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Keeping the lights on at the skate park with Core SWX batteries

Chris Ray, filmmaker for DC Shoes, uses Core SWX batteries and camera light to get the right actions shots

Chris Ray, filmmaker for sports clothing brand DC Shoes, is an expert at capturing the fast pace of skateboarding, motocross and surfing productions. Ray has been using Core SWX products, including the Hypercore PRIME battery and TorchLED Bolt 250 power supply and lighting when recording sports action on location.

A sports filmmaker for over a decade, Ray employs an 8K RED EPIC-W with Core SWX’s batteries when filming for DC Shoes. For skateboarding shoots, Ray often needs to keep the camera running for four to six hours at a time to capture the right moment, and uses the Hypercore PRIME series battery packs to fuel his camera.

“The very nature of skateboarding requires constant filming since skateboarders typically perform and land their best tricks once they have gained momentum,” says Ray. “Asking a skateboarder to stop, mid-shoot, to replace the battery just isn’t an option. Core SWX’s Hypercore PRIME batteries have always outlasted these types of extreme, long-lasting film sessions.”

In addition long run-time and robustness, the Hypercore PRIME series features a two-part design, which aims to provides a higher capacity, air travel friendly battery solution. The Hypercore PRIME battery packs can be legally transported without restrictions under IATA, ICAO, and UN travel regulations.

“Travel is a necessity in my line of work and the fact that Core SWX makes batteries that can be split up to adhere to airline regulations, without compromising quality, is extremely helpful,” says Ray. 

The Hypercore PRIME two-part system provides a higher capacity (190Wh) battery solution, scaled vertically to better distribute weight across the battery mount. The design features a large backlit multipurpose LCD on the front that allows users to view remaining runtime while powering a device and remaining charge time when connected to a charger. The PRIME is available in V-mount and 3-Stud mount and has an integrated P-Tap connection on the side and top of the battery, allowing users to power any 12vdc device. Additionally, it has a USB output to allow users to charge mobile devices.

Ray has also been using the Core SWX TorchLED Bolt 250 camera light, most recently for a night shoot at a skatepark in Orlando, Florida, filming professional skaters for an upcoming DC Shoes promo. Ray recalls filming in the dark, without crowds of people in the background, to show a different perspective for this project. Interested onlookers are traditionally an obstacle he runs into during the day.

“The Bolt 250 alleviates the worry of bringing a whole lighting crew with me,” says Ray. “It is the perfect product because you just put the light on the camera and you’re ready to go.”

The TorchLED Bolt 250 uses a patented refractory lens technology providing a 250W equivalent light output while 40 percent thinner than its precursor, the Bolt 220R. The Bolt 250 draws 13W of power, includes a separate on/off switch and features a wireless remote that can control the light from up to 250-feet away.

Ray relies on the Hypercore PRIME to shoot non-action sports films for his own production company, Chris Ray Films. One of his recent projects involved a video shoot of drone racers for Intel. Ray used the Hypercore PRIME to help capture three high-flying drone aces as they explored the ruins of retired jumbo jets at the Mojave Boneyard, a graveyard for de-commissioned airplanes in California.

Based in New York, Core SWX provides batteries and charging solutions for the digital cinema and professional video industries, along with emerging markets such as drones and virtual reality.