Customers get hands-on demonstrations of Chapman / Leonard's products during ShowBiz Expo's 3 day Convention. A broad range of the film community came to view the latest film gadgets. Photo: Leilani Squire

Chapman / Leonard demonstrated several pieces of their new and upgraded equipment during the ShowBiz Expo held in June at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Super PeeWee® IV was available for hands-on demonstrations. This dolly offers a third shift steering mode (commonly called round steering) in addition to conventional and crab steering. The SPW IV is weatherized with durable nickel plating and thermostat regulated hydraulics, allowing this unit to work in different climates. The SPW IV Incorporates a new, conveniently located Universal Stop Valve System, enabling smooth, precise stops at your chosen position. Other products on display were the Super Nova mobile crane and Lenny Arm II Plus combination with our premiere stock item, the 3 axis dsRemote head by Weaver-Steadman. Visitors to the booth were allowed to operate the dsRemote system through the control panel. This user-friendly system allows a string of moves to be recorded, enabling repeated movement of a scene, The dsRemote system can drive the camera through pan/tilt and roll moves, while simultaneously adjusting the Focus / Zoom / Iris camera lens settings.

The Hybrid II and new Hustler III were displayed, along with the LenCin® and Pedolly® Pedestals. Sony displayed their new HDC-700 Camera on the LenCin, while Panavision displayed Their single operator setup on the Pedolly. Complementing the dollies were the new Hybrid and Super PeeWee Accessory Carts. Built from a demand within the industry, these carts contain all the dolly accessory components for simple storage and easy transportation. On display was the Pedolly chassis along with the Lenny Mini Remote Arm.

Chapman / Leonard also premiered their new battery pack and charger. This pack supplies 12v, 24v and 30v and has a 14 amp/hour capacity rating. Many industry members were introduced to the Chapman / Leonard web site during this year's ShowBiz. They were happy to learn of the expansion to various areas around the United States.

Leilani Squire was present to interview the various vendors who incorporated Chapman / Leonard's equipment within their displays.

Vendors at this year's ShowBiz were able to use Chapman / Leonard's equipment in many different setups. Leilani Squire was present to interview the various vendors who incorporated Chapman / Leonard's equipment within their displays.

One of the most exciting new products for the PeeWee® dolly is the Switcher track designed by key grip Jim Kwiatkowski. Kwiatkowski keyed a variety of feature films, such as Tall Tale, How To Make An American Quilt, Jerry McGuire, The Lost World and Saving Private Ryan.

The PeeWee III dolly was used to demonstrate Jim Kwiatkowski's new Switcher Track. Photo: Leilani Squire

One day, while filming on the set of The Lost World, Director Steven Spielberg told Jim that he wanted to achieve a 90 degree turn with a dolly on track to get a walk and talk shot. Jim wanted to use the PeeWee, due to its international accessibility and durability. Jim also chose the PeeWee because of its variable chassis legs that enable the dolly to work on track in various positions. Additionally, Jim wanted the dolly grip to have complete control of the 90 degree turn. Using I Beam Track with adjustable spreaders, Jim constructed a switcher joint to control the turn. The mechanism is motivated by the crab steering of the dolly, allowing the dolly to turn with the track. Thus, the operator of the dolly controls the turn. The Switcher Track allows the dolly to track forward on the straightaway, then at the 90 degree turn, which is squared, not curved. The dolly is switched into crab mode and by turning the wheels in the direction of the turn, the track's joint connection (switcher track) turns with the dolly wheels, allowing the dolly to now track sideways on the straight away, thus making the 90 degree turn complete. The prototype for the Switcher track was used in Saving Private Ryan. We look forward to its upcoming success.

At the Weaver Steadman booth the dsRemote head was mounted to a Lenny Mini Arm affixed to a Pedolly chassis. If limited space is a concern, this is a good combination to consider for it measures up to the compromises of limited space. Tight stairways, narrow doorways, hard to reach locations are the perfect shooting situations for the compact Pedolly chassis. An appealing feature of the Pedolly chassis is that it is lightweight; the chassis weighs just 221 pounds, while the Pedolly Column Insert weighs a mere 81 pounds, making this setup easy to transport. Additionally, with the setup of the Lenny Mini, dsRemote and Pedolly chassis, tracking shots are possible. The Pedolly will work on straight or curved track. Currently, DP Mark lrwin Is using the Pedolly in a feature film entitled 10 Things I Hate About You. Mark is excited about utilizing the Pedolly's centered column and new walk around side boards.

Moving to the George Paddock. Inc. booth, a Super PeeWee II was chosen as an ideal platform to mount the Steadicam on for the dynamic balance when the operator is unable to do the balancing before arriving. The Pro System, which incorporates the principles of modularity, simplicity, reliability and versatility can also be hard mounted onto the lower deck of the Super PeeWee for really low motion shots through narrow doorways or other confined areas.

Other vendors to utilize Chapman / Leonard's equipment were Lost Soul Grips, who used a Super PeeWee III to promote their new Gripping Services; Cartoni, who utilized a Super PeeWee® II to promote Ste-man's new focus unit and Innovision, who mounted their Z-Jib on a Hy Hy® Crane Arm Base. All in all, the ShowBiz expo was a true success. We wish to thank everyone who helped put the show together and run it.