Wow! That word sums up the last three months. It has also been three months since I’ve taken some time to report on what’s cooking here at Cinevate. NAB 2010 was a huge success for us, and no doubt the busiest month of the year for the Cinevate crew. The needs of HD DSLR shooters around the world created a greater demand than expected, particularly for our Core HD DSLR Rig. I know there were a few customers upset over the long wait times, so to be fair we refunded any orders on request. For those of you who waited so patiently, thank you. Our mission is always to keep our customers (and potentially future customers) happy.

The great news for those who waited for their Core rigs was that they ended up with a free upgrade. Our integrated Proteus Quick Release System arrived in their kits, taking the core to the incremental next level of excellence. This system, now included in every rails kit we manufacture, is the world’s first multi-plate quick release design. This means that the three most popular quick release plates, in use today, can be used on our Proteus system and can be height adjusted infinitely with zero shims, zero downward interference and with outstanding rigidity.

A recent addition to the Cinevate catalog is the very cool DSLR Core Custom Case - designed and manufactured by Cinevate in collaboration with the good folks over at Portabrace. This bag system takes a complete Core rig with camera attached, the new shoulder mount and fillable counterbalance.

Another surprise since NAB 2010 is the newly designed shoulder mount system and non-slip pad, which was also produced in collaboration with Portabrace. Not only are the aesthetics improved, but combined with Cinevate’s new fillable dslr counterbalance system, we’ve created a level of stability, in fatigue-free shooting, that has yet to be seen in the market.

The sneak peek of our iPhone and small camera stabilizer was received with exceptional interest at NAB 2010. The production model will have a much larger weight tolerance, retain it’s organic good looks and offer many more options for host cameras. Apple was kind enough to release the HD recording iPhone4, which was the news we were waiting for! This rig will spawn creative opportunities for small cameras and smart phones previously impossible to achieve.

With Cyclops about to drop, we are preparing to launch the world’s first full face, LCD viewer.  Even more significant is what Cyclops means in terms of lower cost DSLR Rigs. Cyclops supports no less than four mount options, meaning that for some, their viewfinder solution will also be their support solution.

Finally, and most importantly, let’s talk about you, the folks using our gear! Over the last few months Cinevate has been involved more than ever in the filmmaking community.  Kevin Shahinian’s “City of Lakes” wrapped up with the release of a series of BTS clips and a contest that we hosted. We are also proud to support “1057” and “Big Finn Hall”, which are two local films currently in production.

The folks over at Stillmotion continue to raise the bar. Their work caught the attention of the NFL this year. Did any of you spy Patrick Moreau sporting Cinevate gear on the field during the Superbowl this year? I did.

Bill Frakes and Laura Heald continue their globetrotting, clocking some serious mileage on our rigs. They gave a big collection of our gear a workout at the Kentucky Derby and were kind enough to send us a behind the scenes clip.

Those of you who haven’t heard of Vinny Minton will soon enough. Vinny amazed us with his work whilst inline skating. If you haven’t seen any of his work check this clip and keep in mind he was on skates shooting it? The producers of House saw some of Vinny’s work and invited him to shoot a scene on the show last month. How cool is this? Cinevate gear on the set of House!  If you Google Vinny, you’ll see that he’s already very well known and sponsored as a professional inline skater.  Evidently there’s a set of skates named after him.

Celebrity photography Jerry Avenaim recently shot the “Dr. Phil” Newsweek cover and was personally thanked during an episode of the show. Jerry is another example of a pure stills photographer crossing over into motion. If you’re a reader of Rangefinder magazine, watch out for Jerry’s new article there. There will be plenty more to come here as we release behind the scenes clips of some of Jerry’s projects.

Congratulations to Carlos Baena of Pixar films, not only for his work on Toystory 3, but also for his work on an amazing BTS clip he shot. Carlos has been using our gear going back to the Brevis adapter several years ago. If you haven’t seen Toy Story 3 yet, go see it in 3D. I did last week with my 7-year-old daughter and loved every minute of it.

