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      Remember Pixar’s "A Bug’s Life" from 1998? Shot from the perspective of bugs, it featured very cool animation. On January 24th, the new Disney+ Original Series from National Geographic, "A REAL BUG’S LIFE," brings this concept to life. The perspectives are amazing: the camera movement at that scale has to be precise, responsive, and incredibly fast to set up. But how was it done? Parts of it were shot by Robert Hollingworth, a long-time collaborator with eMotimo. Much of Robert’s photography for the series was captured using a precision, motion control gantry specifically designed for live-action macro cinematography, enabling fluid camera motion on a bug scale. It's an XY axis system with pan and tilt, all packed into one Peli case weighing less than 25 kg.  What drives and controls Robert's gantry is eMotimo's once super-secret, super-portable 4-axis motion controller, the SA4. It's the same one used to position cameras for the opening fox scenes in "All Quiet on the Western Front." The SA4 is essentially like our Spectrum ST4, but instead of our pan/tilt mechanism, it has 4 motor outputs that Robert connected to his custom-made gantry. We housed it in a sleek machined aluminum enclosure with a bright OLED and, of course, controlled it via a gaming remote. This enabled run-and-gun setups on (and over!) the streets of New York, deep in jungles, and up the Himalayas. Chasing ants down the street, bees out of a nest, fox cubs through their den, spiders in the studio, or striking venomous snakes - the gantry and the SA4, and mostly Robert, pulled off the shots. When floating a probe lens 12-16 inches from your 8K cinema camera, any backlash in motor systems can cause issues with framing and live control. Using expensive zero-backlash systems with custom lead screws, or zero-backlash rotary axes designed to move silicon wafers, enabled Robert to match his requirements, perfectly suited for shooting fluid live macro.Besides getting the shot, Robert refined his rig for quick setup, global travel, and both studio and fieldwork. It performed well, enabling him to create mind-blowing live moves as well as pixel-perfect repeatability shots. Lots of superlatives here, but it functioned at the highest magnification and resolution demanded by the highest quality productions on this, ahem, Planet Earth.I am proud and humbled that eMotimo controllers helped with this production. This collaboration involved quite a bit of problem-solving and continuous little peeks behind the scenes. These images and stories will stand forever.Thank you, Robert! Robert has now built 3 of these portable moco cine robots; two powered by the SA4 controller and one that lives in his studio, running off Dragonframe. However, all are interchangeable, and the quickest and most portable setup solution is the SA4. You’ll have seen them used in: "All Quiet on the Western Front" (Netflix) "Tiny World" (Apple TV+) "A Real Bug's Life" (Disney+) "Super/Natural" (Nat Geo) "Postcard from Earth" (Sphere Vegas) "Frozen Planet II" (BBC) "Green Planet" (BBC) "Welcome to Earth" (Nat Geo) "Encounter" (Amazon Studios)   We asked Robert which shot in "A Real Bug’s Life" should not be missed. His answer, in his own words, is below:There’s one shot especially that I’m very proud of. I was shooting a particular shot for DOP, Simon de Glanville and his ‘Big City’ episode. It was a layered composite shot which - without giving too much away - we took 3 days to shoot and the camera had to accomplish a repeat matched moved each time, for nearly 3 days, and each time hitting the same frames for each pass. I built my gantry in a different configuration for this and added in a further linear axis to create a miniature Technocrane - a technique I first tried and perfected in Tiny Worlds (Apple TV+). The SA4 controller was programmed with start and end frames, with 3 additional keyframes in-between to ensure focus marks and I’m delighted to say the rig kept it’s marks beautifully day after day. I can’t wait to see the result which I’m told is superb.I’m really delighted my macro gantry is proving so popular with my peers. I made it mainly for myself to improve the quality of my macro cinematography also to increase my efficiency and speed on set. They’ve proved very popular with my clients and peers and I’m touched they’re now regularly hired out to productions on their own.My collaboration with Brian is long-standing and it wouldn’t have been accomplished without his passion and energy. He creates technology that melts away the physical boundary between the camera and the creative vision: when I ‘fly’ the camera on the gantry now around the head of an ant, while it’s doing its thing, it’s done with no technical thought or worry, and simply with creative instinct. Brian deserves a lot of praise for his gift to our industry for all the products he’s created in the last 15 years; he’s enabled the significant visual gains our industry has built upon in the recent years, changing things more than, say, a few more pixels will on your sensor. Kind words indeed. I am flattered! eMotimo builds the brushes, and we appreciate Robert and all the artists and masters who push the boundaries and do something new. The series is out now, so go watch it! If you aren't a subscriber, you can check out the official trailer. While the original controller never made it to market, by popular demand, we did release one almost just like it found here on our store. 

Corridor Digital is an American VFX studio and YouTube channel founded by Sam Gorski and Niko Pueringer. They are known for creating live-action skits and shorts but with professional visuals and special effects.  Daniel Fullwood, Shooter and Editor at Corridor Digital, reached out to eMotimo about trying out the SA2.6 in one of their studios. With a lot of talking-head interviews and multicamera shoots that could benefit from simple motion control shots, we were excited to play and get their feedback on our latest product.We shipped them out a Beta Unit of our SA2.6 with no instructions to see what would happen. Moving too fast, we even shipped them a unit without the a gaming controller.  Oops. So really: No eMotimo experience. No instructions or hand holding. SA2.6 with the RSI drops into their studio A couple weeks go by Now they have now published their first content for an upcoming Corridor Crew video, with the second camera running the SA2.6 + DJI RS2 + the IFootage Shark S1 with our Direct Drive Motor kit - I am excited to see it! I also asked a few questions of the content creator for the shoot (Daniel) to see what he thought.  Here's his responses: How long did it take for you to set up an automated interview? Setting up a slider in the middle of a busy office is never easy, but once you're done with the rigging, setting up a motion control move only takes a few seconds. What cameras and lens did you use for this shoot? I shoot everything on two FX3s. I typically shoot a locked-off wide angle on a 20mm lens and a close up using a handheld 28-70mm zoom. The 20mm angle is the one I decided to make into my motion-controlled angle. That way, both angles have a little bit of movement and a little bit of life without requiring a second operator. Have you ever used any other motion control gear?  If so, what has been your experience? I once bought into a very expensive motion control ecosystem that required me to use my phone as the controller. I packed it up and sent it back the same day. It was just too finicky. Have you ever shot a parallax interview shot manually? I've never shot a parallax interview shot manually. I rarely get the luxury of a second operator.  Did you get the results you were looking for off cameras? Was any post processing of the footage required? My results didn't require any post-stabilization, although I'll typically add a dynamic zoom to a timelapse to add a little extra spice. Are you planning on using the SA2.6 and RS Gimbals for future interview shoots? I'll absolutely be using the SA2.6 wherever I can. Watch out for it in future videos. How else do you want to use this combo? So far, I've only used it for documentary-style shooting. I'd love to try using it for push-ins and dolly-zooms in a more cinematic context. FYI, we did ship off a remote to them to see if they can set up those interviews even a little bit faster.   Watch out - this content is a farce on Shark Tank with offensive toys. It had me putting my head in my hands and asking, Why? That being said, this offensive content is the point and highly effective.  Good Job? Watch at your own risk! Link to the video is https://youtu.be/tOqQJK8qvjs?si=2jGdIYTxGjXFnbCI 

eMotimo is releasing a stand-alone robotic controller called the SA2.6. This first generation equipment already helped with Oscar winner, All Quiet on the Western Front

SDA, or Sir David Attenborough for those of you who aren't super fans, is a force . . . a national treasure.  His voice is iconic. He has narrated countless nature documentaries - mostly with the BBC Natural History Unit. He narrated the original Planet Earth Series that I fell in love with.  There was a shot where the seasons changed over a year while a camera slid across a hillside.  Spring to Summer to Fall to Winter and back to spring again.  It blew my mind. It made me want to see the world in new ways.  Planet Earth helped inspire me to create eMotimo.  eMotimo gear has been helping with the new versions of the Planet Earth, as well as all sorts of Natural History docs, but recently, SDA narrated Green Planet, a recent release from BBB's Natural History Unit. On Green Planet eMotimo gear was used extensively to support fine motion control moves for plant growth as well as robotic shots out in the field. This is a screenshot of the BTS from that production.  Shout out to Chris Field (biolapse) for using two ST4 heads to drive custom jibs and sliders to get the shots!  That leafcutter ant sequence was brilliant! This made my year to know that Sir David Attenborough was playing with gear that I designed. Damn, I wish I could have been there to see it myself - his smile is infectious.  eMotimo equipment and controllers are playing a part in bringing the next generation of natural history docs to life. I am proud of what I created and quite excited that eMotimo is just getting started on creating tools for creatives.    Check out how one of our long-time customers, Robert Hollingworth shot the opening scene for Netflix's All Quiet on the Western Front. It just won some awards.  What was it again? Oh yeah - the Oscar for Best Cinematography

after 11 years of running eMotimo, these past 15 months have been the most tumultuous. From running a business during a pandemic, modifying our sourcing and supply chain issues, and branching into new markets, nothing over the last year has been easy.

The pan/tilt head is characterized by a particularly user-friendly control, turning even the finest movements into child’s play. - Red Dot Jury What’s a Red Dot? Red Dot consists of an international panel of judges that have been scrutinizing products since 1955.  Apple, Dyson, Sony are some of the big players that win these awards.   An honorable mention from Red Dot is big.  eMotimo’s win for the spectrum st4 and Fz combo is huge. Large design teams chase this award their entire careers without ever getting one. For our small eMotimo team, winning this award is validation that our efforts in innovation are being recognized.Why did we win? Our design was super clean with well-thought-out wire management and the right materials.  Most of all we enabled the jury members to pick up our controller and program their first moves in minutes without reading the instructions. Motion control should just work.   -Brian and Logan

Not just a cold.  Not going away soon. Damn, now I have to write a blog post about this.

Part of the magic of a good piece of tech is making difficult things really easy.  We love the details and giving users options, but if you are in a hurry for an interview and don't want to have to think about which motor profile to use, or what your ramp should be, or darn it, I have focus changes that are light, but there, how many keyframes should I add . .  .

Flo Nick out shooting his latest piece  - HIGHER GROUND  plus BTS Video of the shoot.