The TAV: our on-water camera system

We are proud to introduce the next version of our on water camera system. Affectionately named by our good friend Hjalmar, The Tributaries Assault Vehicle (TAV) - we're able to put a camera on most boats for all on-water filmmaking needs.

Originally Posted here with a ton of photographs:

The TAV - Our On-Water Camera System

Have you ever wanted to put a tripod in the middle of the ocean or a river? So did we.

Why did we create this? First watch this video:

The ability to travel with and attach to almost any boat for smooth, all-day boat-to-boat cinematography has been invaluable to us and our clients.

As used on our latest film, Japan to Jamaica :

and used extensively for various fly fishing product launches:

The TAV has proven to be a useful tool! Let's break some of it down:

First, we modified a set of baby legs to do a couple things:

Induro Series 3 Baby Grand Tripod with 75mm Platform

The Series 3 Baby Grand Tripod from Induro is a high capacity, ultra-stable support paired with a leveling 75mm base. With a load capacity of 165 lb the tripod can support professional DSLR's, long telephoto lenses and professional camcorders. The maximum height of 11" and the minimum working height of 3.2" make the Baby Grand ideal for low angle and macro photography, although it can also be used on an elevated surface to bring your equipment closer to eye-level. The tripod's height can be easily adjusted via the twist locks, which control the 2-section leg design, and the carbon fiber tubing helps to keep the weight to a manageable 3.1 lb.

1. These legs are easy to run our "highly technical securing element" aka cam straps to any bow bolt and side running compartments. It allows flexibility. Some creative rigging and you'd be surprised at how secure it is.

2. We modified the base plate (as in had a machine shop drill a couple holes) to allow attachment directly to the KillShock isolator system.

Kessler Crane KillShock Isolator System

No moving shot is too rough for the KillShock Isolator System from Kessler. The KillShock removes vibration from any shot, whether on a crane, jib, dolly, or vehicle, using a set of 8 included Medium Duty isolator modules, each containing 3 red shock cables.

With the KillShock, we found a mix of red and black isolator springs have the right feel and security for our setup.

Attach Ronin 2, camera, lens, wireless follow focus/zoom, run an SDI and you have a TAV. The real magic happens in our custom made lapboard:

1. iPad mini w/ mount to control the RED camera. You have full control of the camera from that iPad, pretty neat! We're using RAM Mounts.

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2. The Ronin 2 controller, to manipulate camera movements. Again, a custom mount but this time using a NATO rail and arm.

3. And our last custom mount, gives us a quick release arm for image, again with a NATO mount.

The lapboard is heavy which is great when the water is rough and you're focusing on getting a shot. Things tend to move around in boats, that extra weight keeps things firmly planted on your lap.

Last, you need a good AC to keep focus. The trick here is, things get boring but happen fast. Stay on it!

There's plenty of other ways to do this, including a black arm and a grip house - we like the portability, the adaptability at a fraction of the price.