Who is The Crane Guy?
Robert Barcelona
When I started in the industry in 1985, I was shooting for a production company that shot local car dealership commercials. We would rent this thing called a "Jimmy Jib" to give our spots a much higher looking production value. As I used it more and more, I began to realize that it had huge potential to be a great production tool. I thought to myself that in order to get the most out of the gear, much like a Stedicam, there should be an operator that specialized in operating the Jimmy Jib. So, I did. I started freelancing as a Jimmy Jib operator in 1987. As my client list grew, some of my clients were requesting a larger crane. One that was rideable, or could reach further and support a wheels based remote head. In order to service those clients, I purchased the Panther Pegasus Crane along with a Power Pod remote head. The next step in cranes, as well as for my company, was to purchase the thirty foot MovieBird SuperTechno Crane. Telescoping cranes have become a "must have" on almost every commercial and feature. I have owned and operated camera cranes and remote heads for almost 30 years. I have recently, as of 3 years ago, started offering a cable cam system to my clients as well.
I love what I do and enjoy the people I work with
On Set Pics and videos below
Meet The Gaffer is a show presented by my friend, and local gaffer, Luke Seerveld. He asked if I would like to "host" an episode to talk about being a freelance camera crane operator and business owner. These two videos below are the result.
The FlyLine Cable Cam
This video is a brief overview of the FlyLine Cable Cam system.