This brings us to Vincent Laforet, a fellow I met four years ago in Toronto at a Canon Pro Expo.  I had no idea who Vincent was at the time, but the folks over at Stillmotion sure did.  After attending Vincent’s talk at the event, I definitely knew who he was, and certainly had an appreciation for his work. Recently Vincent and his crew requested the use of our Atlas 200 LTS system and evidently fell in love with it. You’ll see reviews of the Atlas 30 as well as Atlas 200 systems posted over at Vincent’s blog in the very near future. Like so many folks we deal with, Mr. Laforet brings serious talent as well as a keen sensitivity to ethics in how he conducts himself.  In talking to Marcus, another member of Vincent’s team, it’s obvious this sensitivity is contagious.

If there was one thing I would leave you with after this, (the longest CEO blog ever!) is that increasingly in this world of ours, one of the most important things you can bring to your business are commodities you can’t buy. I see these qualities again and again as we grow relationships with some of the most successful people in our business.

Happy shooting,
Dennis Wood

April wraps up another hectic winter for the crew here at Cinevate. As NAB rapidly approaches, our preparations for Booth C5647 are in high gear with our expectations set even higher than last year.  The biggest change, from the perspective of folks not attending NAB, is that you’ll see a lot more in terms of media that will tell the story of Cinevate at NAB, right from loading the truck here in Thunder Bay, through the event, and yes, even the take down. You’ll see at least 5 new products from Cinevate, one of which will surprise even long time customers. Included in the four will be the SI-2K camera on our 2/3” single CMOS relay, new quick release Proteus base plate, Proteus fill-able aluminum counter-weight (works with all of our rigs), shipping version of our 12V smart power supply and a final surprise we’re saying nothing about. The NAB 2010 show runs from April 12th to April 15th at the Las Vegas Convention Center. If you’re not there, you won’t miss any news…just keep tabs on the Cinevate site during the show.

Visiting Cinevate at NAB 2010 will not only yield some surprises with respect to hardware, but also special people. You’ll get a chance to meet many of the Thunder Bay crew including Nick, Dan, Milosz, and Piotr, but you’ll also see Michael Wong, Konrad Czystowski, Kevin Shahinian, Patrick Moreau and our latest Shooter Showcase feature, Bill Frakes. If you check out EventDV’s next issue, you’ll find Joe Simon, Casey Warren, Patrick Moreau and Kevin Shahinian gracing the cover. All four of these guys worked on the City of Lakes project, which Cinevate was closely involved with. Additionally, all four have been featured in Cinevate’s shooter showcase over the last eight months. One of our corporate goals is to assist in bringing talent together where there is potential for “good soup”.  With regard to Kevin’s project…mission accomplished!

April also brings a whole new series of DSLR Packages to the catalog, all combining a 10% discount over separate costs. These kits were created based on what many users (beginning with the DSLR Atlas 30 Package) were already doing with our gear. You can thank Casey Warren for that first kit! Dave Clement, a local filmmaker, took it one step further by spending a week in our shop, building his ultimate 7D rig from stock components (The DSLR Core Package). The resulting video and package are proving immediately popular with other shooters, a virtual guarantee of similar kits to come.

One of the fellows pushing kits like these six month’s ago was the venerable Bill Frakes. Let me first offer up a big thanks to Jerry Darling over at Apple who introduced Bill Frakes to Cinevate in the first place. Aside from being featured in Sports Illustrated Magazine, featured on Apple’s web site ( http://www.apple.com/pro/profiles/frakes/ ) and being part of a Pulitzer price winning team (Hurricane Andrew coverage), a simple Google search for ”Bill Frakes” is all you need to figure out just how hard this man has worked in his lifetime. The fact that our profile of Bill includes a picture of US President Barack Obama, taken at a private session, should give viewers an idea of just how special Bill and Laura are. It was a big thrill for all of us to have Laura and Bill in the studio for a few days. They were kind enough to host local photographers here at Cinevate for an evening of wine, cheese, conversation, and jaw-dropping visuals. The Straw Hat Visuals team brings consummately professional feedback directly to Cinevate regarding how our products are working with fusion crossover artists. Our soon-to-be introduced Cyclops viewfinder system has at least 3 features introduced directly as a result of Straw Hat’s feedback on version 2 of the prototype.

