The One Man Crew from Redrock Micro was a treat for small interview productions, whereby a fully automated slider could capture subtle camera moves and add tremendous production value. It wasn't without a few issues though, and for the last few years we had been hearing about a version 2 that would address these. Redrock has finally delivered.
The new version is called the "Director" and is the same in concept, but does improve in a number of areas where users expressed concern. I've used the original One Man Crew to capture tons of motion timelapses and video moves, and while the footage looked great, I always had a few complaints which I knew others shared.
First off, the noise. At different motor speeds, a slow move could be so noisy that I couldn't have it within 15 feet of my interview subject, because it was just too noisy. Not only for the move, but when powering up and calibrating, it would make a noticeable "whirr" sound and bonk the end of the track area. Not cool.
According the video, the noise issue has been resolved as they have redesigned how the OMC is built. They claim it is as quiet as the fan on some cameras, so I'm hoping that is true, and for all motor speeds.
My second issue, and something that held back others I've known from investing in this system, was the usability. To select the speed mode, a tricky combo of button pressing, timing, and powering the unit off/on took place. I would still mess it up from time to time, and it was a pain to deal with. I referred back to the PDF instructions constantly to ensure that I did everything correctly.
It doesn't appear that the app allows you to set the speed mode, but it does give you much easier control over basic moves, and even offers remote recording, which is nice to see.
Apart from the above, the new version is very similar to the previous, and boasts a weight limit of 22lbs.
Redrock's website lists the One Man Crew Director for $2,450.
