Katzenberg to speak at IBC Via Satellite On September 14th more than 1000 delegates at this year’s IBC exhibition and conference in Amsterdam Holland are expected to witness an historic interview conducted in Los Angeles with DreamWorks Animation chief executive officer Jeffrey Katzenberg. Elizabeth Daley professor and dean of the USC School of Cinematic Arts will interview him. Thanks to 3Ality Digital a company based in Los Angeles the interview will be photographed on multi-camera stereoscopic equipment and packaged for delivery by satellite service company Arqiva to Amsterdam. Stereo 3D is still in its infancy in many ways says 3Ality's chief executive officer Steven Schklair. We have been making impressive 3D movies but live transmissions bring their own unique challenges. Like every live show there's less time to make corrections and no room for error. One of the big challenges has also been how to keep the parallel signals in perfect synchronization. That's a special challenge over satellite links where atmospheric conditions can be problematic. To do this we have developed a solution where we multiplex the 3D signals into a single 2D signal for transmission. At the receiving end we then un-wrap the 2D signal back into a 3D picture. We have done this before but not over such a long link or internationally. We have also developed the twin camera systems that will be capturing the images. In this case we will be using two camera rigs to show that 3D pictures can be cut and mixed live. Phil White IBC's director of technology says This is a natural progression from last year's live HD interview with Robert Zemeckis. We are working with a group of technology partners who are at the cutting edge of 3D imaging and transmission. Communication specialists Arqiva were called on to carry the signals across the Atlantic. George Eyles head of Digital Media Networks for Arqiva Satellite Media Solutions says Arqiva is delighted to have been asked to provide the communications technology and expertise behind this important and high-profile 3D event. Our interest and experience in the digital cinema market means we are very happy to use our global assets to showcase the exciting opportunities that new technology is bringing to live event organizers and exhibitors. Inside the conference's RAI Auditorium the 3Ality decoder will pass the left and right eye signals to two more key technology providers: projection company Christie and 3D presentation specialists RealD. Christie's Dale Miller vice president of Europe Middle East and Africa says As the manufacturer of the world's most widely-used digital cinema projectors the CP2000 series Christie has always recognized the importance of the IBC D-Cinema program and supported the event and screenings each year. The D-Cinema sessions look to enliven debate amongst those shaping our industry and the first ever-live transatlantic broadcast in stereo 3D is sure to do just that. We're delighted to be working with 3Ality Digital Arqiva RealD and the team at DreamWorks to help create another first for IBC. Viewers will wear RealD polarized 3D glasses. We manage the separate images with a special adapter that fits on the projector which then transmits the left and right eye images through the glasses to the viewer ” says RealD's president Joshua Greer. The vast majority of 3D-equipped theaters around the world are using RealD because it's not only simple to install but easy to operate with our very low-cost glasses that users can keep. It avoids a lot of staff-intensive handling and the picture quality is truly awesome. This will be a challenging time for us says White but setting the pace is what we do each year at IBC. The technology we are using is exciting enough but to have Jeffrey Katzenberg addressing our delegates in conversation with our good friend Elizabeth Daley is a real treat and unique privilege. This really is the genesis of a new age in immersive cinema and broadcasting. It will be a very special night for everyone. 3Ality Digital www.3ality.com IBC www.ibc.org Arqiva www.arqiva.com RealD www.reald.com ,268
The Many False Starts of the Digital Cinema Revolution,2008-08-28,Inventing the Movies By Scott Kirsner Scott Kirsner is the author of the new book “Inventing the Movies ” a technological history of Hollywood that also presents the first chronicle of the digital cinema revolution. This is an exclusive excerpt for Digital Cinema Report. Kirsner is also a contributing writer at Variety and editor of the blog http://cinematech.blogspot.com. The book is available as a paperback at http://www.amazon.com/Inventing-Movies-Hollywoods-Between-Innovation/dp/...>AmazonWhen did the digital cinema revolution begin and who started it? A handful of Hollywood soothsayers were predicting the imminent arrival of digital cinema in the middle of the 20th century. In 1949 the independent producer Samuel Goldwyn who’d helped to launch three Hollywood studios (Paramount MGM and United Artists) anticipated the development of video-on-demand systems that would allow movie fans to view the movies they wanted to see at home as well as methods for delivering a movie electronically to thousands of theaters saving the studios the cost of making film prints. A few years later in 1954 Albert Abramson a CBS television engineer published an article titled “A Motion-Picture Studio of 1968.” In it he sketched out how digital cinematography and a film-free distribution system would work: movies would be shot with electronic cameras and then “sent by radio-relay or coaxial cable to the theaters. Five or fifty theaters in an area may be receiving the same program. An area may cover the whole state a county or just a large city. But no theater is shipped the actual picture tape.” Abramson also expected that by 1968 a new generation of electronic cameras would be totally self-contained and cordless – capable of capturing 3-D imagery and transmitting it wirelessly back to the production center. In 1955 Abramson followed up with a book Electronic Motion Pictures which began with the declaration “The cinema has entered the electronic age… Motion picture production is changing from a mechanical process to an electrical one…” Anyone involved in the movie industry at the time could immediately grasp the benefits: producing film was an industrial process that involved noxious chemicals and expensive machinery. The quality of film prints wasn’t perfect from the start and every time they ran through the projector there was the chance to accumulate dust or scratches. Once a movie’s run was over it was returned to the distributor where it would be either reconditioned and sent to a second- or third-run cinema or destroyed. In those early days of television shifting to electronic distribution and projection felt inevitable. But like many enthusiastic visionaries before them the only mistake Goldwyn and Abramson made was expecting change to come quickly. Even on the verge of the 21st century filmmakers cinematographers studios theater owners and the movie industry’s equipment suppliers remained stubbornly attached to celluloid and the companies that sought to make the cinema a digital medium encountered countless cold shoulders. Upgrading an industry with such a vast web of interdependent players each with its own financial motivations and a long list of justifications for preserving the status quo is rarely an easy task. In the 1990s the telecommunications company then known as Pacific Bell created an initiative called “Cinema of the Future ” to promote the use of its fiber-optic lines for movie distribution. PacBell successfully sent the movie Bugsy from the Sony Pictures lot to a trade show at the Anaheim Convention Center in 1992. But a 1995 demonstration for cinema owners held during the annual ShoWest gathering didn’t go so well. Telecommunications snafus interrupted the presentation of clips from movies such as A River Runs Through It and Variety dismissed the demo as “a shabby display of makeshift technology at a Las Vegas strip mall.” Though the company had seriously considered building a nationwide fiber optic network to deliver movies to every theater in the U.S. after SBC Communications acquired Pacific Bell in 1997 executives grew impatient of waiting for the future of cinema to arrive and shut down the initiative. Two complete outsiders took the next step forward. Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler were friends who had met in the film department of Bucks County Community College. Avalos 30 was working as a teacher’s assistant and Weiler 28 was taking classes and hustling for work as a production assistant on film and TV shoots. Both were still trying to figure out a way to crack the movie business from their base in Pennsylvania midway between Philadelphia and New York City. Avalos and Weiler had heard that some cash-strapped filmmakers were starting to use digital video cameras to make movies on the cheap but “we weren’t excited about shooting on video ” Avalos said. “We were kind of film snobs.” That was until Avalos tinkering around with the way his computer could manipulate video footage stumbled across a way to make the images look much more like film shaking off some of their TV-like sharpness. So Avalos and Weiler set out to make a movie about the Jersey devil a mythical creature and the fate of a television crew that ventures into the pine barrens of New Jersey to investigate its possible existence. To make The Last Broadcast the pair used a personal computer editing and visual effects software from Adobe and a semi-professional digital video camera from Sony the DCR-VX1000. (For some sequences they also used an $80 toy video camera made by Tyco.) They shot the movie in the winter of 1996-1997 in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. By the time they’d finished the month-long shoot working mostly with friends and actors willing to donate their time they tallied up the costs of videotape and food for the cast and crew and came up with a total budget of $900. “We kind of did it on a lark: How little can you make something for?” said Weiler. They spent about nine months in post-production editing the movie and applying Avalos’ “film look” to their digital footage. Before they’d finished Avalos and Weiler were invited to Belgium to speak about digital movie-making at the Flanders International Film Festival and it was there that they first saw a high-resolution digital projector made by Barco a Belgian company. Even though it was simply a souped-up version of the liquid crystal display (LCD) projector that might sit in a corporate conference room “most people wouldn’t have known the difference between this projector and a film projector ” Weiler said. Back in the States they began thinking that if they could get their hands on a projector like the one they’d seen in Belgium they wouldn’t have to shell out several thousand dollars to make a 35-millimeter celluloid print of their movie. They hoped to premiere The Last Broadcast in March 1998 at the County Theater in their hometown of Doylestown Pennsylvania. So they started sending e-mails to different manufacturers of digital projectors asking them to donate some equipment for the showing. “Nobody responded ” Weiler said. As the date for the premiere drew closer “the movie still wasn’t done rendering and we didn’t have a projector ” Weiler said. Renting one they learned would cost about $3 000 a day. So Weiler decided to get crafty. He sent another batch of e-mails to the projector manufacturers this time mixing up the names of the companies so that each company received an e-mail addressed to one of their competitors. That sly strategy sparked a response from Digital Projection Inc. a Georgia company that had been the first to license a new technology from Texas Instruments that used an array of tiny mirrors to reflect light onto the screen. Digital Projection signed on as a sponsor of the premiere of The Last Broadcast; Weiler and Avalos scrappy indie filmmakers that they were didn’t spend a dime. The projector that Weiler and Avalos helped lug into the County Theater’s projection booth had come straight from the White House where Tom Hanks had used it to show President Clinton an HBO documentary he’d made about the Apollo space program. It was a tight fit: on either side of the projector there were about two inches to spare. “For the duration of the one-week run we had to be the technicians ” Avalos said. “We had to learn to change the bulb.” The projector was connected to a tape deck that would play the movie from a DigiBeta digital videotape. “It was an incredible feeling as the lights went down and the projector started up and then at the end of the movie when people applauded ” Weiler said. “The movie itself felt like it went by really quickly.” “People paid money to go to the movies and for probably the first time they were watching digital video be projected ” Avalos added. Over the week-long run The Last Broadcast grossed $5 040 earning a 560 percent return on the duo’s initial investment. A film critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer called it “a smart assured work – no matter how exactly it was made ” awarding it three-and-a-half stars out of four. But digital cinema didn’t win over Hollywood in 1998 or the following year when George Lucas Texas Instruments and CineComm collaborated to have Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace shown in four digitally-enabled auditoriums. The decade that followed the debut of The Last Broadcast saw major investments in digital cinema by companies like Hughes Digital Cinema Sony Electronics Christie Digital Disney Technicolor Warner Bros. Kodak Boeing Access Integrated Technologies and Qualcomm. Individuals like Paul Breedlove at Texas Instruments and Phil Barlow at Disney made tremendous contributions tirelessly pitching the benefits of digital distribution and projection. The studios spent more than $8 million on their Digital Cinema Initiatives joint venture to develop a technical standard – and to try to hash out a business model – for digital cinema. Along the way people like NATO chief John Fithian cautioned that theater owners would not be willing to pay the full cost of investing in digital cinema equipment and beloved film critic Roger Ebert warned that putting pixels on the screen might affect audiences differently than the flicker of film. “Wouldn’t it be ironic if digital audiences found they were missing an ineffable part of the movie-going experience?” he asked speculating that celluloid created a different psychological state than digital projection. If we consider the digital cinema “tipping point” to have arrived when more than half of U.S. screens are capable of receiving and projecting movies in digital form then we’re still living in the celluloid age. Digital Cinema Implementation Partners the joint venture representing the three largest chains in the country has only just begun its roll-out of digital gear and studios are still haggling over the fees they will pay to have movies sent to theaters in digital form. We’re closer to the tipping point than we were in 1949 when Samuel Goldwyn laid out his vision of the future – but we’re not there just yet. ,278
