Metal Supermarkets’ fast, reliable service keeps cameras rolling for Hollywood North

Making movies is a tricky business. There are a lot of moving pieces to manage; the two most important being time and money. By the time a project goes into production, the clock starts ticking and the race is on. So, when a scene calls for a special camera angle, directors and producers know they can call on Camera Positioning Systems’ (CPS) engineering design and integration specialists in remote camera mounting to make it happen.

Located in Hollywood North – that’s Toronto, Ontario, to those outside of motion picture circles – CPS is often called on to create custom camera mounts, and  a call to the Don Mills Metal Supermarkets store is at the top of the to-do list. As Mike Johnson of CPS explains, “I am always working on tight turnaround because the window for projects in the film industry is very small. Having a reliable supplier of quality material makes such a big difference. The fact that Metal Supermarkets stocks everything is crucial to me and my customers.”

When CPS is building a custom camera mount for a big movie, they need to guarantee the structural integrity of the materials because the last thing they want is their device slowing production. When they order blocks of 6061-T6 Aluminum, Metal Supermarkets is able to provide the mill test reports to guarantee the materials’ properties. The mill reports, in turn, give CPS the confidence to machine, assemble and deliver the finished product.

“The guys at Metal Supermarkets go the extra mile when it comes to customer service,” says Johnson. “They are really useful in terms of sourcing materials, or will spend extra time to get a unique material for me. Some people just get it … and that makes me want to do business with them.”

CPS’ work with camera mounts may not be common knowledge, but the public has certainly seen them in action, whether they know it or not. The recent remake of “Total Recall,” airing in 2012, featured opening scene camera work by CPS. Currently, CPS is working on the new “RoboCop” movie that will debut in 2014. The movie is set in Detroit, but Toronto – Hollywood North – is being used as the city’s stand-in, much as it has in the past for Chicago and New York. Much of RoboCop’s point-of-view camera work comes courtesy of CPS’ engineering.

In addition to the Don Mills store, several Metal Supermarkets stores in North America serve production companies, studios and engineers in the film industry.