A camera pedestal is an item upon which television cameras are mounted, typically seen in television studios. Unlike tripods, pedestals give camera operators the ability to move the camera in any direction (left, right, forward, back, up, down). They are commonly used on shiny-floor shows, sitcoms and soap operas.
Whilst pedestals are most commonly seen in self-contained television studios, they are also seen on outside broadcasts. [1]
A pedestal typically consists of three main parts: a base (with wheels), the column (with steering ring), and the platform. In order to maintain stability and to keep the centre of gravity low, pedestals typically weigh roughly 30% more than their maximum weight capacity meaning that some, such as the Vinten Quattro-L, weigh over 150kg/330lbs. [2]
Manual pedestals have three wheels, allowing them to move along a floor in two ways. This is dictated by Crab/Steer controls on the base.
Some pedestals have interchangeable wheels, allowing the studio wheels to be swapped out for OB wheels. [3] On some pedestals, there is a skirt which stops cables from getting caught under the wheels or the base itself. Depending on the model, this can be set manually on each wheel, or across all three wheels.
Pedestals are designed to take the weight of a pan & tilt head, television camera, zoom lens, teleprompter and vanity monitor; this is achieved by having a column balanced with pneumatics or hydraulics. The column, nowadays typically filled with compressed gas such as nitrogen, can be raised and lowered whilst "on-shot". [4] There is a column brake which can be used to keep it at a set position. Locks on the column allow it to be locked down whilst not in use. This means that any change in pressure inside the column (due to temperature change, for example) will not result in damage to camera equipment.
A steering ring, at the top of the column, rotates to control the direction the wheel(s) are pointing. The ring can also be used on some models to adjust the height of the cable skirt.
Pedestals have also been adapted to have removable columns, allowing for it to be mounted directly on dolly tracks or a static base for use in environments where a pedestal would not fit [5]
A number of manufacturers now make robotic camera pedestals, including companies like Shotoku [6] and Vinten Radamec. [7] These are particularly used in news broadcasting environments, where a single camera operator can control multiple cameras in different studios.
The robotic pedestal can be moved around on a studio floor, and the height of the column adjusted, from a remote control panel. Typically, this panel will also control a pan-tilt head fitted on the pedestal, allowing the operator to frame the shot. [8] Some manual pedestals can have a height drive fitted to them allowing for the height of the column to be adjusted remotely - however, someone would still need to reposition the pedestal itself.
A skid loader, skid-steer loader, SSL, or skidsteer is any of a class of compact heavy equipment with lift arms that can attach to a wide variety of buckets and other labor-saving tools or attachments.
Steering is the control of the direction of locomotion.
A professional video camera is a high-end device for creating electronic moving images. Originally developed for use in television studios or with outside broadcast trucks, they are now also used for music videos, direct-to-video movies, corporate and educational videos, wedding videos, among other uses. Since the 2000s, most professional video cameras are digital professional video cameras.
The Audi A6 is an executive car made by the German automaker Audi. Now in its fifth generation, the successor to the Audi 100 is manufactured in Neckarsulm, Germany, and is available in saloon and estate configurations, the latter marketed by Audi as the Avant. Audi's internal numbering treats the A6 as a continuation of the Audi 100 lineage, with the initial A6 designated as a member of the C4-series, followed by the C5, C6, C7, and the C8. The related Audi A7 is essentially a Sportback (liftback) version of the C7-series and C8-series A6 but is marketed under its own separate identity and model designation.
A grader, also commonly referred to as a road grader, motor grader, or simply a blade, is a form of heavy equipment with a long blade used to create a flat surface during grading. Although the earliest models were towed behind horses, and later tractors, most modern graders are self-propelled and thus technically "motor graders".
The Audi A8 is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi since 1994. Succeeding the Audi V8, and now in its fourth generation, the A8 has been offered with both front- or permanent all-wheel drive—and in short- and long-wheelbase variants. The first two generations employed the Volkswagen Group D platform, with the current generation deriving from the MLB platform. After the original model's 1994 release, Audi released the second generation in late 2002, the third in late 2009, and the fourth and current iteration in 2017. Noted as the first mass-market car with an aluminium chassis, all A8 models have used this construction method co-developed with Alcoa and marketed as the Audi Space Frame.
The camera control unit (CCU) is typically part of a live television broadcast chain. It is responsible for powering the professional video camera, handling signals sent over the camera cable to and from the camera, and can be used to control various camera parameters remotely.
A steering wheel is a type of steering control in vehicles.
A caster is an undriven wheel that is designed to be attached to the bottom of a larger object to enable that object to be moved.
A camera dolly is a wheeled cart or similar device used in filmmaking and television production to create smooth horizontal camera movements. The camera is mounted to the dolly and the camera operator and focus puller or camera assistant usually ride on the dolly to push the dolly back and forth. The camera dolly is generally used to produce images which involve moving the camera toward or away from a subject while a take is being recorded, a technique known as a "dolly shot". The dolly grip is the dedicated technician trained to operate the dolly by manually pushing it back and forth.
A television studio, also called a television production studio, is an installation room in which video productions take place, either for the production of live television and its recording onto video tape or other media such as SSDs, or for the acquisition of raw footage for post-production. The design of a studio is similar to, and derived from, movie studios, with a few amendments for the special requirements of television production. A professional television studio generally has several rooms, which are kept separate for noise and practicality reasons. These rooms are connected via 'talkback' or an intercom, and personnel will be divided among these workplaces.
The production control room (PCR) or studio control room (SCR) is the place in a television studio in which the composition of the outgoing program takes place.
Robot combat is a mode of robot competition in which custom-built machines fight using various methods to incapacitate each other. The machines have generally been remote-controlled vehicles rather than autonomous robots.
Wheel alignment, which is sometimes referred to as breaking or tracking, is part of standard automobile maintenance that consists of adjusting the angles of wheels to the car manufacturer specifications. The purpose of these adjustments is to reduce tire wear and to ensure that vehicle travel is straight and true. Alignment angles can also be altered beyond the maker's specifications to obtain a specific handling characteristic. Motorsport and off-road applications may call for angles to be adjusted well beyond normal, for a variety of reasons.
Bump steer is the term for the tendency of the wheel of a car to steer itself as it moves through the suspension stroke.
The automotive steering column is a device intended primarily for connecting the steering wheel to the steering mechanism.
Videndum plc is a manufacturer of hardware and software for the film industry founded in 1910 and based in Richmond, London. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
A television production truck or OB van is a small mobile production control room to allow filming of events and video production at locations outside a regular television studio. They are used for remote broadcasts, outside broadcasting (OB), and electronic field production (EFP). Some require a crew of as many as 30 people, with additional trucks for additional equipment as well as a satellite truck, which transmits video back to the studio by sending it up through a communications satellite using a satellite dish, which then transmits it back down to the studio. Alternatively, some production trucks include a satellite transmitter and satellite dish for this purpose in a single truck body to save space, time and cost.
The Audi R8 LMS Cup was a one-make sports car racing series by Audi based in Asia. Audi R8 LMS Cup cars were based on the Audi R8 LMS (GT3).
Vinten is a brand of lightweight manual and robotic camera supports such as tripods, pedestals, pan and tilt heads, robotic heads, and robotic tracks, many of which are aimed at the television studio and outside broadcast markets. The brand was established by William Vinten when he started manufacturing Kinemacolor projectors for Charles Urban in 1909. The brand is wholly-owned by Videndum plc.