Live Opera from La Scala,2008-12-09,Don Carlo Distributed in US Theatres by Emerging Pictures and Microspace Emerging Pictures selected Microspace to deliver the 2009 season opening night performance of Don Carlo live in high-definition from the world-renowned La Scala opera house in Milan Italy. The event marked the first live satellite-delivered opera from La Scala considered one of the world's most famous opera houses. Microspace delivered the event live in high definition and multi-channel surround sound to selected theaters December 7 to six states including California Maryland New York Oklahoma Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Emerging Pictures selected Microspace to deliver the opera world's most anticipated performance because of its experience in delivering live events in high definition via satellite says Giovanni Cozzi president Emerging Pictures. Microspace offers the reliability and expertise we need to ensure a flawless performance. La Scala's Opening Night takes place on December 7 annually and is widely considered one of European society's most important cultural events. Italy's elite are joined in attendance by international heads of state royalty VIPs and the world's most ardent opera fans. Last year's Opening Night tickets soared to US $2800 each and it is anticipated that this year's performance of Don Carlo will command even a higher premium as this opera is widely considered to be Giuseppe Verdi's greatest work. The digital cinema presentation is a collaboration between New York based Emerging Pictures and RAI Trade. Live alternative content is a growing business trend that is driving incremental revenue for exhibitors year-round says Curt Tilly manager of digital cinema distribution at Microspace. The Microspace network of installed theater sites across the U.S. Canada and Mexico gives content providers like Emerging Pictures the option of delivering live alternative content. Microspace offers the world's only full-time dedicated digital cinema satellite system to distribute motion pictures as well as live performances. The system currently serves eight major motion picture studios and 22 theater networks that include Allen Theatres Carmike Cinemas Celebration! Cinemas Cineplex Entertainment Mann Theatres Marquee Cinemas and Megaplex Theatres. Emerging Pictures www.emergingpictures.com Microspace www.microspace.com ,573
Cinema Buying Group Embraces 3D,2008-09-06,Cinema Buying Group Moves to Add 3D to as many as 1000 Screens The Cinema Buying Group a buying program for independent theaters administered by the National Association of Theatre Owners has reached an agreement with RealD to provide 3D capability to CBG’s independent cinemas currently totaling more than 8 000 screens in the United States and Canada. With CBG’s earlier announcement of Access Integrated Technologies as its selected digital integrator the essential ingredients for taking North American independent cinema operators into the digital era including digital 3D capability are now in place. Wayne Anderson CBG’s managing director says “CBG is committed to bringing the best 3D experience possible to our members. We are very pleased that we can offer a simple affordable and superior 3D experience to all of our cinema guests. As the penetration of digital screens grows we anticipate RealD installations to top 1 000 among CBG members.” Joe Peixoto president worldwide cinema RealD says “We are very proud to add Cinema Buying Group to our family of exhibition partners. RealD has allowed both large and small exhibitors to take full advantage of next-generation 3D technology. The addition of CBG is further validation that 3D is here to stay. With over 30 3D titles already announced in the next three years exhibitors and audiences can truly believe in the future of cinema.” Kendrick Macdowell NATO’s vice president and counsel to CBG says “CBG’s mission is to ensure a thriving community of independent exhibitors in the digital age. The RealD deal takes us a critical step forward in that mission. 3D capability however requires a digital projector and server. So it’s now incumbent on all the industry stakeholders including studios to get agreements in place that ensure access to affordable digital equipment for independent exhibitors.” The Cinema Buying Group a NATO-administered program for independent theater operators currently represents 643 members with 8 125 screens in the United States and Canada. RealD www.reald.com ,285
What Rent Means,2008-09-09,A year and a half ago when we first published the Digital Release Update in cooperation with Texas Instrument’s DLP Cinema the initial update included just nine movies. As you can see in the current Update times have changed and the biggest change is Rent which Sony is releasing later this month as alternative content. In that first Update six different companies distributed those movies which are listed below. Lionsgate led the way with three of the nine films. The current Update lists 23 movies from 16 different distributors that are being released digitally. Lionsgate again leads the way with three digital releases but this time they are joined by Warner Bros. and Sony also with three releases each. But in a first for the Update Sony is releasing a recording of the final Broadway performance of Rent as an alternative content offering to theatres across the country. Although the sheer increase in the number of digital releases and in the number of distributors involved is something of a milestone by itself the fact that Sony is releasing Rent as alternative content in theatres across the country is more significant. The highly successful Broadway musical has ended after one of the most historic runs ever. Look for that fact to be widely publicized as the release date of the movie version approaches. As with the limited but steadily growing success that opera has enjoyed in movie theatres I anticipate that Rent will do okay. Attending a live opera performance even if you live in a big city is an expensive proposition. The same is true with live theatre. Throw in the expense of traveling to the handful of big cities that offer that sort of entertainment only adds to the cost. What makes Rent significant for me is the fact that as far as I’m aware it is the first time that a major Hollywood studio has offered a widely released alternative content presentation. (As an aside it will be interesting to see if and when the studios either broadly embrace the term alternative content – a term the studios coined to deride anything in a movie theatre that was not one of their movies – or replace it with something of their won choosing. The Hannah Montana concert movie in 3D was offered as a special event which it was. But over time if there are too many “events” they will stop seeming all that special.) I have long made two predictions that Sony’s release of Rent as alternative content seems to confirm. The first is that Sony – given its involvement of movie production post-production distribution and exhibition – would be a long-term leader in digital cinema. The second is that when all is said and done the major studios would provide a large share (possibly the largest share) of alternative content. Given their vast libraries of popular content their expertise at distribution and marketing and the future demand for big screen content of all different kinds that seemed inevitable. The release of Rent is the first step. Digital Release Update – May 2007 28 Weeks Later Fox Away From Her Lionsgate Show Business: Road to Broadway Regent Delta Farce Lionsgate Georgia Rule Universal Shrek The Third Paramount Away From Her Lionsgate Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End Buena Vista Bug Lionsgate ,296
Lions in the Wild,2008-09-09,On location for a feature film on lions in the wilds of Botswana. ,297
Inside the World of Wikipedia,2008-09-09, Documentary in Production on the History and Future of Wikipedia Accepting the challenge “you could look it up” used to lead to a walk to the library shelf and a browse through a weighty reference book. That’s so last century. Contemporary knowledge seekers are much more likely to consult Wikipedia the online free-content encyclopedia that can be edited by anyone.
Glen Echo Entertainment is currently in production with Truth in Numbers? The World According to Wikipedia a full-length documentary. Wikipedia the eighth-most popular Web site on the Internet today is already the second most widely-read “publication” in human history attracting 50 million unique visitors a month. Truth in Numbers? is co-directed by Scott Glosserman and Nic Hill with cinematographer Eric Koretz as director of photography.
The documentary explores the phenomenon that Wikipedia has become its history its founder Jimmy Wales and the implications of the sum of human knowledge being compiled by everyone. Skeptics pose compelling questions (are entries factually accurate? biased? accountable?) about whether Wikipedia’s model can truly achieve its goal. An account of Wales’ unusual rise to Internet super-stardom is interspersed with interviews with such prominent cognoscenti as author Howard Zinn Washington Post executive editor Len Downie CBS news anchor Bob Scheiffer former Encyclopedia Brittanica head Bob McHenry former CIA head Jim Woolsey Slate Magazine’s Chris Wilson and various Wikipedia editors.
Koretz shot a previous documentary Love Limits with Panasonic’s AG-HPX500 P2 HD camcorder. He became involved with Truth in Numbers? in January 2008 when the project changed ownership and direction and decided to upgrade to full-fledged HD shooting. Some early footage was shot with an HDV camcorder.
“We began shooting on the HPX500 and when the budget allowed we upgraded to the HPX3000 ” says Koretz. “I considered a P2 workflow essential to this project. We’ve been traveling to up to five cities per week for the past six months and tape simply wouldn’t work. I didn’t want to check it or transport it and tape is easily damaged. P2 cards are robust reliable and you can see your work right away. I far prefer P2 to any HDD-based system where I wouldn’t be confident that the footage would be there at the end of the day.”
Koretz describes the images as beautiful and says they occupy half the bit rate which doubles P2 record times. “Although we’re mixing HPX500 and HPX3000 footage we’re able to use Cinema Tools in Final Cut Pro to bring everything together and convert it easily.
“This was a very tough shoot traveling from coast to coast and internationally sometimes in multiple cities within the space of a week ” says Koretz. “The HPX3000 excelled at quick set-ups for sit-down interviews in semi-controlled environments as well as at run-and-gun work e.g. following a professor around campus.”
Koretz says that because the production was so travel-intensive the budget didn’t allow a camera assistant and the workflow had to be smooth and efficient. ”On Love Limits I’d developed a P2 workflow repeated on this project that entailed setting up a laptop near the camera and attaching the P2 gear via its USB port. The HPX500 has four P2 cards slots so we would cycle through the cards transferring data to get continuous shooting which is great because you can shoot indefinitely. The HPX3000 has five card slots so even though I set up the transfer station I rarely had to cycle through the cards. I primarily used five 16GB P2 cards. I had a system of folders that I would create on my laptop so as I transferred the cards from the P2 gear I could easily keep track of what was being offloaded and no data was lost.” Truth in Numbers? is currently on hiatus as the crew awaits a nod to accompany Jimmy Wales to China while he negotiates a Chinese-language version of Wikipedia. Glen Echo Entertainment is handling the edit in house working on eight-core Intel-based Mac workstations running Final Cut Pro Studio HD. The finish will be timed for 2009 film festival submissions.
Eric Koretz director of photography www.theimagehunter.com Panasonic Broadcast www.panasonic.com/broadcast Truth in Numbers? The World According to Wikipedia www.imdb.com/title/tt0960864 Wikipedia www.wikipedia.com
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Easier with Practice,2008-09-09, Writer/Director Promotes New Movie with Online Video Blog Kyle Patrick Alvarez epitomizes the new do-it-yourself independent perspective on filmmaking. The Los Angeles-based writer/director is generating a lot of buzz with his movie Easier with Practice. Alvarez grew up in the Miami Latino community as a first generation American in his Cuban family. He received his bachelor's degree in motion pictures and English literature from the University of Miami and then moved to Los Angeles to begin work in the movie industry while keeping his directing dreams close at hand. He quickly landed a job working for Warren Beatty until inspiration struck. After reading the GQ article What are you Wearing by Davy Rothbart Kyle left his job and committed himself fully to creating a feature film based on the story. Without any formal representation Kyle pursued the rights to the article and quickly began to write the screenplay for Easier with Practice. He spent the next year fine-tuning the script and raising the financing for the film. Easier with Practice is a film about writer Davy Mitchell who along with his younger brother sets out on a road trip to promote his unpublished novel. As the trip proves to be a lonely and unfulfilling experience for Davy he receives a random phone call in his motel room from a mysterious woman named Nicole. They start a funny and intimate long distance relationship that leaves Davy happier than he has been in years and he decides he wants to meet Nicole. Ultimately he will have to face not only the truth about their relationship but also about himself. Alvarez and his crew filmed his movie with the Red camera and was edited on a laptop. The film is currently in post-production but people have been flocking to the movie's Web site to view Alvarez's video blog. In front of a camera at his laptop his diary entries illustrate his ability to maintain his creative vision while still working on a fast-paced production. For Alvarez making a point of saying dreams can come true is a must. He's determined to demystify the filmmaking process and share the knowledge he's gained with other like-minded young filmmakers. Easier with Practice www.easierwithpractice.com ,299
Joyous Frenzy Projected,2008-09-09, Christie Takes Cirque Du Soleil's Delirium from Stage to Screen in Canadian Theatres Christie projectors played a key role in Cirque du Soleil’s new production Delirium the film version of which was shown on digital screens throughout the United States last month. Christie projectors contributed to the visual presentation of the stage production and in the limited-run cinema showcase at venues featuring Christie DLP Cinema projectors.
Delirium is a mix of music gravity-defying athletics dance theatre and multimedia. Audiences and critics have been drawn to its dazzling visuals as well as the musicians singers and dancers who transform an arena into what has been frequently described as “joyous frenzy.” Driven by an urban tribal beat Delirium is described as “a quest for balance in a world increasingly out of sync with reality.” Created by Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon it was directed for film by David Mallet. The film version captured in high-definition the last performance of the London production in 2008.
Christie digital projectors were an integral part of the show. Up to 36 performers on 270 square feet of projection space were bathed in more than 200 000 ANSI lumens of brightness from seven Christie Roadie projectors and two Christie Roadster S+20K’s.
“Christie has earned a global reputation for quality and reliability ” says Kathryn Cress vice president global and corporate marketing at Christie. “Delirium on stage and on digital cinema screens is a legacy to the powerful experiences that are Cirque du Soleil performances and demonstrates the ability of Christie projectors to meet the highest standards of excellence.”
