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Savannah startup sets sights on DIY filmmaking market [Savannah Morning News, Ga.](Savannah Morning News (GA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 30--Ian Nott is standing in the middle of Forsyth Park holding a small handheld 3D printed prototype mounted with a GoPro camera when a man runs by on his way to an ultimate Frisbee pick-up game. "Oh, that's a cool camera! Is that kind of a gyroscope?" the man asks as Nott cuts diagonally through the air with the device, demonstrating the different types of shots and angles an amateur filmmaker can get using his video-stabilized accessory. The man is greeted by a "yes sir" and short explanation on what, exactly, Nott is holding. A few minutes later, when Nott puts on a dummy headset to accompany the handheld device, another couple wanders up and asks him if he's wearing a Google Glass. "We definitely nailed the wow factor," Nott says about the repeated interruptions from curious passersby. "People are definitely excited by it." Nott is co-founder of a company called Aetho, launched about a year and a half ago, with the idea of using hardware and software to create image-stabilized companion accessories to the GoPro line of personal cameras, especially popular with extreme sports enthusiasts who like to film their daring exploits from a first-person perspective. Working with his partner, Harrison Lee, who's based in San Francisco, they originally had their eyes on emerging drone technology before the Federal Aviation Administration began drafting rules limiting the use of commercial unmanned aerial vehicles. Nott decided to shelve their drone business idea, called DR-1, and switch gears to filmmaking. "Ultimately we decided that the most interesting technology was putting cameras on the drones, and because the drone is moving around, you have to find a way to keep those cameras stable," said Nott. From that simple idea, Aetho was born. "If you go to any cinematographer, they're going to tell you the best way to get the best result is by getting the best image in camera originally," said Nott. Rather than use hyper-lapse software, found in iPhones and mobile apps, to smooth out video after the fact -- often compromising pixels and quality -- Nott decided to come up with a device to smooth image quality physically as well as superficially. Nott said Aetho's first product, the GoPro Gimbal, will be able to deliver cinema-quality footage at an affordable price. "You're able to run around and do anything you want to do, and it's always going to stay level ... basically like the next generation of Steadicam," said Nott. In addition to the handheld companion, a headset called the Heads-up Display will stream the video so the photographer can always keep his or her eye on the action. "Between the freedom this allows you to have and the accuracy of always having the image in front of you, the everyday consumer can grab this, pop this on, go out and run around, and the end product will look perfect every time," said Nott. It's a compelling pitch, and one Nott has had to rehearse thanks to the buzz he and his team have generated -- just using a couple of prototypes. Nott pitched his company a few weeks ago at Savannah Investors Weekend, bringing together about eight local startups and venture capital and angel investment groups for networking. "The entire landscape is changing, and Aetho is right in the center of that," Nott told potential investors, citing new products in wearable tech like Oculus Rift, a virtual-reality headset snatched up by Facebook for $2 billion. The Technology Association of Georgia recently featured Aetho along with eight other Georgia-based startups in its HUB Magazine. Brady Cannon, director of TAG Savannah, said Nott had a keen eye for design. "I think a lot of people with smartphones and GoPro cameras, myself included, think they are the next Ansel Adams or Spielberg," said Cannon. "Ian and his team are developing products that will help give your homemade video a true cinematic quality. ...They are proof you can launch a tech startup in Savannah." Aetho is now in talks with a local angel investment group for an initial seed round of $75,000 to $100,000, though they are still open to more investors to get to the quarter-million needed for production. Most of that money will go toward lining up manufacturers, which he believes will be stateside, and going through the processes to get it ready for market. That includes things like circuit board engineering and mechanical, heat and moisture testing. Nott said the goal is to get the product rigorous enough for the average GoPro user and have all the kinks worked out before taking pre-orders through a full-blown crowdfunding campaign. The handheld Gimbal will likely be priced around $199, or $349 with the headset. "Really 70 percent is going into putting our ducks in a row for manufacturing so that when we do go to Kickstarter, we're already ready to go -- your dollars are going toward your product," he said. He said the other 30 percent will go into marketing. Originally from Nashville, Nott is also finishing a degree in industrial design at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Balancing school and a bi-coastal company has been a challenge, but Nott said he's excited and motivated by the reactions to Aetho. "I just love tangible things," said Nott. "Like Steve Jobs with Macintosh, back in the day, it's something physical you can see, you can touch, you can feel and delivers a visual tangible result. That kind of stuff I just love." ___ (c)2014 the Savannah Morning News (Savannah, Ga.) Visit the Savannah Morning News (Savannah, Ga.) at savannahnow.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |