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!
NAB 2019
We’re relishing in the success of this year’s National Association of Broadcasters Show! Thank you to everyone who visited our booth. This was definitely the most exciting NAB Show for GSS to date.
If you didn’t attend, you missed out on some major showstoppers at our booth! It was a privilege showing off our systems alongside our talented partners and clients, including the Sony HDC-P50 4K broadcast camera, the Canon 45X 4K and Fujinon 46X 4K broadcast lenses, and the XD Motion X Fly Vertical and Tethered Drone. Of course, Incline Dynamic Outlet’s incredible Huracam camera car raced in and took everyone’s breath away.
We also had the opportunity to bring out our 2001 original Cineflex V14. Our gimbals have come a long way, and this design has truly stood the test of time. This system marked the beginning of the Cineflex legacy and still continues today in our broadcast line of products!
This year continues to look bright! What are we excited for? Expect to see low-light broadcast cameras and augmented reality overlays change the game even further for live sports and electronic news gathering market segments.
If you couldn’t make this year’s NAB Show, we know we’ll see you at NAB 2020! Stay in-the-know by signing up for our email list below!
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.
Get more updates of GSS gimbals, and our client’s projects by signing up for our emails below.
The Clients of GSS
What does it take to create the incredible documentaries you watch on The BBC, Discovery Channel and more? It starts with the best tech, outstanding customer service and state-of-the-art designs from a dedicated team. But don’t just take our word for it. Listen to these client testimonials from the most talented crews in the aerial cinematography industry.
“They are a step above...”
It’s all about the problem-solving abilities for Aerial Photographer Christian Turner from the US Air Force and Media Fusion. Our high-quality gimbal designs and 24/7 customer service speak for themselves, allowing Christian Turner to continue to capture the fastest aircraft around.
"It just made sense."
Emmy-winning Aerial Cameraman Skip Margetts of Helimedia wanted a partnership, not a sales pitch. With the ability to interchange cameras and lenses, Helimedia has created stunning footage on the Cape Town front for movies like Chappie (2015) and District 9 (2009) for over a decade.
“GSS is a group of excellence."
For IDO Aerials Co-Owner and Director of Photography Nathan Garofalos, accountability and consistency are crucial, and we can understand why. Since 2014, Incline Dynamic Outlet has created footage for the industry's biggest filmmakers: National Geographic, Warner Bros. Pictures and more.
“GSS has definitely set the bar high.”
Aerial Photographer Chris Higgins of the Edwards Air Force Base says his relationship with the GSS team boosts productivity. That engaging customer service really counts and makes a difference when he’s taking on the skies and capturing footage at jet speed.
"They care about my success."
Just like Winged Vision Founder Bob Mikkelson said, we do what others won't. Our partnership helps him capture awesome sporting event coverage of NASCAR, NHL, NFL and more. With stable footage, he gets in on the action both from land and in the air.
"GSS is a partner who we trust, and it works."
Alexander Brozek of CAMCAT-Systems agrees. GSS takes the time to answer questions. CAMCAT takes the European market by storm, taking on the 2017 British Golf Open and more with their remote-controlled cable system designed for aerial footage captures.
“It’s cutting edge, state of the art.”
Straight from Rogue Aviation Co-Owner Matt Barnes and Creative Director and Aerial Cinematographer Cory Hill, GSS is a family. Rogue Aviation has shot aerial work for The Mint 400 race and Pacific Flight Aviation flight school, and has been featured in commercial ads for all kinds of businesses and brands, like DuPont, BMW, and even in music videos!
Our amazing clients are the reason we do what we do. The art they continue to create inspires us to consistently innovate our gimbals for the best service and quality available.
See more testimonials here.
The GSS Cinema Pro+ captures United Arab Emirates National Day
Here’s one way to celebrate! In honor of December’s United Arab Emirates National Day and the life of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, an aircraft formation flew over Dubai in a spirit of unity, captured by a GSS Cinema Pro+!
