Smithsonian Channel HD Premieres with Series Hosted by Tom Cavanagh

Smithsonian Channel HD premieres with series hosted by Tom Cavanagh

Growling for Seeing in the dark HD Concert Marshmallows New PBS HD Doc FlitePak by Paula Lumbard by Timothy Ferris by Steve Syatt 13627HighDefMag.qxd 8/13/07 1:19 PM Page 1

contents

Feature Smithsonian Channel HD Premieres 6 Interview by David Thompson

6 HD Beneath the Skin 12 by Dara Klatt

HD Target Spots Hit Bullseye 14 by David Heuring

VariCam Used to Shoot Earth 15 by Brian Cali 15 IT’S TIME TO ROLL CAMERAS. Seeing in the Dark 16 by Timothy Ferris THE FILMMAKER WANTS TO ENSURE THE MAGIC CAPTURED DI for 16mm Wide Screen 20 by Bob Fisher TODAY WILL MAKE AN IMPACT THAT TRANSCENDS TIME. HD Tips: 3D HD, Part 2 22 by B. Sean Fairburn 16 GUESS HOW HE DOES IT? Discovery’s New HD Simulcast Networks 23 by Clint Stinchcomb

Growling for Marshmallows 24 by Paula Lumbard

26 HDTV Forum: Sony Pictures’ “Citizen Videographers” 20 by Steve Sechrist

HD Tech: Color in a Projection Environment 28 by Lowell Kay

HD Concert FlitePak 29 by William Wheeler

HDTV: The Consumer Front 24 30 With film, that’s how. Only film has a richness, texture, and depth that you can feel. Only film by Dale Cripps portrays nuance and detail as your eye sees it. Only film enables a truly efficient workflow with maximum flexibility from capture through post. And only film, a proven archival medium, is 31 Christina Aguilera and AJA’s Xena futureproof. Shoot on KODAK VISION2 Motion Picture Film to achieve your best— creatively, by Jennifer Wolfe technically, economically. Learn more about our commitment to advancing film technology and to helping ensure what you envision is what you get at www.kodak.com/go/motion Front Cover: Tom Cavanagh is the spirited host of Stories From The Vaults, the new signature series of The Smithsonian Channel, America’s High Definition Storyteller. Photo by David Burnett

Vol. 9, Issue 5 | HighDef Magazine is published bi-monthly, free for professionals in all areas of video and film production, nationally by American Press Services, 2247 15th Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119. PUBLISHER: Conrad W. Denke EDITOR: David W. Thompson PRODUCTION: Gina Griffin Hanzsek DISPLAY ADVERTISING: Call David Thompson at 1-888-282-1776 or e-mail [email protected]. Deadline for advertising mechanicals is fifteen(15) days prior to publication date. Current and back issues and additional resources, including subscription request forms, are available on our website: www.HighDef.com. Send address changes to: HighDef Magazine, 2247 15th Ave. West, Seattle, WA 98119. PRINTER: RR Donnelley, www.rrdonnelley.com

©Eastman Kodak Company, 2007. Kodak and VISION are trademarks. PBTS-0104 BT_Monitors_HD.qxp 6/14/07 5:44 PM Page 1

