The term "game-changer" gets thrown around a lot at trade shows like NAB. More often than not, the products adorned with that lovely piece of marketing slang fail to live up to it. However, Redrock Micro's new focus pulling system, simply called HĀLO, might very well change the focus pulling game for the better.

Redrock Micro H\u0100LO Explorer

The true innovation with the HĀLO system comes from a nifty piece of technology that Redrock is calling the HĀLO Explorer (seen at right). This device sits just beneath your lens, and it maps and tracks the focus cues in your scene in real time. Here's the description of the HĀLO Explorer from Redrock's site.

Incorporating cutting-edge technology (the same technology that powers autonomous cars and delivers precision aerospace measurements), the Hālo Explorer gives you a real-time map of your entire scene, combining pinpoint accuracy with up to 180 degrees of view. Artificial intelligence precisely identifies all your subjects (people and objects) and tracks their distance and location in real-time.

Redrock Micro H\u0100LO Focus Controller

Redrock Micro H\u0100LO Remote Follow Focus System

The real magic of this system, however, is what it does with the real time focus data from the Explorer. On their nifty screen/remote follow focus, you can choose to pull focus manually using the real time data as a guide. Or you can just tell the system to pull focus for you by selecting the subject that you want to track. The HĀLO system does the rest.

The price and availability of the HĀLO system are not known yet – Redrock is previewing it for the very first time at NAB – but the company's rep said that they're shooting for a release date later in the year and a price point in the $2,000-5,000 range. 

Be sure to check out our comprehensive post with up to date information about all NAB 2015 announcements.


No Film School's complete coverage of NAB 2015 is brought to you by Color Grading Central, Shutterstock, Blackmagic Design, and Bigstock.

No Film School's coverage of NAB is brought to you by Color Grading Central, Shutterstock, Blackmagic Design, and Bigstock

Source: Redrock Micro