Rob Drewett
| Rob Drewett | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| 💼 Occupation | Wildlife cameraman; technology entrepreneur |
| 📆 Years active | 2000s–present |
| 🏢 Organization | Motion Impossible (co-founder and CEO) |
| Known for | Co-developing the AGITO modular robotic camera dolly system |
| 🏅 Awards | Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Award (2025)[1] |
Rob Drewett is a British wildlife cameraman and technology entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and chief executive of Motion Impossible, a UK company that develops remote camera platforms, and the co-developer (with product design engineer Andy Nancollis) of the AGITO modular robotic camera dolly system for film and television production.[2][3] In 2025, Drewett and Nancollis were named recipients of the Television Academy's Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Award for the development of the AGITO Dolly System.[1][4][5][6]
Career
Drewett began his career as an underwater and wildlife cameraman, including work with the BBC Natural History Unit on series such as Planet Earth II and Africa.[7] Seeking new ways to move cameras safely and smoothly, he experimented early with gimbals and remote platforms.[7]
In 2014 Drewett co-founded Motion Impossible with product design engineer Andy Nancollis to commercialise remote, stabilised camera systems that evolved from their wildlife work, including the Mantis (later the M-Series) and the AGITO family of modular dollies.[2][3]
Drewett has used AGITO on broadcast and entertainment productions where crew safety and repeatable camera movement are priorities, including Top Gear sequences that require high-speed tracking shots.[8]
Motion Impossible
Drewett co-founded Motion Impossible in 2014 with product design engineer Andy Nancollis to commercialise remote, stabilised camera systems developed from their natural history work, evolving from the BuggyCam into the Mantis/M-Series and, in 2019, the modular AGITO dolly family (including the Sports, Trax and MagTrax drive-ends).[9][10] The MagTrax guidance system had its U.S. launch at the NAB Show in April 2022 in partnership with Vū Studios and AbelCine, with Drewett describing it as a key step for AGITO operability.[11] His systems have been adopted on broadcast and drama sets; for example, AGITO was used to stage a major stunt in Line of Duty series 6 and to capture high-speed tracking shots on Top Gear while improving crew safety.[12][13]
Patents
- Support and stabilization systems (Motion Impossible Ltd). Inventors: Andrew Nancollis; Robert (Rob) Drewett. International publication date 23 May 2019.[14]
- Support and stabilization systems (Motion Impossible Ltd). Inventors: Andrew Nancollis; Robert (Rob) Drewett. US patent granted 28 December 2021.[15]
Selected credits
| Year | Title | Role / notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Desert Seas | Selected to work on the documentary with the BBC Natural History Unit. | [16] |
| 2013 | Africa | Filmed a rock python sequence; used moving camera techniques. | [16] |
| 2014 | Hidden Kingdoms | Credited among series photographers. | [17] |
| 2016 | Planet Earth II | Shot the Madagascar locust super-swarm sequence using a handheld gimbal. | [18][19] |
| 2018 | Big Cats | Filmed high-speed cheetah tracking shots with a remote buggy and stabilised head (with Andy Nancollis). | [20][21] |
| 2020s | Top Gear | Cameraman operating the head while AGITO captured high-speed sequences (e.g., Aston Martin Victor at Dunsfold). | [13][22] |
AGITO
AGITO is a modular robotic dolly platform designed to operate free-roaming, on track, overhead or guided by magnetic tape (MagTrax), providing stabilised, repeatable moves from very slow to vehicle speeds in studio and location environments.[23][24][25] The system has been profiled and demonstrated widely at industry shows including NAB, IBC and Cine Gear.[3]
Awards and honours
- 2025: Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Award (Television Academy), shared with Andy Nancollis, for the development of the AGITO Dolly System.[1][4][6][26]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Winners Announced". Television Academy. Los Angeles: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fauer, Jon (14 December 2020). "Motion Impossible and AbelCine". Film & Digital Times. Film and Digital Times. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Antunes, Jose (21 August 2023). "Motion Impossible: next generation of motion control at IBC2023". ProVideo Coalition. Filmtools. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Butts, Tom (3 September 2025). "2025 Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Winners Announced". TV Tech. Future Publishing. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ Ortiz, Andi (2 September 2025). "TV Academy Honors 2025 Engineering, Science and Technology Emmy Winners". TheWrap. TheWrap News Inc. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Recipients announced for Television Academy's Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Awards". Post Magazine. Post Magazine. 3 September 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Palmer, Hazel (2017). "Making impossibly smooth motion a reality" (PDF). ZERB (Guild of Television Camera Professionals). GTC: 44–47. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ "We reveal how Top Gear gets such spectacular video of the sexiest supercars". Digital Camera World. Future Publishing. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ Fauer, Jon (14 December 2020). "Motion Impossible and AbelCine". Film & Digital Times. Film and Digital Times. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ Antunes, Jose (21 August 2023). "Motion Impossible: next generation of motion control at IBC2023". ProVideo Coalition. Filmtools. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ Winslow, George (23 April 2022). "Vū, Motion Impossible to Showcase AGITO MAGTRAX at 2022 NAB Show". TV Tech. Future Publishing. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ Priestley, Jenny (18 March 2021). "How Line of Duty ushered in a new era of remote operations". TVBEurope. Future Publishing. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "We reveal how Top Gear gets such spectacular video of the sexiest supercars". Digital Camera World. Future Publishing. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ "WO2019097218A1 – Support and stabilisation systems". Google Patents. Google/European Patent Office. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ "US11209118B2 – Support and stabilization systems". Google Patents. United States Patent and Trademark Office. 28 December 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Hilton, Kevin (2021). "Rob Drewett / Motion Impossible – Freedom of Movement". British Cinematographer. LAWS Publishing. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ Creamer, Jon (17 January 2014). "Hidden Kingdoms: behind the scenes". Televisual. Media Business Insight. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ Merli, John (14 February 2017). "The Epic Production of 'Planet Earth II'". TV Tech. Future Publishing. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ "Up close with wildlife". BroadcastPro ME. CPI Trade Media. 10 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ "How They Shot That Running With Cheetahs Footage". Cinescopophilia. Cinescopophilia. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ "This Awesome Camera Setup Captured Incredible High-Definition Footage of Sprinting Cheetahs". Jalopnik. G/O Media. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ "AGITO captures the essence of speed whilst keeping the crew safe for Top Gear". Motion Impossible. Bristol: Motion Impossible Ltd. 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ "MTJibs Taps Agito". American Cinematographer. ASC. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ "Vū Studio, Motion Impossible Launch Agito Magtrax in U.S." American Cinematographer. ASC. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ "Motion Impossible MagTrax magnetic track for the AGITO robotic camera dolly". Newsshooter. Newsshooter. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ Corrigan, Matthew (3 September 2025). "BBC Research and Development awarded Engineering, Science and Technology Emmy". TVBEurope. Future Publishing. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
External links
- Motion Impossible – company website
- Rob Drewett – wildlife cameraman Archived 2025-09-06 at the Wayback Machine
This article "Rob Drewett" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Rob Drewett. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
