Remote rig in use during an operation. Photo by Øystein Horgmo, Creative Commons.

A couple of years ago I decided to make my own remote rig for filming open surgery. For a lot of operations in the abdomen and deep in the pelvis, the commercially available equipment could not provide the access I wanted. Designed by me and built at the hospital’s own instrument shop, the rig provides an excellent view of the surgical field and less strain on the cameraman.

The Rig
The idea was to build a rig that could place the camera directly above the field, totally independent of the surgical lights. I also wanted it to be mobile, so I could use it in different ORs. It had to be built to be electrically safe and easy to wash and disinfect.

The rig was designed like a “gallows”, with the camera placed on the tip of a horizontal boom that extends from a vertical stand. This rests on a heavy Thomson Lifting Column, which both provides a low center of gravity and makes it possible to raise the rig 40 cm. Four anti-static wheels makes it easy to move the rig using four handles placed on the stand and boom. A padded ring is placed around the camera, to protect it from bumps and make it easier to place a sterile drape around it. All the wiring is placed inside the rig; video- and remote cables from the camera and power to the camera and lifting column. The power is turned on/off with a switch on a junction box at the bottom of the rig. The lifting column is operated with a foot switch placed on the same box.

Photo by Øystein Horgmo, Creative Commons.

The rig is made of hollow aluminium tubes, and as the camera is also quite light, the rig does not have to be very large at the base. This makes it possible to place the rig virtually anywhere around the operating table, and very close to the personnel. The boom is long enough to reach the middle of the table, even if the rig is placed at the feet end.

The Camera
I chose to use the Sony BRC-300 3 CCD SD camera on the rig. It provides high-quality images, has a pan range of 340° and a 120° tilt range. It can record video in both 4:3 and 16:9 formats, and you can fit it with different output modules (S-video, SDI, Firewire etc.).

Sony BRC-300. Photo by Øystein Horgmo, Creative Commons.

Most important, however, is that it is remote-controlled. A remote control with all the important features (such as focus, aperture, pan, tilt and zoom) is attached to the camera with a RS-232 cable. To make it possible to control the camera while staying out-of-the-way of the OR team, I fitted a plastic hardcase as a remote control unit. It contains the remote control, a hard disk video recorder and a 7″ LCD monitor. With this arrangement the rig can stay in the operating ward, while I bring the case back to the office to transfer the material to the editing station. I normally place the case on a small table close to the wall, where I’m out-of-the-way. Although the camera in theory could be controlled from another room, I prefer to be close to the action where I can talk to the surgeons and make adjustments to the rig placement.

Remote hardcase with remote control (left, outside case), HDD recorder and LCD monitor. Photo by Øystein Horgmo, Creative Commons.

After using this rig for two years, I can see some points that could be improved to deliver even higher quality video. It could be fitted with a HD camera, and a recorder with less compression. I have been recording in the  DV format, mostly because HDD recorders for better formats (e.g. DVCPro50) where too expensive for my budget. But beside these technical considerations, the rig is as good as it gets when it comes to surgical field access and versatility of placement, in my opinion.

Check out some videos recorded with the rig (Norwegian voice overs):

• Whipple Procedure
• Splenectomy
• Hemicolectomy

Hey there, thanks for coming to the blog as it is under serious construction still (I’m open to ideas.) As my first posting I’ll write up a little bit about what I am and what I do. Hit the jump for more.

I’m a photographer, videographer, blogger, musician, gamer, modern day adventurer, poet; you might as well just call me a Modern Day Bard.

At my time of writing this, I work for Blind Photographers, 2D-X, and Photography Bay.

I shoot

Events (Maria Sharapova unveiling her Diamond Powershot Collection)

Concerts (The Blip Festival)

Photojournalism (The Recession in NYC)

Street (Halloween Parade 09)

Headshots (Shannon)

Portraits (My friend Matt)

NYC (View from the top of the Rock)

Celebrities (Gerard Butler)

I love video games, mostly PC games but I’m not particularly picky and see the strengths in all platforms. I’ve been a tech journalist for a couple years now: working for Geek.com, PCMag.com amongst others.

I used to intern at Magnum Photos and have been published in the NYTimes amongst others.

I’m looking forward to developing a great relationship with you all.