Christie Digital Systems www.christiedigital.com Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium www.cirquedusoleil.com/delirium ,300
Pushing the Limits of Digital Cinema,2008-09-09,Fraunhofer Institute Establishes the “Cinema of the Future” At the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS the scientists of the imaging systems department have been provided a state-of-the-art digital cinema where digital cinema developments can be presented and tested. Premium sound and projection technology as well as a multi-functional stage system make the “Cinema of the Future” one of the best-equipped theatres in the world. The German Fraunhofer IIS in Erlangen in Southern Germany is one of the word’s most important research facilities for digital cinema development. Recently the institute has inaugurated its new extension building which offers ideal premises for developing testing and building up the complete digital workflow from the shooting to the distribution to the theatres. One of the highlights of the new Fraunhofer IIS building along with camera studios and modern post-production laboratories is the digital “Cinema of the Future” with 70 seats. The technical equipment of this theatre offers first-rate picture and sound quality as well as maximum versatility and an opportunity for fast back fitting. For an example both the auditorium and the projection room provide multi-play connections and flexible component switching. The stage system the sound technology including the miking the 2K digital cinema projectors and the patch panels for the whole wiring have been supplied and installed by Kinoton. The German specialist for cinema technology supported the demanding project from the conception to the implementation planning to the finishing of the installation. The highly complex stage construction has been specially designed by Kinoton to meet the exceptional requirements of the Fraunhofer IIS. Via an automated masking system the screen can be easily masked horizontally and vertically to conform to any picture format. In front of the screen another screen holding device was installed so alternate screens featuring different reflection characteristics can be mounted for testing purposes. If additional stage area is needed the complete screen frame system including screen and speakers can be moved into the back area by a heavy-duty rail system. The projection room was stocked with a DCP 30 digital cinema projector. A second DCP 30 has shortly been delivered for the newly furnished post-production studio. Both projectors are equipped with a Dolby 3D system already. Due to the special technical design of the DCP projector range the 3D color filter wheel can be entirely integrated into the projector where it is safely protected against soiling or misalignment. The sound technology at the “Cinema of the Future” is extremely versatile as well. For cinema sound Kinoton installed a first-rate Dolby 5.1 surround system for optimum sound quality. Another sound system especially designed for voice reproduction guarantees good hearing at any place in the auditorium. Additionally the three-dimensional IOSONO sound system developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology was integrated which simulates various real sound sources by means of many small speakers. With this premium and adaptable technical equipment the cinema at the Fraunhofer IIS is perfectly suited for presenting digital cinema technologies and systems to expert visitors from research and economy and as a testing environment for the testing and objective evaluation of different digital cinema technologies and scenarios. When necessary the auditorium will be also used for presentations or lectures. ,301
Putting 3D to the Test,2008-09-11,The Entertainment Technology Center Announces Stereoscopic 3D Content Lab The Entertainment Technology Center has announced that it will set up a Stereoscopic 3D Content Testing Lab addition to its Anytime/Anywhere Content Lab. The move was in response to requests from its studio and consumer electronics technology and service partners. Building on the success of ETC’s world-renowned Digital Cinema Laboratory ETC’s studio and other sponsors will be using the AACL to explore stereoscopic 3D technologies including stereoscopic 3D implementations in a neutral consumer-centric setting. Companies producing stereoscopic 3D technologies and products are already beginning to place their technologies in the lab for evaluation and input from ETC’s members. David Wertheimer CEO and executive director of the ETC says “Given the substantial interest in stereoscopic 3D in the theater and beyond we believe there needs to be a neutral and central place for the various interested groups in order to ensure that the content and device development processes are interacting and fully aware of each other. Hollywood needs a physical space to see test and evaluate high-quality content delivered the way consumers may see it today and into the future. That’s what our Stereoscopic 3D Content Testing Lab is all about.” Setting up the Stereoscopic 3D Content Testing Lab is one of the key objectives of ETC’s Stereoscopic 3D Working Group headed by Walt Husak senior manager Electronic Media at Dolby Laboratories and comprised of major Hollywood studios such as Disney Sony Pictures Entertainment Twentieth Century Fox Paramount and Warner Bros. together with other ETC members like Sharp LG Cisco Alcatel-Lucent Dolby Deluxe Thomson TCS Volkswagen Group of America as well as Wertheimer. The ETC Stereoscopic 3D Working Group is identifying 3D issues and opportunities for distribution into the home. The group’s goal is to identify gaps and areas where forums for discussions among interested groups and standards bodies could be useful to accelerate the adoption of stereoscopic 3D technology. “ETC’s forums ongoing mapping of the entire ecosystem and ability to move quickly will add value to all the players interested in seeing stereoscopic 3D grow and thrive ” says Wertheimer. The Hollywood movie production community was quick to respond. Arthur Hair chief technology officer for The Walt Disney Studios says “As Disney continues to be a pioneering force in creating and distributing stereoscopic 3D motion pictures for theatrical exhibition we are also exploring the best ways to bring this exciting viewing experience into the home. It is extremely important that our customers have a satisfying and robust stereoscopic 3D solution. The Entertainment Technology Center provides the ideal forum for experimenting with all the latest technological innovations and devices so that we can ultimately give the consumer what they want. We’re very excited to be working with other studios the consumer electronics industry and the proven leaders at ETC in taking the stereoscopic 3D home experience to the next level.” “ETC’s Anytime/Anywhere Content Lab like the Digital Cinema Lab before it will provide us with a permanent Los Angeles-based facility where we can bring our yet-to-be-released content to view it using existing and emerging stereoscopic 3D displays formats and technologies ” says Chuck Dages executive vice president emerging technologies Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group and Chairman of the ETC. “ETC has provided us the environment to stimulate development of a new attribute of the visual medium which like moving images color and multi-channel sound before it will dramatically change and enhance the experience in the home of the motion picture the television program and the sporting event ” says Andrew Setos president of engineering Fox Group Twentieth Century Fox. “The ETC Stereoscopic 3D Content Lab is well positioned to provide increased understanding of technology and human factors associated with stereoscopic 3D content distribution and consumption. This is an important input to the standards development process that is essential to broad consumer acceptance and satisfaction in the long term ” says Dr. Alan Bell EVP and CTO Paramount Pictures “ETC’s Stereoscopic 3D Working Group is focused on the broader view of stereoscopic 3D technologies from content owner to the home consumer. We are examining potential issues in the entertainment content chain and identify opportunities for cross-pollination leveraging investments and creations ” says Walt Husak senior manager Electronic Media at Dolby Laboratories. “The Stereoscopic 3D Working Group is looking at the entire path to the home and intends to liaise with relevant organizations to assist them in their standards development in the same way that the ETC did for Digital Cinema. As technology and content leaders we need to focus on streamlining the process and creating an enhanced value proposition for the consumers.” The Entertainment Technology Center @ USC www.etcenter.org ,328
3D Redux: Highlights of IBC 2008,2008-10-01,As it has been in recent years big screen digital 3D was once again a highlight of the annual IBC convention in Amsterdam which is fair given all the hard work that manufacturers and the creative community have poured into the emerging technology. The top award in the IBC Innovation Awards the Judges prize went to Disney’s Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert. The Hannah Montana movie also won the content creation award for the stereoscopic post-production workflow created by Los Angeles post house FotoKem Film & Video based on technology from Quantel including its Pablo 3D and Genetic Engineering. It allowed FotoKem to meet the requirements of its client Walt Disney Pictures to complete the movie in an incredibly short timeframe. “It was pure serendipity when Walt Disney Pictures presented us with this project ” says John Nicolard head of digital production at FotoKem. “The requirements exactly complemented the technical capabilities we had only recently incorporated into our pipeline using Quantel’s 3D technology. The opportunity to work on a project with this magnitude of technical challenge was a deeply satisfying experience.” At the end of the ceremony Todd Cogan of Pace who shot the movie joined the team on stage. “Pace is proud to have worked with Disney on every level of the project to raise the bar within 3D and revolutionize the production experience ” Cogan says. “We are delighted that IBC has rewarded the Hannah project with this prestigious award.” After accepting the award Howard Lukk vice president of production technology at the Walt Disney Studios said “Special thanks really does go to IBC because it was here last year that I actually met with all those people and after looking Quantel in the eye and saying ‘will you support me in one month to do this project’ they stepped up to the plate and really supported us. So thank you IBC – thank you.” Ray Cross CEO Quantel says It's a huge honor to be recognized in this way by our peers. This business is all about working closely with your customers; the creative partnership between Walt Disney Pictures and everyone involved that brought the 'Hannah Montana' project to such a successful conclusion in so short a time is a fine example of this philosophy in practice. IBC presented the team that developed Super Hi-Vision with a special award. Super Hi-Vision offers four times the resolution of HD in each direction: an image resolution of 7680 pixels on 4320 lines with an immersive 22.2 channel surround sound system. Experiencing it is stunning but it now forms part of international co-operative research between NHK in Japan – which created Super Hi-Vision – BBC IRT and RAI with support from EBU a team now known as the Broadcast Technology Futures Group. The IBC special award is for the first international transmission of Super Hi-Vision content. Achieving this has called for considerable investment in time and technology by a large number of organizations. In Central London there is a live Super H-Vision camera high above the River Thames. The BBC - along with its technology partner Siemens IT Solutions and Services and SIS Live - operate the camera and send video and audio over the London fiber network compressed using MPEG-2 at 600Mb/s. Cable & Wireless carries it over an ultra-broadband fiber from London into the Rai Centre in Amsterdam. In Torino Italy RAI is operating a Super Hi-Vision server feeding into a unique compression engine using 16 encoders in parallel to compress Super Hi-Vision’s native 24Gb/s to MPEG-4/H.264 at 140Mb/s. Eutelsat is providing two full satellite transponders to carry the signal to a downlink on the roof of IBC. The award was presented on behalf of the partnership to Dr Keiichi Kubota director general of the Science & Technical Research Laboratories of NHK. “It is a tribute to the alliance of forward-looking companies working on this project ” he says. “I know that my colleagues at the BBC RAI and EBU will join me in thanking our industry partners – Cable & Wireless Eutelsat Siemens and SIS Live – who are investing heavily in broadband and satellite capacity over an extended period to make this work.” Continuing the theme of recognizing achievements in large screen 3D developments the 2008 IBC International Honor for Excellence IBC’s highest honor was presented to Jeffrey Katzenberg one of the founders of DreamWorks SKG: he is the K in SKG between Steven Spielberg and David Geffen. Under Jeffrey Katzenberg’s leadership DreamWorks Animation has enjoyed a number of critical and commercial successes including Madagascar Shark Tale three Shrek films and Kung Fu Panda. Shrek and Wallace & Gromit: the Curse of the Were-Rabbit were each winners of the Oscar for best animated feature film. Peter Owen chair of the IBC Council says “IBC now reaches every aspect of the electronic media industry: technical creative and commercial and we constantly strive to remember that the technology exists just to support those who make possible great television and movies. Our International Honor for Excellence the highest award we bestow goes to someone who has the vision to seize on the technologies of today and tomorrow and use them to help realize popular storytelling in new and imaginative ways. We are delighted that Jeffrey Katzenberg has accepted this award.” Receiving the award Katzenberg said “I am thrilled to be among the distinguished list of recipients to have received an IBC International Honor for Excellence. At DreamWorks Animation we aim to create and deliver quality and innovative entertainment for family audiences across the globe and I am very grateful to IBC for acknowledging our efforts in this area. As we enter the year of 3D I have never experienced a more dynamic and exciting time within the film industry than right now. Thank you for this honor.” At the same time as the awards ceremony an enthusiastic audience packed the IBC Big Screen to enjoy an interview with Jeffrey Katzenberg in conversation with Elizabeth Daley dean of the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. Their conversation in Los Angeles was captured in high definition 3D and delivered to Amsterdam over a live 3D high definition link. It is believed that this is the first time a live transatlantic link has been used for a 3D interview part of the tribute from IBC to a man who uses the latest technology to create popular entertainment for everyone. Christie demonstrated the latest addition to its digital cinema projector line-up the Christie CP2000-XB. When combined with RealD XL technology it the companies said it allows 3D cinema content to be projected brighter and clearer onto screens larger than any other digital 3D technology with a single projector on screens greater than a width of 75 feet wide. The two companies used the projector to deliver the Katzenberg first-ever live transatlantic 3D broadcast. Doremi Cinema featured the DCP-2000 which the company calls the most widely used JPEG 2000 DCI digital cinema player worldwide with over 6000 installed to date. The player includes 3D capability and support for the RealD system. The DCP-2000 is 2K native but can extend to 4K with the addition of the MB-4K media block. Doremi also showed the DoremiAM asset manage which offers comprehensive easy step-by-step operation for the import of universal media files to a wide range of Doremi players and servers. The DoremiAM XP/Vista PC software available free of charge to Doremi customers operates with many file types and coding