SHELTON, CT, JUNE 20, 2011—Continuing the company’s commitment to education, Anton/Bauer®, a brand of The Vitec Group, and the world’s premier provider of batteries, chargers, lighting and other mobile power systems for the professional broadcast, video and film industries, recently donated several products to The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, a non-profit program that brings a state-of-the-art and professionally staffed mobile audio and video production studio to schools, youth organizations, community events and music/technology expos throughout North America. Equipped with new Anton/Bauer gear, The Bus made a stop this May at The Hangout Music Festival, in Gulf Shores, AL., where students were able to create and film music videos, while using state-of-the-art, professional broadcast equipment on location.
Following Anton/Bauer’s recent donation, The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, which provides a wide range of workshops with the core element being digital storytelling and the creative use of the latest audio and video technology, is now equipped with Anton/Bauer DIONIC® 90 batteries, T2 Simultaneous Two Position, QR-EX3 Gold Mount® to power its Sony XDCAM EX PMW-EX3 Camcorders, QR-EX1 under-camera Gold Mounts to power its Sony PMW-EX1R XDCAM EX Full HD Camcorders and Litepanels 1x1s LED panels.
“Our programs focus on teenage participants, generally high school students, but we are sure to also visit colleges and middle schools,” says Jeff Sobel, chief engineer, The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. “We adapt our workshop to students of any experience level, to help them realize the next stage in whatever areas their creative interests fall. More often than not, we help students find passion for a job in the technological arts that they didn’t even know existed.”
As The Bus made stops across Alabama during an intensive week of production in May, it took part in multiple student and artist recording sessions at The Hangout Music Festival. On a daily basis—while recording both students and professional artists—the crew needed to film the entire process of students writing and recording an original song as well as producing a music video.
“Along with providing reliable power for our Sony cameras, the Anton/Bauer DIONIC 90 batteries were essential for our portable lighting, an absolute requirement to accomplish our goals,” says Sobel. “In order to minimize inconvenient and potentially hazardous cables and maximize our lighting scenes, we exclusively utilized Litepanels 1x1s powered by Anton/Bauer DIONIC 90 battery systems. For more than eight hours each day, we were able to rely on our Anton/Bauer batteries to provide reliable power for all of our equipment, including lights and cameras. This combination of technology is incredible.”
Using DIONIC 90s mounted on Litepanels 1x1s, students and Sobel’s team were able to unlock creative options previously unavailable as they were able to carry a high-power, broadcast quality light in their hands and move with it while shooting video. Easily handling The Bus’ needs on a single charge, the RealTime® display on the DIONIC 90 continuously alerted the team to exactly how much run-time was left. Weighing just 1.7lbs, this 95Whbattery can handle a maximum load of 6 amps, offering run-times ranging from six hours at 15 watts to 1.75 hours at 50 watts.
What’s more, Anton/Bauer T2 chargers combine two-channel simultaneous InterActive charging with a 70 watt 16VDC output for camera operation, making the T2 capable of operating power-hungry cameras while simultaneously charging a spare battery in the fastest charge time possible.
“Anton/Bauer batteries have quickly become an indispensable asset onboard The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. Quite literally, they bring creative freedom to the Bus and its students,” says Sobel. “The DIONIC 90s allow the students to set up equipment quickly and without worries like where power will come from or how to manage extension cords, not to mention the safety concerns in a fast-paced production environment.”
“We were so happy to contribute to The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, as we know they are in line with our goal to help students realize their passions and hone their skills before entering the industry,” says Shin Minowa, vice president of marketing and business development at Anton/Bauer. “By providing dependable, professional equipment that promotes safe and flexible productions, we look forward to seeing the many great projects that are yet to come.”
The Bus is equipped with Apple computers and iOS devices, Sony XDCAM EX cameras, Manfrotto camera support gear, Audio-Technica microphones, Litepanels LED lights and Avid Media Composer for pre- and post-production. In music production, the Bus provides Roland V-Drums and a digital piano, Gibson and Epiphone guitars, Apogee converters, Mackie monitors and Avid Pro Tools hardware and software.
“We’re so delighted to be partnered with Anton/Bauer,” says Sobel. “Everyone at the company has been a pleasure to work with and their enthusiasm for The Lennon Bus is wonderful.”
For more information about The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, visit http://www.lennonbus.org.
About Anton/Bauer
Anton/Bauer is recognized as the world’s innovator and premier provider of batteries, chargers, lighting and other key mobile power systems for the professional broadcast, video and film industries. Based in the United States in Shelton, CT with offices in Europe and Asia, Anton/Bauer was established in 1970 and has expanded its product offerings to include many signature lines such as its leading Gold Mount® system, InterActive® chargers and Logic Series® batteries such as the HyTRON® 50, 100 and 140, and DIONIC® 90, 160, HC and HCX. Their products are compatible with virtually every camera brand on the market today. Other Anton/Bauer high performance products include the Ultralight®, ElipZ®, ElightZ®, CINE VCLX and CINE VCLX/2. Their superior-quality products have become an industry standard. For more information on Anton/Bauer, visit www.antonbauer.com.
A Snapshot of The Vitec Group
Vitec is an international Group principally serving customers in the broadcast, photographic and military, aerospace and government (MAG) markets. Listed on the London Stock Exchange with 2009 revenue of £315 million, Vitec is based on strong, well known, premium brands on which its customers worldwide rely. Vitec is organised in three divisions: Imaging & Staging, Videocom and Services. Imaging & Staging designs, manufactures and distributes equipment and accessories for photography, video and events. Videocom designs and distributes systems and products used in
broadcasting and live entertainment, film and video production and MAG. Services provides equipment rental, workflow design and technical support for camera, video, audio, fibre optic and wireless technology used by TV production teams and film crews. More information can be found at www.vitecgroup.com.
About the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus (www.lennonbus.org)
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a non-profit state-of-the-art mobile Pro Audio and HD video recording facility that provides hands-on experiences for students of all ages. In its 14th year of touring, the venture is proud of its fully professional bus and its studios, which boast the latest audio and video technology, gear and products. The concept began as an offshoot of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, which is dedicated to providing opportunities for both professional and amateur songwriters around the world. The Bus travels across the U.S. and Canada year-round, providing free tours and workshops at schools, retailers, festivals, on tours with headlining artists, and at major industry conferences.
The Bus, a 501(c)(3) venture, is made possible through the generosity of sponsors including Apple, Avid, Mont Blanc, NAMM, SAE Institute, Gibson, Epiphone, Neutrik, Sony, Audio-Technica, Sonicbids, Musician’s Friend, Music Player Network, Sonicbids, Litepanels, Reflecmedia, Disc Makers, Mobile Roadie, Ampeg, Roland, Boss, Mackie, Digital Media Academy, Aphex Systems, Apogee, Manfrotto Distribution, iZotope, Glyph Technologies, Harris Corporation, Applied Acoustics Systems, Antares, McDSP, IK Multimedia, Adobe, Native Instruments, Slingerland Drums, Noise Industries, and Mad Mimi.
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is made possible by an agreement with Yoko Ono Lennon.