NEWS & PRODUCTS monitors

gram produced in Chicago by Weigel booths, which are staffed by replay offi- rugged enough Broadcasting’s WCIU-TV. Distributed cials, a video technician, a video opera- daily to 90+ affiliate stations across tor and a communicator. Booths at the the U.S., First Business looks ahead at three remaining NFL stadiums, in New to take on the road the coming day’s trading. Kyle Walker, York, Dallas and Indianapolis, will go Weigel’s Director of Engineering, HD after those stadiums are renovated. also chose the GY-HD250s for the station’s new children’s series, Green Screen Adventures, which debuted on March 31, 2007. “We evaluated many cameras, most with higher price tags. Band Pro Delivers F23’s to The thing that impressed me about Clairmont the GY-HD250 is that for the money, Band Pro Film & Digital has delivered the camera is pretty hard to beat,” Clairmont Camera’s first six Sony F23 commented Walker. The cameras are CineAlta(tm) cameras. Clairmont has equipped with JVC’s DR-HD100 hard offices in Hollywood, Toronto and disk recorders. Vancouver and is renowned for its Ikegami for Second extensive range of cameras, lenses, Baptist Church and accessories. According to owner With Houston’s Second Baptist’s mem- Denny Clairmont, “Until the F23 came bership approaching 45,000, taped or along, cameras in the 2/3-inch chip live HD telecasts of Saturday night and world were designed very much like Sunday services originating from the ENG digital cameras. The Sony F23 has Church’s main 6,500-seat Woodway been designed like a film camera. It is campus or its 4,000 seat West campus very operator friendly. And all the test are captured by an array of Ikegami footage I’ve seen looks remarkable. HD cameras, and projected at all five of Second Baptist’s locations in wide- Bebob Box-HVR for Sony format IMAG (image magnification) for HVR-DR60 every seat in the sanctuary. With a long broadcast history that dates back to the 16x9 Inc. introduced Box-HVR from 1970’s, the Second Baptist video pro- Bebob Engineering, an ingenious duction team has seen a huge leap in Built production-tough with a die-cast new mounting system for Sony’s HVR- image quality with their upgrade to HD, DR60 portable hard disk recorder. aluminum frame, Panasonic’s lightweight BT which includes ten Ikegami HDK-79EXII Developed specifically to complement portable and three HDK-790EXII studio Series monitors deliver exceptional color reproduction and popular Sony camcorders like the full digital HD camera systems. HVR-V1U and HDR-FX7, HVR-Z1U and contrast with no motion blurring – and without the bulk of a CRT. WSOC-TV News with P2 HDR-FX1, and DSR PD150/170, this Camcorders compact, lightweight cage-style carrier Both the 26˝ BT-LH2600W and 17˝ BT-LH1700W feature a split-screen WSOC-TV, Cox Television’s ABC affiliate attaches unobtrusively underneath the freeze frame for scene comparison and color matching, built-in waveform in Charlotte, NC, has deployed 25 fully- camera between the baseplate and tri- equipped AJ-HPX2000 shoulder-mount, pod plate. The system’s smooth-glide monitor, two HD/SD-SDI auto-sensing inputs and 176º off-axis viewing. For multi-format 2/3” P2 HD camcorders drawer is tailored to cradle the HVR- productions, the 1700W is AC/DC capable, while the 2600W offers features like for all ENG operations. WSOC-TV, DR60 and hold it firmly in place. Fully along with its cable duopoly, WAXN-TV, extended, it provides fast and easy Pixel-to-Pixel mode for critical focusing and superimposed audio level meters. has been broadcasting all local news in access to the recorder’s display screen HD since April 2007. Last year, Atlanta- and controls. The rugged, portable 8.4˝ BT-LH900A and 7.9˝ BT-LH80W monitors pack versatile based Cox Television announced that 3w it would extend conversion of news- Harris Gives NFL Refs HD features in a compact design, perfect for field or studio production environments. gathering operations at its 15 television Instant Replay Sachtler for MiniDV, DV & stations to Panasonic’s P2 HD solid- NFL referees might botch fewer calls HDV In the studio or on the road, when your image counts, depend on Panasonic. state memory recording system. “We than ever this year, thanks to a new Sachtler, the tripod expert, is delivering made the decision to upgrade to P2 high-definition picture system they’ll two new fluid heads for MiniDV and HD for all Betacam SX replacements use when reviewing challenged rul- HDV camcorders. The Sachtler FSB 2 is 3w as we extend our transition to HD ings on the field or upstairs in the designed to accept payloads of up to when it counts 26˝ and 16:9 newsgathering capabilities,” booth during the 2008-2009 season. 4.4 pounds (2kg) while the FSB 6 sup- said Sterling Davis, Vice President of Powered by gear from Harris Corp. the ports 2.2 to 13.2 pounds (1 to 6kg). The 3-Year Extended Warranty Program - To demonstrate our Engineering, Cox Broadcasting. move to HD comes 21 years after the new heads are engineered to offer low- 3w 17 ˝ league first began the video review mass cameras the same smooth pan confidence in these production-tough monitors, Panasonic is JVC GY-HD250 Cameras for process and is the first such use of HD and tilt movement that operators have pleased to extend its one-year warranty for an additional 2 years to Weigel in any major sports league. The new enjoyed with larger camera packages customers purchasing the BT-LH1700W and BT-LH2600W production 8.4˝ JVC’s ProHD GY-HD250 was chosen for HD 7.9˝ HD instant replay systems have been on heavy-duty fluid heads. LCD monitors between June 1 and December 31, 2007. For more First Business, a syndicated news pro- installed in 28 NFL stadium replay information, please visit us at www.panasonic.com/broadcast 4 © 2007 Panasonic Broadcast Smithsonian Channel HD Tom Hayden, EVP & GM of Smithsonian Networks PremieresPhotos courtesy of Smithsonian Networks Inc.

