The NZCS was offered the chance to host an event with Shane Hurlbut ASC at very short notice last month, as he was visiting NZ to shoot an international TV commercial. Tickets quickly sold out and a packed house filled the Dept of Post theatre on Feb 25th to hear a presentation on “Redefining Camera Movement”.  

Hurlbut was at the forefront of utilising the power of the internet to educate and inform cinematographers worldwide and the Hurlbut Academy has evolved to be a leading force in this field and a great resource for upskilling at all levels of cinematography.

Being a very early adopter of the brushless-motor gimbal rig (MOVI etc), Hurlbut’s presentation showed an amazing variety of applications of this technology in the pursuit of serving the storytelling as effectively as possible. The very passionate and animated talk included behind-the-scenes clips, excerpted scenes, stills imagery, plans and diagrams to illustrate his methodology. 

While the over-riding message of the presentation was to interpret the script and deliver the director’s vision as honestly as possible, there was a host of tips and tricks showcased on how “New School” technology can eclipse “Old School” technology to produce great results on tight budgets. One example was how a time-consuming crane or ladder-pod set-up can be replaced with a remoted gimbal rig on a triple-riser light stand – including a camera move, by gently dropping one stage of the light stand.

Hurlbut also showcased some more complex shots, including an elaborate set-up that began with a MOVI rig on a Technocrane, but then handed off to continue in hand-held mode (while the crane was quickly driven away to be out of shot by the time the camera moved around 360 degrees).

One strong message to come out of the evening was his views on director/cinematographer relationships.  While every director works differently and the process is always collaborative, Shane has learned over the years that interpreting the script and driving the visual approach of the film, including elaborate planning and shot-listing the entire movie pays great dividends and saves time and money in the long term.

It was a real treat to have Shane Hurlbut here in person to deliver his presentation and answer questions and talk casually with the attendees. He very generously took time out to engage with the NZCS members and conveyed how impressed he was with NZ as a shooting destination and the high calibre of the crew he’s been working with locally.

 ~ Donny Duncan - NZCS Professional Developer