SI-2K Nano at Radiant Images is (Cinema) Man’s Best Friend

Radiant Images builds pole rig with SI-2K Nano for dog POV shoots in upcoming Sprint commercial

LOS ANGELES (July 5, 2012) - So where do you turn if you're a skilled cinematographer and you're shooting a Sprint commercial and you need a series of POV shots from a dog's perspective? If you're Dave Perkal (Vampire Diaries, Scrubs, Chuck), you turn to Radiant Images and its exclusive pocket-sized, cinema-quality POV camera - the SI-2K Nano.

Radiant techs built a pole rig with the SI-2K Nano attached at the end to imitate the POV of a dog running through a yard, sniffing the ground, going over a sprinkler and generally getting into mischief. The shots will be used in an upcoming Sprint commercial directed by Perkal, who also served as DP.

Radiant's Nick Lantz was in Kansas City one day recently working with Perkal on the dog POV and other shots using the SI-2K Nano.

Available exclusively at Radiant Images (www.radiantimages.com), the palm-sized SI-2K Nano is just as powerful as the original SI-2K MINI, but is one-third the size. Encased in a sturdy outer shell with the versatility (IMS) to mount to just about anyone or anything, the Nano shoots 2K uncompressed RAW 4:4:4 cinema quality using SI sensor components with 10 stops of dynamic range.

The SI-2K Nano was conceived by Radiant Images for David Ayer's End of Watch, a highly-anticipated cop drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena, scheduled for release in September. The filmmakers needed a camera small and versatile enough to be strapped to the chests of the two actors for POV shots that didn't compromise freedom of movement.

Working closely with Ayer and DP Roman Vasyanov, Sinclair Labs Inc. engineered the camera based on the conceptual design of Babak Mansouri, the brother of Radiant co-founder Michael Mansouri. As word spreads in the industry, demand for the Nano has continued to grow. It has been used in a variety of other feature film, TV and commercial productions in recent months, including ABC's The River and Step Up: Revolution in 3D, set for July release. The camera was worn in side-by-side 3D format on Radiant-built body mounts for dynamic dance sequence shots.

Perkal approached Radiant at the Cine Gear Expo. Lantz, the company's head of technical services and R & D, and other techs listened to his needs and then went to work. They concluded the most effective and efficient way to get the creative shots Perkal desired was to attach the Nano to the end of a pole and create the dog movements manually, rather than attach a camera directly to a dog. Perkal filmed the sequences himself, walking around a yard, moving and twisting the rig in a sweeping motion with a Cinedeck monitor connected to the other end of the pole. From a distance, he looked like he could have been operating a metal detector.

Also, using the tiny SI-2K Nano with Plexiglass and clamps, Radiant built a rig for cell phone POV shots, giving a view of the phone looking out at the world.

"It was the perfect form factor with what they needed," Lantz said. "The SI-2K Nano certainly generated a lot of enthusiasm as it allowed Dave to get the shots he needed quickly and without delay. Any other camera would have been more cumbersome and time-consuming."

Find more information, visit www.radiantimages.com or call 323-737-1314. Find Radiant Images on Facebook and Twitter.

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