Shift Dynamics Bolsters Video Production Capabilities with Cinemarine Camera Boat

Shift Dynamics has bolstered its fleet of production technology with the addition of Cinemarine, a purpose-built camera boat. Elevating Shift Dynamic’s ability to capture high-performance, dynamic content on the water, the company is poised to work with marine, outdoor, and adventure brands on visually stunning campaigns bringing water-based storytelling to life.

Cinemarine is the latest addition to Shift Dynamic’s already impressive fleet of vehicular production technology, which includes an array of car-to-car rigs. Measuring 26 feet long, the Cinemarine camera boat was purposely built to smoothly move across bodies of water, and underwent rigorous physics testing around its centre of gravity, weight distribution, and hydrodynamic performance. This ensures that it is able to operate across a number of water conditions, from lakes to open stretches of ocean and remain stable and controlled, achieving smooth and consistent shots despite the constantly moving water beneath it.

The Cinemarine is equipped with the MotoCrane arm system, which is also used on Shift Dynamics’ land rigs. In this instance it’s been optimised for marine use, with reinforced mounting points, custom dampening solutions, and adjustments in response timing to counteract the fluid motion of the water.
Unlike road-based tracking vehicles, which follow a predetermined pathway, water-based cinematography needs to allow for real-time adjustments for currents, waves, and wind. Shift Dynamics’ operators are trained to navigate these variables, whilst retaining focus on precision camera movement, to capture high-speed tracking shots, immersive water-level perspectives, and dynamic action sequences safely and effectively.

The CineMarine water-based system has been designed to deliver the same cinematic precision, stability, and control of the car-to-car systems, offering clients a fully integrated production solution handled by a team of experts.

Kirk Slawek, founder and executive producer, comments, “We first recognised the need for a dedicated boat rig after working on several water-based shoots using hard-mounted cameras, black arms on intricate speed-rail rigs, and jibs or Technocranes positioned on docks or floating barges. Each of these setups required significant time, effort, and coordination, often taking a full day just to rig. The logistical challenges of assembling the right combination of boats, camera stabilisation, and mounting solutions made us realise there had to be a better way to approach high-quality marine cinematography.”

“Since we already had the cranes and stabilisation systems from our car rigs, it made sense to develop a turnkey marine solution that could eliminate the hassle while delivering high-performance, cinematic results on the water. Beyond the technical advantages, marine cinematography also aligned with my passion for watersports, fishing, and the outdoors. It felt like a natural extension of both our production capabilities and my personal interests –allowing us to take on more water-based projects while doing what I love.”