Hayslett Takes Sachtler Ace M on Tour with Muse

For alternative rock band Muse's 2nd Law World Tour, cinematographer Matt Hayslett needed to choose his equipment carefully in order to keep up with fast-paced life on the road. The Grammy-winning group, which has played for packed houses in its native England and throughout Europe, is currently touring North America. Some of Muse's most recent hits include Survival, the theme song for the London Summer Games, and Madness, the theme song for TBS/TNT's March Madness, for which the group broke the record for Billboard's longest #1 alternative airplay song. For its latest endeavor, Muse selected Hayslett to film a documentary about life on tour. The band really wanted to invite fans behind the scenes for the first time, at the height of their career, Hayslett explains. Since I'd shot the trailer and video material for their album release, with the blessing of Warner Bros. Records, they brought me in to do just that.

For the world tour, I needed a tripod that could support a wide range of camera rigs and be able to keep up with our busy schedule. The Sachtler Ace M fluid head and tripod fit the bill, he says. In addition to capturing the behind-the-scenes footage, Hayslett shot the live visuals that the audience watches at the show. There is nothing like seeing your videos on the big screen with an amazing performance and incredible lighting, he comments.

In order to fulfill these multiple tasks, Hayslett became a one-man-band, carrying his own gear. This meant that both weight and size were a real issue. One of the things that intrigued me about the Ace M was the fact that it was compact, lightweight and had a true fluid head, he says. It is the perfect size without losing the benefits of higher end tripods. I'm able to easily carry the tripod with the camera still attached from the stage into to the crowd, to backstage, and onto the bus.

The true fluid head gives me perfect camera movement without the jerkiness of the traditional lower end tripods, he adds. Because my camera setup changes constantly, from the Canon 5D, to the RED Epic, to the Sony F3 and the Canon C300, I needed a tripod that could support this wide range and weight. Every rig that I have used has worked with the Ace, without any loss of performance. The range of counterbalance and drag adjustments makes the Ace M a no-brainer for this project.

Besides filming the band's performances, there were also occasions when Hayslett went with the Muse musicians on personal excursions, like car racing and sightseeing, Being compact, the Ace M made it easy to move from location to location without being slowed down by bulk, he says.

Prior to the tour, Hayslett had never used the Ace. I typically shoot more studio-oriented projects, so I've always used the Sachtler Video 20 II. But when I saw the Ace M, it became a perfect match for this gig. I've used other lightweight tripods in the past and was always displeased by the performance - there were always trade-offs. Luckily, not with the Ace M! Knowing I have a tripod that can get the job done puts my mind at ease. That's extremely important when you are trying to get shots that are in the moment and not repeatable.

Matt Hayslett has worked as a DP on music videos, commercials, concert visuals and live shows. He is currently on tour through the United States with Muse, which has proven to be a bona fide success. When Hayslett completes this feature film documentary, the band plans to enter it in various film festivals, and it will be available for broadcast early next year.

For more information visit http://www.sachtler.com or contact: Sachtler, 16 Progress Drive, Shelton CT 06484

About Sachtler

Sachtler, founded in 1958 by cameraman Wendelin Sachtler, is a worldwide market leader for professional camera support systems for cinematography and television production, its name a symbol of top quality and reliability for decades. With an extensive range of camera support systems as well as a finely modulated product line of reportage lighting, Sachtler is the highly qualified partner for broadcast and film applications. Since 2000 Sachtler has been offering the artemis modular camera stabilizer system. With its numerous workshops and training sessions, the Wendelin Sachtler Academy has become a top address worldwide for invaluable know-how and the exchange of information, creating the ideal international platform for creative talents. Along with other leading brands in the broadcast and professional videographer industry, Sachtler is part of Vitec Videocom, a Vitec Group company. For more information on Sachtler, visit http://www.sachtler.com

About Vitec Videocom

Vitec Videocom brings together some of the most respected, most innovative and most sought-after brands in the industry: Anton/Bauer, Autoscript, Litepanels, OConnor, Petrol, Sachtler, Vinten and Vinten Radamec. It acts as an endorsing brand for these market-leading broadcast, film and pro video products, encouraging multi-brand system sales and simplifying the way that customers worldwide do business.

Vitec Videocom is an operating division within the Vitec Group, an international business serving customers in the broadcast, photographic and military aerospace and government markets. Vitec is based on strong, well known, premium brands on which its customers rely on worldwide.

Vitec Videocom - innovative products around the camera.

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