We had the opportunity to capture Neena’s parents wedding a couple years back at the Grosse Point War Memorial. Neena is so wonderful and full of smiles making our job that much brighter and of course it is always great to see Matt and Liz!

Enjoy the Bride’s preparation.

Bonnie & I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

Typically we capture images from around Northville on Christmas Morning however with the rain we hope to post a few images later in the day.

Craig, Bonnie, Katie & Emily

Cosmo & Cali

My sister’s father-in-law is a retired corporate photographer. The last time I met him he told me this crazy story about a guy he used to work with. This guy used to be a videographer, and when he recently was going to have a total hip replacement, he decided he was going to film the operation – himself (photo credit)!

What made this possible in the first place was that he was only administered a spinal anesthetic. This blocked the nerve signals from his lower body, but allowed him to stay awake during the whole procedure. Before the operation he was allowed to attach a remote-controlled camera to the light rig, he had a nurse control a second cam, and a third left on its own – probably with a wide view of the OR. During surgery he controlled the remote cam using a joystick and a small monitor. Seeing something through a lens normally creates a certain amount of distance to the subject, and I guess that’s handy if you’re seeing this (photo credit) and knows it’s your own:

I think I would have found it really interesting myself, but having seen a lot of surgery, I probably would have been too annoying.  “Hey, what are you doing that for? You sure that’s the right artery? Don’t you ’shhh!’ me. That’s my hip your cutting!”

No, it’s not the length of this blog post, so don’t turn away . Let me ask you: What is worth ten thousand words and sideswipes the thousand words conveyed through a photograph? A moving picture or what is plainly known to us all as a video is the right answer. With life moving at a pace that is akin to a marathon runner, it’s a delight to have a DSLR like the Nikon D300s which processes and captures pics at the speed of life.

For someone who loves to shoot street scenes, the fleeting moments of amusement, excitement and zaniness that are to be found on the streets of San Francisco satisfies the photographer in me. But that satisfaction has grown twofold ever since the Nikon D300s arrived at our doorstep; the HD video recording feature adds the flexibility of capturing moments in fluid motion or churning out a sequence of images that are saved to the memory card faster than you can say “Life in shutter clicks!”  In spite of having HD video recording functionality, the D300s is not the best in the market for this purpose, though it’s excellent and on the mark when it comes to making images.

Here’s a video from an outing to Fisherman’s Wharf, a popular San Francisco attraction. The video was color corrected in Sony Vegas. I’m working on a video project with footage shot on the D300s and the focus is on San Francisco city. Until that video project comes to fruition, enjoy this little clip… Shabbir

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Jess (from Salutations, for all wedding paper products) brought the family by for their Holiday Portrait Session. Jess and her family have become really great friends since visiting us a few years back. I have to admit I just love the expressions her kids come up with (you would never believe what Bonnie had to do to get the expression on Cole’s face):

I styled the CCV Winter 2010 Lookbook on Sunday with an amazing team! There aren’t any finalized images to post yet, but here are some hints of what’s to come

This photographer

This model

This videographer

This makeup artist

oh, and a little bit of this broad.

stay tuned!

Episodes 5 and 6 are here! George Moss hosts a monthly party, at the time it was called “4th Friday’s with George Moss and DJ Mystery”, but has recently changed that. Hopefully George can continue hosting this event in the future. Episode six is footage from Soul Blast 2009, and it shows George’s interaction with his fans. Check it out! That wraps up the first season of GMTV, hopefully more episodes can be produced in the future, and brought to the viewer.. If you like what you see, let me know.

Picking a date for your wedding isn’t an easy task… So much to consider! Your out of town guests, the weather, and even your favorite locations availability. For Jennifer and Andrew it came easy. 11-7 are two numbers that coincidentally have played a huge part in their relationship. From their first date to their engagement, it only seemed right to continue the trend for what was a gorgeous wedding. On November 7th they tied the knot at St. John Chrysostom. Andrew, Jennifer, and her sheek red shoes headed to Swarthmore College for some photos in a white vintage Roll’s Royce. Now, I love an elegant bride but a dolled up bride that’s willing to lay down for a great pose…. THAT is special! These two were so into each other… Check it out for yourself:

Thanks so much Jennifer & Andrew! We had so much fun with you two! Big congrats!