formats for the automated Gigabit transfer of media files as well as offering transport control for Doremi servers. The ‘universal’ digital media includes multiple video containers: Quicktime WMV AVI and MXF and multiple codecs: Blackmagic 8-bit Photo JPEG MJPEG Apple ‘none’ H264 MPEG-2 DV DVCPRO25 Avid DNxHD xvid and divx and multiple image formats: TIFF TARGA and JPEG as well as audio: MPEG (Layer I II III) WAV and AC3. DoremiAM works with Doremi servers including the high-end uncompressed V1U (SD) V1-UHD (HD) and V1-UHD/LE (HD) players. The next release adds the V1-HD JPEG2000 server and the DSV-J2 JPEG2000 player (up to 2K). And Doremi exhibited NuggetPost HD designed for post-production applications that require a standalone video playback device with comprehensive media file format support. It includes Sony 9-pin control for variable speed and frame-accurate playback of HD and SD video with jog and shuttle. DoremiAM software manages Ethernet transfers of popular video files - DV HDV Avid DNxHD QuickTime and WMV – to Nugget’s drive. QuVIS announced the release of QuVIS Wraptor a digital cinema mastering plug-in for Final Cut Studio. Wraptor provides the ability to transcode a 2K or HD Final Cut Studio project into an industry-compliant DCI JPEG2000 Digital Cinema Package (DCP). “Wraptor completely changes the landscape of digital cinema mastering by enabling Final Cut Studio users the world’s largest installed base of commercial and independent content producers to output their content directly into a Digital Cinema distribution format ” Michael Paulson QuVIS COO says. “One of the great benefits of Wraptor is that independent film producers advertisers and media professionals all benefit from the significantly lower content production costs that Final Cut Studio and Wraptor provide compared with other single-purpose DCP mastering solutions.” Qube Cinema was showing their digital cinema server the Qube XP-D. They also showed the latest updates on the QubeMaster Pro mastering systems and their latest innovation the QubeMaster Xpress both designed to create standards compliant DCPs. International Datacasting Corporation exhibited the SuperFlex Pro Cinema Live Decoder and Encoder with Sensio technology. It supports both 2D and 3D live and pre-recorded events which allows movie houses and other venues increased new revenue opportunities via alternative content programming. The Sensio 3D technology allows playback of broadcast and pre-recorded stereoscopic 3D content up to 1080p 60fps using the standard 2D video distribution infrastructure and is compatible with all types of digital projection systems available on the market. The company says it is the only corporation in the world to have successfully integrated its live 3D content broadcasting technology throughout a network of movie theatres. 3D is an exciting new technology and IDC is at the forefront of its use and implementation says Ron Clifton president and CEO of IDC. Our partners and our team have put together a truly unique demonstration that proves the power of live 3D transmission. da Vinci Systems introduced its fastest digital mastering suite the Resolve R-4K a fully interactive 4K real-time color correcting and DI finishing system. If da Vinci manufactured custom cars this one would be setting land-speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats says Dean Lyon director of marketing at da Vinci. At the NAB Show in April we wowed everyone with a demo of this machine and five months later we are rolling it out ready-to-ship. Like all of our Resolve systems this one can read from shared SAN and plays well with others while still delivering top performance. Da Vinci also unveiled a new version of the Resolve R-series digital enhancement suite designed expressly to meet the challenges of stereoscopic 3D processing. Based on da Vinci's C.O.R.E. processing technology the Resolve R-3D enables colorists to exercise maximum creativity while performing in-context grading for the next-generation visual experience. Improvements in technology are enabling stereoscopic 3-D content creation to take off in an exciting way that promises to have a profound influence on the industry as a whole Lyon says. Recognizing this all the major studios have built content divisions around stereoscopic projects and da Vinci customers will be able to respond. No one has more experience with 3D color grading and image enhancement than we do so it is only natural that da Vinci could develop an imaging suite with the targeted power and features of the R-3D. There were also developments that did not relate directly to 3D. JVC announced an alliance with Sony Corporation to support the XDCam EX MPEG-2 professional video file format and SxS (S-By-S) solid-state flash memory cards. “JVC is committed to collaborating with world-class partners to provide the best solutions and the widest range of options for our professional video customers ” says Hiroyuki Takekura managing director Professional Systems Business Victor Company of Japan. “Our goal is to offer a variety of recording options including major video file formats and field-proven media. We are extremely pleased with our alliance with Sony Corporation to support the XDCam EX file format and the SxS memory card and thereby expand our professional application capabilities.” “Sony is very pleased to license the XDCam EX file format to JVC. Sony and JVC are both well-established companies in the professional video market and Sony has enjoyed a strong relationship with JVC over an extended period of time ” says Yoshinori Onoue corporate executive senior vice president of Sony Corporation. “We see this announcement as a natural evolution of this relationship which will help ensure the continued success of XDCam EX.” JVC will launch the KA-MR100G docking media recorder as its first product featuring native XDCam EX file recording and an SxS memory card slot. It will be available in March 2009 with a suggested retail price under $3 000 US. Thomson Grass Valley announced that is integrating Bright Systems’ BrightClip technology within its Bones open post-production framework. “BrightClip overcomes the industry-wide problem of disk randomization which causes major inefficiencies in digital file-based workflows ” says Morris Lindenkreuz product manager for Thomson’s Post Production Solutions. “No other system lays down file sequences and media streams in the most optimal pattern. This capability makes BrightClip a much-welcomed innovation in the post community. By ensuring systems are BrightClip-enabled customers will no longer need to optimize media before it can be used.”
“We are delighted that Thomson is supporting BrightClip ” says Antony Harris CEO Bright Systems Inc. “The Thomson name is long established and much respected and as such we value highly their support for BrightClip. We look forward to working with them and combining our knowledge of digital processes to benefit our mutual customers.” intoPix was showing its new mathematically lossless family of encoders and decoders. The M-Lossless family is able to process 10 12 and up to 16 color bit depth HD 1080 resolutions up to 60p and DCI 2K and 4K compliant formats in real-time keeping bit-to-bit reversibility. “This new IP-Core pushes the flexibility and performance levels even further and merges efficiently JPEG 2000 benefits with intoPIX’s hardware compression know-how. It is now possible to have the best of both worlds: uncompressed quality and compression efficiency ” says Pedro Correa application manager. Cine-tal and Iridas were demonstrating the integration of Cine-tal's acclaimed Cinemage Intelligent Display and cineSpace color management with the Iridas SpeedGrade and FrameCycler applications. Together these technologies provide filmmakers with a comprehensive solution for color-accurate review and grading from production through post. SpeedGrade OnSet the Iridas application for designing and sharing creative looks interacts directly with the Cinemage display. Pressing the a button in SpeedGrade OnSet pulls a reference image from the display into SpeedGrade. Creative looks saved as non- destructive Look files are sent back to the display where they are applied to images during playback or during live acquisition. The result is that the director and cinematographer can check their footage at any time in a calibrated environment with their creative looks applied. These new technologies are changing the way we produce digital cinema says Rob Caroll CEO of Cine-tal. Producers and DP's can communicate the intended look of a shot to their postproduction vendors while maintaining the raw image data for post and finishing. Also on display was Cine-tal’s Cinemage system in a post-production environment driven by SpeedGrade XR Iridas' new review and grading application for RAW formats. Metadata-based Look files from the cinematographer are loaded in SpeedGrade XR and applied non-destructively to single clips or to whole timelines. Colorist Dado Valentic demonstrated to visitors how he can use these looks as a starting point for final grading. The SpeedGrade approach gives me reference looks directly from the DP says Valentic. Since the color is non-destructive and therefore editable I can begin grading at any time even while production is still going on. The original frames remain unaltered and SpeedGrade saves my grading as metadata to continue working on later. Creative looks together with cineSpace calibration can be loaded in any version of FrameCycler allowing other postproduction artists to work with accurate color while doing animation compositing or review. The cineSpace product suite was on display highlighting the benefits of end-to-end color connectivity allowing artists to make creative decisions with the confidence that their work will translate accurately all the way through to final exhibition. The Iridas applications have included support for cineSpace since 2003. We are demonstrating the key benefits of digital cinema at IBC says Iridas COO Patrick Palmer: instant access to your content; the ability to save additional information such as color instructions as metadata and the fact that the whole pipeline is now connected. Iridas unveiled MetaRender a new application for automating complex transcoding tasks in production pipelines and post facilities. MetaRender works across platforms and greatly simplifies the task of managing file conversions including burning-in grading or LUTs and adding file information for viewing with digital dailies. This is perfect for working with editing applications such as Final Cut Pro says Michael Gallo head of software development. It provides a complete round-trip solution: proxies with file names and time codes are generated for off-line editing with MetaRender. Then the EDL is sent back to SpeedGrade DI for finishing work on the original full-resolution content. MetaRender reads and writes all industry standard file formats including AVI QuickTime OpenEXR DPX files and many others. MetaRender incorporates Iridas' exclusive RealTime RAW 2.0 technology supporting digital cinema RAW formats including Arri D21 Dalsa 4K Phantom Silicon Imaging Cineform and Weisscam at resolutions of 2K 3K and 4K. Through the Red SDK MetaRender supports transcoding of R3D files for Mac and Windows. MetaRender is available for Windows Mac OS X and Linux and is fully scalable. Users can add nodes as required. A single license for MetaRender including a render node for a second machine costs $1499 US. Additional nodes are available for $499 US with volume discounts for larger orders. DVS exhibited its flagship product Clipster with many new features focused around extreme speed efficiency and reliability for DCI Mastering and conforming. RAW data generated by the Red camera can be decoded and converted using Clipster. With Red's SDK release Clipster supports the direct decoding of RedCode RAW material in the timeline. R3D files can be combined with other file and video formats thus providing a flexible workflow for data handling. In the DCI Mastering process Clipster allows users to automate all DCI steps from the DSM (Digital Source Master) to the DCP (Digital Cinema Package) with JPEG2000 playing a key role. With Clipster this process can be completed at nearly double real-time speed. Bernhard Reitz head of product management says One of our priorities at DVS is to offer new developments and features to our customers as a complete solution. Since the requirements of our customers' workflows differentiate largely it is important to offer an open yet powerful concept. Our new features for Red support DCI Mastering and conforming will benefit all workflows: Clipster is easy to use reliable fast and most importantly future-proof. Codex Digital announced that it is now shipping the first production-ready units of its Portable recording system for broadcast and digital motion pictures. The first customer The Camera Rental Company of Copenhagen Denmark will immediately deploy its Portable recorder on the full-length digital feature film No Plans for Love. The Portable enables tapeless workflow on broadcast and digital motion picture productions and can record anything from SD video to 4K data at cinema quality. It can be carried on an operator’s shoulder or secured to dollies and cranes and gives camera crews the freedom to move around a set or a location with enormous recording capacity. The Portable can capture up to five continuous hours of 2K-cinema footage or ten hours of high-end HD broadcast material – plus audio and metadata. Recordings are made onto robust removable disk packs When shooting is done the Portable offloads material much faster than real-time – typically three to five times faster or better – either directly into post production or via the disk pack to a Codex Transfer Station which Codex unveiled at the show. It is the first in a new line of transfer and back-up products that allows users to make everything from simple back-up copies to full production deliverables directly on set or at a location office. Bright Systems www.4bright.com The Camera Rental Company www.kameraudlejningen.dk Christie Digital Systems www.christiedigital.com Cine-tal Systems www.cine-tal.com Codex Digital www.codexdigital.com Da Vinci www.davsys.com IBC www.ibc.org intoPIX www.intopix.com Iridas www.iridas.com JVC www.jvc.com QuVIS www.quvis.com RealD www.reald.com Thomson Grass Valley www.thomsongrassvalley.com ,365
Meet the Winners,2008-09-27,First Doorpost Film Project wraps up. ,352
Into the Wild,2008-09-27, Jouberts Shoot Documentary on Wild Lions in Botswana Among the highest echelon of international wildlife cinematographers Dereck Joubert and producer wife Beverly Joubert both Explorers-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society are currently in production shooting a feature film on lions in the wilds of Botswana. The Jouberts are acclaimed filmmakers photographers writers and conservationists who count an Emmy Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and Jules Verne Festival honors among scores of accolades. Working with National Geographic and based out of Botswana the Jouberts have influenced policy and people’s perceptions of the wild for more than 25 years. Through their films (for example Living with Big Cats and Eye of the Leopard which both aired on the National Geographic Channel) largely on the big cats of Africa they show a side of the natural world that is often hidden and explore the relevance of the natural world to humanity.
“We believe our project will show lions for the first time as they truly are probably as you will never be allowed to see them on television ” says Dereck Joubert. “It is raw and gritty and wild. We are following one pride of lions and showing their conflict with one herd of about 1 000 buffalo. But this war doesn’t always go the expected way.” Joubert is shooting in run-and-gun style on location in Botswana’s Duba Plains. The as-yet-untitled feature film slated for theatrical release next year is being shot with two AJ-HPX3000 native 1080P one-piece Panasonic P2 HD camcorders. Joubert an HPX3000 owner is shooting in AVC-Intra 100.
The filmmaker had previously worked with the Panasonic VariCam HD Cinema camera on television projects and after testing as many cameras as possible he decided on the HPX3000 for its quality and ease-of-use.
