Cinematographer George Lajtai has never been afraid to try something new. Having finished film school in his native Hungary, he began his career there in 1977 shooting television programs, documentaries, commercials and short films, picking up several awards along the way.

In 1987, he decided to move his family to Canada, and while applying for landed immigrant status, relocated to Italy for two years, where he was a cameraman and Steadicam operator for rai (public broadcasting in Rome), numbering many sporting events among his assignments.

He describes finally coming over to the Great White North in 1989, bringing with him nothing but ‘four suitcases and two kids – no money, no language. [My family and I] weren’t speaking English at all. It was a very rough time.’

Despite the intimidation of starting over, Lajtai remained optimistic. ‘I said to myself, `What can go wrong?’ ‘ he now recalls. ‘ `I don’t have to speak English if I can see through the viewfinder.’ ‘ However, he soon learned that in the local biz you can be the best in the world, but if you don’t have the right connections, you’re not going to find work.

He applied for a position at CHIN Radio/TV International, Toronto’s multilingual broadcaster – the problem was the position was for an editor. ‘They asked me, `So, do you know how to edit?’ and I said, `Of course,’ and the truth was I never had. But I figured, `At least I’m in.’ ‘

Lajtai tried to learn the basics of cutting in one week, but succeeded only in deleting everything in his computer’s memory. This rocky start notwithstanding, Lajtai managed quite well for eight months, assuming additional duties as cameraman and producer, until one day when he received a phone call from Toronto television broadcaster CFMT International, which ended up hiring him as a cinematographer for in-house commercial production.

This entree into the world of commercials started Lajtai off on an impressive streak of shooting spots and a few corporate videos for such clients as Toyota, Ford, AT&T Canada, The Brick, Coffee Time, Eaton’s, Leon’s Furniture, Ontario Lottery, Primo Food, Sprint Canada and Volkswagen.

It was on these gigs that he found himself repeatedly employing one certain type of equipment – compact crane systems by such manufacturers as Stanton Video Services and CamMate Studios, both out of Arizona. The cranes were essential tools in Lajtai’s box, and he was particularly pleased with Stanton’s Jimmy Jib cranes.

‘I thought the Jib was fantastic,’ he says, ‘one of the ways to express yourself visually. Whatever feeling you want to get across [you can turn into a camera] motion.’

Lajtai was using these cranes so often he figured he might as well buy one himself. The Jib accommodates all kinds of film and video cameras (weighing up to 50 pounds/22.7 kilos), so he felt it would be something he ‘could depend on, unlike a video camera, where you buy it, and after two months it’s already old.’

Lajtai approached the bank for a $30,000 loan to make the purchase, but they came back with only $3,000, so he had to put all his credit cards together to raise the necessary capital. He then called Stanton to see if any shows were coming up where he could have a more hands-on experience with the particular Jimmy Jib ‘Triangle’ model in which he was interested, but he was told he would have to come down to Phoenix to have a look.

Lajtai agreed to make the trip, telling them if he liked it he would buy it, but he learned that making the purchase there would have entailed various taxes and duties, so he ended up simply having a look on Stanton’s website.

‘I found all kinds of different pictures and tried to just visualize how everything moves and works,’ he recalls. ‘I was no stranger [to that kind of system]. I decided these guys are good and phoned them back and said `Okay, fine,’ and I bought it.’

Since acquiring the Jib, Lajtai’s desirability as a dop has increased, as productions know if they hire him, they get this valuable piece of equipment as well. He has received the most interest from low-budget features, music videos and commercials.

‘I originally thought it would be most in demand for video [tape] production, but I’m actually working in film probably 80% of the time,’ he says.

The compact and durable Jib can be set up and operated by one person, and a remote control unit allows the cinematographer to manipulate the degree of pans and tilts (with a variable speed joystick), as well as zooms, focus, iris, and camera starts and stops.

The speed of camera movement can also be controlled, and zooming and focusing can be handled either manually or automatically, the latter option being ideal for the flowing style of music videos. The Jib expands from six feet to 30 feet (1.83m to 9.15m), and its drive gear motors are faster and quieter than standard transmissions, offering smooth performance with no backlash.

Servicing the needs of various productions, Lajtai soon found himself purchasing all kinds of additional gadgets for his Jimmy Jib, eventually doubling the cost of his original investment. On the first feature on which he was Jib operator, the dop was stupefied by Lajtai’s total reliance on the joystick.

‘He asked, `What’s that for – is this a video game or something?’ ‘ Lajtai recounts. ‘He couldn’t believe I was controlling everything from there. He said, `Hello, we’re working with 35mm, actors, scenes, cars blowing up – and you’re controlling all this with the joystick – you should have a crank wheel.’ ‘

Realizing the cinematographer was right, Lajtai went out and bought Stanton’s crank wheel kit, for more hands-on camera control.

Another popular accessory to the Jimmy Jib is the Dutch roll kit, which involves a plate that attaches to the Jib arm and the existing Jib head, enabling the camera to swing or rotate. The Dutch roll is effective but limited if you want an upside-down picture, as the camera is locked off beyond a pivot of 120 degrees.

Lajtai found a way of overcoming that obstacle during a recent trip back to Hungary, where an old television colleague turned him on to another cameraman who had two Jibs and had created a special plate for them. The bigger and sturdier plate offered more versatility, allowing two times 360-degree rotation clockwise or counterclockwise (Stanton’s internal head cabling allows for two head rotations either way).

Lajtai attended the taping of a show where the plate was employed and says he was ‘amazed with the kind of stuff it could do.’

The plate (since dubbed the ‘PowerSwing’) was the only one in existence, but the cameraman said he would have another built for Lajtai, who received his about one month ago.

Lajtai feels the PowerSwing used with the Jimmy Jib will be of most use in commercial and music video production, where cinematographers are constantly seeking the most eye-popping visuals.

The PowerSwing is ideal for model work. Say you’re in the studio shooting a model airplane in front of a blue or green screen, and you want to create the effect of the plane’s wings tilting, or perhaps have the plane do a complete 360-degree rotation – instead of moving the model, you can use the PowerSwing to rotate the camera.

You have many options. For instance, the Jimmy Jib allows you to program your camera moves then repeat them; and, pushing the red ‘Home’ button on the control panel makes the camera return to its original position at the same speed of the initial movement.

In addition to his own use of his Jimmy Jib/PowerSwing system (which he has christened the ‘Georgicam’), Lajtai, registered under Master Film & Video, will also rent it to other dops – provided they know how to use it.

Lajtai gladly accompanies the Georgicam to other sets, and he sticks around until he’s sure the crew knows what they’re doing. He’s only too glad to let others benefit from his experience with the Jimmy Jib, and allow them to take advantage of his unique PowerSwing plate.

‘At first I thought every cinematographer was an enemy,’ he admits, ‘because we all desperately want the business.’ Then he saw how cameramen help each other; if one is called for an assignment but is already booked, he/she will recommend those colleagues whom they know are the most knowledgeable and helpful. ‘I think that’s the way it should work,’ he declares.