Heads are rolling: OConnor for the Evil Dead Remake

The Evil Dead, 1981 classic cult horror movie directed by Sam Raimi, is famous for its bloody content. For the 2013 remake, Evil Dead, Raimi chose Fede Alvarez as director, and decided instead to take a producing role alongside Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell, lead actor and producer of the original film. To fill in the position of DP, Raimi chose cinematographer Aaron Morton, NZCS, who was also DP for the Starz series Spartacus and part of the camera crew of Underworld 3. The challenge: Shoot a horror movie that won't be polished or retroactively enhanced by CGI, and make it as bloody as possible. The task required a fluid head that is reliable and robust enough to cope with sticky artificial blood and allows for total control of camera movements. To meet these conditions, Aaron Morton selected a 2575D fluid head by OConnor, part of Vitec Videocom, a Vitec Group company, to support his two Sony PMW-F65 cameras.

Evil Dead is a gore feast - even more so than its predecessor. With Gallons of Blood covering the actors and the equipment, it is literally raining blood. And amid these masses of sticky red liquid, Cinematographer Aaron Morton had no time to lose to capture the footage for Evil Dead. Shot in Auckland, New Zealand, Morton explains, The project was a huge challenge from a gear and time perspective. We only had 14 weeks to shoot. Plus shooting in rough conditions through rainwater or fake blood or from tracking vehicles, we needed dependable support for our Sony F65 cameras. I chose OConnor for its reliability and great toughness. The stepless and ultra-smooth pan and tilt fluid drag provides the typical and famous OConnor feel for film-style shootings, which unfailingly remains untainted even in bloody conditions. Plus, the controls of the 2575D fluid head are on the operator's side to guarantee a clear overview of all settings. With numerical read-outs, every configuration of the OConnor 2575D can be exactly and quickly repeated, saving precious time during shootings on a short timeline, especially when it comes to unusual shots, that have to be well-prepared.

Evil Dead is almost completely devoid of CGI, and therefore, every single shot has to be perfect in order to live up to all of the tricks and illusions that make up a great part of the movie's most shocking moments. This requires a fluid head that is extremely versatile, and thus, is robust enough to capture extraordinary angles and stands its ground for demanding shots. I wanted to get close to the original movie, where lots of things are whipping around out of control. Therefore, we included a lot of rolling in our camera movement, Morton says. The ergonomically designed OConnor 2575D tripod head, with a payload range up to 40.8 kg (90 lbs), gave him the creative freedom and ultimate control at any point of the tilt range from +90 to -90 that he needed when operating his Sony F65. The snap plate system is very quick and convenient and has a great ability to fine-tune the balance, even with a heavy camera system, Morton explains. Moreover, the patented stepless sinusoidal counterbalance system with a collapsible crank-handle allows for easy and exceptionally precise balance that is exactly reproducible. Given these prerequisites, Morton could focus on his characteristic high-end-shots than rather worrying about practicality or having to cut back on the quality of the images that breed an amazingly deep and spine-chilling ambiance.

For further information on other OConnor products, visit http://www.ocon.com

About OConnor

OConnor has been the choice of professional cinematographers since the invention of the fluid head 60 years ago by founder Chad O'Connor. OConnor's award-winning fluid heads are known for their smooth feel, fluid movement and intuitive control. Designed for film-style shooting, each facilitates seamless transition when changing payloads and offers stepless, ultra-smooth pan & tilt fluid drag for maximum control. In addition to fluid heads and tripods, OConnor offers a growing line of camera and lens accessories engineered to fill the needs of today's fast-paced camera work. The line includes the CFF-1 and new O-Focus DM follow focus systems for cine and still photo lenses, the award-winning O-Box WM mattebox, innovative O-Grip handgrip system and the Universal Baseplate. OConnor products are respected and trusted by individual users and rental houses worldwide for their reliability, longevity and toughness.

Along with other leading brands in the broadcast industry, OConnor is part of the Vitec Videocom, a Vitec Group company. For more information on OConnor, visit http://www.ocon.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 Bags, 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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