,” Lynch’s title track to his three-song EP released this spring. Check out the behind the scenes footage from ACS here!
“Ridin’ Roads” held a spot on Billboard’s Country Airplay, where it’s remained for over 13 weeks since the song’s March release. The music video, uploaded in May, has garnered over 1.3 million views! Listen to the song below with completed footage by ACS.
Patrick Longman, owner and cinematographer of ACS, perfectly captured the smooth, scenic route in their footage, the excellent companion to Lynch’s romantic tune. We are so proud to see our clients creating exciting new content, especially for chart-toppers like this! Patrick and the ACS team has impressed us with credits including The Sopranos, Daredevil, and The Wolf of Wall Street. We’re very excited to see what’s next.
GSS at Cine Gear 2019
Cine Gear 2019 was a success yet again! Paramount Studios was an incredible venue to meet and greet both new and familiar faces. As always, we are so grateful to be part of this talented community. It was such a pleasure to catch up with friends and show off GSS tech in Los Angeles!
We can’t give enough thanks to Nathan Garofalos of Incline Dynamic Outlet, Patrick Longman from Active Camera Systems, and both Rob Drewett and Adam Sculthrop from Motion Impossible for the booth support. There’s nothing like working alongside friends and true experts in the field.
We’ll see you next year!
USAF Goes Gyro-Stabilized in Weapons Test
This past December, the U.S. Air Force released footage of a successful Flight Test Integrated-03, also known as FTI-03, shot with a GSS Cinema Pro gimbal. Watch the footage here.
Filmed with a Red DSMC2 Helium and a Canon 50-1000mm lens for day footage along with stunning night footage via a Midwave Infrared Camera, the video captured combined efforts of the Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Navy.
The team operated the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex based out of the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii. According to Mark Wright of the Missile Defence Agency, “This was an operational live fire test demonstrating the Aegis Weapon System Engage On Remote capability to track and intercept an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) target with an Aegis Ashore-launched Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA interceptor.”
It is incredible to see so many different purposes and projects with GSS in action. We are proud to represent the U.S. military in their defense exercises.
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Beyond The Helicopter: GSS Custom Design Services
Gimbals should go above and beyond the standard helicopter. When your project requires ground rigging from a ship or truck, as filmed during Deadliest Catch or a Teton Gravity Research project, a custom design should be within reach.
“We have mounted the C520 (Cinema Pro+) on cars, trucks, boats and small 4-wheel drive vehicles,” says Co-Founder, Executive Producer & Co-Director of Teton Gravity Research, Todd Jones.
“You can have it on a truck in the morning and move it onto a helicopter in under an hour.”
Decades of experience allow GSS engineers to develop gimbal systems which accommodate custom designs. We design every model with room for modifications as camera and lens technologies change and integrate systems to your needs.
After purchasing your gimbal, contact GSS who, along with companies including Paradigm SRP LLC, can develop unique systems fitted for your production, surveillance or broadcast needs.
Contact us about your custom design today!
From Old to New: A Look at Stabilized Improvements with Churchill Navigation
At GSS, we always look to evolve and improve. At our core, we are engineers that love to create, test and improve our gimbals and technologies to provide the highest quality and latest advancements that integrate with our gimbals. As we analyze old footage, we are proud to see how far our stabilized gimbals have come and are able to offer the best solution for IMU integration.
In this clip, we compared the original solution, External Novatel IMU, to the new, GSS Internal IMU. Both flights featured identical paths over Philadelphia and used Churchill Navigation’s BEAR mapping system with a GSS Cineflex series broadcast gimbal. Notice the incredible stabilization improvements; the street names no longer shake or bounce, and instead, glide smoothly.
What is IMU?
An IMU, Inertial Measurement Unit, detects linear acceleration using an accelerometer and rotational rate using gyroscopes. It reports pitch, roll and yaw status on a continual basis.
We use IMU data as part of an Inertial Navigation Systems (INS). The GSS INS uses the IMU measurements to calculate attitude, angular rates, linear velocity and position relative to a global reference frame. GSS IMU/INS reports the video’s location to Churchill for a live mapping overlay. An accurate IMU data feed results in a stable mapping overlay, as you see in this video.
Learn more about our development of our in-house INS here.
For more information on integrating GSS’s IMU with your system, contact us here.
For more information about our Cineflex Broadcast Series, click here.
