Rail-locked cinema system
A 150 km/h rig locked to a fixed double rail, carrying a wind-stabilised pendulum gimbal. It covers a whole circuit from one simple loop — and runs the identical move every take.
01 — Following the line
Scroll to run the rig alongside a drift car. The rail is fixed — what moves is the relationship: the operator throttles to lead or trail, the rail crosses ahead of the car and behind it, and the lens answers every change in distance with zoom.
The rig accelerates away and the slung gimbal trails back, then the airflow settles it — the horizon plants itself while the car flies.
One person works the throttle remotely, sliding the rig ahead of the car and back again to compose the shot live.
As their paths weave, the rail passes in front of the car — then behind it. A relationship, not a rigid side-by-side.
When the rig backs off for crash margin, the lens pushes in. The framing holds while the gap changes.
02 — Total coverage, one loop
The rail runs one smooth outer loop; the subject line weaves every infield corner. Both start and finish the lap together — the rail never has to follow the car in, because distance and zoom do the work. The camera cone tightens to a telephoto as the car pulls away, opens wide as it comes back.
Why it works
The shot that lives between a drone and a dolly — with something neither has: a fixed line you can run identically, all day.
Double rail gripped above and below. The dolly physically cannot leave the line — and the support structure is overbuilt for the 3 kg payload. Safety is the headline.
Up to 150 km/h on a fixed, supported line. Keep pace with a drift car through transitions without fighting the wind drift a drone must.
The rail is the move. Run it, change light or add VFX, run the exact same path again. Multi-pass and rehearsed stunts stop being a gamble.
One clean outer loop covers a complex circuit because zoom and framing absorb the changing gap — tight and telephoto when far, open when close.
Cantilever masts reach in from outside the track, so they sit clear of crash zones. In unprotected segments the rail pulls wider for crash margin.
Rails and arcs are modular — a damaged section swaps out fast. The rail car detaches; only the permanent infrastructure stays on the circuit.
The support
A single polished-steel mast rises from the ground on the outer side of the circuit and arcs over both rails, then forks into two arms that drop down just outside each rail and bolt to their outer faces. The carriage passes underneath the arch; the gimbal hangs and swivels through the open centre.
One mast per support, always on the outer side, fed from the ground and spaced about every 10 m along the loop.
The arch reaches over and forks; each arm drops outside its rail and bolts a bracket to the outer face — the sides facing away from each other. Bolts on the outside only.
The carriage cages both rails with 12 wheels (4 top, 4 inside, 4 underside) and passes under the arch — supports own the outer faces, the carriage owns top/inside/underside, so they never touch.
The gimbal hangs on the rails' centreline through the open middle — balanced, and free to swivel with an unobstructed view.
NPC Rail — concept
One fixed loop. Total coverage. Every take identical.