Check out Jennifer & Andrew’s trailer that Cristina shot and edited:

Click here to learn more about weddings at Springfield Country Club.

For my first day of work in the capital, it was snowing all over the city.

48 hours later I got a call from my friend Vanessa who was shooting a ledge in Bercy, the famous skateboarding spot.. So I came and filmed a little bit….

A great July day.

I don’t know how Cooper has so much energy. All I can think of is just give me a little. You may remember Cooper from his 1 Year old session about a month or so ago and now back with his big sister for the holiday session. We had a special treat during this session, Shari, a bride of ours was back in town to help out with her Niece and Nephew. Alway great to see you guys – its time to bring the grandparents in!!

Another wedding that I had the pleasure of videotaping was Joseph and Emily back in September. I remember our first meeting at the Pickle Barrel in Sherway. They are probably the most intelligent couple I have ever had the chance to work with. I remember thinking about how technical yet artistic they are. They see things in a different way, and without a doubt will create some superstar offspring one day.

Their wedding was a lot of fun. Can you believe that at the altar was their first kiss on the lips?!? I find that fantastically cool. What was more amazing was how they both led the singing… it was one large church worship service: exactly what a wedding is. They were intentional about including their values for God and family into the ceremony. Genius.

So, when I was pulling together their summary video, I knew I had to use their first dance as a foundation. The song has some magical words and it’s tells a story of innocence and maturity. It was an evening full of fun, and I had a great time. It was a real pleasure to be a part of their first day as husband and wife. Congrats!

Technical note: it was really dark in the reception hall during their first dance. Using the 3-way color corrector is quite the challenge but very helpful.

Kate & Joy have provided some of the most memorable moments in our studio over the past couple of years. This year’s holiday session was no exception and actually had me on the floor laughing. It is always great to see you guys!

Behind the scenes Video Productions wishes all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. What a great day it was for videography. It was overcast and cold, perfect for the look we were going for today. Just had to keep the equipment dry. The sky was a natural filter for filming. No shadows. Every day is a great day when the camera is your friend.

You may recall a while ago my attempt at speaking Chinese at Andre & Emily’s wedding. That was a riot and I’m pretty sure some of you are asking for a direct translation of what I said. Well, you’ll just have to wait because I can’t seem to find the paper copy anywhere. In the meantime, I’m going to be talking about weddings in the next few posts.

There are have been a handful of times when I have really struggled with producing a summary video for a couple. It’s especially difficult when my visions and intentions have been pushing the technical envelope. Such is the case with Andre and Emily. They had a stunning ceremony outdoors. I mean, the lighting was a little sharp but far more favourable for my gear. There were so many ideas going through my head that I just couldn’t keep up.

Then there’s the side of my heart that felt so proud of Andre for completing this part of his journey. He has found his bride and made this wedding a reality. For the years that I’ve known Emily, it is impossible to take away the credit from God for bringing the two of them together. She has a very good man that will take care of her… and this was just a little bit of what was swimming around in my head as I’m shooting footage.

So, when it came time to pull together a short summary for them, I struggled with the footage I took. It just didn’t give the location, and the couple, it’s meaning. For me, it was strangely inadequate for what I felt they deserved. After searching through music for hours, I found Ol’ Blue Eyes… The Chairman of the Board… Sinatra.

Well Behind the Scenes Video Productions was at it again today. A long and rewarding day of shooting. We cataloged a ton of footage for our Behind the Scenes Video Productions archives. Were building footage for wedding videos, real estate virtual tours and so much more. Behind the Scenes Video Productions is always on the move. We want to make every client happy especially our brides. Wedding Videography is our main venue and what we love doing the most.

In these next two episodes of GMTV, we went to the barber shop with George to get him a “Steve Harvey”. Sarah Lamb comes along. Episode 4 we tour the WAY FM radio station on Cornerstone University’s Campus with George Moss as our host. Enjoy. and check out George Moss at www.g-moss.com

We are thrilled to announce that we recently won 1st place at The Greater Philadelphia Videographers Association annual Film Festival!
Check out the award winning Trash The Dress

The Team:
Videographers & Editors ~ Cristina and Jon
Photographers ~ Rich, Amy, and Gary