Archives: Camera Operator

A very nice, well manufactured bundle of tools which all work with an outstanding performance. IMDb

As a camera operator I really liked the response from the wheels, no lag, and the wheels are nicely weighted and balanced. It was as if I was using a geared head. I became hooked. The grips loved it for its inherent simplicity and speed of set up, which makes it ideal, not just for cranes and jib arms, but also ladder pods and low hats. Its quick deployment meant we could have it ready for shots anytime, since we can afford to keep it for the run of show

I first tried out the Aurora remote head while filming Horrible Bosses 2.

We were looking for a low cost, effective way of keeping a remote head as part of our camera gear for the run of the show.

I immediately fell in love with this piece of equipment.

The Aurora is small, light weight, and very quick to set up.

Our second assistant Roger Wall got checked out and learned how to set it up in less than an hour. It plugs in so quickly and is super compact.

We mainly used this remote head on a Giraffe crane.  At times, we extended the arm to the height of 28 feet.  Even at this extension, with normal crane drops and dolly moves on track, the Aurora, still felt solid and did not bounce or shake in any noticeable way. This was in spite of supporting a fully loaded ALEXA with a long zoom.

This is the ideal head for someone like me, who is not very technically inclined and yet still wants to achieve the perfect shot without the constant need to change the settings. In this respect the Aurora excels over other remote heads.

We also used the Aurora repeatedly whenever safety was an issue and we did not want to put the operator in danger. It was interchangeable with the ARRI head.

I highly recommend this piece of equipment. It’s a gem.

We’ve just completed Grudge Match and we carried the Aurora remote head on the camera truck for the whole show.

It’s compact and easy for us all to set up without technicians, especially with the one cable system. The Control Box is well designed and my favourite thing about it is that the wheels feel like a geared head  – very nicely weighted.

We were able to have it set up in minutes either on the dolly or a crane arm.

We put it through its paces with the Panavision Genesis and an 11-1 Primo zoom but mainly the 4-1 Primo zoom it performed as expected – flawlessly

…and that’s no BS either!

The Aurora is a Great remote head to use too, the controls are simple but most effective. It’s a great tool to have at our disposal every day, we will use it again and again