Nettmann Systems International

3D Aerials Shots - Only from Nettmann Systems

2010-01-04T20:41:00.000-08:00

Street Dancer" Stereographer,Max Penner, just finished shooting 3D aerials in London using the COMPACT with the RED cameras set at 32 inches apart.

Anything less than that,such as the normal 5 inch interocular distance, does not allow you to get the 3D effect above 1000 Feet.

Our COMPACT system and my Super G are the only aerials systems that can carry this unique Da-Vinci camera package from Helicopter Film Services.

Nettmann Systems Welcomes AerialFilm, NZ

2010-01-04T20:13:00.001-08:00

AerialFilm New Zealand is the newest member of the Nettmann family.

AerialFilm NZ is based in the alpine resort and popular screen production base of Queenstown, a town where helicopters are a common form of transport amidst the stunning landscape.

The founders of AerialFilm NZ have spent thousands of hours originating media from helicopters across a wide range of genre including theatrical features, commercials, and documentary as well as high end corporate jobs. Some of these projects required a stabilised aerial camera system and to meet this demand on a case by case basis, the principals brought in a Super G or Stab C from LAX

During the filming of 10,000BC film pilot Fred North suggested AerialFilm acquire their own unit from Nettmann System International and following meetings with Nettmann the company decided to proceed with a Stab C Compact. The first month has seen the system used for three weeks on a car commercial with a 435 + Optimo 17-80 lens as well as on a corporate project using a Red One + Angeneux 25-250 lens.

AerialFilm have an exclusive arrangement for the Stab C Compact in Australasia. Prior to the AerialFilm offering, projects requiring a high end stabilised system were forced to import from the USA which increased costs significantly and meant the system was cost prohibitive for most projects other than high end TVCs and Features.

The system is based in Queenstown helicopter company; Glacier Southern Lakes, hangar and can be mounted on any Squirrel or A Star of the clients choice.

AerialFilm offer an experienced team of cinematographers, film pilots and technicians. In addition to the aerial work the company has been receiving a steady stream of enquiries for tracking vehicle and marine mount options.

Further details at:

www.aerialfilm.co.nz

Nettmann Now Rents Helicopter Brackets

2010-01-04T11:27:00.001-08:00

The AirFilm Camera Systems brackets for the AS350 & AS355 helicopter have been added to the rental inventory of N.S.I. Priced at $500.00/day, 4 day week, these brackets are available to production or owner/operator of the Aerospatiale helicopter.

Nettmann's New Hi-Def Gimbal

2010-01-04T11:23:00.000-08:00

NETTMANN SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL has completed the rebuild of a ‘Gyron 935 Plus’ for David Baillie of Wildcat Films. This rebuild accommodates the Sony F23/F35 Hi Def camera. The gimbal has been renamed the ‘Cine-G’. Nettmann will follow up with a modular ‘Cine-G’ in the early part of 2010.

Nettmann Stab-C, Stabilizes Any Payload

2009-10-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

“Randy Greer Jr and Atlantic Cine Equipment proves that the Stab-C system can handle any payload including the LEKO 850 Watt HMI light.

The Stab-C, a long-time favorite of JPL for testing their Mars and Lunar descent vehicle programs, has now shown its multitasking capabilities to the movie industry. The Stab-C, like its brothers the Super G and the Stab-C Compact, can be used for stabilizing payloads for airborne, ground based and marine productions.”

818 365 4286 - Our New Phone Number

2009-09-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

We have just completed our headquarters move to a brand new research and development facility.

Our new address is:

1026 Griswold Ave.
San Fernando, CA 91340

Phone: 818 365-4286
Fax: 818 361-6982

ITAR FREE - No Export Delays

2009-06-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

Nettmann's stabilization systems are I.T.A.R. free and are approved by the US State Department to travel around the world without fear of prosecution of the studios or technical persons that accompany the systems.

We are Moving!!!!

2009-06-05T06:58:00.001-07:00

Nettmann Systems International prides itself on offering the best, most reliable stabilized cinematography systems in the film industry.

