My Craziest Builds with 1st AC Brian Aichlmayr posted: 01/02/2019
I really enjoy the building aspect of it all. As a 1st AC, finding pieces that go together and making a camera build more and more efficient gives me the opportunity to have fun on every production I work on. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing your creation come to life, and for me, no better job than that of a 1st AC in this world. - Brian Aichlmayr, 1st AC.
Every once in a while, we see filmmakers push the boundaries of just how much stuff they can pack on a single rig without it tipping over to one side or being heavier than the operator carrying it. And when we see these unique builds, we just can't help but marvel at how genius some of these are and use them as inspiration for our own setups. After all, with tools like Instagram, the film community is now more connected than ever before. We like to share our ideas.
And if you're active on Instagram, you've probably heard of Brian Aichlmayr. A 1st AC based in Houston, TX, Brian is known for having some of the coolest gear shots of any filmmaker on Instagram, and is always working with the latest tech on his sets. He shares with us his path to becoming a 1st AC and his favorite camera builds of the last year.
Direction After High School
I started in this business basically around 2010. In 2008, I graduated high school and wasn't really sure what I wanted to do in this world. But I worked in a movie theater at the time and the Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition's Special Features was one of my favorite things to watch. It was amazing seeing how all the fantasy came to life. So I made that filmmaking my pursuit when I went to Houston Community College.
In college, I got involved with general filmmaking and found a position as a grip on a indie feature produced by teachers of the school. An opportunity came up on my second feature later that year when the 1st AC didn't show up for the day, and I was able to volunteer to fill the spot. The DP, Larry McKee was really accepting of me, and took the time to help me develop my assistant skills over the years we worked together.
After college, I managed to find 1st AC work on short films, indie features, industrials and reality shows that were based in the Houston area to develop my skills. The thing about Houston is, it's the 4th largest city in the entire country, but one of the smallest film markets in relation to its size. We didn't have instructors or schools for this kind of specialty work. Most of our learning came from professionals who traveled here from Los Angeles or New York for jobs. Larry McKee is the DP that I grew up with, and he was someone who pushed me to learn more, focus better and produce sharper images no matter the situation that presented itself before us. Theblackandblue.com was a huge resource as well and I thank Evan Luzi for committing to help others in the same field. And Instagram - seeing other ACs' builds - following #cameraassistants, #camerarigs #1stacs and drawing inspiration helped make my rigs better.
When I first started out, I just wanted to get the builds built. As I got more experienced, it's now at a point where I'm searching for ways to make the builds better, faster and more efficient. And I'm always learning about the best ways to get things done. I actually just ordered custom mounts to address problems I've been having with my builds, sometimes even making custom builds myself for other people to use. This is what makes the job of an AC so rewarding.
This production was for an industrial job from a company out in Louisiana. They hired out a production company from Korea, and one thing I discovered on this job was that Korean film crews have a different setup for crews than we do. The AC role is divided into two, where one guy builds the camera package and one AC works on set for pulling focus. They hired me to build the camera, and this is what I came up with.
Our goal here was for the camera to capture a moving car as it drove around Downtown Houston with various links on the zoom. We mounted the RED Monstro to the Freefly MoVI XL, which was supported by the Flowcine Black Arm. We had a Bolt 3000 XT mounted to the back of the MoVI XL where the power is, and had the antennas pointed towards the other vehicle where the receiver was.
The grips actually went under the car to find securing points for the speed rails that were holding the entire rig up, and we had the hood all decked out in speed rails too to support the camera. This whole setup gave the video a feel of flying through an industrial park, which is exactly what the clients were going for.
The Slider
This was actually from the same production as the Proton Pack. We have a Panavised Alexa LF with a 42-45mm Panavision Zoom. It's a J.L. Fisher 10 Dolly on the bottom, with a slider at the top carrying a 61-lb. camera package. What I really liked about this setup is the Tough Gaff handle at the top, which allowed me to mount a Bolt 3000 XT on there using the ARRI Pin-Loc. We were also utilizing the Alexa LF built-in MDR for lens control with the WCU-4 with three ARRI CLM motors.
The 5-Minute Focus
I can't believe how quickly I tossed this thing together. Basically, they told me 5 minutes before the shoot that I had to get ready to pull focus. So I built this setup around the SmallHD 703 UltraBright monitor that includes the Teradek Sidekick II, the Heden Carat, a Bright Tangerine Titan Arm, and a coffee still in my hands. We were shooting a run-and-gun documentary about flooding for FEMA.
Robot Eyes
This wasn't a crazy build, but it was definitely unique. We had an Alexa Mini with an Angenieux Optimo 15-40mm and Bright Tangerine Misfit Atom matte box on a MoVI Pro. There was a Bolt 2000 on the rig, along with these
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...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
My Craziest Builds with 1st AC Brian Aichlmayr posted: 01/02/2019 
