Making high-speed movie magic?

High-speed camera work demands critical synchronization of events which is virtually impossible to do manually. Luckily, we’re in the business of designing innovative technological solutions to meet all your production needs.

Cobalt’s Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)
Alex, our resident tech guru, designed and engineered a digital interface to synchronize the camera, camera mover, all your rigs, cuing, EVERYTHING to precisely coordinate each and every component for critically choreographed shots. (Shout out to Stage Manager Luke, who serves as our in-house Ladder Logic programmer. He spearheaded the whole system setup from engineering, wiring, to programming!)

The device triggers actions in a specified sequence and with millisecond precision to keep events on cue during high-speed camerawork. This is essential for high-speed shots because, as Alex put it, “You can have a high-speed camera mover, but you have to focus on something. If you can’t trigger the event, the subject might not be there when the camera gets there. So, for example, if you want to shoot a person falling with the shot starting wide and ending on an ECU (to show the grimace on his face), critical timing is key.”

Why Millisecond Accuracy Matters
With tools like Phantom high-speed cameras being more in-demand than ever, productions also require accessories to use the technology successfully. While the camera is moving fast, timing becomes vastly more important. When you’re shooting at normal speed, a fraction of a second doesn’t matter much. If it’s high-speed, however, the tolerance is closer to a millisecond. A switch or an electronic eye may trigger the action, but getting the shot depends on having the hardware and interface to control the cues. Being off by ¼ sec at 24 fps might not be a deal breaker. But, the same shot at 1000 fps would have the action happen after the station break. You get the point.

Flexibility to Create Without Limits
Cobalt is the Tri-State Area’s destination for innovation, and we can customize a user-friendly technology package for any production needs you can think of. We even put Cobalt’s Programmable Logic Controller in a travel case – compact, quick-n-easy, and the solution for all your critical choreography needs!

Make our Turnkey Soundstage your go-to tech partner.

Let’s talk.