microRemote On Set in The Big Leagues

The microRemote has been getting great reviews, but naturally people may wonder how a remote focus system priced at a fraction of similar systems performs in high end productions.

David Dowell, a top-notch 1st AC in Hollywood who has worked on many television shows throughout his career, had the opportunity to use the microRemote in his work as first AC for the ABC Family show “Pretty Little Liars”, a primetime hit show that shoots with three Red Scarlet camera packages. David and the crew has been using Preston wireless focus units for most of the show, and anything less than perfection is unthinkable for a show of this caliber.

David sent us this writeup:

My name is David Dowell, and I am currently the Key 1st Assistant Cameraman on ABC Family’s hit series “Pretty Little Liars.” I have been a 1st AC for over 20 years working on episodic television, feature films, commercials and music videos. Additional episodic television projects include Key 1^st Assistant on ABC Family’s hit series “Greek” and ABC’s hit series “Ugly Betty.” I was also a 1^st AC on WB’s hit series “Angel.” (IMDB Page)

"The microRemote compared
favorably to the Preston, [and]
performs better than the Bartec"

The camera package we use on “Pretty Little Liars” is the Red Scarlet camera. We use Zeiss Ultra Prime lenses on all our three cameras. Additional equipment we use includes Steadicam, Technocrane, swing and tilt lenses, Hot Gears and the Preston Fizz for our remote focus shots.

“Pretty Little Liars” is the most popular TV series on ABC Family network, with every episode shot with feature film production values. The entire camera crew on “Pretty Little Liars” are all seasoned professionals with high level credits from big budget feature films and top rated episodic television.

We have recently used the Redrock microRemote and quickly became impressed with how well it works. 

We found the microRemote responsive, accurate, easy to use and quick to set up. It compared favorably to the Preston and found out we could also use the microRemote with the Preston motors. We liked the microRemote better than the Bartech: it performs better, sets up faster, and is smaller and more compact. I also found it easier to use.

Overall I found the microRemote a great solution to many situations and I can recommend it for both professionals and amateurs.

Watch David's video below:

For more on David Dowell's work, check out his IMDB page. For more on the microRemote, check out the microRemote landing page at http://store.redrockmicro.com/microremote.