David Thompson, HighDef Editor interviews Tom Hayden of Smithsonian Networks. some other entertainment portals yet to be identified. Visitors will be able to view short video The docudrama The Hunt clips of our programs which will encourage them to go to our multi-channel video distributors For The Double Eagle What is your mission at Smithsonian Networks? to get the long form programming. tells the riveting story Tom Hayden: Our mission is to produce programming that can serve multiple platforms – from What was the impetus to establish the Smithsonian Networks? of the most valuable, High Definition linear networks to Video On Demand (VOD), both Standard Definition and and infamous, coin in the High Definition – as well as broadband content and anything else you can think of, here in the TH: An important part of Showtime’s growth strategy is to develop new and different entertainment television channels and, for about 10 years now, the Smithsonian Institution has been world - the 1933 solid-gold U.S. as well as overseas. Double Eagle $20 coin. The first foray into the internet will be through our own website. We will syndicate pro- trying to develop a television partnership. About 4 years ago, the Smithsonian approached a gramming through the family of websites associated with the Smithsonian Institution as well as number of different media companies and Showtime was one of them. A year and a half ago we worked out a joint venture arrangement with them. 6 7 2007_ARRI_VideoAcc Ad_HD_F 6/18/07 10:55 AM Page 1 Photo by David Burnett

What have been some of the obstacles in TH: First and foremost we have the getting the Smithsonian Channel HD on Smithsonian brand. In any survey, the the air? Smithsonian is always in the top three of all In No Place Like Home, an TH: The first challenges are those presented consumer brands, not just television brands. episode of Stories From The by any joint venture. This is a partnership and it That is something we have that none of COMPACT MATTE BOX MB-20/MB-20 II Vaults, host Tom Cavanagh takes time to get comfortable with each other. the other guys have or will ever have. The goes behind-the-scenes to Then there are challenges unique to this Smithsonian is also a place. It’s one of the show very unique homes venture. This network involves a venerable very few television properties that actually has invented by humans. Here American institution. It’s iconic. It’s a private, a place in geographical dimension that view- he meets with curator Emil non-profit organization that happens to get ers can utilize. It provides us with sufficient Her Many Horses, from the vast majority of its funding from the U.S. cross-platform promotional opportunities. the Smithsonian’s National government. There are a lot of constituencies The Smithsonian Institution consists of 19 Museum of the American at the Smithsonian that have their own inter- museums, the National Zoo, 9 international Indian, to look at a model ests and concerns. An independent commer- research centers, 600 scientists doing research of a tipi used by the plains cial media company like ours may find that a in over 80 countries, and 140 affiliated muse- Indians. bit more complicated than usual. ums in 40 different states. That’s an incredible Next is the rapidly changing distribution range of places and people that we use as landscape. The digital media revolution of inspiration for our programming and promo- the last 10 years has created both opportuni- tion. ties and uncertainty. There’s broadband and What is the basic purpose or goal of the the analog-to-digital conversion in the televi- Smithsonian Channel HD? sion marketplace. There’s the explosion of TH: There are two. The first is a very pragmatic the High Definition consumer market, which one. We want to develop valuable program- has increased dramatically over the last year. ming assets for Showtime as a managing part- There have been dramatic changes in how FOLLOW FOCUS FF-5HD NEW! HD QUICK RELEASE BASE PLATE ner of the venture. Certainly the Smithsonian cable and satellite operators approach the wants to share in that asset value also. High Definition category. We’ve had to shift The second is that we want to help the our product strategies accordingly. Initially Smithsonian Institution extend its core mis- we were going to come out as a VOD service sion: the increase and diffusion of knowledge. and we quickly shifted to HD linear video as It was a logical and probably long overdue well as Video On Demand. extension of their brand. Many people over ARRI ACCESSORIES FOR And that creates challenge number three: the years have visited the Mall in Washington you’ve got to go out and identify, acquire, on field trips from school, or with their par- produce and co-produce enough program- ents or grandparents. This is a way for the ming for an HD linear channel in High Def as DIGITAL CINEMATOGRAPHY Institution and Showtime to bring the expe- well as your Video on Demand products. That rience of the visit to the Mall to the rest of requires much more product and much more COVERAGE FOR THE WIDEST HD LENSES • MODULAR AND ADAPTABLE • RELIABLE AND DURABLE America. inventory. PRODUCT SUPPORT AND PARTS AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE What is the name of the new channel and How do you differentiate yourself from all when does it debut? of the other HD channels? 8 arri.com PROGRAMMING SLATE

Stories From The Vaults – This series of six 30-minute shows is hosted by Tom Cavanagh (“Ed”).