For me personally, Bill and Laura represent a model for any group to emulate in terms of ethics. They commit, deliver, and take the time to communicate often. The fact that as individuals they’re warm, witty, and genuinely humble, likely has a lot to with their success. You’ll get a chance to meet them personally on April the 13th at Cinevate’s NAB 2010 booth. Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
Dennis Wood

Recently Cinevate gear was covered in a review entitled the Cinema5D DSLR Rig Review. To be fair to all parties involved we decided to share this clip that clarifies some inaccuracies and demonstrates our continued efforts to better serve our customers.

Respectfully,
Dennis Wood

Other Responses:
FreshDV

Cinevate DSLR Rigs:
The DSLR Shoot Rig
The Uno DSLR Rig

My first task as CEO in 2010 is to once again thank all of our customers for their amazing support last month, making it the busiest December in company history. Cinevate remains modest and earnest in it’s desire to build positive relationships with all whom we encounter. This year promises to be an educational one as Cinevate partners with Adobe, Canon, Nikon and a growing family of highly creative studios. Our Shooter Showcase crew so far has included Casey Warren, Joe Simon, Ray Roman, Kevin Shahinian and this month Stillmotion. December saw the beginning of a great new friendship as Bill Frakes and Laura Heald of Strawhat Visuals came on board using Cinevate gear with Nikon DSLR equipment. Bill Frakes works extensively with Nikon worldwide, although most will recognize his work with Sports Illustrated Magazine.  Googling his name is all you need to figure out that Bill and Laura’s contributions are a good thing for all of our customers.

It would be irresponsible to start 2010 without talking about some of the great new Cinevate gear coming down the pipe. These days, a great deal of product development comes not only from our professional shooters, but also in the form of suggestions from you, our customers. Uno for example came about as a result of a suggestion from Simon Scheiner, a fellow I met in New York during a NJPVA event. He liked our Proteus DSLR rig just fine, but asked for a simpler, lighter, more compact DSLR rig. We made Uno for him, and every other creative artist out there looking for simplicity. Be sure and follow the Uno launch contest as we post entries that promise some seriously healthy laughter.

Medusa, another new product this month, came from the original Proteus cage concept that has been quite popular with many of our customers. Medusa gives them everything they asked for in terms of integrated grips, limitless configurations, quick release functions, variable height/width and better looks. We did this all and shaved 150 grams off the weight too! You’ll be introduced to the Durus Focus Gear Lever this week, a simple idea that required serious thought. This little addition to our Durus Follow Focus system makes it possible to pull focus without actually using a follow focus! Lest we be accused of laziness, Cinevate also introduces our Atlas 30 LTS to compliment the robust Atlas 200 system. To make sense of all the new gear, we’ll be shooting no less than six sessions to be hosted on Cinevate’s Video University next week.

None of this would be possible of course without some serious hard work and dedication from the entire Cinevate team, which has nearly doubled in size over 2009. I would be remiss in not publicly acknowledging their work, tolerance and dedication to the cause with a very sincere thank you. This year promises to a very exciting one indeed as the stream of problem-solving equipment continues.

Cheers,
Dennis Wood

Cinevate has been busy indeed over the last six months with gear that will redefine how shooters support their camera. Regardless of whether you’re shooting with an iPod, or a $25K ENG camera, we’ve been listening and planning very carefully. For example, our full face viewing aid for DLSR cameras (Cyclops) doubles the effective size of the camera’s LCD using an achromat optic, and provides integration for our amazing Medusa grip system, also coming this month. Not content to settle with just these advancements, we’ve also come up with a solution for still photographers who just want “something” simple.  We’ve yet to show a single picture or even hint at this rig until now, but it’s coming this month.

