My good friend Mark Dolan, who many years ago was my professor at Syracuse University while studying at Newhouse, would always teach us to build our visual library. What he meant was, never stop looking at visuals that excite you, try to find images, films, or even documentaries that inspire yourself and your colleagues and to continue being creative. This mindset was all about what we called, “photo love”, a true love for photography.
Today I still do just that, continue to watch, learn and be inspired.
I love work produced by Evolve Img. One of my favorite pieces is, “The Promise“, a short documentary for ESPN e:60. After I first saw this several years ago, I quickly dove into slow camera movement techniques and then multi-axis time lapses.
Tons of research lead me to Kessler Crane. With that, I made my initial Time Lapse System, “TLS” investment, a Cineslider and an elektraDRIVE system with one motor and an Oracle controller.
This system definitely got me started, however I was hungry for a pan/tilt head and more functionality with the controller. No key frames, a pause feature or loop, made the system a touch unsophisticated. However, it was an awesome start!
A couple of years passed and Kessler announced the CineDrive system. This had all the bells and whistles and with a big price tag to boot. Unfortunately, this was not for me, although, there was a hint of a less-sophisticated version in the works.
Waiting, ah, waiting!
At NAB several years ago, Kessler Crane announced the UniDrive, soon to be renamed Second Shooter. A much smaller, more portable and way more cost effective TLS. I made a deposit on the second or third batch, I think? The system kept selling out!!!
I finally got my hands on a three-axis bundle. My initial reaction was, great engineering, simple user interface, light weight and compact. Smiles!
One thing I did miss immediately was the joystick of the Oracle controller. This tool was fantastic for smooth live shots, even though I had to place it on the ground while setting up.
Second Shooter, designed with magnets on the backside of the motor and controller, make for faster set-up and moving between live shots also known as b-roll. I’m now able to pick up the entire system by the tripod and move to the next shot. This feature now outweighs what I’m lacking from no longer having a joystick.
Another great feature I quickly came to love, key frames! WAY easier to program your shot. Point the camera, press enter, done. With the current firmware, you get 3 keyframes. Not tons of control, but it gets most jobs done.
The next major improvement, nearly dead silent digitally encoded motors with no backlash. Slick! Why? A loop feature in the controller so one can now add a moving camera to interviews. Awesomeness…
Another slick feature on the controller, a pause button. This is great for stopping a time lapse, making adjustments, then starting again. When shooting a holy grail time lapse this is a must.
There are many other features, such as stop motion, an expansion port to add a second controller for 6 axis, an LED light, the ability to swap motor pulleys for gear ratio changes and more.
Currently I’m using my Second Shooter on a 5′ cineslider for time lapse and a 2′ stealth for live motion. The two sliders, combined with the flexibility of the SS TLS is fantastic. Super happy with this investment.
Working with our team at Newsday, I have taken advantage of this system for many projects. While shooting “Vinnie the Denist“, “The New Farmers of Long Island“, “Follow Your Dreams” and more. It’s fantastic to be able to hand off a variety of shots, and looks, to our editors and producers, who together work to produce great documentaries.
