SPECIALISTS OF PRECISION CAMERA MOVEMENTS
"Finding Inspiration
in Every Turn"
Specialized on arm car and tracking vehicle operations, BLACKHOUSE CINEMA are proven experts when it comes to precision camera movements.
FILMMAKAZ Redaction
that was formed by a team of young professionals, driven by the idea to offer specialty camera gear and services, and making that easy to access for their local film industry.
B
lackHouse Cinema is a camera precision movement company
Especially known for their arm car operations, the BlackHouse Cinema crew has already covered a long list of feature film and commercial productions. They have worked for companies like Mazda, Porsche and Audi to name just a few.
-
Precision camera movement company based in Calgary [AB]
-
Specialized on arm car and pursuit vehicle services
-
Also covering full in house production
-
Highliy skilled and experienced crew
-
Quick access to all relevant shooting locations in Calgary
THE TEAM
The guys from BlackHouse Cinema have answered our questions about their work as precision camera movement specialists...
You are a camera crane specialists team. What does that mean? What services do you cover?
For us, it’s about being the best at our thing. We are called on to set, to put cameras in crazy places at crazy speeds because we are great at what we do. It means productions trust us with their gear, their time and their vision.
We offer all types of pursuit vehicle services from high speed precision tracking to directing and coordination of any tracking vehicle related scenario.
BlackHouse Cinema also offers full in house production from concept creation to final delivery.
WE ARE CALLED ON TO SET, TO PUT CAMERAS IN CRAZY PLACES AT CRAZY SPEEDS BECAUSE WE ARE GREAT AT WHAT WE DO.
"
BRENT CALLOW
President / Co-Founder, Director, DP, Head Tech, Precision Driver
-
with 10+ years of experience in film Brent leads the charge when it comes to anything pursuit related
-
mainly focuses on his role as DP and master head tech
DANIEL TILLOTSON
Co-Founder, Crane Op, Director of Photography
-
7+ years of experience in film
-
I.A.T.S.E. Local 212 member
-
vast amount of experience on set
LOGAN KING
Co-Founder, AC, Head Tech
-
with 6+ years of experience in photography and film Logan nails focus every time
-
first AC and technician
CALVIN McALARY
Co-Founder, Precision Driver, Crane Op
-
years of precision driving experience on track
-
critical part of the team when operating the crane car
Where are you based and what is your main working area?
We are located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We are mobile and able to travel long distances within the province of Alberta and beyond if necessary.
What is your company's story? When did you start it and what is the meaning of the company name?
BlackHouse Cinema was esta-blished in October of 2020 when our co-founders decided to join forces and fill a gap that had been recognized in our local film industry.
Our team members each have many years of experience working with other pursuit vehicle applications in different sectors of the film industry.
Coming up with a brand name is always an interesting task. At the time that we came up with the name, we were all wearing black from head to toe and sitting in a house. We thought it had a good ring and it really is as simple as that.
We currently have 4 team members. Everyone has crucial roles when it comes to running the business but we will focus on the crane car positions.
Calvin is our precision driver who
How many people are part of your
crew? Who is responsible for what?
BHC' S SHOWREEL
handles the task of putting our BMW 5 Series where it needs to be.
Daniel operates the crane andmust work closely with Calvin and Brent.
Brent works as the head technician and head operator. This requires a vast knowledge of how to mount unique camera packages on our remote head and must work with everyone in the car to bring the shot to life.
Logan is our AC and arguably has the most important job of keeping everything in focus and rolling the camera.
Most of our team members come from the commercial side of the industry. Daniel has a deep under-
What have you guys done before in the film industry? Which departments do you come from?
standing of the film industry after having worked on many films and TV series while Brent has worked with marketing agencies and OEM auto brands for many years.
"
THERE ISN'T A SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT TEAM THAT DOESN'T RUN INTO PROBLEMS.
What are the most important characteristics of a person that is part of a camera crane specialty team in your opinion?
Being able to think on your feet and problem solve. There isn’t a specialty equipment team out there that doesn’t run into problems and the true key to success is being able to overcome those challenges without anyone knowing they ever happened.
Are you more requested on feature or commercial shoots?
Currently it’s an even split. We shot a handful of car and brand commercials in the spring and have been working on a few feature films lately.
Our Motocrane Ultra is the heart of being able to offer our crane car services. Currently we run it on our BMW 530XI Wagon with a fully customized roof mount and interior setup to allow for 6 people to sit and work comfortably. Our
What are the tools you are using to cover all the different kind of camera movements you are offering? Do you have favorites?
Ronin 2 head is the muscle behind keeping the camera stable and pointed in the correct direction.
"
ONCE WE ARE WORKING, THEY WILL REALIZE HOW MUCH MORE IS POSSIBLE.
When you work with DPs and directors, do they usually have an exact idea of how they want their shot to be realized or not?
It really depends on the experience that the Director or DP has in these types of scenarios. We always aim to make the director or DPs vision come to life and often once we are working, they will realize how much more is possible and allow us to
BEING ABLE TO OVERCOME ANY OBSTACLE AND PULL OFF CRAZY STUNTS IS WHAT KEEPS US GOING.
You are working with massive gear and heavy payloads at high speeds. Are there stressful situations? How do you cope with?
get a bit more creative.
Things can definitely get stressful when working with expensive gear and time constraints. Safety is always paramount but we always make sure to remind ourselves that these are tools that are designed to perform at the highest level so we should always push our limits.
"
To this day we have a perfect track record with no serious incidents
" THE WAGON"
Motocrane ULTRA + BMW 530XIT
-
Air suspension
-
6 seats
-
A/T or studded winter tires
-
Applications: on road, track, mild off road
MOTOCRANE ULTRA
-
12 ft reach
-
65 lbs max payload capacity
-
Max speed up to 160 kph
" THE RIG"
Motocrane ULTRA + Lexus GX470
-
4'' lift + 35 '' tires
-
5 seats
-
Applications: off road
DJI RONIN 2
-
3 axis stabilized gimbal
-
10 lbs max payload
Filmotechnic ZERO Mini Rain Deflector
DZ0 Pictor Zoom
Kinefinity Terra 4K
Tilta Nucleus M FIZ
THE GEAR
How many shoots have you approximately supported so far?
Name some references if you like.
or broken equipment and we plan to keep it that way. Everyone on our team comes from action sports backgrounds and is familiar with these types of high stress situations.
Being able to overcome any obstacle and pull off crazy stunts is what keeps us going.
In the last year we’ve supported a number of high level productions everywhere from car commercials to feature films. Our recent day out on the set of a new film titled ‘Dark Woods’ was special for us because it was right in our own backyard in
an area we are very familiar with.
What are your upcoming projects?
With snow about to hit, we are currently gearing up to get ready for the number of car commercials and films that we will be supporting over the next few months.
BETTER YOUR WORK AND INCREASE YOUR KNOWLEDGE IN ALL ASPECTS OF FILMMAKING.
"
If a kid read the article, and wanted to become part of a crane car specialty team like yours, what advice do you have?
Always make sure you have something to offer. Always strive to better your work and increase your
knowledge in all aspects of filmmaking. Let your work and passion speak for itself.