Being that the holiday season is upon us, and indeed, our version of Festivus, this is a perfect time to simply thank all of our friends for their kind support. Cinevate is all about relationships, be it with our customers, sponsored shooters, industry partners or families.  Business has been very good as we expand our product lines well beyond what started this all...the Brevis 35mm lens adapter. Cinevate has received no less than three innovation awards this year, including the Royal Bank of Canada Innovation Award, and the Premier’s Catalyst Award. The third award we’re not allowed to talk about yet It’s hard to explain the feeling in the air here, but basically I’ve never been more excited about supporting the creative abilities of everyone we work with. We remain inspired literally daily with what folks are doing with our equipment.

This is part 2 of the Q and A with Corie Levitt - a student currently in film school who asked some excellent questions.

Q: 6. If you could magically develop any camera rig to promote motion by snapping your fingers what would it be and how do you see it benefiting film makers.
A: 6. You’ll see my answer to this question over the next two months. My only frustration is that I can’t have these products available at a snap of my fingers right now! 

Q: 7. Film makers refer to specialty camera rigs as tools, in a market that provides many different tools by several different companies what makes Cinevate the go to tools for any given job?
A: 7. Our products carry a level of flexibility and integration that make nearly anything possible. The design team makes great efforts to ensure customers with existing products find enhancement, not obsolescence in our new products.

Q: 9. After frequently surfing the Cinevate website I discovered that you have been naming rig setups after your customers, what inspired that movement and what role do the customers play in the development of cinevate rigs if any?
A: 9. Because our components are so flexible, we often find that our customers configure things in ways we did not predict.  We also know that their peers often want the exact same setup, or collection of gear.  We recently implemented a highly integrated management system that allows us to offer these kits with a minimum of added effort on our part.  This strategy simplifies the purchasing process for our customers and just makes sense to us.

Cheers,
Dennis Wood
www.cinevate.com

It’s been a long time coming. Those who’ve been around here for awhile know that I post personally in a growing number of forums, blogs, vimeo, youtube, facebook and twitter.  This is a time consuming process but I’ve always felt it helped Cinevate as a company to stay closely in tune with its customers.  Folks tend to be pretty honest with their opinions on the web.  As you grow as a shooter, I grow too as a shooter, CEO, father and the like.  Corie Levitt approached me in the hopes I’d answer some questions related to a writing assignment he had taken on for film school.  This email also represents an entire flight pecking away at an iPhone so called keyboard.  Once a bluetooth driver gets released for tethering keyboards to iPhones, I’ll be all over it!

Corie, first of all thanks for your interest in Cinevate.  With your permission, I’d like to share your questions and my answers on our upcoming CEO blog as the questions have some familiar threads to things I often discuss with customers.  Let me know on that point but regardless, here we go.

Q: 1. Your recent products promote camera motion, what do you feel is the importance of such motion?
A: 1. Moving cameras in a way that helps to tell a story in a compelling manner is one way we can help cinematographers.  Tripod mounted, hand held, cable, dolly/jib shots, car mounts etc. are analagous in this sense as brushes are to an artist.  Each has it’s place in a story.

Q: 4. How do you foresee your Pegasus cable rig system assisting the film makers of today.
A: 4. As mentioned previously, cable cams are a tool we want in the kit that are safe, simple and rapidly deployed.  Our customer’s creativity should not be bound by their equipment.

Q: 5. I have observed that your rigs are assembled with tool-less quick disconnect methodology how do you see this design benefiting film makers.
A: 5. My philosophy is that transitions between shooting modes should be possible in less than 10 seconds.  Efficiency and the ability to react spontaneously to changing situations is our ultimate goal.

Cheers,
Dennis Wood
www.cinevate.com