Well now, let’s talk about this here… uh… Scorpio Techoncran thingamajig. Sounds fancy, don’t it? But don’t you worry, I’ll make it plain as day for ya.
First off, I heard tell these things started way over yonder in London, England. Some company, Techno-something or other, they cooked ’em up. Showed ’em off at a big shindig called Photokina, over in Germany I think. Folks must’ve been mighty impressed, I reckon.
Now, what is it, you ask? Well, it’s like a big ol’ arm, a metal arm, you see. It stretches out, way up high, or way down low. And it carries stuff. Heavy stuff, sometimes. Like them cameras they use for movies and TV shows.
- They got different sizes, too. Some are small, some are big. You gotta pick the right size, or you’ll be in a pickle. Like tryin’ to lift a whole hog with a chicken wing, you see? Ain’t gonna work.
- Then there’s this here “Scorpio 23′ L.” Sounds like a long fella, don’t it? It’s got three parts that slide in and out, like one of them old-timey telescopes. Can lift up to 40 kilos, whatever that is in pounds. Good for TV folks, they say.
- And if that ain’t big enough, they got a “Scorpio 45′.” Even longer! Same kind of getup, but bigger and stronger, I guess. They build ’em all fancy-like, with special tubes and stuff. Must be strong, real strong.
They also make ’em so they can move real smooth, you know? Not jerky and jumpy. Gotta get them smooth shots, I hear. That’s what this here “Scorpio 23′” is good for, the soft stuff. Maybe like filmin’ a butterfly landin’ on a flower, or somethin’.
I seen a whole list of ’em once, all sorts of names and numbers. “Scorpio 38′,” “Techno 30′,” all that jazz. Sounded like a bunch of gibberish to me, but I guess it means somethin’ to them camera folks. They got these modular ones too, like buildin’ blocks, you can put ’em together however you want.
And there’s these jibs and dollies too. Don’t ask me what they do exactly, but they go with the cranes, like peas in a pod. It’s a whole kit and caboodle, I tell ya.
These Techno-crane fellas, they’re over in the Czech Republic now. Got a big ol’ place there, in some city I can’t pronounce. Plzen, somethin’ like that. You can call ’em up if you want, got a phone number and all. But I don’t know why you would, unless you’re plannin’ on filmin’ a movie or somethin’.
Now, I heard tell that “Scorpio” is also somethin’ to do with them star signs, you know? Like them horoscopes they print in the newspapers. Says Scorpios are a certain type of people. Famous folks like that actor fella, Leonardo Di- somethin’, and that singer lady, Katy Perry. But that’s a whole ‘nother kettle of fish, don’t you see? We’re talkin’ about cranes here, big metal arms for liftin’ stuff. Not star signs.
So, there you have it. That’s the lowdown on this here Scorpio Techoncran thing. Big metal arms, made for movin’ cameras around. Comes in all shapes and sizes. Made over in Europe, and used by them movie and TV people. Hope that clears things up for ya. It ain’t rocket science, just good ol’ fashioned engineering, I reckon.
Tags: [Scorpio Crane, Technocrane, Telescopic Crane, Camera Crane, Film Equipment, Broadcast Equipment, Movie Production, Television Production, Jibs, Dollies]