The Hunt For The Double Eagle – This production Photo courtesy of Smithsonian Networks Inc. is about the intrigue and greed stirred by the world’s most valuable coin. TH: The joint venture is called Smithsonian Networks. One of Day Of The Kamikaze - This 90-minute drama- the many products we are developing is Smithsonian Channel documentary special will explore the cultural and psychological motivations behind the Japanese HD, which is the HD linear video service. That will be launched in kamikaze campaign at the end of World War II. September. Hindenburg - This is a landmark two-hour drama- How many programs do you have as you begin broadcasting documentary about the fatal voyage of the and what kind of programs are there? giant German airship that coincides with the 70th TH: We are hoping for approximately 100 programs by the end of anniversary of the disaster that took place on May the year. Our programs will cover science and nature, pop culture, 6,1937. history and mystery, air and space, and kids programming. Pandas In The Wild - Smithsonian Networks has What do you like most about your initial 100 programs? bought five one hour programs produced by NHK which shows the reclusive animal in the wild, TH: I have identified three programs that demonstrate the range including remarkable footage of a mother and her of subject matter and also our approach to story telling. In our new born baby panda. History & Mystery category there is this fabulous story called, The America: Wild And Wacky - This program Hunt for the Double Eagle. highlights the most wondrous, wacky and quirky The film is about the double eagle gold coin that was struck festivals, gatherings, and events that take place in 1933. The U.S. went off the gold standard that year and the coin £ÓÝÊ"«ÌÊ Ê iÊ-ÌÞiÊiÃ all across America. The show is narrated by John instantly became illegal tender. Some nefarious characters decid- Schneider (The Dukes Of Hazzard.) ed they were going to squirrel away these gold coins for their own Ê -Õ«iÀÀÊwÊÊ«ÌVÃÊvÀÊÛìÊ«À`ÕVÌÊ American Treasures – This series is inspired by profit. The film moves through the decades into the mid 1990’s NÊ} iÀÊÀiÃÕÌÊÌ >ÊÌÞ«V>Ê ÊÛìÊiÃiÃÊ>VÀÃÃÊÌ iÊvV>ÊÀ>}i the National Museum of American History’s special and shows how these coins moved around the world. It’s fascinat- NÊ>ÃÌÊ>«iÀÌÕÀiÊÃ«ii`ÊvÊ/£°È]ÊÊÀ>«} exhibit of 150 of the most unique objects in the ing, informative and entertaining. NÊ«ÀiÃÃÛiÊVÌÀ>ÃÌÊ>`ÊVÀÊÀi«À`ÕVÌ Smithsonian’s collection. (i.e. Ruby Red Slippers Then there is a pop culture series entitled America, Wild and from The Wizard Of Oz.) Wacky. It’s all about the strange and wonderful world of local and NÊ ÊLÀi>Ì } Nature Tech – Smithsonian Networks has acquired regional festivals across this country, many of them quite bizarre. NÊÎÓÇcÊvVÕÃÊÀÌ>ÌÊÜÌ ÊÛiÀÊÓxÊÜÌiÃÃÊ>ÀÃ this three –hour blue chip science and natural It’s visually very compelling and a lot of fun. For example, there is NÊ,Õ}}i`ÊiV >V>ÊìÃ}ÊvÀÊ«ÀiVÃiÊÌÀ>V}Ê>`ÊvVÕÃ history series where scientists and engineers study the Punkin Chunkin Festival, where 20,000 people show up once a nature to sleuth out the secrets of superior design. N year to see how far contestants can hurl a pumpkin. Then there is Ê/ iÊÃ>iÊ«ÀÛiÊ«ÌVÃÊ>ÃÊÌ iÊv>ÕÃÊº"«Ì»ÊwÊÊiÃiÃ Cutting Loose – This winner of the 1996 The Road Kill Cook-off in West Virginia and The Frozen Dead Guy Filmmakers Trophy for Best Documentary at in Colorado. Sundance chronicles an event that almost perished The third program I’d like to mention springs directly from the under the wrath of Hurricane Katrina - the vibrant Smithsonian and shows that we are not going to be “Museum TV,” life of Mardi Gras. even when we do go into the museum. It’s called Stories From The Critter Quest – 22-year-old naturalist Peter Vaults hosted by Tom Cavanagh, who starred in the NBC series, Ed. Schriemer introduces 5-12 year olds to the If you think about taking a camera behind the scenes talking wonderful, icky world of creepies and crawlies that lurk just beyond their doorsteps. to curators and archivists you might cringe. But, if you have the right kind of host and the right kind of approach to the subject Timewatch - This is the BBC’s longest running matter it can be not only interesting, but very entertaining. Tom history series and regularly airs stories that change brings his unique style to it. our understanding of world events. What future goals and directions do you have? Christianity Decoded - A 6-part, one-hour series, “Christianity Decoded” provides compelling new TH: Our near term goals are to get the HD linear video and the insights into the artistic and spiritual “codes” of VOD products up and distributed here in the United States in the Christianity, from the meanings of miracles to the best possible way. We will then begin to develop our broadband >}iÃ hierarchy of angels. product offerings. After that we will get more serious about our international distribution plans. HD 10 XÇÎ°n£Ó°ÎnxnÊUÊ>}iiÕÝ°V

,ÓnÓÓ«Ê}iiÕÝÊ£ÓÝÊiÃÊ`Ê} ivÊn°x»ÊÝÊ££»® BP_HDAllWay_1P_HD1007:Layout 1 8/14/07 1:39 PM Page 1

