Daniel Schmidt

For a science documentary US-filmmaker Daniel Schmidt documents NASA's search for the origins of life with the help of the Sachtler SOOM XL tripod system.

Exciting science documentary with Sachtler

Daniel Schmidt and ColorBurn Productions have again chosen Sachtler to support their new documentary series, Science Outsiders, about NASA's search for the origins of life. Schmidt shot in various locations from Italy to Canada and across the United States.

IMPRESSIVE SHOOTING LOCATIONS

“We are shooting in some really cool locations - from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, to vast cave complexes in Italy, glaciers high in the Canadian Rockies and at Yellowstone's famous hot springs,” explains Schmidt. “We will be moving around a lot and need to travel with as little equipment as possible, and know that what we carried would perform as needed. I chose Sachtler’s SOOM with the FSB 6 head because I knew I would get great support for various DSLR camera set-ups – long lenses, dolly sliders, rail systems with matte box and follow focus, and external monitors. The Sachtler FSB 6 head combined with the SOOM gives me a rock solid unit that handles a variety of set-ups and literally becomes three tripods in one.” The whole system packed in the specially designed Petrol Bag carrier is the perfect traveling solution for this production.”

FLEXIBLE EQUIPMENT

For this shoot, Schmidt knew he would take advantage of all of the SOOM’s functions. He could use the TriSpread as a mini-spreader to stabilize the tripod

or as a set of baby-legs; SOOM TriPod to get the camera up to 55.9”; SOOM Tube as a Monopod with maximum height of 61.8” for watching over things or in tight places; or SOOM XL System combining TriPod and TriSpread for a maximum height of 98.4”.

EXTRAVAGANT SHOOTS

“We recently did a shoot at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, in one of their high tech chemistry labs,” Schmidt recalls. “We had four people on opposite sides of a bench. In addition to the standard coverage, we wanted to run a high-angle time lapse shot over the bench to create a more dynamic feel for the lab. In another instance, we were able to put a slider on top of the FSB 6 head extended nearly 8 feet off the ground with the SOOM Tube to get incredible birds-eye dolly shots. The SOOM allows us to get the kind of shot we would never have been able to get with any other equipment.”

SACHTLER CAMERA SUPPORT – APPROVED IN MANY CASES

Schmidt is no stranger to Sachtler or the SOOM. SOOM provided invaluable support for his documentary Feeding the Problem, about the heroic effort to save the Jackson Hole elk herd. The film has recently been released and can be seen online and at film festivals.

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ABOUT DANIEL SCHMIDT

Has worked as a producer, editor, and cinematographer for a variety of non-profits, government agencies, and broadcast outlets including National Geographic Television, PBS, The Defenders of Wildlife, and the University of Michigan.
His passion for adventure, story-telling, and cinematography has taken him to the high-mountain huts of Japan’s top sword makers, to the tropical jungles of Colombia’s caribbean coast.

IMPRESSIONS

"The Sachtler FSB 6 head combined with the SOOM gives me a rock solid unit that handles a variety of set-ups and literally becomes three tripods in one."
Daniel Schmidt

INTERESTING LINKS

Visit the Facebook Site of the film “Science Outsiders“ here.
Here you can find details about Daniel Schmidt’s last film-project “Feeding the problem”.
You are interested in the Sachtler tripod system SOOM? Here is given an overview on the several components and technical details.