“We have worked in terrible conditions with the cameras ” says Joubert. “At the onset it rained solidly for two months while we were following lions getting bogged in getting drenched and generally fighting the elements. This is an electronic camera and yet I have felt more confident with it not less because of its tapeless mechanics. The fewer moving parts to take on moisture the better. When it isn’t raining it is 120 degrees in the shade. If any camera really and truly wanted a test these would be the conditions to do that in. The HPX3000s have held up very well.”
In terms of location workflow Joubert says he downloads the AVC-Intra files and mirrors them on two 1TB RAID hard drives. “If there is something I want to review I do it from the P2 card either before or after transferring to the hard drive and before reformatting ” he says. The feature will be edited in Final Cut Pro and finished online on an Avid system for digital intermediates. “The HPX3000 bridges the divide between film and video partisans ” he says. “I expose the same way as with film I use short depths of field because I think we see in shorter depths of field and movie audiences expect that.”
The upcoming feature film is a joint production of National Geographic Films and the Jouberts’ company Wildlife Films. Wildlife Films http://wildlifeconservationfilms.com ,353
Providing Some Polish,2008-09-27,Post Logic Studios Completes Digital Intermediate for HBO's Taking Chance Post Logic Studios a division of Prime Focus Group has completed the digital intermediate along with multiple post services for the forthcoming war drama project from HBO Films Taking Chance. Starring Kevin Bacon the movie will air on the HBO network in 2009. Directed and executive produced by Ross Katz and shot by cinematographer Alar Kivilo Taking Chance is the true story of Marine Lt. Colonel Michael Strobl who volunteered to accompany the body of a soldier killed in Iraq back to his hometown. Post Logic Studios performed the DI for the project including film scanning color correction final conform and film out with Post Logic Studios colorist Lou Levinson working closely with the director and cinematographer to maintain the range of looks sought by the production team. Shot on 35mm film Taking Chance made use of the various locations captured in the film—heavily lit industrial areas contrasted with day lit countryside or the dim interior of a funeral parlor—to create the looks for individual scenes. Cinematographer Kivilo avoided relying on one overall look instead allowing each location to achieve its own individual feel and appearance. This was a DI exactly as it should be says Levinson. Alar shot a beautiful movie and it was our job to provide the polish: directing attention with a little bit of grab darkening or lightening. Instead of struggling to achieve a particular look it was already there which makes the DI much more transparent looking. Post Logic Studios also recently worked with HBO on Kitt Kittridge: American Girl completing the title sequence and DI. The film was distributed by New Line Cinema and premiered in the U.S. this summer. Post Logic Studios www.postlogic.com ,354
Pan’s Labyrinth,2008-09-27,A Video Interview with Frida Torresblanco Producer Pan’s Labyrinth By Megan Paznik Filmmaker and New York Post videographer Megan Paznik interviewed Pan's Labyrinth producer Frida Torresblanco at IFP's Independent Film Week Sept. 14-19. Among the topics they discuss: the advent of digital cinema what her biggest production problem was and what she loved about her movie. Click here to view the video ,355
Word of Mouth,2008-09-27,The Studios’ Use of Internet Marketing is on the Rise By Dyan James Once a business novelty video has increasingly found its way onto the World Wide Web and over the next two-to-three years no business will effectively compete without it. Movie studios in particular are reaping benefits by using the Web as a means of marketing their films within movie communities via video clips and trailers and the positive buzz these clips generate is an invaluable marketing tool. Enter Fliqz the Emeryville California-based provider of white label full-service plug-and-play video solutions known for easy customization deployment and integration. Started in 2005 Fliqz aims to keep momentum strong and audiences excited between film releases by working with online communities such as Flixster RockYou and Rootclip.com that foster interaction and discussion around film properties. Such online movie communities utilize Fliqz to post trailers and movie clips allowing visitors to see rate discuss and share them with their friends. The chatter these video-viewing communities generate can reach far beyond any advertisement or even the studios’ own Web sites. And competitively speaking video adoption for Web-based businesses of all kinds will soon be a necessity. “We’re at the very early days of what’s going to be a tremendously accelerated adoption curve ” says Benjamin Wayne chief executive officer of Fliqz. “We’re in the beginning of this huge tidal wave of the video market. Once the first few guys get it everyone has to get it. As long as we continue to make it cheap easy and support the online brand I think we’ll continue to see massive adoption in the marketplace.” Flixster a site dedicated to a social movie network uses the Fliqz platform to drive trailer views— recent trailers available on Flixster include Mamma Mia Pineapple Express and Swing Vote—and is getting an abundance of streams. By putting their trailers and movie clips onto destinations like Flixster studios foster ongoing interest and conversation around their films without spending an exorbitant amount of money in marketing. “We help studios drive word of mouth and engagement around movies ” says Steve Polsky president and chief operating officer of Flixster. “You come to Flixster and you can rate review share and watch trailers. But most importantly that’s shared with all of your friends. That word of mouth is promotion you just can’t buy. It’s so much more valuable than a banner advertisement or display ad and that’s the kind of interaction Flixster drives.” One of Fliqz’ newest clients is RockYou which provides widgets and applications on the social Web. RockYou’s SuperWall application for Facebook allows people to stream video clips within the Facebook application within the RockYou extension. “In that sense the audience isn’t movie-specific or specific to the subject matter but rather they’re taking one of the largest aggregations of social demographics and leveraging a player there to distribute film information ” says Wayne. The adoption of video not only opens dialogue among movie fans but also opens doors for amateur filmmakers stirring creativity with video through viral distribution and taking the art of filmmaking to a new level. Fliqz has also formed a relationship with Rootclip.com which does a collaborative filmmaking exercise in which the audience participates in and contributes to the creation of a film. Fliqz allows the audience to upload videos to the Rootclip.com site to add to the film-in-the-making. “When we were kids we had those ‘choose your own adventure’ books and this is kind of the film equivalent where the audience can choose how the film develops through each scene ” says Wayne. “Whether or not this turns into predictable filmmaking or actually turns out to be something really interesting I think the jury is still out. But it certainly is an interesting experiment.” While there’s still only a small number of Web sites that have adopted video that number is perched on the edge of rapid growth as those sites will soon drive every other site to adopt video. Web surfers will abandon the site that doesn’t have video in search for the one that does. “If I’m looking to date someone and I go to a dating site that doesn’t have video and I know I can go to a site and see video of people I can date guess where all the traffic is going to go ” says Wayne. “Even thought penetration is small it’s going to force competitively every other site in that vertical to adopt video because if they don’t it’s going to be a non-starter from a competitive perspective.” Fliqz www.fliqz.com Flixster www.flixster.com RockYou rockyou.com Rootclip.com rootclip.com ,356
The DCIP Deal is Done,2008-10-01, The Digital Cinema Implementation Partners have reached an agreement with five Hollywood studios paving the way for an aggressive roll out of technology to meet the expected demand that will be created by the growing number of 3D movies set for release next year. The announcement should greatly brighten the mood of the exhibition industry as it prepares to gather later this month in Orlando for ShowEast. Pamela McClintock reported the news first in Variety. She named Disney Lionsgate Paramount 20th Century Fox and Universal as the studios and said Sony was also close to signing. The agreement when finalized will give DCIP access to a reported $1 billion line of credit to install digital technology in approximately 20 000 screens in theatres run by AMC Entertainment Cinemark and Regal Cinemas. The National Association of Theatre Owners released a statement today that read: “We congratulate the major studios and exhibitors on concluding this milestone agreement in the rollout of digital cinema. Digital cinema is the future of theatrical exhibition and vital for the success of exciting new theatrical experiences like digital 3D.
“With a deal in place for the largest U.S. theater chains it is time to conclude a similar digital cinema agreement for the hundreds of independent cinemas and thousands of screens not covered by this agreement. It is imperative for the health of the industry and for the millions of moviegoers in small towns and cities that the benefits of digital cinema be spread as widely as possible.
“NATO through the Cinema Buying Group (CBG) and its selected digital cinema integrator Access Integrated Technologies Inc. (AIX) continues to work with the studios to ensure that CBG members who are smaller and independent exhibitors often in small towns are not left behind.” Travis Reid head of DCIP was not available for comment today. Other top exhibition executives declined comment pending official word that the deal was complete. The news will provide a significant boost of enthusiasm to a group of people that was nervously preparing to go to ShowEast in Orlando October 13-16. We will have more information in this space as it becomes available. ,366
Fairfax 5 Goes Green,2008-09-27,Marin County Theatre First to Go Solar One of Fairfax California's most prominent landmarks will soon be powered by solar energy. Cinema West announced the installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system at its Fairfax 5 Theatres making it the first major motion multiplex cinema in America to go solar. The historic Marin County theatre built in 1952 will offset a significant portion of its electricity costs with solar energy resulting in savings of over $627 000 over the 30-year life of the system. SPG Solar Inc. is the developer and installer of the 27 kilowatt solar PV system. Dave Corkill founder of Cinema West a Petaluma California-based major motion cinema chain has owned and operated the Fairfax 5 Theatres for over 13 years and recently turned it into Marin's first all digital projection theatre. I wanted a sustainable and renewable energy solution for the Fairfax Theatre ” says Corkill. “Solar energy will not only help us offset our electricity costs but will also reduce greenhouse emissions and propagate the environmental ideals of this progressive community. The Fairfax Theatre's marquis is one of the first things you see when entering Fairfax. Now we are proud that it also represents clean energy. Ted Walsh sales manager for SPG Solar says Over its 30-year life the PV system at Fairfax Theatre is expected to offset nearly 1 000 tons of greenhouse gases including over two million pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent to removing 180 cars off the road. As a resident of Fairfax myself I am very excited to see Cinema West taking on an environmental leadership role in town. It's an exciting addition to the community. The rooftop solar system is comprised of 42 solar modules tilted and oriented to the south for optimal production. A state rebate and federal tax credit helped pay for nearly half of the total system cost with the system expected to pay for itself in five years. Cinema West www.cinemawest.com SPG Solar www.spgsolar.com ,358
Ocean Odyssey,2008-10-03,The newest exhibition hall at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. is dedicated to the ocean’s history and its importance in contemporary society. In addition to marine-life specimens and models the new hall uses high-definition video images in a four-walled display to give visitors the sense of literally being at the bottom of the ocean. It’s also a concept that could find a place in motion picture theatres of the future. The Sant Ocean Hall opened to the public last month and according to the Smithsonian is the largest exhibition hall in the museum and the only one in the United States devoted exclusively to a global view of the ocean. The 23 000-square foot hall includes 674 marine specimens and models seven-foot tall prehistoric shark jaws a 24-foot long giant squid suspended in a fluid-filled tank and a hanging model of a 45-foot long North Atlantic right whale. Complementing these features is a set of continuously running high-definition videos Ocean Odyssey created for this exhibition by underwater cinematographer Feodor Pitcairn. The video footage was shot in high definition using Sony’s CineAlta HDCam technology and is shown across the high-bay walls of the Sant Ocean Hall using 12 Sony 4K SXRD projectors. “The ocean is a great and vast natural resource that’s critical to our existence ” says Elizabeth Duggal associate director of the National Museum of Natural History. “Our goal is for the millions of people who will visit this hall to gain a new understanding of the essential role oceans play in sustaining life on earth. The Sony 4K projection systems will help to bring the exhibit and the oceans to life at an extremely high level of quality and resolution.” Ocean Odyssey features footage shot in the Galapagos Islands French Polynesia the Channel Islands of California the Cayman Islands and Belize—locations chosen for their variety biodiversity and fascinating creatures. Sequences include sharks whales jellyfish seals and manta rays. “We developed the SXRD projection system to do more than just display beautiful high-definition images ” says Alec Shapiro senior vice president of sales and marketing for Sony Electronics’ Broadcast and Production Systems Division. “Sony supports the Smithsonian’s vision of using innovation and technology to enrich people’s lives while also educating them about the importance of protecting our environment and natural resources. The use of these projectors will provide the drama that will help visitors stop think and remember their Oceans experience long after their visit.” The projectors are installed in specially designed housings above the exhibit floor and use carefully placed mirrors to “bounce” the images onto the projection areas which are actually sections of the exhibit walls. The term 4K resolution is derived from the projectors’ pixel matrix (more than 4 000 horizontal pixels) which allows them to deliver more than four times the resolution of today’s high-definition televisions used in home theater systems. Sony’s SXRD technology is used in digital cinema and commercial applications throughout the world. The Sant Ocean Hall is named for Roger and Vicki Sant Washington philanthropists and Smithsonian supporters who donated $15 million to support the new hall and related programs and outreach activities. The Sant Ocean Hall was created in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to show the ocean’s history and its importance in contemporary society. ,395
Shooting the docs Line of Scrimmage ,2008-10-03,Stories about the top HS football teams ,396
