Element Technica To Intro the Mantis at NAB

Element Technica’s new Mantis Hand-Held Kit, slated to be on display at the 2009 NAB Show, is a configurable, innovative shoulder-mounting solution for film and digital motion-picture cameras. It is fully compatible with the company’s Red One, the forthcoming Scarlet and Epic, or any camera equipped with an Arri bridge plate.

The most significant feature of the system is its multiaxis adjustment, which provides a variable relationship between the shoulder pad and the dovetail to accommodate any operator’s shoulder angle.

An extremely low-profile two-axis gimbal connects the shoulder pad and dovetail, allowing fore/aft-linear as well as pan/roll adjustments. By adjusting the angle, the weight of the camera package can settle into a stable equilibrium with a level horizon and low center of gravity, making frame-tips after directional changes a thing of the past.

The Mantis also offsets the pan-axis angle of the shoulder pad relative to the camera so that the LOS (Line-of-Sight) of both operator and camera become perfectly parallel, eliminating neck and torso twisting or sidestepping. The adjustments are so easy they can be tweaked between takes, and the camera can go from tripod to handheld in 20 seconds.

Element Technica’s handheld rig uses standard bicycle-style grips on rosette-mounted handles. These include a home for the ViewFactor Origo remote start/stop button and are connected to the rosette cross bar with telescopic handle extensions that come in two length ranges: large (8-14 in.) or small (4-7.5 in.).

The crossbar at the front of the dovetail is adjustable side-to-side as well as rotationally, and the clamp that holds it in place can support a fully loaded ArriCam with 1,000 ft. of film and a 5:1 zoom. For those who prefer a more traditional approach, the rosette crossbar and clamp can be quickly removed from the dovetail and attached to a universal mount on the iris rods.

Mantis is designed specifically for Arriflex-style bridge plates (435, Arricam, Moviecam, Phantom, etc.) and available as a system or à la carte. To see the Mantis and other Element Technica products, visit NAB Booth C9549 or. for more information, go to www.elementtechnica.com.