Chicago & Phoenix Director of Photography, Cinematographer, Drone Pilot, and Video Production
Caterpillar | Cat Trials 14
Steadicam B Operator | 100th Anniversary Brand Production | Tinaja Hills, Tucson AZ
Project at a Glance
Brand: Caterpillar Inc.
Production Company: Soaring Badger Productions (Chicago)
Post Production: Iron Works (Caterpillar in-house production)
Role: Steadicam B Operator — RED Komodo with DJI follow focus, AC-controlled remotely
Location: Tinaja Hills Training Facility, Tucson, Arizona
Duration: Three-day production
Final Deliverable: 90-second brand film, edited by Iron Works
Campaign: Caterpillar 100th Anniversary — Cat Trials 14
Crew Scale: Two Steadicam operators, three camera operators, sound crew, union lighting crew, FPV drone crew, Inspire 3 dual-operator drone crew
Services: Director Of Photography · Steadicam Operator
Hired as Steadicam B Operator on a Caterpillar 100th Anniversary Production
Caterpillar commissioned a large-scale brand film to celebrate their 100th anniversary as part of the Cat Trials series. Cat Trials 14 was produced by Soaring Badger Productions, a Chicago-based production company, and shot over three days at the Tinaja Hills training facility outside Tucson, Arizona, one of the most expansive off-road equipment demonstration sites in the country.
Soaring Badger brought Jamie Link in as the Steadicam B operator for the production. Jamie operated a RED Komodo cinema camera in a full Steadicam vest and arm rig, with a DJI follow focus system controlled remotely by his AC. This allowed the focus to be pulled wirelessly while Jamie maintained the fluid movement and framing required for the concept's complex, continuously moving sequences.
The final edit was completed by Iron Works, Caterpillar's in-house production company, and delivered as a 90-second brand film.
The Concept: Night at the Museum
Cat Trials 14 was built around a cinematic concept: a museum of Caterpillar's machines, inspired by the film Night at the Museum. The production team constructed a full outdoor museum environment in the desert, with Caterpillar equipment from across their history and product line arranged across the Tinaja Hills facility as exhibits.
The narrative arc followed visitors touring the museum through the day. As the sun set and the guests departed, a security guard walked the facility. Then, as night fell, the machines came to life autonomously. They moved through the museum environment, interacted with each other, and ultimately destroyed the central arena, cleared the space, and constructed a platform. That platform was used to unveil Caterpillar's special 100th anniversary edition skid steer, finished in a signature gray paint scheme.
Executing a narrative like this on a production of this scale required coordination between Steadicam operators, camera operators, the lighting crew, the drone teams, the equipment operators handling the autonomous machine sequences, and post production. Every camera position and movement had to serve the story while staying clear of the other crew and the operating equipment.
The Lighting Infrastructure
One of the most visually distinctive elements of the production was the lighting array suspended over the desert floor by a crane. A large truss structure mounted with multiple high-powered fixtures was rigged to a crane arm and positioned overhead, allowing the lighting director and union crew to create a controlled, cinematic light environment across an outdoor space the size of a stadium floor.
This kind of rigged overhead lighting is rarely seen outside of major television and film productions. It allowed the night sequences to be lit with consistent key light from above while the practical uplighting on the earthen walls created the warm amber tones visible throughout the final film. For a Steadicam operator working within that environment, understanding how the overhead rig would affect exposure and white balance across different areas of the set was part of executing the work correctly.
Camera Package and Steadicam Operation
Jamie operated the RED Komodo as the B camera Steadicam throughout the production, running it in an xSPINE Steadicam rig. The RED Komodo is a compact cinema camera that pairs well with Steadicam operation due to its size and weight profile relative to its image quality. The DJI follow focus system allowed Jamie's AC to pull focus remotely, critical on a production where subjects and equipment were moving continuously and precise focus was required without interrupting the flow of the Steadicam movement.
The production ran two Steadicam operators simultaneously, three camera operators on tripod and handheld positions, a dedicated sound crew, the union lighting team, an FPV drone crew handling the dynamic aerial sequences, and an Inspire 3 operated by a dual-operator team for the larger aerial coverage. Coordinating camera movement across a crew of this size in a live environment with operating heavy equipment requires the kind of set awareness and communication that comes from years of professional production experience.
Production Base Camp
Productions of this scale in remote locations require full on-site infrastructure. The Tinaja Hills facility shoot ran with a dedicated base camp that housed camera department equipment, the Steadicam rigs, production monitors, and crew staging areas under a series of canopies at the edge of the production area.
Operating in the desert outside Tucson presents specific challenges beyond the standard demands of a large crew production: temperature swings between day and night, dust management for sensitive camera equipment, and the physical demands of working extended hours in a remote outdoor environment. The three-day schedule required the full camera department to maintain their equipment and be ready for both the daytime museum setup sequences and the nighttime autonomous machine sequences that formed the core of the film.
The Final Film
The 90-second finished film was edited by Iron Works, Caterpillar's in-house production team, and released as part of the Cat Trials 14 campaign for the 100th anniversary. The film combined the Steadicam coverage, the tripod and handheld camera work, FPV drone footage, and the dual-operator Inspire 3 aerial sequences into a single cohesive narrative arc from daylight museum through the nighttime machine activation sequence to the 100th anniversary skid steer reveal.
For Caterpillar, the production served as a flagship content piece for a milestone anniversary. For Soaring Badger, it represented the kind of large-scale, high-concept brand production that requires a fully professional crew across every department. Jamie's role as Steadicam B operator was one component of a crew that functioned at the level of a major commercial film production.
What This Production Demonstrates
Cat Trials 14 represents the upper tier of commercial brand film production. A three-day shoot in a remote desert facility, a large union crew across multiple departments, a RED Komodo Steadicam package with remote follow focus, and a cinematic narrative concept requiring precise coordination between camera, lighting, drone, and equipment operators. This is not the kind of production where a generalist videographer can step in and contribute effectively.
For production companies evaluating Steadicam operators and DPs for large-scale commercial work, this case study documents the professional environment and crew caliber Jamie operates within when working as a specialist hire. Soaring Badger Productions brought Jamie in for Cat Trials 14 because the production required someone who could integrate seamlessly into a complex crew structure, maintain the technical standards required for a RED Komodo cinema package, and operate effectively across both the controlled daytime sequences and the demanding nighttime practical environment.
Productions of this scale and complexity are won and staffed on the basis of reputation and demonstrated capability. The Cat Trials 14 credit is evidence of both.
Steadicam Operator Available for Hire
If your production company needs an experienced Steadicam operator, Director of Photography, or camera specialist for commercial, brand, or large-scale productions in Chicago, the Southwest, or nationwide, contact Jamie Link Photography to discuss crew availability.
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