The GSS Cinema Pro+
The GSS Cinema Pro+, formerly known as the C520, is the smallest and lightest gimbal in its class and supports the most popular cameras and lenses in the marketplace. This gimbal goes above and beyond competitors with fast installation time, a weather-sealed shell and the ability to house today’s most popular camera and lens configurations.
Weighing in at 85 pounds (without payload) and a width of 20 inches, this gimbal accommodates large cinema cameras and lenses for projects in all environments. The system has been used at sub-freezing temperatures above 24,000 feet in the Himalayas and in the sweltering heat in the Emirati desert. Unlike competitors, the Cinema Pro+ is completely sealed for safe operation in adverse climates.
Like all GSS gimbals, no gimbal tech is required for installation. Save time and money with our interchangeable systems, and swap between cameras like the Arri Alexa 65, Alexa SXT, Alexa LF, Sony Venice (and many others!) with hundreds of lens options within 30 minutes. This package can fly on a single pole mount, which will also save considerable time and money when compared to shipping, installing and using a dual pole mount.
With an expanded elevation of 30° to -205° from horizontal and six-axis of gyro-stabilized movement, the Cinema Pro+ has the most wide-ranging capabilities yet and may be operated in both standard and inverted mode. With VectorSteering™ look-down technology there is no gimbal lock.
Even with its large-scale capabilities, this gimbal still flies conveniently as excess baggage without ITAR or EAR export restrictions and easily breaks down to 70 lbs/32 kg per box in about one hour.
We have designed our future-proof open architecture systems to be compatible with upgrades as gimbal, camera and lens technologies evolve.
For all of the Cinema Pro+ details, check out the complete specs for more information about its expanded, interchangeable camera and lens options.
Download the complete specs here.
Fitting the DNA of Teton Gravity Research
Earlier this year, GSS client Teton Gravity Research, an action sports media company, shared this custom feature about their journey with GSS their new GSS Cinema Pro +, and we are so proud to see our gimbal in these incredibly versatile projects.
“GSS really fits our DNA. It’s the best five-axis gimbal in the world.”
– TGR Co-Founder Todd Jones
TGR formed more than two decades ago and since created thirty-two sports culture-focused films with no signs of stopping.
Check out how TGR uses their GSS gimbal to capture winter sports across the globe in the video above and learn more about their award-winning films here.
Learn more about the Cinema Pro + and it’s capabilities here.
Aerial Camera Systems meets the Cineflex Pro +
GSS customer Aerial Camera Systems received their first GSS Cineflex Pro + this summer and inaugurated their new gimbal at this year’s Wimbledon Championships.
This system is contoured with the Grass Valley LDX-C86N Compact Camera and Canon CJ45 lens. For the first time, the Cineflex Pro + will help capture the legendary hoisted aerial shots of the All England Club in UHD/HDR. GSS’s newest customer has added to their state of the art gimbals and will now have the option of using their GSS Cineflex Pro + or Cineflex gimbals for various broadcast projects.
“We’re delighted to add the Cineflex Pro + to our inventory of stabilized gimbals. We’ve made some significant investments in equipment this year, recognizing the growing demand for 4K UHD formats.”
Operations Director Dave Whitlock
We look forward to the content ACS will release in the future with their new GSS gimbal, which will allow them to take on new payloads and revolutionize camera stability in the European market. ACS plans to use the Cineflex Pro + at upcoming sporting events this August.
Learn more about the Cineflex Pro + and all its capabilities here.
If you’re located in England, rent ACS gimbals and learn more about past projects from the Royal Wedding, Commonwealth Games and more at aerialcamerasystems.com.
The GSS Cinema Pro Gimbal
Formerly the GSS C516, the Cinema Pro handles the most popular medium-sized cinema cameras with ease. Similar to the Cinema Mini, its six-axis look-down extends filming capabilities without gimbal lock. An expanded width of 16 inches allows this gimbal to accommodate larger interchangeable lenses.
For increased precision and accessibility, the Cinema Pro features a geo-pointing option as well as GroundControl™ for wireless, bi-directional gimbal control.
Like the GSS Cinema Mini, this mid-sized, 60-pound gimbal is travel-friendly and still small enough to ship as excess baggage with no ITAR or EAR export restrictions.
Within 30 minutes, interchange lenses from the Canon Cinema Series, Zeiss Master Primes, Optimo wide zooms and more.
Interested in all of the Cinema Pro’s capabilities? Download the complete specs for more information about weight, dimensions, camera options and more.