In order to accommodate the growing demand for our products, we have purchased a larger design, engineering and manufacturing facility, headquartered in the quaint City of San Fernando, California – just a few minutes away from Burbank and Hollywood.

Please check back for details on our upcoming open house later in the year.

VISIT US AT CINE GEAR 2009!

2009-06-04T22:58:00.000-07:00

We will be located in booth 117 at the Cine Gear Expo, Los Angeles this June 5-6, 2009.

We will be demonstrating our new COMPACT Stabilized Remote Head, and our world renowned Super-G Aerial Cinematography System. Both of these systems are now upgradeable to the world’s first 3D aerial cinematography.

3D airborne cinematography has arrived. With interocular distances of up to 32”, Nettmann Systems offers the world’s first stabilized 3D aerial camera system, providing the cinematic world with 3D images never before seen.
The Nettmann 3D Aerial Cinematography System packages dual RED ONE Cameras in a 5 axis fully stabilized camera gimbal, weighing in at 120 lbs fully loaded.

The 3D rig for the COMPACT was designed and tested by Nettmann partners, HFS, in the UK, can travel at airspeeds of 90 knots and is fully operational at speeds of up to 60 knots.

Nettmann Systems International prides itself on always being on the cutting-edge of camera support and stabilization, and offers the strongest stabilization on the market today. Some believe the future of cinema is 3D. The future of 3D Aerial Cinematography is with Nettmann Systems International.

Rental systems are currently available in Los Angeles, and the U.K. with Helicopter Film Services. Call us at (818) 623-1661 or visit www.CameraSystems.com for more information.

Exciting RED ONE camera news - Coming Soon

2009-02-08T08:05:00.001-08:00

Nettmann Systems and the RED ONE camera....you won't believe your eyes.
ComingSoon.

COMPACT - World's Latest Stabilized Aerial Cinematography System

2009-02-07T18:04:00.001-08:00

In early January of this year, on a beautiful day in London our latest stabilized camera system the Stab-C COMPACT was put through its paces mounted to a Eurocopter (AStar) AS350 helicopter for its first aerial flight tests, having proven itself as a ground based unit on the Beijing Olympics.

Flights test of the new COMPACT outfitted with the Arriflex D21®, or RED ONE® have been extremely successful. The system is able to stabilize any camera, with a full range of film lenses, with zero jitter. The 80 lb COMPACT outfitted with the Arriflex D21® camera can exceed helicopter transits speeds of over 100 knots, and fully operational shooting speeds of over 90 knots.

The COMPACT and a digital film camera is the perfect combination for the most demanding digital cinematography shoots, as the COMPACT’s light weight, and the magazine-less digital camera, gives the most continuous flight/shooting time of any aerial system currently available.

The COMPACT is engineered with a fiber optic slipring in the pan axis to allow full uncompressed data streaming from the digital camera to the in-cabin RAM recorder, while not wrapping cables.

Nettmann Systems provides the only aerial mounts that can stabilize the Arriflex D21®, the Panavision Genesis®, or multiple RED ONE® cameras while giving the Director of Photography full steerability over the Pan, Tilt and Roll camera angles.

The COMPACT is now available from our headquarters in Hollywood, S.Crew in Japan, and Helicopter Film Services in the U.K.

Not just RED ONE, but RED TWO.

2008-12-10T22:21:00.000-08:00

Our aerial mount Stab-C recently completed a 3D production utilizing two RED-ONE cameras. The cameras were mounted side-by-side on our open architecture stabilized camera system, the Stab-C, mounted to an A-Star helicopter. The pictures are courtesy of our East Coast agents ACE who fitted the cameras to the mount which they lovingly called Wall-E. Bring your RED ONE camera to us and we will stabilize it air, land or sea, heck- bring TWO if you got them.

SUPER-G's Encore

2008-12-10T21:27:00.000-08:00

Our aerial camera system the Super-G, recently completed the Brett Ratner directed commercial for the grand opening of "Encore", the new casino owned by Steve Wynn in Las Vegas.

The Super-G, and helicopter pilot Fred North, pulled off the original ground breaking commercial three years ago and we are proud to have been asked for a complete encore. Please view the Commercial and the Behind the Scenes videos.

