These pages feature stories and articles submitted to us from Polecam owner/operators around the world and also Polecam Press Releases and all show examples of Polecam being used in a variety of different ways and locations.
If you have any interesting stories or pictures to appear within the News Latest section of the site or within the Polecam Newsletters - please contact us
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In the Sahara with XYZ Productions
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Polecam in the News
| Check out this news clipping about Polecam courtesy of TVB Europe magazine. Click here or on the clipping to view full size. |

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KNVB Cup final
April 27th 2008. Dutch KNVB Cup final between Feyenoord and Roda JC in Rotterdam, Holland.. Feyenoord won, 2-0.
For RTL Television, produced by Eyeworks Sports and Cinevideogroup.
2 million viewers!
Polecam operators: Thijn Teeuwissen & Edo Kuipers
Photos: Edo Kuipers |


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FLASH XDR TAKES NAB 2008 BY STORM |
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Flash XDR solid-state digital HD video recorder mounted on Polecam
Click pic for high resolution image |
Heralding a revolution in high-quality solid-state HD video acquisition, the new Flash Xstream Data Recorder (XDR) took NAB2008 by storm. Flash XDR received prestigious awards from Broadcast Engineering and Videography and was acclaimed by many conventioneers as heralding a new age in compact, affordable, high-efficiency programme production. Exhibited as a major new element of the Polecam exhibit in the NAB Central Hall, Flash XDR is an entirely electronic recorder requiring no tape or disc drive mechanism. Capturing straight to CompactFlash, the 178 x 127 x 44 unit combines low power consumption with very light weight (500 g) and very high transportability.
"This is exactly the technology we need to advance our own product range into HD," comments Steffan Hewitt, inventor of the Polecam system. "The combination of decreasing cost-per-gigabyte and increasing storage capacity has made solid-state media the ideal format for HD video acquisition. Flash XDR is comparable in size with the average broadcast camera battery and can be used with the latest generation of miniature HD camera heads or fed from the video output of an HD camcorder. The recorder captures 50 Mbit/s MPEG 4:2:2 1920 x 1080 pixel HD video direct to MXF file format complete with embedded or external audio and timecode. Operation is completely silent which is perfect for wildlife productions where the noise from a motor or fan might disturb the subject or intrude onto the soundtrack. Flash XDR is far more tolerant of low or high frequency vibration than any tape or disk mechanism and should also prove very resilient to bumps and jolts as well as to extremes of temperature and humidity."
Like Polecam itself, Flash XDR is very easy to transport, to set up and to re-stow. Files can be transferred directly to PC for editing without time being lost copying from tape. Flash XDR users also have the option of transmitting files to base rather than having to organise delivery of tapes or disks. The recorder is housed in a rugged aluminium chassis with a rubberised protective jacket and can easily be mounted to Polecam in tripod-based or harness-based configuration.
Flash XDR stores up to 164 minutes of HD on four hot-swappable 16 Gbyte CompactFlash cards. 32 Gbyte cards are now available at less than $180 with 48 and 64 Gbyte cards expected soon. The recorder also supports MPEG2 4:2:2 at 100 and 160 Mbit/s as well has HDV over IEEE 1394.
Polecam was established in 1998 by extreme sports cameraman/director Steffan Hewitt. While directing a series of windsurfing kit commercials in Hawaii, he needed to obtain close, wide-angle front shots of a windsurfer in action, shot from a tracking boat or jet ski. He improvised a rig comprising a miniature camera on a carbon fibre windsurfing mast. Returning to Britain, he developed a lightweight go-anywhere rig with a remote joystick-controlling a high precision pan and tilt head. Polecam now sells successfully around the world from its base near Bedford. |
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This year saw Paul Weller, The Who, Muse, Duffy, David Grey to mention just a few performing at the Albert Hall, all for TCT.
Rob Wick kindly let us know he didn't 'twat' anyone with his Polecam this year. |
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Feedback Systems use Polecam at Silverstone

Mark Sallaway operated his polecam for the start and at various track locations
around Silverstone for this shoot out between a Mercedes C350, CLK 63AMG
Black, AMG C class DTM and the McLaren F1 MP422. This ultimate test that
shows just how fast an F1 car really is. The result which can be seen on
the McLaren website is quite staggering. More of this Highly experienced
operators work can be seen at www.feedbacksystems.co.uk |
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"Never work with Children or Animals -
unless of course you have a polecam
because you can then keep your distance - 6 metres distance!"
Richard Hookings working on BBC's 'Inside Out' programme on a Farm in the
Forest of Dean.
www.thecameraman.tv |


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World Track Cycling Championships from Manchester, England during March 2008. Transmitted to 27 countries.
Chris Hyde operating Lammo’s rig using a Link Research RF link.
Photos courtesy of Neil Shepherd. |
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How do you fit a 250lb Polecam operator, a Polecam and two models into
a Mini? Easy - ask Amos Clarke ( amos@tiki.tv).