™ SONY M HD F2 CA 3 C XD in Y eA N lt a ™ HD Beneath the SO Skin by Dara Klatt

ational Geographic has long prided of rocker Steven Tyler’s vocal cords. itself on expeditions to some of the Special miniature HD endoscopic cam- Nmost exotic, formidable, and spectac- eras within a living human body are employed ular places on earth. This fall, two more ambi- in Inside the Living Body. Executive Producer tious journeys will be realized, only this time, Stephen Marsh, who holds a Ph.D. in cellular the sites are focused a little closer to home: biology explains, “the endoscopic photogra- the human body. Traveling in high-definition phy is amazing. Not too recently, HD cameras into the hidden nooks and dark chambers were too big to use inside the body, but now of our bodies, two National Geographic we are able to reveal great shots of fat inside HD Channel (NGC) specials reveal our biological the abdomen and a pulsating ovary right systems within, and with revolutionary imag- down to the follicles.” ALL WAYS. SO 0 NY ing, shed new light on how and why our bod- Marsh used a Panasonic VariCam for 50 H 1 D ies do what they do. external sequences and David Barlow, one of C- W D -F Inside the Living Body, from the cre- the world’s premier medical photographers, H 9 Y 0 N 0 ators of In the Womb, features the highest shot on film and HD. “With HD, there is so O R resolution HD footage ever captured inside much detail in each image,” says Marsh. “All S Photo by David Barlow/Pioneer Productions the human body. The film traces one “every- the external shots are sumptuous, as are the woman’s” story through a lifetime, using mile- CGI and living footage combination. And stones to examine the workings of a living, Barlow captured stunning footage internally functioning body. and of the models we used. He gave us shots Incredible Human Machine, an update of that have never been filmed before.” the 1975 National Geographic classic, shows His mantra for filmmaking in general is to the routine marvels of just one ordinary, and focus on the story first. “What makes Inside extraordinary, day-in-the-life of the human the Living Body special is that we are telling a machine. It also details in HD striking feats of compelling story and illustrating it with won- medical advancement, from glimpses of an derful images.” HD open-brain surgery to real-time measurement

Above: Inside the Ear Drum. Right: Inside of Fat man.

THE FINEST CAMERAS TO ENHANCE YOUR HD PRODUCTION — ONLY AT BAND PRO

XDCAM HD™ An affordable, tapeless 24P camcorder with variable frame HDC-1500 4:4:4 1080 60P/720 60P switchable EFP camera system, with rate, slow shutter, and time lapse. 4:4:4 capture at up to 30 fps; 4:2:2 capture at up to 60 fps. Motion effects capability with the SRW-1/SRPC-1 combination. F23 CineAlta™ Designed with cinematographers’ input, this system combines the brilliance of two worlds: the convenience, speed & precision of digital— HDW-F900R The industry’s flagship 24P camcorder REFINED. Featuring with the art & craft of filmmaking. With full bandwidth 4:4:4 capture. Sony’s 1080P image quality, more compact & lighter body, less power consumption. revolutionary SRW-1 recorder docks on top, on the back, or off camera. BAND PRO combines the finest HD camera technology with the most experience and know-how in the industry. For straight answers before you own and training when you buy, no one does it like Band Pro. Photo courtesy of Pioneer Productions 12 3403 West Pacific Ave. • Burbank, CA 91505 • 818.841.9655 W W W. B A N D P R O . C O M HD Target Spots Hit Bullseye by David Heuring

he Target Corporation recently sponsored the Tproduction of a series of in-store commercials designed Scenes from two of to grab and hold the atten- Target Corporation’s tion of consumers. The spots recent commercials. will play nationwide on high- Both Shot by DP Stefan definition sets at the com- Czapsky, ASC. pany’s 1,500 retail stores. They

feature children playing with Photos courtesy of BBC Media Worldwide/Greenlight bouncing balls against a sky- blue background, blowing and VariCam Used To Shoot catching bubbles, and feeding a pet rabbit at home. Stardust Studios was brought onboard to create the five 20-second commer- Earth cials. Stefan Czapsky, ASC was by Brian Cali recruited to film the imagery. The cinematographer’s cred- he upcoming documentary movie Earth, specified either electronic HD origination or its include such memorable a feature-length version of the ground- 35mm film,” said Linfield, a Producer with the narrative films as Edward Tbreaking documentary television series BBC’s Natural History Unit. “Now, 35mm looks Scissorhands, Batman Returns Planet Earth, was primarily shot with Panasonic great but just wasn’t practical for most of the Photographer Jeff Wilson and Ed Wood, along with AJ-HDC27 VariCam® HD Cinema cameras for filming. And that really left the VariCam.” filming the Himalayan hundreds of television com- all land-based acquisition. Earth, co-produced VariCams were used for shooting virtually Mountains. mercials. by BBC Worldwide and Greenlight Media, all land-based footage. They allowed BBC “We had a three-day tracks animal families on epic journeys across Directors of Photography to get the look and

