
Some of the world's most spectacular views are best seen from halfway up a wall of rock. That's a place where gear has to be reliable, whether it's crucial safety equipment or the cameras that let the rest of us experience the same dizzying panorama. It's also a familiar situation to alpinist Renan Ozturk, whose experience includes some of the steepest climbing challenges on the planet as well as documentary filmmaking and photojournalism covering everything from the freezing Himalayas to the African deserts of Chad.
Ozturk's connection to the outdoors, and the human stories that happen there, goes back to weeks spent camping in the great American national parks, painting from nature. It's perhaps no surprise to find his work featured in National Geographic, while his commercial clients range from active wear brands The North Face and Nike to Sony, Apple and Google in the world of technology. His documentaries have been recognized with screenings of Sherpa at TIFF and Telluride, and at Sundance, where the 2015 film MERU won an Audience Choice Award. Chronicling two attempts on Meru Peak in the Indian Himalayas, the film features fellow climbers Jimmy Chin and Conrad Anker, requiring documentary equipment to be hauled up the mountain's notorious Shark's Fin route.
From his base in southwestern Colorado, Ozturk runs production company Expedition Studios and specializes in remote, rugged locations. The beaches of Costa Rica's Mediterranean coast might seem relaxed by comparison, but on one recent commercial for a popular beer brand, things weren't quite as expected. The shoot looked like fun in the sun, as Ozturk describes it, but we actually had some of the some of the worst weather Costa Rica has had in six years of production. We dealt with constant rain, salt water and sand, which is the ultimate killer for gear.
We like to work small and light on top of mountains, at high altitudes and in extreme conditions, he continues. We've had really good results from SmallHD and Teradek kit from the beginning. I've seen how it all works together and how it gets better and better. In Costa Rica, Ozturk and his crew used Teradek's Bolt 3000 alongside the SmallHD 703 Bolt, which combines the display and Bolt receiver into a single unit that communicates fully with the Teradek RT lens control system.
With a camera package built around the RED Monstro, Ozturk used the MDR.X lens control receiver alongside the powerful MOTR.X and compact MK3.1 motors. As he puts it, One of the appeals of the MK3.1 motor is its size it's very small and lightweight, so it doesn't cause any issues on a gimbal. Meanwhile, the larger MOTR.X offers the ability to daisy-chain cables and keep the builds compact. Connecting one motor to the next also left ports free to connect the TOF.1 rangefinder, with the combined system capable of imperceptible micro-adjustments, maintaining perfect focus without visible corrections.
In some situations, though, only the practiced hand of a focus puller would do, and Teradek's integration with SmallHD became crucial. We were using the CTRL.3 hand unit on set, and the ability to have the on-screen overlays is very helpful, Ozturk confirms. You don't have to bounce your eyes between three different places, from the scene, to the screen, and then down to the controller as you would normally. It makes all the technical difference in executing difficult shots in constantly changing environments.
As if the beach sand and salt-laden ocean spray wasn't enough, ominous gray clouds gathered, spattering crew and equipment with rain and ensuring that both would both need to dry off multiple times throughout the day. The Teradek RT shrugged off the weather and made frequent lens changes easy. Cheaper systems, Ozturk says, are quite limited in their feature set. Being able to quickly change between lens maps is crucial for moving quickly and efficiently. Further, the ability to save lens maps and move them between controllers using the mobile app is unique to Teradek RT. It saves a lot of time during prep.
We're known for taking tools built for Hollywood sets and using them in harsh outdoor environments, putting them in places where the designers and manufacturers didn't expect them to go, Ozturk concludes, noting that familiarity remains key, no matter what the conditions. All this gear has become the gold standard, so people talk the same language and it all works together. Yes, we can be hard on our gear and this shoot was no exception, but everything survived with flying colors. These are burly tools.
teradek.com
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...