NAB Update: Element Technica Introduces the Mantis

Element Technica's new Mantis Hand-Held Kit is a shoulder-mounting solution for film & digital motion picture cameras. It is fully compatible with the Red One, the forthcoming Scarlet and Epic, or any camera equipped with an Arri bridge plate.

The most significant feature of the system is its multi-axis adjustment which provides a variable relationship between the shoulder-pad and the dovetail to accommodate any operator's shoulder angle.

An extremely low-profile two-axis gimbal connects the shoulder-pad and dovetail allowing fore/aft linear as well as pan/roll adjustments. By simply adjusting the angle, the weight of the camera package can settle into a very stable equilibrium with a level horizon and low CG (Center-of-Gravity) making frame-tips after directional changes a thing of the past.

The Mantis also offsets the pan-axis angle of the shoulder-pad relative to the camera so that the LOS (Line-of-Sight) of both operator and camera become perfectly parallel, eliminating neck and torso twisting or side-stepping. The adjustments are so easy they can be tweaked in between takes. And you can go from tripod to hand-held in just 20 seconds.

Element Technica's hand-held rig uses standard bicycle-style grips on rosette mounted handles. These include a home for the ViewFactor Origo remote start/stop button and are connected to the rosette cross bar with telescopic handle extensions that come in two size ranges: (Large) 8" to 14" or (Small) 4" to 7.5" in length.

The cross bar at the front of the dovetail is adjustable side-to-side as well as rotationally and the clamp that holds it in place can support a fully loaded ArriCam with 1,000' of film and a 5:1 zoom. For those who prefer a more traditional approach, the rosette cross bar and clamp can be quickly removed from the dovetail and attached to a universal mount on the iris rods.

Mantis is designed specifically for Arriflex-style bridge plates (435, Arricam, Moviecam, Phantom, etc.) and available as a system or a la carte. To see the Mantis and other Element Technica products visit NAB, Booth #C9549, or for more information go to www.elementtechnica.com