shooting schedule and the Both photos courtesy of Stardust Studios the world’s most demanding and spectacular feel of film but in a high-definition format. The budget wasn’t extravagant,” landscapes and will make its international the- production made extensive use of the off- Czapsky recalls. “We had to atrical debut this October. speed capabilities, utilizing the fast ISO 640 move quickly and execute fast ond. He chose to record the a practical location at a house With a combined budget of more than sensitivity of the camcorder to the fullest in setups to keep pace with the spots on Kodak VISION2 250D with mixed light and a football $40 million and more than 4,000 days of filming in some of the harshest environments schedule. I knew I could cap- 5205 film, which is balanced stadium in direct sunlight,” cinematography, Planet Earth and Earth in the world. ture the full range of image for exposure in daylight. He Czapsky says. “I was able to represent the biggest documentary produc- “The VariCam is far from a one trick pony, information on 35 mm nega- framed the images in the capture the wide array of colors tion ever. Planet Earth, the 11-part television however — it is also capable of making very tive and fine tune the look in 16:9 aspect ratio native to HD on film, which gave me maxi- series which aired on the BBC in 2006 and the pretty pictures largely because it has a pleas- the digital suite during post- televisions. The negative was mum flexibility in post for creat- Discovery Channel earlier this year redefined ing color palette and great ability to handle production.” transferred to a 2K resolution ing the look. When the spots blue-chip natural history filmmaking, amazing high contrast--for us these factors were just as Czapsky covered the digital file at Company 3 New are shown in high definition, all viewers with startling views of locations cap- important as out-and-out resolution,” Linfield action with an ARRI 435 cam- York. the information is there. I think tured by cameras for the first time and unprec- continued. “All in all, the VariCam was a great era, which enabled him to “This project ran the they are visually compelling, edented high-definition production tech- package for us and one that still hasn’t been shoot selected shots in slow- gamut from shots filmed on and show every nuance we set niques. The feature length movie was directed beaten today - four years after we first bought motion at 150 frames per sec- sets in controlled lighting, to out to get.” HD by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield. our camera.” HD “Our high definition deliverable contract 14 15 Seeing by Timothy Ferris in the Dark

Note: Stargazing is the subject of Seeing in the a smattering of stars in the sky, but even they Dark, a 60-minute, state-of-the-art, high-defini- could not match the remarkable ability of the tion documentary written, produced and nar- eye. So we drew on a wide range of art and rated by award-winning filmmaker, journalist and modern technology to bring the stars to life best-selling author Timothy Ferris. The program on the screen. introduces viewers to the rewards of first person, For wide-angle, naked-eye skies we start- hands-on astronomy and looks at recent tech- ed with the remarkable still photographs of nological innovations that are enabling people Akira Fujii, then “twinkled” the brighter stars to stargaze on demand through an Internet con- by applying pseudorandom algorithms devel- nection. Airs on PBS September 19 at 8:00 p.m. oped at the digital processing houses Form in (check local listings) Los Angeles and Video Arts in San Francisco and by our special effects artist, Don Davis. he stars look vividly beautiful to the eye Photo by Mark Andrews The digital post-processing wizards started in ways that have seldom, if ever, been with theoretical models, while Don simply Timothy Ferris is the best- Tcaptured in a film. Their colors (which made de-focused video images of Sirius, the selling author of twelve result from their temperatures), their twinkling brightest star in the sky, then reverse-engi- books, including Coming (produced by Earth’s atmosphere), and the neered its twinkles to apply them to the stars of Age in the Milky ability of the eye and brain to convey the in Akira’s images. Way, for which he was appearance of great swathes of the night sky, Telescopic views of brighter objects such awarded the American exceed the capacity of any existing motion- as the Moon, the planets, and the brightest Institute of Physics Prize, picture camera. The high-tech HD cameras stars were shot with an HD camera through a and a nomination for the we used in the film came close, sometimes telescope by the astrophotographers Kenneth Pulitzer Prize. recording both people in the foreground and Crawford and Michael A. Mayda. Dimmer Photo by Rob Gendler

telescopic objects, from star clusters and with a 35mm lens piggybacked on the 18-inch nebulae to galaxies, were rendered by tak- Newtonian telescope at Rocky Hill, dissolving ing thousands of stills which were then run seamlessly to a Rob Gendler mosaic and then Horsehead Nebula as frames of motion-picture footage—thirty to a Don Davis effect in which we fly through frames delivering one second of on-air time— the center of the nebula itself. Andromeda Galaxy or by “twinkling” certain still images. Among the many artists whose work did Here the key contributors were Jack so much for the film are our cinematogra- Newton, Mike Palermiti, and Rob Gendler, pher, Francis Kenny, who combined his years along with some footage shot by myself. Our of feature-film shooting with his extensive cinematographer, Francis Kenny, shot several experience in high-definition video to explore wide-angle time-lapse sequences used in the new visual territories; our editor, Lisa Day, film, and post-processed the time-lapse foot- who made the film dance; our cheerful and age of stars rising over Rocky Hill Observatory resourceful director, Nigel Ashcroft, who that opens the film’s final scenes. brought the script to life on location; sound The film contains several zoom shots that designer Kate Hopkins, whose grounding would not have been possible a decade ago. in natural-history filmmaking did so much A long “pull” on the Cone nebula seen over to draw earth and sky together in a com- the Einstein quotation in the Cape Florida mon web of nature; and sound mixer Walter beach sequence early in the film exploited Murch, a living legend who nonetheless threw the high resolution of Rob Gendler’s pains- himself into the project as if it were his first takingly assembled wide-sky photomosaics. project. In all, more than a hundred creative An astonishing “push” into the Orion nebula individuals worked on Seeing in the Dark. begins with a time-lapse photo of the entire … … … … … … constellation shot on a CMOS digital camera 16 Photo by Rob Gendler 17 Photo ©2007 Mark Diamond/DiamondImages.com

