Return | Newsletter Back Issues | Previous | Next Pedollies perfect for Presidential debate San Diego--Six Pedolly® Pedestals were used for CBS network's coverage of the second Presidential debate between the incumbent President, Bill Clinton, and Republican candidate, Senator Bob Dole, at the University of San Diego, Oct. 16. The event was the third in a series of televised debates featuring the Presidential nominees, as well as, Vice Presidential candidates, Republican, Jack Kemp and Democrat, Al Gore. Two of the six pedestals held Cam Mates in the 8' configuration.  The Cam Mates were mounted on the Pedolly, utilizing the 18" column riser.  These units were used to capture the debate from above the audience and to get a view from a higher angle of President Bill Clinton and Senator Bob Dole.  The remaining four Pedollies were placed strategically around the auditorium to tape the live coverage from the audience's point of view. Chapman's Pedolly Pedestals proved themselves versatile units, being used as both a conventional pedestal and as a base for a mini crane arm, such as the Cam Mate.  The results were viewed nationwide. Above: Chapman's Pedolly® pedestals proved versatile for the Presidential debates held in San Diego, CA... being used as both a conventional pedestal and remote arm base. CHAPMAN/LEONARD 'Contacts' DP Don Burgess for Zemekis' New Film Woodland Hills, CA--Production began Sept. 25 on Robert Zemekis' new film, Contact, starring Jodie Foster (Silence of the Lambs), Matthew McConaughey (A Time to Kill), and Tom Skerritt (A River Runs Through It). Preliminary test shots for the Warner Brothers production were performed at Panavision's new San Fernando Valley Facility by Director of Photography, Don Burgess, film crew Grip, Jeff "Moose" Howery, Key Grip, Steve Smith, and Crane Grip, John Murphy. According to Burgess, testing was necessary to determine the critical shake of the arm when booming from extreme close-up and pulling out to a full shot of the scene.  The procedure was then repeated several times for accuracy. "Although the film will be distributed in 35mm, the advantage of shooting 65mm versus any other smaller format is that it will enhance the special effects," Burgess said. Burgess is no stranger to Chapman equipment.  Along with fellow crew members Howery, Murphy, Key Grip, Pat Dailey, and Titan Driver, Kenny Rivenbark, he also filmed Zemekis' Oscar award-winning Forrest Gump. "We filmed the four-minute 'feather' shot for the opening of the movie with the Titan Crane," Burgess said. "We also used the double axis configuration (a Super Nova with Lenny Arm II) to film the scene of Jenny (Robin Wright) and Forrest (Tom Hanks) hiding in the field when her father was trying to find them.  We utilized Chapman equipment a lot during that movie." ABOVE:  Don Burgess and production crew test shoot in Panavision's parking lot the Lenny Arm III, utilizing the new "bat ears" cable system, atop a CS base. ABOVE: Contact's DP, Don Burgess, utilizes the double axis shot combining the Lenny Arm and Super Nova during filming a scene for the upcoming movie. In addition to Los Angeles, Zemekis' latest science fiction adventure will take the crew on location to New Mexico, Puerto Rico, Florida, and Washington, D.C. Principal photography commenced Oct.1. Contact, which co-stars James Woods, Tom Skerritt, Angela Bassett, John Hurt, David Morse, Rob Lowe and William Fichtner is scheduled to be released in 1998.

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