This English cameraman has been based in LA for few years now with his Polecam.
He certainly seems to have settled in...
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John Gillan (JG Broadcast)
Right - Shooting AAC Basketball.
Below Right - A Pilot show called 'Bet the House' which is going into production soon.
Using Polecam HD.
Below - Charity event in NYC for the Boomer Esiason Foundation's 15th annual charity event for Cystic Fibrosis. A lot of big names in industry and sports attended.
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Richard Hookings - Bobsleigh with Ant & Dec
Austria was the setting for one of Ant and Dec's challenges on ITV's Saturday Night Takeaway and the polecam was one of the cameras which covered the race as well as some of the race build up.
The course was 1km long and the polecam was perfect for getting establishing shots of the course from high angles as well as pov type shots to introduce certain bends and other parts of the bobsleigh run.
Despite the steep slopes, the polecam was relocated with ease along different parts of the course and was either pushed along on it's wheels or broken down and reassembled in minutes. |
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John Gillan seen here shooting the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis
using the new Toshiba IK-HD1E camera on one his Polecam systems.
The camera outputted a 1080i 59.94hz signal into an HD OB truck. |
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The results were superb and the engineers said:
‘They couldn’t tell the difference between the Toshiba and the ordinary cameras’.
The 4 days of coverage was live across the US.
John ( john@jgbroadcast.tv) has 2 Polecam systems,
1 in London and the other in Los Angeles. |
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Check out Keith Harding of TX-2 website www.polecam.tv
Don’t take our word for it. See what he has to say. |
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Soccer |
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Soccer Show 2006 BR (Bayerischer Rundfunk) |
Cooking School with Johan Lafer (one of the most famous tv cooks in Germany) |
Cooking show "Ganz und Gar Henssler" Henssler is name of the cook - TV Station: VOX |
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Beautiful Polecam |
Documentary |
G8 meeting in 2007 |
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World Sprint Speed Skating Championships 2008 |
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Speed Skating in Heerenveen, The Netherlands. January 19 & 20
A 2 days job for NOS (Dutch national television) and Cinevideogroup.
Photo's made by: Johan Boerman/ www.dapho.nl |
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Polecam 3D head
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The new prototype Polecam 3D head with two Iconix HD cameras on test
with Chris Randak of Axis Films (www.axisfilms.co.uk) in Bolton, England
on December 7th 2007 for a Reebok commercial with boxer Amir Khan. |
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Flash XDR - Available April 2008

DOWNLOAD PDF
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POLECAM AT NFL |

Polecam USA in co-operation with CP Communications recently did a live-to-air HD test for Fox Television at a National Football League (NFL) game between the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. The Polecam was used wirelessly with an Iconix camera shooting 720p and a wireless RCP (remote control panel) that Poleam provided. John Gillan operated. We're looking forward to doing more work at American football games in the future. |
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Polecam at the UEFA EURO2008 Final Draw
Operator: Alex Lilje (TV SKYLINE)
Camera: HD 1100
Transmission via their new Uni:Link (HDSDI / Composite / Data / Power / Tally / Intercom)
110 Million viewers!
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Bachir of Bachcam, France is seen here shooting for the Elite Model Look Competition Final in the Ritz Hotel in Paris and the studio shots were in the renowned Studio Harcourt. |
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The first Polecam sold into The Netherlands to Camforce has been shooting for Seat and RTL7 Holland at the WTCC at Brands Hatch. |
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Editorial as seen in the IBC edition of Regional Film and Video |
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'Top French Polecam Owner-Operator Bachir seen here training staff at SNRT Morocco.
Polecam shipped its biggest single order ever for eight SD Polecams to SNRT Morocco (the State broadcaster), to be used mainly in the live transmission of football games.
The rigs will be used for POV and action shots from positions such as behind the goals. Like many other Polecam buyers, SNRT already owns and uses cranes, but Polecam brings the benefits of easy portability and a rig time of just 10 minutes, making crane shots more accessible.
This sale took Polecam's total to over two hundred rigs delivered worldwide |
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Alfacam used their 2 new Polecam HD rigs at the Pan American Games with an Iconix and the DiveBag to get air to water shots of the swimmers. Polecam was also used to great effect on the high jump. |
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Christoph Steuer was recently working on a shoot for a show called Wetten Dass which is the biggest, most expensive and successful Saturday night show in German TV in the last 26 years. Polecam was used on a track (built by Hansi Klotz) by a pool which was the set for one of the bets. Polecam was shooting in HD with the FishFace. |
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