Today, TechnoCrane derivatives are available from several different manufacturers, such SuperTechno,Filmotechnic, MovieBird, Servicevision among others, and come in many different sizes and various specifications, from 10 feet (3.0 m) to 100 feet (30 m).
The camera is mounted on the remote head on the end of the crane and is remote controlled by a camera operator at a control desk. The Technocrane can telescope at variable speeds on demand. It allows camera moves that cannot be achieved using a jib arm crane and camera dolly,[2] and the telescoping can be used to compensate for the camera moving in an arc called "arc compensation".[3]
History
The Technocrane was first introduced to Hollywood by Simon Jayes in the late 1980s who was one of the first Technovision trained crane technicians in London. Similar camera crane technology was also introduced to the Soviet film industry by Ukrainian Academy Award winning cinema engineer Anatoliy Kokush ( Filmotechnic ) at the same period of time.
In 1999, the Society of Camera Operators (S.O.C.) presented their technical achievement award to Technovision, Gyula Mester and Keith Edwards for the "First Telescopic Camera Crane" and for their significant contributions to the Art, Craft and Safety of the Camera Operator.
Productions that have used the Technocrane or the later SuperTechnocrane include Titanic, the Harry Potter films, the Lord of the Rings films, and all the James Bond films of the late 1990s and 2000s, among many others.
