As a broadcast veteran and co-founder of Summerfield, NC-based video production company Deja View Media, Council Bradshaw has shot footage in plenty of out-of-the-way places for clients such as The History Channel, FOX Sports, Carnival Cruise Line, R.J. Reynolds and John Deere.
On any given day, he and his production crew might shoot a commercial in the jungle or film a public service announcement in a crowded urban landscape — often situated far away from a studio or base camp.
To ensure his cameras and monitors keep running during these situations, Bradshaw turns to Anton/Bauer a global provider of batteries, chargers, lighting and other mobile power systems.
Bradshaw and his production crew primarily use Anton/Bauer DIONIC90 batteries and, to a lesser extent, HyTRON 140s. They find the longevity and portability of the DIONIC 90 particularly handy for shooting in remote field locations, as the batteries give them enough power to shoot all morning or afternoon before needing a recharge.
Recently, Bradshaw and his team shot footage in the sand dunes of Florence, OR. Located in the middle of 15sq mi of sand dunes, and miles away from their base camp, Bradshaw and his team couldn’t feasibly shuttle back and forth between the shooting site and base camp to get more batteries. So they packed several DIONIC 90s in a backpack to support two cameras and a monitor, and were able to shoot all morning. Then they went back to the base camp for a break and lunch, put the batteries on the charger, and were able to use them for the afternoon shoot later.
“With our more remote productions, you can’t afford to have a PA running back and forth with batteries — you just can’t count on that, especially because it’s all about daylight when we’re shooting,” says Bradshaw. “We bring reflectors in to fill, but it’s all about the moment and getting the light right so we have to be ready. There are already enough variables to deal with, but the one thing I don’t have to worry about is my batteries dying. There’s nothing worse than doing a bunch of takes and rehearsals, getting everything right, and then the battery dies.”
Currently, Deja View Media employs the DIONIC 90s on Panasonic AG-HPX500 HD camcorders and RED SCARLET-X cinema cameras. After finding that the batteries that came with the RED SCARLET-X only lasted about 20 minutes in the field, Bradshaw selected the Anton/Bauer QRC-EPIC Gold Mount for the cameras to accommodate the DIONIC 90, substantially increasing the run time on the cameras.The company also uses Anton/Bauer QR-DVX Gold Mounts on Panasonic field monitors.
