The Nissan GT-R continues to be unmatched in the high-end sports car world by offering a performance way above its price range. For the new NISMO GT-R 2020 they needed to film the car at full performance. After looking for solutions in the market it was immediately apparent that they needed a car with a rig system that could keep up with the new supercar.
As it turns out the only solution would be to build a custom GT-R with expert and Drifting world champion Mauro Calo, with camera rigs normally used in big Hollywood productions as you have seen in the Fast and the Furious series. Nissan decided to paint the car Matte black so it would not reflect on the other car’s paint and or create unwanted flares on camera lenses. The result is the best performing camera rig car ever made. It is capable of carrying a fully rigged camera system including but not limited to ARRI Alexa, RED Dragon, Sony Venice, Panasonic Varicam or high-speed solutions like the Vision Research Phantom Flex 4k.
Nissan GT-R High Speed Camera Car Specs:
- Twin-turbo 3.8 V6
- All-wheel drive (Ideal for motion camera mounted systems)
- Matte Black Anti-reflective paint
- Flight Head Mini Stabilized Gimbal
- Carbon-fiber mounting system
- Ability to mount 360º Action camera systems
- Reversible Mounting for Front or back camera placement
- Wireless Follow focus system
- Up to four crew passengers including the driver
- Configurable with any modern camera system under 12kg
- Cost not shared…“one of a kind”
The car uses the Flight Head Mini from Filmotechnic with the following specs:
3-Axis Gyro-Stabilized
• RF Wireless capability
• Pan Axis travels through 360º
• Roll Axis travels through 270º
• Tilt Axis travels through 200º
• Payload Capacity: 26lbs.(11.8kg)
• Light Weight: 20.9lbs.(9.5kg)
• Temperature Range: -40ºF to 104ºF (-4.5ºC to 40ºC)
The following video shows the system in use, expect to see this rig being used in dozens of high-speed movies, commercials and TV shows. We are excited to see how it will be used with super slow motion footage, imagine a controlled crash scene at full speed at over 1000fps, things just got way more interesting in the mobile rig camera world and a lot more fun too. -HSC
Nissan GT-R: the ultimate high-speed camera car by Nissan:
Learn more at the official Nissan website here!
Nissan Official Press Release below:
Precision driving expert transforms Nissan sports car into a high-performance camera rig
YOKOHAMA, Japan (Feb 7th, 2020) – Nissan developed the 2020 Nissan GT-R NISMO to be the pinnacle of the iconic nameplate. For maximum performance, the engine was upgraded, its aerodynamics further enhanced, and weight was shed through the meticulous use of exotic materials.
But when the time came to document the newest Nissan super sports car in its natural habitat – on the track – there was one problem. How to film it?
Enter Mauro Calo. A professional precision driver and automotive video expert known for his work on big-budget blockbuster movies and automotive TV shows, he has the perfect car to chase and film the 2020 GT-R NISMO – another GT-R.
While Nissan helped locate a suitable GT-R to be transformed into a purpose-built camera car, Calo was already working on the design. Once the car arrived, he and his team fitted a bespoke tubular structure that was welded to the chassis and able to hold the weight of the professional carbon-fiber gimbal camera mounting system.
Nissan GT-R: the ultimate high-speed camera car
Until Calo realized his ambition of developing the ultimate high-speed camera car, the vehicle of choice for this type of filming would be a high-performance SUV. However, SUVs lack the speed or agility to follow the world’s fastest performance cars on track.
Thanks to its low center of gravity, adjustable sports suspension and four-seater configuration, the GT-R is the perfect base car to accommodate a camera rig of this type. And once the performance of the twin-turbo 3.8 V6 is deployed via its advanced all-wheel drive system, it’s easy to see why Calo chose it.
“When I started to think about developing a high-performance camera car, I quickly realized that the Nissan GT-R was the only car that would meet my criteria,” said Calo. “It has supercar performance, with outstanding all-wheel drive handling and stability. It’s famously reliable, and it can seat the team I need to operate the camera system. There were no other contenders.”
Fabulous footage of the world’s fastest cars
Not many GT-R customers regularly use all four seats, but a typical shoot requires a full camera crew. With Calo at the wheel, a gimbal operator, a focus puller and a director can be in the car at the same time – ensuring fabulous high-definition footage of the world’s fastest cars at high speed (with all safety precautions taken, on a closed circuit, of course).
“I knew already, from driving it on photo and video shoots, what a great car the Nissan GT-R is,” Calo said. “But since I adapted my Nissan GT-R to be a high-speed camera car and have been using it to film some of the world’s fastest cars on track, my respect and appreciation of its performance, reliability and stability has only increased. It amazes me and the teams I work with every time we use it.”
So there was no choice as to which vehicle would be able to shoot the fastest and most capable GT-R ever created – the 2020 GT-R NISMO.
With careful choreography planned in advance and coordinated via walkie-talkie, the two GT-Rs chased each other around the Lausitzring racetrack in Brandenburg, Germany, as part of the GT-R NISMO’s media preview event. The recorded footage has been viewed millions of times on YouTube and other social media platforms.
About Nissan in Europe
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 16,000 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. In 2018, Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced about 600,000 vehicles including award-winning crossovers, commercial vehicles and the Nissan LEAF, Europe’s best selling electric vehicle in 2018. Pursuing a goal of zero emissions and zero fatalities on the road, Nissan is leading the field with its vision of Intelligent Mobility. Designed to guide Nissan’s product and technology pipeline, this 360 degree approach to the future of mobility will anchor critical company decisions around how cars are powered, how cars are driven, and how cars integrate into society.
About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, INFINITI and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2018, the company sold 5.52 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.6 trillion yen. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: Asia & Oceania; Africa, the Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America. Nissan has partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999 and acquired a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors in 2016. The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance sold 10.76 million vehicles combined in calendar year 2018.
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Media contact:
Dominic Vizor
Product Communications Manager
Tel: (+44)07580 999016
dominic.vizor@nissan.co.uk
https://uk.nissannews.com/en-GB