Avoid South Facing Chariots

Years ago, I read an article about the incredible inventor Dean Kamen. Most commonly known as the inventor of the Segway, but someone who has quietly invented so many incredible things–including a self-contained device that requires no electricity and that can clean water by the truck load. He’s an incredible guy and if you don’t know about him, you should.

 In the lobby of his offices there is a huge model of something called a south pointing chariot. What, exactly, is a south pointing chariot? It's a wagon with all sorts of gears on it that his staff built for him as a present years ago. The south pointing chariot was a major innovation when it was created in China around 1100 BC. Why? Because, due to the differential, axles, and gearing, no matter where you dragged the two wheeled device, always pointed due south, making navigation much more simple.

 So, why haven’t most of us heard of this device? Because right around the same time, someone else invented the pocket compass, thereby rendering the south pointing chariot useless due to its size and complexities.

 I am often reminded of this (and sometimes even mention it) when we are on set. Are we in the process of building a south pointing chariot? Would a camera on a sand bag work just as well? Time is money on a film set and, more importantly, any time you can achieve something well with less time means you have more time down the road for something actually complex.

 As you go down the road of designing the way to achieve a shot, ask yourself, are we building a south pointing chariot?