A Conversation with Jack Green,2008-10-03, Winner of the 2009 American Society of Cinematographers Lifetime Achievement Award Digital Cinema Report: Where were you born and raised? Jack Green: Like my grandfather and father I was born and raised in San Francisco. Two of my children Peter and Heather my father and I were all born in the same hospital. DCR: What did your parents do? JG: My dad and mom were entertainers in the post-Vaudeville era that was a precursor to what Las Vegas became. They danced with Donald O’Connor Ray Bolger and Martha Raye. My dad was also the master of ceremonies. After they retired from performing because they were raising a family my father became a barber. DCR: That’s an interesting transition. How did that happen? JG: My grandfather was a barber. My father went to work cutting hair in his shop. DCR: What were your boyhood ambitions? JG: I went to barber college when I was around 15 years old and was cutting hair before I was 17. That wasn’t an ambition. It was expected of me. DCR: Were you interested in movies or photography? JG: My dad’s hobby was still photography. He used to take pictures and develop and print his own photographs using a homemade contact printer in a makeshift darkroom in a bathroom in our house. My dad gave me a camera when I was 9 years old. I remember the first time that I made a print from a negative that I had developed myself. I became totally hooked on photography when I watched the images on the negative become prints. DCR: What kind of photography did you do? JG: For the most part I took pictures of my family and friends around the backyard and in the school yard. I had business cards printed that said ‘Jack JG photographer.’ I had visions of working as a still photographer on the days when I wasn’t cutting hair. DCR: How did you make a transition into cinematography? JG: Joe Dieves was one of my regular customers. He was a former U.S. Army combat cameraman who filmed troops landing on the beach during the invasion of Europe during World War II. After he got out of the Army Joe shot 16 mm documentaries industrial and educational films. He was well known in San Francisco. Joe did a lot of work for local production companies. DCR: How did he influence you? JG: We spoke about photography while I was cutting his hair. After I knew him for more than a year I worked up the nerve to ask Joe if I could come watch him work. He answered ‘Rather than watching me work why don’t you help me?’ DCR: Will you tell us about the first time you worked with him? JG: Joe was filming one of the first Boeing 707 airplanes on the West Coast through the open door of an airplane. The Golden Gate Bridge was in the background. Joe was shooting with a little ARRI camera. I loaded the equipment on and off the aircraft and kept an eye on the tachometer. I worked with Joe on and off for five years. DCR: What happened with your barber career? JG: I was managing one of my father’s barber shops when I met Joe. I continued cutting hair for about a year and worked occasionally as a camera assistant. After about a year I became a part-time barber. That was around 1964. DCR: How did your family take your getting out of the barbering business? JG: They celebrated that I had a chance to do something that I really loved. DCR: While we are on the topic how did your unique experience as a barber come into play after you became a cinematographer? JG: Most barbers develop a gift for gab. That helps with directors and actors. DCR: What were some of the different films you worked on during that period? JG: I worked on a lot of industrial films for Sunkist. I filmed everything from lemons to oranges. We also made films for the California Beef Council. Joe introduced me to a cinematographer named Chuck Eymann. We shot National Geographic specials including a few in the Florida Everglades that were studies of flowers and fauna and another one at Yosemite National Park. I also became a stringer for ABC television news. I worked as an assistant news cameraman from around 1964 through about 1972. DCR: What types of news stories did you help cover? JG: Everything including stories about Patricia Hearst being kidnapped the riots in Berkeley during the Vietnam War and the Black Panther trials. I was at the Ambassador Hotel the night Bob Kennedy was assassinated. My wife Susan heard the TV news that an ABC cameraman had been shot. She was sure that it had to be me because I was so busy trying to get the film through the lab I didn’t call her until 2 a.m. DCR: In retrospect how did those experiences help you later in your career? JG: There were times when I was working on news crews when I wore a helmet with a shatterproof face shield flak jacket and shin guards that a baseball catcher uses for protection. I learned not to get frazzled by anything going on around me. DCR: What was the next milestone in your career? JG: I was hired by John Lowry in Los Angeles. He had a Canadian company that had a gyro-stabilized helicopter camera. When they moved back to Canada I went to work for Tyler Camera Systems maintaining aerial cinematography equipment. I was laid off in 1972 because things were slow. After that happened I worked as a freelancer on low-budget productions and commercials. While I was at Tyler I met Don Morgan (ASC) and Rex Metz (ASC) who were doing aerial cinematography. DCR: How did you get started working on motion pictures? JG: I was an assistant cameraman on Don Morgan’s crew in 1975 on an independent film called Win Place or Steal. It was an independent feature. Fifty-eight crewmembers that worked on the film were investors. I was one of them. I was also on Don’s crews for 100 or more commercials and about a half a dozen pictures. In 1976 Michael Watkins (ASC) made me a camera operator on a Roger Corman film called Fighting Mad. DCR: Did you see Joe Dieves after you moved to Los Angeles? JG: Joe visited us for dinner after we moved to Los Angeles. I was so grateful for everything that he did for me that I asked how I could pay him back. He answered that I could pay him back by helping other people. DCR: You have worked on camera crews with some seminal cinematographers haven’t you? JG: I have been blessed to have wonderful people in my life. We already mentioned Don Morgan Michael Watkins and Rex Metz. Some of the other cinematographers whom I worked with as a camera operator were Bill Fraker (ASC) Ric Waite (ASC) Harry Stradling Jr. (ASC) Davy Walsh and Bruce Surtees (ASC). They all became friends who were important parts of my life as well as my career. DCR: Do you have some memories about working with Bruce Surtees? JG: I worked on Bruce’s camera crew on five pictures. Four of them were with Clint Eastwood. Bruce taught me that creating shadows can be as important as lighting. DCR: Who else influenced you during that early stage of your career? JG: I never worked with Stanley Cortez (ASC) but he was also a big influence. Very early in my career I went to a function at the ASC Clubhouse. I introduced myself to Stanley Cortez. He was very generous in talking with me. DCR: Were you influenced by other cinematographers you didn’t work with? JG: Back in 1965 when I was living and working in San Francisco Harry Stradling Sr. (ASC) came to town to film the Ice Follies. I was working as a stagehand for the Ice Follies which was something I did when I needed money. I got to watch him light and work. About 10 years later I worked with his son Harry on Rooster Cogburn (1975). I started out as an assistant on the second unit with Rex Metz. Harry put me to the first unit crew when we finished second unit work. DCR: What happened next? JG: Rex Metz brought me onto a Clint Eastwood movie as a B camera operator in 1977. It was called The Gauntlet. After that film Rex invited me to work with him on another film with Clint as A camera operator. That film was Every Which Way But Loose. When Clint asked me to shoot Honkytonk Man (1982) I told him I didn’t feel ready to move up to cinematographer. I operated for Bruce Surtees on that film. I also operated for Bruce on several other films including Pale Rider (1985) with Clint. After we worked on Beverly Hills Cop Bruce told Clint that I was ready to move up to cinematographer. When Clint offered me an opportunity to move up with him on Heartbreak Ridge (1986) he asked ‘Are you going to turn me down again?’ I can’t say enough about the impact that Bruce Surtees had on my life and career. When he lit a set it was the closest thing to watching a painter create a work of art. He used arm and hand gestures as though they were paint brushes while he was describing his intentions to Tom Stern (ASC) who was his gaffer. Bruce took me with him when he visited his mother in Carmel (California). His father was Robert Surtees (ASC) who was an absolutely great cinematographer. His father’s three Oscars and plaques for 13 other nominations were displayed. I was staring at them in awe when Mrs. Surtees told me to pick up and hold the Oscar that he won for Ben-Hur. My feet didn’t touch the ground for days. DCR: In retrospect what did you learn when you worked as an assistant and later as a camera operator that paid dividends after you became a cinematographer? JG: I learned to pay attention to the smallest details as an assistant cameraman. The camera assistant probably has to be the most detail-oriented person on the set next to the cameraman. The smallest details can make a giant difference when the cinematographer is creating the broad strokes. As an operator I learned how composition influences the statement that the director and cinematographers are making in every shot and scene. DCR: What are some of your memories from Heartbreak Ridge? JG: We were shooting in summertime at Camp Pendleton the Marine base near San Diego. It was incredibly hot. Steve St. John was the operator. He came up lame one day and we had to keep going so I strapped the Steadicam on me. I’ll never forget running through the brambles and bushes with the sun beating down on me. Charlie Saldana was my key grip. We had probably done seven or eight pictures together. He was incredibly supportive and helped to keep me calm. DCR: Heartbreak Ridge was an impressive beginning of a new chapter in your career. We won’t ask about every picture you shot but will you share a memory about Bird? JG: After Heartbreak Ridge I shot a Dudley Moore comedy called Like Father Like Son. That was a different type of experience. Bird was my third film. It was the story of the jazz artist Charlie Parker. I knew that Clint had the script on his shelf and was waiting for the right time to produce it. I remember him saying that he had a vision for a special look for Bird. Clint described lighting that was different than anything he had done before. I asked if he wanted me to shoot some tests and show them to him. We got Forest Whitaker (who played Parker) to sit on a chair on a sound stage with dark curtains behind him. I had Tom Stern who was my gaffer put an edge light on one side of Forest’s face and body and let the other side go almost black. There was just a little bit of light on the curtains behind him and just a tiny bounce light on the saxophone that Forest was holding. It was just enough light to create a little glistening. DCR: Where did those ideas come from? JG: Part of it went back to when I was growing up in Northern California being a jazz fan. I used to go to jazz nightclubs and I read Downbeat and other jazz magazines. My memories of those jazz clubs and still photos in those magazines were frames of reference for Bird. DCR: How did that work out? JG: We sat in the screening room the next day after getting the print back. Clint nudged my elbow while we were watching the film and said ‘You got it right.’ DCR: Let’s fast forward to Unforgiven which you shot with Eastwood in 1992. Can you tell us about that? JG: Clint had the script for that film on a shelf in his office for years. He wanted a distinctive Western period look with very low light levels. Clint also wanted to shoot exterior scenes at times when the sun was at low angles in the sky. I had shot a commercial about three months earlier about 50 miles south of Calgary in Canada that struck me as being an ideal location. The producer David Valdes and I flew to Vancouver Canada. We rented a car and drove to a couple of potential locations. We also rented a helicopter and flew around until we got to the area I remembered. As soon as he saw it David said this is where Unforgiven ought to be produced. We flew back to Los Angeles and told Clint about the location. We flew back with (production designer) Henry Bumstead and Clint and landed near the site that David and I liked. Clint saw the Rocky Mountains in the background. He asked Henry what he thought about building the town of Big Whiskey there. Henry agreed and designed and built the town of Big Whiskey in 32 days. DCR: You got to work with a legendary production designer. What was that like? JG: Wonderful. Henry couldn’t have been a bigger help. I asked him if he could hide a generator in one of the buildings he designed so it would always be accessible for supplying power for all the locations in the town. He hid it on the set that was the blacksmith’s barn. I also suggested that nobody wear modern boots and keep trucks off the set so there were no inappropriate footprints or tire tracks in the dirt. I also asked Henry to use kerosene lamps with the biggest wicks possible. He found antique lamps with five-inch diameter wicks. Tom Stern and I sat in the bar set and turned off all the lights. The only light came from six kerosene lamps. That gave us an idea for how we wanted to light that set so it looked and felt real. The lamps didn’t produce enough light for the film we used in those days so Tom built a few of our movie lamps into the ceilings. It looked and felt like kerosene lamp light. DCR: That’s a beautiful memory. We are going to skip forward to a totally different type of film that you shot in 1995 The Bridges of Madison County. What do you recall about this film experience? JG: The Bridges of Madison County was a Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg project. The production designer was Jeannine Claudia Oppewall. I had read the book so I knew it was a love story told from a man’s point of view. One of my original thoughts was that we would shoot the early scenes with unfiltered camera lenses in the beginning and add a slight gold filter for warmth as the relationship between the guy and gal warmed up. DCR: You sound like a painter talking. Will you share another memory? JG: The bridge we used as a location was a historic monument. It was better than building a look alike and couldn’t be used for traffic because it was a historic monument. For Clint they made it available. DCR: Let’s talk a bit about a distinctly different project Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. How about sharing a memory or two from that film? JG: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was a dark movie that was produced at beautiful and historic locations in Savannah Georgia. We used historic homes as practical locations so we had to be careful. Tom Stern was my gaffer and Charlie Saldana was my key grip. That picture was about such a dark subject that we wanted to use darkness to complement the theme of the story. We were looking for ways to justify dramatically darkening sets. Shooting this film in Savannah was a wonderful experience. DCR: Would you say you are compiling a diverse body of work? JG: I have tried to avoid being stereotyped. A few years ago when I was up for 50 First Dates someone asked my agent if I knew how to light comedies. DCR: Shooting a film is no small job. What makes you to want to shoot a film? JG: More than anything else it’s the people involved. I’m a very people-oriented person maybe going back to my days as a barber. I like to keep the work environment as friendly as possible and enjoy the people. The story also has to mean something to me. DCR: You have already discussed this eloquently but what are some of your thoughts about moviemaking as a collaborative process? JG: Forget the hype about auteurs. There is no way that any so-called auteur is going to make a film worth seeing alone. It’s a collaborative process with many people helping to shape the story. It begins with the writer and the producers who share the vision a director who collaborates with the production designer and cinematographer and let’s not forget the makeup hair and costume designers. They all play roles. I rely on my gaffer grip camera operator or operators and the rest of my crew and all of the other departments that we collaborate with as well as the actors. It is about the art and also the craft which is essential for producing films on time and on budget. Every film starts with a shared dream and ends as a completed collaborative endeavor. DCR: If you could go back in history and pick a film and a director that you would like to have worked with what and who would it be? JG: There is no simple answer to that DCR but I would have liked a shot at working on Citizen Kane with Orson Welles. I would have also loved the experience of working as a camera operator for (cinematographer) Gregg Toland (ASC) on Citizen Kane or with Stanley Cortez on any film. Like I said I have a very long wish list. DCR: What do you say when students and young filmmakers ask for advice? JG: I tell them that there are no secrets. Work hard be diligent and persistent. Have a good attitude listen and think carefully before you turn anybody down. DCR: Is it possible to define cinematography? JG: Cinematography is an art but it is also a craft. It is like learning to mix paints to get just the right colors. You start every film by understanding the director’s interpretation of the script. You add and subtract light to create environments. It’s more than a look. You are creating moods. I don’t believe in playing it safe. I would rather work on the edge and trust my instincts. It takes teamwork to make a film. It you think you can do it yourself just try walking out on a soundstage alone and waiting for the lights to come on. DCR: What role do you think film plays in our society? JG: Good movies are like mirrors that reflect who we are as individuals and as a society. Certainly films can be entertaining like reading a good book but they can also teach us about ourselves and the world we live in. Photo credit: Douglas Kirkland ,399
Introduction to the Motion Picture Industry,2008-10-03,Read an Exclusive Excerpt from the new Book By John W. Cones In his book Introduction to the Motion Picture Industry veteran entertainment/film attorney John W. Cones provides an authoritative description of the U.S. motion picture industry including a critical but fair-handed analysis of the structure of the industry and detailed information about the stages in the life of a feature film how films are distributed and exhibited and other issues and problems facing the industry. Click here to read the excerpt ,398
Filming on the Fly,2008-10-03, Iditarod Veteran Shoots Renowned Rivers for Fishing Series Fly-fishing enthusiasts will recognize Montana’s Smith and Missouri Rivers and Alaska’s Stikine River Bradfield Canal and Katmai National Park as premier destinations for their sport. Veteran outdoors filmmaker (and fly-fishing guide) Greg Heister has recently captured the beauty and drama of fishing these waters. He is shooting the second season of Seasons on the Fly an all-season documentary-style show that airs on Fox Sports Net Northwest.
