Miller Camera Support Equipment, a leader in the production of innovating
camera support solutions, reels with enthusiasm, as it continues its 60th
anniversary celebrations at BroadcastAsia2014. The Australian-owned camera
support equipment company commemorates its professional progression
throughout the years, supplying revolutionary high-end tripods and fluid heads
for the film and television industry.
“Since Miller’s launch in 1954, we are continuously looking to expand our market
outreach and have delivered more than 100,000 tripods and fluid heads,
acquired several patents, and won numerous awards for our products’
exceptional quality and design over the past 60 years,’ says Greg Thomson,
Miller regional sales manager for southeast Asia. “We look forward to interfacing
with our customers at Broadcast Asia, as we are always looking for ways to
influence the broadcast industry with our creative camera support solutions
that, ultimately, improve the way that cameramen capture imagery.’
A family-founded company, Miller skyrocketed into a globally recognised brand
shortly after father Eric Miller and his son, Bob, developed and patented the first
fluid action head in 1946, which they designed to create smooth pans and tilts
when shooting film in the field. Since its inception in 1954, Miller has been a
pioneer in camera technology, revolutionising film and television by granting
operators the freedom to shoot creatively and obtain shots once deemed
unattainable. Less than one decade later, the Miller Fluid Head made headlines
when the New York Times reported that the company was on the cusp of
technological innovation. By 1958, Miller was exporting the heads worldwide,
including the first tripod to Hollywood, and forever changing the landscape of
cinematography.
To support the fluid heads, Miller also began manufacturing polished wooden
tripods composed from a fine New Guinean hardwood that is known for its
strength, fine grain and workability. Notorious for their resiliency and incredible
functionality, there are still original wooden Miller tripods in existence today.
With the release of the first portable video camera in the mid 1970s, Miller
quickly transitioned from a company predominantly focused in the manufacturing
of film fluid heads and tripods into one specialising in products for electronic
news gathering (ENG). Throughout the years, Miller has supplied many major
broadcast networks around the world with its Arrow system and, more recently,
its Skyline system. Continuously expanding its outreach, Miller is also breaking
ground into sports and feature film productions. Its systems are currently in use
worldwide by more than 265 television networks across the globe, including the
BBC, CBC Canada, CCTV China, NBC USA, and ABC Australia.
Miller will be hosting a series of 60th anniversary celebrations worldwide
throughout the year in major markets across the globe. Known to be the brand
with “the right feel,’ Miller has also released 40 new, limited special edition LP
“54 Classic tripods, built by hand as they were when first introduced, from
remaining components left after the last production run of the Light Professional
(LP), in celebration of its company’s 60th anniversary. Rare collectors’ items, the
LP ’54s will not be for individual sale and will instead be both donated to
museums and auctioned off over the course of the year.
For more information on Miller’s history, visit their website.
