Flying cameras Via Rail

Mo-Sys Via Rail II is a customised, horizontal camera rail system that can also, now offer vertical movement too, with a new scissor lift. "That gives us a new dimension, while keeping the floor clear," said its CEO, Michael Geissler.

"More and more newsrooms are wanting to have that dramatic opening shot flying over all the desks," and the Via Rail II system is fully computerised, allowing cameras to travel at up to 1.5m per second – faster on request. It has completed a vertical system, in Lebanon, that rises through four studios (above each other) at up to 4m per second.

Most of its clients order it in lengths of 20-50m, which can be almost any shape they like, and it has recently won five orders in Europe and the Near East.

By David Fox