Seasons on the Fly is produced by Heister’s company Green Highlander Productions based in Spokane Washington. He serves as writer narrator and editor for the series and during the first season shared hosting duties with Mark Few head basketball coach at Gonzaga University. Heister has been producing award-winning outdoors television for more than 20 years and won five regional Emmys for a previous fly-fishing series and his coverage of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. A life-long fisherman he has been a fly-fishing guide in Montana Idaho and Alaska. With the HPX500 2/3-inch P2 HD shoulder-mount as his primary camera for the series Heister is also using the HVX200 P2 HD handheld camcorder for underwater work. He is about to take delivery of the new AG-HPX170 fully solid-state P2 HD handheld which will likewise support production of the show.
Currently in production season two of Seasons on the Fly premiering this November will comprise up to 20 30-minute episodes airing twice weekly on FSN Northwest. Show segments can be viewed on the show’s website www.seasonsonthefly.com where Blu-Ray DVDs of episodes can be purchased. Heister characterizes the show with its narrative style extensive underwater work and historical approach to the rivers flies and fish as a departure from traditional catch-and-release television. Heister was introduced to Panasonic’s P2 format through his 10-year affiliation with the Iditarod for which he has served as overseer of video operations for the past three years. The production works in association with Versus and the Discovery Channel. (For the past two years the entire Iditarod widely acknowledged as one of the most unique and arduous athletic tests of our time has been recorded in high-definition with P2 HD camcorders.)
“I now own several Panasonic solid-state cameras but I was a vocal skeptic when the idea of using P2 at the Iditarod was first introduced ” Heister says. “In previous years I’d seen every conceivable video format fail there. You’re working the cameras 24 hours a day it’s 50 below zero and you can’t warm the gear up. It’s so cold that the snow blows around like sand. The Iditarod is the worst possible place to be testing gear. Luckily my objections were overruled and P2 became the race’s official recording format; in the two years since I never saw a hiccup or a frozen camera ” he says. “When it came to choosing equipment for Seasons on the Fly I didn’t think of anything but P2.” Heister’s crew consists of himself and one shooter traveling with the cameras computer plus hard drive tent and 1 000-watt generator. “We typically fish for the day until dark and come back to camp with four-five hours of footage ” Heister says. “The cinematographer operates the HPX500 which follows me; I handle the underwater work and occasionally do some top-side shooting with the HVX200. We shoot at 720pN and do a considerable amount of off-speed shooting. Ultimately given the incredible image quality and high production values it looks like we shoot with four top-side cameras versus one or two.”
In the camp Heister fires up his generator which powers his laptop. He offloads P2 footage direct from the HPX500 to the laptop and stores it on a hard drive. Heister edits in HD on Final Cut Pro 6. As Seasons on the Fly currently airs in standard definition Heister’s deliverable to FSN is on DVCPRO tape. “In time we’ll air in HD and we’re ready ” he says.
Green Highlander Productions www.seasonsonthefly.com Panasonic www.panasonic.com ,400
Bidding Adieu to Disks,2008-10-03,Entre Les Murs First to Hit European Digital Cinemas Electronically Palme D’Or winner Entre Les Murs (The Class) a Laurent Cantet film released in France on September 24th is the first film in Europe to be exclusively delivered to digital cinemas via an electronic network. In order to efficiently manage the digital release Haut et Court the French distributor of the film selected the tool cinego.net which was developed by CN Films as part of a pilot project. As an online platform cinego.net enabled Haut et Court to start and manage deliveries of the film to cinemas but also supervise the creation and delivery of the digital cinema packages’ (DCPs) key delivery messages (KDMs). In the past delivering films to digitally-equipped cinemas was done by duplicating and sending hard disks. For the first time in Europe Haut et Court decided to digitally deliver the film exclusively via a network. The SmartJog service directly integrated with cinego.net has thus allowed the electronic delivery to more than 30 screens including the theatre chains CGR Kinepolis Gaumont/Pathé and independent theatres. SmartJog operates a fully-managed distribution and file transfer platform which includes the ability to send DCPs and associated contents (keys and trailers) to digital cinemas eliminating the time-consuming logistics typical of a release. Currently over 90 percent of French digital screens are connected to the SmartJog network. This digital release is made possible by the D-Platform pilot project supported by the European Union MEDIA program. The European Union seeks to expand the digital availability and circulation of European films. Haut et Court is distributing the film in France while Sony Pictures Classics is handling the film distribution in the United States under the title The Class. The North American premiere of the movie was in New York City at the New York Film Festival on September 26. cinego.net www.cinego.net CN Films www.cnfilms.fr SmartJog www.smartjog.com ,401
Taking the Prize,2008-10-03,National Geographic Cinema Ventures Top Winner at GSCA Awards National Geographic Cinema Ventures won four awards at this month’s Giant Screen Cinema Association’s annual international conference as voted on by the worldwide membership of GSCA. NGCV garnered more than any other company producing and distributing films for giant-screen cinemas. Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure a 3D film released to both giant-screen and digital theatres in 2007 took home three prizes including the Best Film award—one of GSCA’s highest honors—as well as the award for Best Film for Learning and the GSCA Marketing – Big Idea award for its unique day and date release strategy. U2 3D produced by 3ality Digital and released by National Geographic in 2008 to giant-screen 3D and digital 3D cinemas won for Best Film Produced Non Exclusively for Giant Screen Theatres. U2 3D also won the award for best poster art. “We’re thrilled to be recognized by our peers for these two wonderful films ” says Mark Katz president distribution National Geographic Cinema Ventures. “Both films take full advantage of the 3D format and are incredibly innovative in their own ways. We’re deeply appreciative to be honored by the GSCA and giant-screen theatres worldwide.” Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure narrated by Tony Award-winning actor Liev Schreiber with an original score by longtime musical collaborators Richard Evans David Rhodes and Peter Gabriel takes audiences on a remarkable journey into the relatively unexplored world of the “other” dinosaurs those reptiles that lived beneath the water. Funded in part through a grant from the National Science Foundation the film delivers the fascinating science behind what we know about and a vision of history’s grandest ocean creatures. U2 3D is the first live-action film shot completely in digital 3D. Created produced and filmed by 3ality Digital which specializes in 3D image capture and processing the film marries innovative digital 3D imagery and multi-channel surround sound with the excitement of a live U2 concert. Shot in South America during the final leg of the band’s Vertigo tour U2 3D creates an immersive theatrical experience unlike any 3D or concert film before. “We were delighted to be able to apply both our skills as creative producers and our ground-breaking 3D technologies to the production of U2 3D with National Geographic Cinema Ventures as our distribution partner ” says Sandy Climan CEO of 3ality Digital. “U2 was the perfect subject for this innovative immersive concert experience.” National Geographic Cinema Ventures www.nationalgeographic.com 3ality Digital www.3alitydigital.com ,402
ShowSource 3D,2008-10-03,New System Debuts at Giant Screen Cinema Association International Conference Delegates at the 2008 Giant Screen Cinema Association International Conference got a first look at MediaMerge's ShowSource3D during the trade show last month at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City New Jersey. The ShowSource 3D is a turnkey media server targeted squarely at the giant screen cinema market. The unit serves as a multi-channel digital sound source offers high definition 3D video playback and boasts a built-in comprehensive theatre automation system controlled via a wireless touch-screen interface. MediaMerge claims that the ShowSource 3D is the first system of its kind to offer this range of features in a single package. When theatres began approaching us about developing new products for the giant screen industry we realized there was a real need for the type of creativity and experience we could bring to the table says MediaMerge president Ken McKibben. We've had a lot of success providing systems integration services in other markets for almost a decade and as the world's largest third-party SPP service provider for IMAX Theatres we've got a really unique perspective on how to solve their problems. Development of the product began earlier this year with the goal of delivering the product for the 2008 GSCA Conference. MediaMerge system designer Tim Ogletree was charged with the task of designing a system that would meet a wide range of needs that are specific to giant screen presentation using non-proprietary hardware as a cost-saving measure. With modern-day off-the-shelf hardware the focus of creating a product like this centers around a software platform that utilizes high-quality codecs and an open-ended architecture to provide a solution that is of immediate benefit but will also usher the theatre into the emerging world of digital cinema says Ogletree. The ShowSource 3D includes capabilities for networked show control 3D 4K digital cinema playback and a content security and licensing solution. Couple that technology with an interface designed to make everyday use a snap and the value of this approach is clearly evident. The heart of the system is a high-powered media server utilizing off-the-shelf components. PCI cards provide the necessary ins and outs for functions such as video output multi-channel audio SMPTE time code and tach-to-SMPTE conversion. Audio is delivered to an external DSP (digital signal processor) over a digital network using standard CobraNet technology. System automation and show control are handled by MediaMerge's proprietary software. We've never really bought into the idea that the use of proprietary hardware in and of itself adds any value to the equation says McKibben. There are tons of manufacturers out there spending millions of dollars on R&D who are completely focused on a very narrow range of functionality. It's not necessary for us to re-invent the wheel. Our focus is on how we can take those products with good design and some custom programming and deliver a truly exceptional experience. Without all of the unnecessary in-house R&D costs you get a better product for a whole lot less money. In June MediaMerge replaced the sound system in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry's Omnimax Theatre as the first phase of a large-scale renovation. The system included six discrete speaker channels each boasting eleven loudspeaker drivers feeding into a co-entrant horn. The subwoofer system included four high-output low-frequency enclosures that deliver smooth response well below 20Hz. With more than 70 total loudspeaker drivers the system delivers unprecedented power and precision. The second phase of the renovation was slated to begin last month and was to include LED cove lighting digital projection and the first roll out of the ShowSource 3D. This is one of the most exciting things to happen to the Omnimax Theatre in 22 years says Kathryn Chapman the museum's manager of guest operations. We are thrilled to be the first IMAX theatre to feature this new technology and can't wait to share it with our audiences. We were initially interested in the product because of its range of flexibility but our expectations were completely surpassed when we saw the interface. Not only will the ShowSource 3D be able to seamlessly handle inputs from a variety of media but building and executing first-class theatre experiences will be easy and fun for the first time in our theatre's history. ,403
The End Of America,2008-10-27, IndiePix Holds World Premiere of its first Release Slate Production End of America IndiePix typically just an Internet-based distributor of independent films held the world premier of The End of America at last month’s Hamptons International Film Festival in East Hampton New York. The controversial and shocking documentary addresses issues of freedom dictatorship civil liberties and democracy and warns that the United States' claims on constitutional civil liberties are fast eroding. Following the festival the company planned what it calls “a unique and tailored distribution model” to enable film fans to see the film first via free streaming distribution from SNAG Films. Special interest groups will have the opportunity to buy the Election Edition and thus support the production investment in the film. Subsequently the film will flood venues around the country from special screenings to theatrical exhibitions from bookstores and merchants that sell DVDs to Internet sources for renting streaming and downloading the film.