PINPOINT on the Canadian Grey Cup, Eh?

2008-12-10T21:26:00.001-08:00

Cablecam, armed with their PinPoint stabilized camera system, just completed the Grey Cup for Canadian Football with rousing success. The upgraded PinPoint was operated by Aaron Fitzgerald for his third year on the event. Congratulations to Cablecam and Aaron on your success with our smallest stabilized camera system.

Photo by Josh Helling

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show – 4th year in a row

2008-12-10T21:22:00.000-08:00

Our 5-Axis stabilized camera system the Mini-C, paired with a high speed track system from RTS, completed this famed fashion show for the 4^th year in a row. We congratulate ACE and RTS on their success with the shoot, and look forward to another year - lucky guys.

Nettmann Systems supplies the best shots at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

2008-09-18T23:10:00.001-07:00

The crowd has gathered, their energy palpable. 90,000+ fans fill the Bird's Nest arena on any given day to cheer on their countrymen as they take part in the track and field events of the 29th Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The roar of the crowd literally rocks the stadium, but this does not affect the Stab-C Compact as it runs, tirelessly, up and down the track alongside the likes of Usain Bolt and Walter Dix.

Our unique 5-axis stabilizing camera system eliminates all adverse motion artifacts. For those of us unable to make the journey to watch history unfold, we needn't have worried. The Stab-C Compact, by Nettmann Systems International, brought us not only into the games, but gave us enviable seats right on the track. As we viewed the events from our homes, the Stab-C Compact made us feel as if we were right there, absorbing all the colors of many nations, in hi-def, with the exception of having to endure the actual race itself.

The Stab-C Compact was not only featured on the straight and curved track of the Bird's Nest, but also hung suspended on 'Cablecam' for the last exciting 720 meters of the Olympic Cycling events – further showcasing its incredible versatility.

The Mini-Motes were also a hit at the Olympics and were used extensively throughout the Archery and Gymnastics portions of the games, thus bringing to life the magical performances of Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson.

Nettmann Systems is proud to have been part of the 2008 Summer Olympics in China and enjoyed giving viewers at home the opportunity of front row seats to some of the hottest events in Beijing, and we thank our agents ACS France for securing and organizing this production and their dedicated service.

Nettmann and the Dark Knight break world record

2008-07-21T11:01:00.001-07:00

Nettmann Systems' Stabilized Helicopter Mount was used so extensively on Batman: The Dark Knight that a world record was broken. The Super-G outfitted with the latest IMAX camera, was used for 53 consecutive days filming all the aerials for this feature.

This is longer than any other stabilized aerial system outfitted with a large-format camera for a feature film. We congratulate the IMAX Corporation, pilot Craig Hoskins and aerial D.P. Hans Bjerno on their contribution to the success of The Dark Knight.

Nettmann Systems, Not Exhibiting at CineGear 2008

2008-06-19T23:36:00.000-07:00

Nettmann Systems would like to formally thank all of the producers, cinematographers directors, and camera assistants, who through referrals and word of mouth have made the first half of 2008 extremely busy for us.

When we exhibit at an industry convention like CineGear we feel that is of the utmost importance to have the attendees, the industry veterans whose jobs rely on the performance of our gear, to get hands on demos of our latest camera support systems.

Unfortunately we don’t have equipment in inventory for this 2008 CineGear, as all the systems are being utilized on productions throughout the world.

Some of our latest gyro-stabilized systems the Super-G and the Stab-C COMPACT are currently working on car commercials and features in South Africa, Bond Movies in Europe, Olympics prep for Beijing, and track systems for T.V. Shows.

We decided that it was best to not disrupt these various productions in order to exhibit at Cine-Gear.

Please look for us in 2009 with a new booth, new equipment, and lots of important hands on demos.

The COMPACT Russian Inauguration

2008-06-11T08:01:00.001-07:00

Our new Stab-C COMPACT was selected to capture the inauguration of the new Russian president Dmitri Medvedev. One of our European agents, ACS France, mounted the wireless COMPACT on a 2300 foot long 2D Cablecam rig filming the procession of the motorcade to the Kremlin.

