New York City, August 28th 2003- MTV hosted its annual Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in the heart of the Big Apple. On the longest red carpet in MTV history, the Hi-Pod was on the scene and able to take advantage of every inch.

While photographers and paparazzi were stuck in bleachers trying to get the shot over each other, videographers armed with the Hi-Pod X1-P were able to get shots over the heads of the crowd with ease. Because the HI-POD user was able to move behind the bleachers and still get the shot, the user wasn’t limited by the crowd, and was able to move up and down the red carpet as needed.

As it usually does when on the scene of an event, the Hi-Pod elicited smiles of admiration from other professionals trying to tape the event the old fashioned way. Several in attendance were quoted as saying:
“This is brilliant!” –Producer, Jimmy Kimmel Live

“Why didn’t I think of that?” -Paparazzi photographer

“You mean I don’t have to raise my camera with my arm anymore, and actually monitor my shot?” -Cameraman for a New York ABC news affiliate.

(Of a HI-POD operator taping over the crowd of paparazzi) “Now that guy is thinking! We could use one of those for crowd control!”-NYPD

“Is that a perfect parade camera, or what?” -IATSE Union official.

We at HI-POD realized how ridiculous the circumstances were for the photographers and videographers at big red carpet events like the MTV video awards. To get the red carpet shot you are packed into bleachers one on top of each other. Photographers, believe it or not, bring their own stepladders to get above the rest and to make sure no one else (or their equipment) blocks their view. But once in the bleachers, you cannot move. There are so many photographers/videographers that mobility becomes extremely limited.

This is where the HI-POD comes into play. We were not confined to the bleachers; we were behind them, and still 6 feet above all the photographers in the bleachers. And since no one else wanted to be back there, we had the area all to ourselves, with total mobility. We were able to follow any celebrity at will up and down the carpet.

Check out this movie. We figured out not only how to use the HI-POD like a crane, moving laterally to the action, but also to make the camera crane toward and away from the subject. (Two totally different crane techniques) And remember the HI-POD is not a crane.