In a collaboration between Navigation Films and Blue Sky’s Peter Degerfeldt, the plane formation, complete with eleven aircraft from Emirates, Etihad, Fly Dubai, Air Arabia and the Al Fursan Air Display Team, showcased color and teamwork in a course chartered by Sheikh Zayed. From the vantage point of an L39 Jet via the Baltic Bees, the video soared over Dubai and aircraft emblazoned with “Year of Zayed.”
The video, directed by Mike Charlton and produced by Akash Kingston, contains jet footage by Peter Degerfeldt and GSS technician Vicky Degerfeldt. Thanks to the Baltic Bees team members Valery Sobolev, Anatolij LIsenkov and Artyom Soloduha, this incredible fleet came to life.
UAE National Day celebrates the joining of the seven emirates in 1971 and the first president, Sheikh Zayed, typically celebrated with fireworks and air shows.
This was an amazing capture by Blue Sky Aerials and Navigation Films. We are so proud to see our technology used in ways that continue to push and innovate the filming industry!
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to see more.
Award-Winning Teton Gravity Research
Last year, Teton Gravity Research created an awesome new project with their Cinema Pro+ and took home Powder’s Movie of the Year Award.
Their film Far Out goes global, from the Albanian Alps to Girdwood, Alaska. What do the world’s most wild mountain ranges have to offer? More than 30 of the most daring bike, ski and snowboard athletes find out. This epic chronicle took one of the coveted awards during Powder Magazine’s 19th Annual Powder Awards in December, an event which honors the best athletes and artists in the ski community.
Check out the trailer for Far Out below.
We are a proud sponsor of this film. As we have seen time and time again with dozens of the team’s incredible films, TGR never fails to deliver. Our client’s amazing work inspires us to push gimbal technology to new levels so they can achieve new perspectives.
A huge congrats to the TGR crew on this awesome win!
What will TGR create next? Be the first to know by following us on Instagram and Facebook!
Thanksgiving with GSS
Happy Thanksgiving from the GSS family to you! 2018 has been an incredible year for us and the entire gyro-stabilized gimbal industry.
We have accomplished so much this year. After our Cineflex acquisition at the end of last year, we focused on re-branding our look, our gimbal products and sharing these top of the line systems with our community online! We had a fun and successful trip to IFC Amsterdam and also acquired Arctic Built, the best solution to rigging your gimbal to a Robinson helicopter! We are very proud of what this year has brought us and can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store.
Since we started in 2011, it’s been your passion for film and capturing the world that drives us to create the best gimbals in the industry. To all of our clients and supporters, thank you for guiding and encouraging our efforts along the way. Your support means everything to us, and we are so grateful
If you want to learn more about our GSS technologies or have any questions at all, please feel free to call us or message us and we will get back to you as soon as we can! We’re always around 24/7 to answer your gimbal needs.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving,
The GSS Team
Travel Light with GSS
Take your gimbal anywhere without the hassle of complex packing or fear of your system getting damaged. With our lightweight cases, your gimbals can fly as excess baggage for less than 70 pounds per case.
The complete Cinema Mini/Cineflex Pro 512EX gimbal system is easily separated into three, travel-sized cases.
Packing up the Cinema Mini/Cineflex Pro 512EX for travel takes minutes.
Remove the front and rear cover using the 512EX captive hardware
Remove the inner-axis (Camera and lens Payload) via 8 captive hardware screws
Load empty turret into Turret case
Load inner-axis (Camera and lens payload) into Inner-axis case
Load hand controller, video breakout box, PDU and cables into accessories box
All cases can easily load onto a luggage cart at the airport and be checked as excess baggage on all major airlines.
Housed in its own case, the turret is a 20x20x22 unit and weighs 20.5 pounds while empty.
Protect the inner axis and payload with camera and lens configuration in a single case, perfectly fitted within a 30x16x15 shell.
The hand controller, filters, cables and video breakout box fit perfectly in the final case with more than four precisely cut compartments and a measurement of 30x30x29. With the case fully loaded, it weighs in at 66 pounds.
All cases are designed specifically to comfortably and safely fit our gimbal systems, so have no fear of damaging your system or it moving inside the case while traveling.
Contact us today about using the 512EX while traveling around the world.
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!
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.