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Product Spotlight: Cool Cam

Apr 9, 2001  •  Post A Comment

What it is: A camera crane that weighs about 261/2 pounds (including a 5.6-inch flat-screen monitor) that is designed for cameras weighing less than 2.6 pounds (such as the Sony DSR-PD100 digital camcorder or DX 950). Its manufacturer claims the crane makes “perfectly smooth movements possible from ground level to a height of 13 feet while keeping the camera perfectly horizontal.” When folded up, the equipment is about 51/2 feet long. Its recommended price is about $4,550.
Setup time is estimated to be 10 minutes. One hour of training is recommended before using Cool Cam for the first time.
The Cool Cam will be demonstrated at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas (April 23-26), at the Sands Expo Center (Booth 2847).
Manufacturer: Boom Audio.
Customers: Only French TV productions are using the new equipment to date.
According to Boom Audio spokesman Pascal Coulombier, France’s public television station France 2 uses the Cool Cam every month for its live broadcast of “J’ai Rendez-Vous Avec Vous” (“I Have an Appointment With You”), which airs on Sundays at noon. The host walks around the market talking to people about their lives while Cool Cam captures wide shots and transitions. “It’s no problem for the Cool Cam operator to walk in the crowd between two shots,” Mr. Coulombier said.
France 3 TV also has employed the Cool Cam, Mr. Coulombier said, using it in studio last month for municipal election coverage as the host of the show walked through the studio.