This plan will respect the unique requirements of each retail venue but will also give consumers the maximum number of choices for owning renting or streaming this title. We believe that this distribution model is best suited to this film says Bob Alexander president of IndiePix but this program also meets the demands of the audience for access to it. We are establishing a new path in the evolution of the independent film industry in meeting the needs of its audience.
The End of America is based on the book of the same name by New York Times best-selling author Naomi Wolf which sparked outrage in the States. Wolf argues that if you look back through history there are certain steps that dictators have taken to destroy constitutional freedoms. Using examples drawn from Mussolini Hitler Stalin Pinochet and others Wolf warns that many of the same programs are in place in the United States today. The outspoken documentary includes interviews with ex-presidents political leaders and military generals as well as innocent victims who lost their right to freedom. The End of America is the first of five independent titles to be premiered from our 2008 release slate says Ryan Harrington head of IndiePix Studios. We've invested a lot of time energy and money in our studios and have been involved in the making of The End of America right from the beginning. We feel it is extremely important that we deliver this timely film to an audience before the election next month. There is an urgency and a distinct 'call to action' message that American audiences will take away from this film that will hopefully drive them to the voting booths on November 4th. I'm also very excited to see how British audiences will interpret The End of America when we have our UK Premiere at the Sheffield Doc/Fest on November 7th. In addition to playing a part in the production of the film we also own complete distribution responsibilities for The End of America and we believe that by diversifying the ways in which people can obtain the documentary it will really make a difference to its success. The characteristics of Internet-based distribution means that you can buy rent or stream The End of America at any time – day or night – from the comfort of your own home and at a very small price. IndiePix is continuing to raise the bar when it comes to getting independent films out there Harrington says. IndiePix www.indiepixfilms.com.
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The Story Behind Fireproof,2008-10-27,The movie is having success in limited independent release. ,452
Period Piece,2008-10-27,Post Logic Creates a De-Saturated Look for Lymelife Post Logic Studios a division of Prime Focus Group completed a digital intermediate and multiple post services for the award-winning independent feature film Lymelife. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and garnered the International Critics Award for best feature film. Directed and co-written by Derick Martini Lymelife stars Alec Baldwin Kieran Culkin Rory Culkin Jill Hennessy Timothy Hutton Cynthia Nixon and Emma Roberts. The film set in the late 1970s offers a unique take on the dangers of the American dream. Post Logic Studios handled scanning recording DI and film-out for the feature. Colorist Corinne Bogdanowicz worked closely with the production team to ensure director Derick Martini and cinematographer Frank Godwin's vision for the project. Since it's a 1970s period piece we wanted a very specific look for the film says Lymelife director Derick Martini. We wanted to go against the cliché of making it all warm and yellow and instead gave it a more de-saturated look. Because the story is structured in a certain way we needed the first act to be warmer the second act to be much cooler and the third act to go back to the warmer feeling again. Corinne was able to accomplish exactly what we needed in a very seamless way. She is very focused very easy to work with and I'm looking forward to working with her again on my next movie. After my experience with Post Logic I wouldn't go anywhere else. Shot on a Panavision with 35mm anamorphic lenses Lymelife was scanned at a 4K resolution on a Northlight scanner and recorded using an Arri recorder. Using proprietary software developed at Post Logic Studios the 4K scans were rendered down to 2K which allowed for sharper cleaner 2K imagery. The film was beautifully shot and once we saw the material we knew we had to preserve as much of that data as possible says Bogdanowicz who performed color correction for the feature on a Baselight. The thing we concentrated on the most was creating a de-saturated look for the film that was in keeping with the time period yet also lent it a somewhat timeless feel. Post Logic worked closely with the Lymelife production team to ensure that the film would be ready in time for its premiere at the Toronto film Festival. It was important to know that the material would be delivered at the highest possible quality says Jon Cornick the film's producer. Post Logic was great from start to finish. I would come back anytime because they make it so easy. They really helped us figure out how make everything work within the parameters of our timetable and budget. The work is handled very professionally and everyone is just amazing-so attentive and respectful. Even with our very tight deadlines the work seemed almost effortless even though you know there's a lot of hard work happening behind the scenes. As a client you never felt it. Post Logic Studios www.postlogic.com ,456
Digital Milestone,2008-10-27, Carmike Cinema Leads the Way Christie Digital Systems has surpassed the 5 000 digital cinema milestone posting a record 5 197 completed installations worldwide just three years after launching its digital cinema deployment plan. Nearly half of those screens 2300 are in Carmike Cinema theatres which is the first major chain to go all digital. “Surpassing the 5 000 milestone is a remarkable achievement not only for Christie but for the cinema industry itself ” says Jack Kline president and chief operating officer of Christie Digital Systems. “In 2005 there were only a handful of installations in the entire world and many people questioned the long-term viability of the move to digital. As the market faces more competition it’s helping to drive innovation and we’re seeing interesting growth opportunity around the world. The long-term prospects are strong and we look forward to maintaining a steady pace of installations for years to come.”
Kline says that Christie digital cinema contracts are marked by deployments on a large scale the first of which was the launch of the largest deployment in history – the 4 000-installation contract with AccessIT through the groundbreaking Christie/AIX funding plan. This agreement led to the 4th largest exhibitor in the United States to go digital on 100 percent of its screens Carmike Cinemas with 2 300 screens.
“Christie/AIX was a landmark achievement for the industry ” says Bud Mayo chairman and chief executive officer of AccessIT. “With Christie’s strong product line service and support our server partner and AccessIT’s software and network technology we provided the world with the first viable network technology and business model for the successful deployment of digital cinema. The Christie/AIX deployment plan is recognized today as having sparked the digital cinema revolution.”
In addition to Christie/AIX other major digital cinema deployments for Christie often marked by 100 percent conversion of the contracted circuits include: • 80 screens for Arts Alliance Digital Cinema which selected Christie DLP Cinema projectors for the roll out of the digital screen network for the UK Film Council. This digital screen network marked the world’s first digital cinema deployment on a large scale.
• 400 screens for Arts Alliance Media which selected Christie as the exclusive DLP Cinema projector provider for French chain Circuit George Raymond. The agreement also saw CGR Cinémas become the first European cinema network to convert completely to digital cinema exhibition.
• 193 Christie DLP Cinema projectors for XDC’s first large-scale deployment in Austria. The agreement with Cineplexx Kinobetriebe GmbH Austria’s largest cinema chain will result in 100% conversion of the circuit’s 193 screens. XDC launched the first Pan-European digital cinema roll out in 2005 selecting Christie DLP Cinema projectors for deployments across Denmark Germany Italy the Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Sweden and Switzerland.
• 200 Christie DLP Cinema projectors as part of an exclusive contract with Scrabble Entertainment launching India’s largest single digital cinema deployment. This was an historic development that finally brought the digital cinema revolution to India. • 100 Christie DLP Cinema projectors for the Shanghai Film Group Corporation’s United Circuit in China. SFG selected Christie exclusively for the initial phase of this growing nationwide deployment plan.
Christie also continues to set the pace of installations internationally most recently with the major sale of its DLP Cinema projectors for use at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games and eventual installation throughout China. Christie was also part of Canada’s largest digital cinema conversion of 25 theatres across the country for Cineplex Entertainment the country’s leading operator of movie theatres. In the United States Christie was the exclusive DLP Cinema provider for Warren Theatres’ new 14-screen multiplex in Moore Oklahoma. The Moore Warren Theatre the most expensive in the history of the state is also one of the largest with luxury accommodations and screens up to 80 feet wide and four stories tall. Christie Digital Systems www.christiedigital.com ,457
The Line of Scrimmage,2008-10-27, Short Sponsored Documentaries Feature Top U.S. High School Football Teams For the third year in a row during NBC Sunday Night Football telecasts Toyota is profiling some of the gutsiest high school football teams in America. Over the course of the season The Line of Scrimmage will travel in a Toyota Tundra truck to visit eight different schools from around the country that exemplify true devotion to the game of football and the gridiron culture. The forty-five second documentary shorts are airing each week during the NBC Sunday Night Football Halftime Show. Each of the eight teams is featured for two successive broadcasts the first episode introducing viewers to the team and their community the second covering team practices and their Friday night game. The short pieces are designed to make the case that – like the Toyota Tundra – each gutsy team profiled refuses to quit despite the odds whether enduring brutal weather conditions playing only away-games because the team doesn’t have a home field or remaining focused despite having parents deployed in Iraq. Toyota created The Line of Scrimmage to celebrate high school football the fans and the local communities. The program is lightly branded with a Tundra on a football field at the top of each episode as the only product reference. Saatchi & Saatchi LA using production company Untitled of Los Angeles California produces the campaign. The director is Matt Ogens (who directs through Rabbit). The Director of Photography is Anthony Hardwick and Mark Schwartzbard is the second unit/B camera operator. Unit Production Manager/line producer is Jay Kelman. Previous seasons of The Line of Scrimmage were shot with Panasonic’s AG-HVX200 P2 HD handheld camcorder and while the Saatchi LA team headed by producer Amanda Miller was committed to a tapeless workflow she and director Ogens wanted to increase the campaign’s production values. Hardwick well acquainted with Panasonic HD cinema cameras wanted to work with a larger shoulder-mounted camera with interchangeable lenses. Hardwick has been the DP for Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (shot with the AJ-HDC27H VariCam) and Bill Maher’s theatrical documentary Religulous (shot with the AJ-HDX900).
Reviewing cameras at Abel Cine Tech’s Los Angeles office Hardwick chose the HPX2000 for The Line of Scrimmage assignment; the production rented two HPX2000s from Abel Cine LA for the duration of the two-month shoot. Hardwick equipped each camera with Canon 11 x 4.7 ENG HD wide zoom and 21 x 7.5 ENG HD long lenses. Hardwick is shooting both 720/24pN and 720/60p DVCPro HD; each camera is outfitted with five 16GB P2 cards. On each five-slot camera he assigns three slots to 24pN shooting and two to 60p to facilitate media management. While he has a media manager on location to offload and back up duplicate files to 120GB hard drives Hardwick says that the only occasions the production comes close to filling up the five cards per camera is on the game days when he and his crew shoot a full game in addition to other interviews and B-roll. The typical shooting schedule is a series of interviews with local townspeople that are shot with one camera followed by team meetings practices and games shot with the two HPX2000s. Hardwick is shooting the games with available stadium lighting. “In general I’m using the HPX2000’s standard HD curve with a .45 slope which is punchier and more contrasty than the film-like gamma curve I’ve used in the past and works well to preserve detail in the shadows ” Hardwick says. “We typically shoot wide open at 1/250th shutter in 24pN and with the half shutter setting in 60p. “The look of Panasonic cameras whether tape-based or tapeless is fairly cohesive throughout and it’s a color palette I’ve come to love and appreciate working with ” he says. Kelman says “P2 production has worked out great. The workflow is easy and the quality outstanding. Not incidentally working in solid-state has put us in good shape when the production staff has to deal with the same challenges as the football team namely extremes of heat and cold. The Line of Scrimmage is edited in Final Cut Pro 6 at Beast Editorial Santa Monica California; the editor is Rob Watzke and associate editor is Charley Lee.
The Line of Scrimmage http://www.toyota.com/lineofscrimmage
Panasonic www.panasonic.com
Live 3D Interview