David Thompson, editor of HighDef For a film like this it would have been be asked Timothy Ferris a few questions: nice to have more sensitivity. Even a fast lens on an HD camera is still too slow to really cap- What did Francis Kenny, the cinematogra- ture what a starry night sky looks like. We had pher, bring to the production in regards to (L to R) Francis Kenny, to matte in our skies to compensate. Cinematographer and the use of HD? Would you shoot in HD again? Timothy Ferris on location Francis has a ton of experience shoot- I would do it in a minute. The only reason of Seeing in the Dark. ing HD and fully understands the technology involved. Some DP’s I’ve met have an almost that I can think of to shoot film now, other religious devotion to shooting 24 frame in than specialized reasons having to do with shallow focus, but both those film traditions the nature of your subject or your personal originated in technological limitations: 24 aesthetic, would be to accommodate theatri- frames was the fastest that early film projec- cal release. If you are going to a 24-frame tors could be made to run reliably, and the theatrical release then there are certainly a lot shallow focus tradition arose from slow color of reasons why you might consider shooting films that, decades ago, required you to 24 frame film, as many directors do. But if the open up the lens. Francis and I started from final project is going to television, where you the opposite position-that 30-frame 1080p have a 30-frame medium and you’re going to HD is a powerful tool capable of delivering be in video anyway, I don’t see any reason not very high quality images if you don’t inhibit to use 30-frame HD from the beginning right it. According to our philosophy, shooting on through. HD at 24 frames to make a television film “look Seeing in the Dark, based on Ferris’ book that like film” and using ND filters to shallow up was named by The New York Times as one of your focus is like recording in mono in hopes the ten best books of 2002, features remarkable your record will sound like early Elvis Presley. high-definition astrophotography and introduces Francis really understands the technology, men and women who have seen and captured and that, combined with his terrific aesthetic phenomenal images within and beyond our sense, gave us spectacular results. solar system and galaxy, both professionals and amateurs. Did the HD format surprise you or let you down? 18 DIfor 16mm Wide Screen © 2006 Rabbit Bandini Productions. Photos courtesy of David Klein. by Bob Fisher

ood Time Max is an independent Klein agreed that Good Time Max called for a held camera to create a slightly edgy feeling images to indicate preferences for colors, feature film that focuses on the rela- more organic look. They decided to produce that felt right for the story. Depending on the tones, grain and contrast to provide a frame Gtionship between two brilliant broth- the film in Super 16 format as a concession to setup, he used either an Aaton A-Minima or of reference for his intentions for LaserPacific ers, who were close friends during childhood. a modest budget, and to compose images an ARRI SR 3 camera mounted with a Cooke dailies timer Tim Vincent. Above: (L to R) Actor Adam and Max both had ambitious dreams. in widescreen 2.4:1 aspect ratio for aesthetic S4 lens. His palette included three KODAK The cinematographer had previously Jarrod Bunch and actor/ Adam’s dream comes true. He is a successful reasons. Klein explains that meant the frame VISION2 color negative films: 7218 (500T), collaborated with DI colorist David Cole on director/co-writer James surgeon living the good life. Max is a drug was going to be four percent smaller than a 7205 (250D) and 7217 (200T). Clerks 2, so they had established verbal short- Franco in a scene from addict existing on the streets of the city where regular 16 mm frame after the 2.4:1 extrac- “I pushed the 7218 film a stop on most hand. The DI was budgeted to be completed Good Time Max before they both live. tion. So to be certain this was the right for- night exterior scenes,” Klein says. “That in 40 hours with the first few days dedicated (Left) the inDI digital This was cinematographer David Klein’s mat, he shot a test. added a little grain and contrast to the imag- to color correction for shot-to-shot continuity. intermediate (DI), shot by third collaboration with director James LaserPacific, a Los Angeles-based post- es, which looked and felt right for those situa- For instance, part of a beach scene was shot cinematographer David Klein, and the same scene Franco, who co-authored the script with production facility, had just introduced the tions. Sometimes you want faces in shadows. while the sky was overcast. They isolated the (Right) after the DI. Merriwether Williams following in the wake inDI™ system which provided an affordable We lit spaces rather than faces and let the sky in DI and made it bluer to match other of their 2005 co-ventures, The Ape and Fool’s digital intermediate option. The film was actors find their light. Close-ups were lit more shots in the scene. Below: A scene from David Klein Gold. scanned and converted to a digital file at intimately and traditionally.” They also isolated skin tones and made Good Time Max before “We agreed during our earliest discus- HDSR 4:4:4 resolution. After Klein timed the “Knowing up-front that there would be a them warmer or cooler in some scenes, (page 20) inDI digital sions that the story called for a natural look test, the digital file was recorded out to 35 DI saved us precious time in some situations,” adjusted the grain a little coarser in other intermediate (DI), shot by that feels realistic,” Klein says. “We also want- mm film in anamorphic 2.4:1 aspect ratio. he observes. “There were times when I chose shots, and reduced reflections in a window. In cinematographer David ed a widescreen format (2.4:1 aspect ratio), so “That eliminated the need for an optical not to flag an unwanted light off a wall in the addition to adding those and other painterly Klein, and the same scene we could show Adam and Max interacting in blow-up from Super 16 to 35 mm format,” background, because I knew I could isolate strokes to the looks of individual shots, Klein (page 21) after the DI. their environments.” Klein explains. “Everyone was happy with the and fix it in minutes in DI.” and Cole seamlessly blended a few visual The Ape and Fool’s Gold were both look when we recorded out to film.” Klein documented every setup with digi- effects shots with live-action footage. HD produced in HD 24P format, but Franco and Klein covered most scenes with a hand- tal still images. He manipulated selected still

