The hotel, the steaks and a microtrack dolly thingy
Recently, a hotel in West London updated their decor and created a whole new atmosphere. They asked us to come around and film the new improvements so we can edit it into their existing promo video. One of the improvements to the hotel is the addition of an upmarket grill. Ladies and gentlemen, I do recommend the steaks! They are something out of this world!
Anyway, getting back on track, on a chilly morning in January we high tailed it down to Hammersmith, all bright eyed and bushy tailed, with a car full of kit and a shot list as long as my arm.
Our resident camera genius, Simon, opted for the Sony PDW-700 XDCam HD as his weapon of choice, which proved to be a very good decision indeed. The PDW-700 is an amazing camera and captures the image in exquisite detail. Combine that with Simon’s excellent lighting skills and you have a winning combination.
Thanks to our admin/production assistant extraordinaire, Heather, we managed to get it all in the can, despite my incessant insistence on using the dolly for almost every shot. If she hadn't been on site to help us out, I think we would have still been there.
Which brings me to the micro dolly. When I saw the dolly for the first time, I had to admit that I was certainly skeptical. It looked like nothing more than two pipes, a bit of wire and a piece of string. Man, oh man was I proved wrong.
Yes it’s a bit shaky at first and it takes a while to get used to, but for tight corners, small rooms an quick set ups, there is nothing better. It certainly is a nice bit of kit that I’m sure we’ll use again.
Later in the week this video is scheduled for post, so with the hotel’s permission we’ll hopefully post the results of the shoot.
Update: The video is finished and is now available to view: Click here
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