It is not easy working in broadcasting if you’re disabled, as Chris Lynch has discovered during his 20 years in the industry. He wanted to be a camera operator and DoP, “but there are so many physical barriers that prevent people with disabilities from taking on these roles”.
As a wheelchair user, he tried using a Steadicam with a self-balancing chair, “but it was too restrictive”. So, he co-founded Caerus to develop his own system, with help from industry heavyweights such as Ronford Baker, Red, CVP, DJI, Ignite Digi, Ottobock, NiSi and BlkBird, and now has “a market-ready platform” that he believes “will have a transformative impact on people with disabilities”. It can be used in single-operator mode with control over everything, or camera control can be handed off to an assistant.
“We wanted this to integrate seamlessly with existing workflows, so we have three versions.” Vista, an indoor/outdoor model, can handle most productions, with a wireless range of up to 6km; Studio for indoor studio use takes a camera and lens payload of up to 11kg; while Caerus Rover is an all-in-one system with on-board lighting, LiveU, on-board power, teleprompter and even a custom umbrella to cover system and talent.
Lynch has just made a BBC Northern Ireland documentary, In the Driving Seat, about his own search for the right technology, which will be broadcast on the BBC in November.
Stand Number: 11.B07
Company: Caerus Technology
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