Specialty Camera Rigs

Here is how this works in practice. Our team sources specialty camera rigs and the operators to run them: Russian and pursuit arms, camera cars and process trailers, cable cams and motion control, plus custom mounts built by our grip and rigging team for shots standard gear cannot reach. Iceland's open roads and dramatic landscapes make it strong area for car and dynamic work. But the conditions are demanding, so rigs must hold a camera steady against wind, take blowing volcanic grit and glacial spray, and be braced for fast-changing weather.

Here is the short of it. Pro rig operators come from the skilled Reykjavik base. For high-end shoots we supplement arms, cable systems and motion-control gear from suppliers in the UK and mainland Europe, managing ATA carnet import since the country is outside the EU customs union. Each job starts with a thorough risk assessment, because car-mounted and rigged filming must meet Icelandic safety rules, and where the work involves drone-mounted coverage that falls under the Icelandic Transport Authority, Samgoengustofa, with strict national-park limits. We weatherproof each rig, plan for cold-weather operation and stay on call across the shoot.

Here is the breakdown. Iceland's geography is what draws specialty rig work. A large, sparsely populated subarctic island on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, it gives long, empty stretches of the Ring Road ideal for driving and chase sequences, and dramatic ground for dynamic camera moves: the lava country of Myvatn, the black sands of Reynisfjara, the Snaefellsnes peninsula. The famous high-speed sequences of 'The Fate of the Furious' were filmed on the ice of Lake Myvatn. Bond films including 'A View to a Kill' and 'Die Another Day' staged action across Icelandic landscapes.

Here is what that looks like on the ground. The conditions set the limits: the Highlands open only in summer via rough F-roads needing 4x4 super-jeeps, weather changes fast, wind is a real factor for any rigged camera, and covered national parks limit where and how rigs and drones can operate. Working within Icelandic safety and access rules, a well-chosen specialty rig and a skilled operator are what let a production capture ambitious dynamic shots safely across this terrain.