Our Mini-C, our smallest fully stabilized head, was also utilized. It was mounted on a motorcycle to also capture shots of the president's arriving entourage. The job was extremely successful and we look forward to being part of the next Russian inauguration in eight years time. Please view the first thirteen minutes of the hour long video of the recent event to see some of the footage.

Nettmann Systems goes SEADEEP

2008-06-10T22:06:00.001-07:00

Nettmann Systems has just completed a multi-axis stabilized gimbal for the Submarine-Enabling Airborne Data Exchange and Enhancement Program (S.E.A.D.E.E.P).

This DA.R.P.A. funded program, and a partnership between the U.S. Navy and Apogen is to enhance communication bandwidth and security utilizing Blue-Green lasers for communication with submerged submarines. Current communication is handled via radio waves which cannot travel underwater; hence the submarine must raise a metallic mast above the water inadvertently revealing its position. The SEADEEP program will allow submarines to receive massive data streams while remaining covertly submerged as lasers travel through water.

Apogen selected N.S.I. over all other competition due to our, reliability, controllability, quality of stabilization and because of our track record with government and security agency gimbal programs. Please read more about the SEADEEP program that Nettmann Systems is proud to be a part of.

COMPACT-Flawless Hollywood Debut

2008-03-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

Our newest gyro-stabilized head the Stab-C COMPACT has just completed a number of productions for its Hollywood debut. Producers, Directors and Cinematographers are thankful that a lightweight camera stabilizing tool has finally hit Hollywood that combines supreme stability, reliability and the ease of control and operation for which Nettmann Systems is world renowned.

The COMPACT is designed to stabilize most available camera packages and be lightweight enough for almost any application. Uses range from camera cars, to cable systems, to Technocranes, to helicopters-yes, even helicopters. The COMPACT’s design and engineering is based on its larger brother the Stab-C and can be used also as an aerial cinematography helicopter mount.

The systems has already completed/worked on various productions, including "Eagle-Eye" with D.P. Dariousz Wolski, Lexus commercials, The Moment of Truth and others and is ready for rental.

The Evolution of Street Dancing, and the Revolution of the Mini-C

2008-03-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

Through an innovative partnership between Atlantic Cine Equipment and Rail &Tracking Systems our gyro stabilized head the Mini-C is wrapping up a multi-month contract providing revolutionary shots of high energy hip-hop crews on MTV's Americas Best Dance Crew.

The Mini-C, mounted on the high speed curved Trackrunner system from RTS, revolves the stage capturing all the close up, highly detailed shots of the dance crews in action. Everyone involved has praised the stability and reliability of the Mini-C and they are extremely impressed with its performance.

Guinea Pig Commando Soldiers & The Snorkel

2008-03-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

The Kenworthy/Nettmann Snorkel was selected out of all other optical systems on the market to complete numerous VFX plate and P.O.V. shots for the new Jerry Bruckheimer movie G-Force.

The Snorkel, a periscopic camera system, won the hearts of director Hoyt Yeatman and cinematographer Bojan Bazelli because of its inherent special optical principles and the ability to get within millimeters of the ground for P.O.V. shots of the cute little armed and dangerous, "licensed to kill", guinea pigs.

Stab-C and The 2008 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider

2008-03-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

The finished commercial for the 2008 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider shot with the Stab-C from both a helicopter and camera cars.

Giving Bowl fans the 'wow' shot

2008-02-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

Nettmann Systems Intl congratulates Cablecam on their article in the L.A. Times. NSI is proud to supply Jim Rodnunsky and his team with one of the finest Gyro Stabilized Heads-The Nettmann Pinpoint. Pictured in the article
Reprinted from the L.A. Times Feb 2, 2008
----------

Jim Rodnunsky's Cablecam puts TV viewers over the field and into the action.

By Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 2, 2008

GLENDALE, ARIZ. -- When New York Giants center Shaun O'Hara and New England Patriots noseguard Vince Wilfork launch their combined 628 pounds at each other in Sunday's Super Bowl, more than 90 million viewers will be able to almost feel the collision.

And for that they can thank Jim Rodnunsky, a filmmaker from Granada Hills who while working to make his skiing simulator more realistic stumbled upon what experts say is the most significant innovation in sports television of the last 20 years: the Cablecam.

The Cablecam moves on a cat's cradle of synthetic ropes attached to the light standards atop a stadium, suspending a 65-pound remote-controlled high-definition camera to within 12 feet over the players and 10 yards behind the quarterback.

With it, controllers have the ability to tilt and pan in all directions, snooping in on huddles, gliding along with an injured player as he limps off the field or focusing straight down on a scrum for a loose football -- all from angles previously available only in video games.

"Let's get right over that goal-line stand and see that guy over the goal line looking up at the camera -- not looking at it, but looking at it -- when he's just scored a touchdown and he's on his back with the ball," said Artie Kempner, the Fox network director who will be calling the shots in Sunday's broadcast.

"It's a wow shot. Cablecam gives you the wow."

Networks still use their sideline cameras for play-by-play action but augment that with Cablecam shots for the more important NFL games. The system isn't used all the time because of its expense -- use of the camera and the technicians who run it costs about $60,000 a game.

The Super Bowl is well worth that investment, Fox Sports President Ed Goren says.

"The challenge in any sport is to make it more intimate and take the viewer where he hasn't been before," he said.

Rodnunsky took some scary risks to get the first overhead shots with his Cablecam prototype. In 1989, he created a version of the cable camera by stringing 1,400 feet of steel cable above Sudan Couloir at Blackcomb Mountain in Canada, one of North America's most harrowing ski runs.

"It's a serious piece of real estate," he said. "It makes Cornice at Mammoth look like a beginner run."

Rodnunsky, who said he was living on a friend's couch at the time and subsisting on macaroni-and-cheese dinners, saved $75,000 to build the contraption. He wanted to capture footage for his simulator, which he used to teach people how to ski and snowboard.

Modern Cablecams are gyro-stabilized and controlled by an operator using joysticks in a stadium booth. But Rodnunsky's rudimentary version required him to take a toe-tingling backward ride.

He built an aluminum basket and would zip face down and feet first down the cable -- attached to rocks at the top and bottom -- reaching speeds of 50 mph and a height of 80 feet, using motorcycle hand brakes to slow his descent.

All while peering through a camera lens.

"Maybe the luge should have been my sport," joked Rodnunsky, who grew up in Edmonton, Canada, before his family moved to the San Fernando Valley when he was in his teens.

Two years after Rodnunsky's experiment on the ski slope, Hollywood came calling. Director Steven Spielberg used the Cablecam in 1991 to make "Hook," and Rodnunsky's device was later used in commercials, music videos and dozens of movies, among them "Happy Gilmore," "Miracle," "True Lies," "Van Helsing," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Dreamgirls."

Rodnunsky's invention has won two Academy Awards for technical achievement in feature films and six Emmy Awards for sports broadcasting. Chatsworth-based Cablecam International now has six cameras, 12 full-time employees and about 75 freelance crew members.

There are competing companies -- filmmaker Garrett Brown is inventor of the Skycam and Steadicam systems; ESPN contracts with Skycam -- but Rodnunsky has contracts with CBS, NBC and the NFL Network in addition to Fox.

Cablecam's big sports break came in 1994, when it was hired to work the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

That version of the system required two people to ride it, one driving and the other shooting footage. At the end of each day, Rodnunsky recalls local residents gathering at the top of the skiing course to take Cablecam rides at speeds of 60 to 70 mph.

"That was an E-ticket ride, let me tell you," he said. "They were always disappointed at the end of the day when we had to pack up and go. We were disappointed too."

Later that year, Rodnunsky's company used a remote-controlled Cablecam for the Kentucky Derby and Preakness telecasts, although that camera didn't have the ability to move around in three dimensions as does the modern version.

Rodnunsky's system was first used in football broadcasts in several college bowl games in 2000. The NFL agreed to the use of overhead cameras in 2003, and it was one of his Cablecams peering at Janet Jackson in 2004 during her infamous "wardrobe malfunction" Super Bowl halftime show. [sic]