3D works for the viewer because of a com- Bono and band at 60 ft. So as the camera bination of math, mechanics, and optics as moves toward them it appears that the band well as philosophy. is coming from deep inside the screen and When shooting 3D, you need to always passing through the screen right into the the- be aware of where you are placing the subject ater. This, as you can imagine, is a very differ- in relationship to the screen. You have three ent experience for the viewer and is another choices: 1) Behind; 2) At; 3) In front of (in your excellent tool to create emphasis. Photo by Chad Henning space between you and the screen). It also would have been fine had the One philosophy is to keep everything convergence point been the same as the behind the screen for all action and objects. focus point except when rack focuses happen Discovery’s Another is to keep the main subject, usually - thrusting the foreground person through the actors, in the foreground at the screen. the screen and over the audience and back. New HD Simulcast Networks Still another is to put the convergence behind Generally this is not a good practice, unless the actors a bit so that they “bulge” out from that’s the effect you want. HD B. Sean Fairburn, SOC by Clint Stinchcomb the screen. U2 3D releases this fall. Preview: http://www. Director of Photography, There is no right or wrong way to do Role Model Productions, youtube.com/watch?v=bwWFDFQxn7Q this. It’s a matter of the way you iscovery launched Discovery HD mystery of the red planet with The Science LLC. rolemodel@ want the audience to experience Theater, basic cable’s first 24-hour HD Channel’s Mars Rising; among others. earthlink.net network to broadcast all of its con- This fall, there will be all new episodes of Seanfairburn.com the story. The most dynamic 3D D tent in brilliant 1080i and 5.1 digital surround Sunrise Earth, filmed in locations selected by 818-621-3912 is when a combination of these sound in 2002. Since then, Discovery has viewers, as well as the premieres of two new The Whiskers family Local 600, techniques are used. Agent Steve Jacob, For instance on U2 3D there invested millions in HD original programming original series, Wildlife Man and Antarctic of Meerkat Manor. 323-460-4767 were times when I had to pull bringing landmark events such as Discovery Mission, among many other new specials and the convergence forward as the Atlas HD, and with our partners, the BBC, series set to debut on Discovery HD Theater. camera on the end of the super Planet Earth to viewers and launching over a In addition, the channel also currently fea- techno flew forward to keep dozen HD channels around the world. tures a weekly block of programming called This 3D rig by 3Ality shows Bono bulging out of the screen This month, Discovery took the next leap TURBO, a moniker that encompasses a host how small and light a and closer to the audience. So in its HD growth, launching four HD networks, of HD shows for collectors and enthusiasts of Beamsplitter rig can be. as the camera got closer to him, offering simulcasts of its flagship Discovery all things motorized. The block has been so his position in relationship to the Channel, Animal Planet, The Science Channel well received that we will expand TURBO to screen remained the same, but and TLC with plans to launch simulcast HD air twice a week later this fall. my Focus Puller Gary Ushino was services for two additional networks in 2008. With 14 HD channels worldwide, in his own world keeping the HD subscribers will now be able to enjoy Discovery is the leading international provider subject in focus regardless of my their favorite programs in stunning 1080i clar- of high-definition networks. It’s a format I interocular (IO) convergence. ity including the danger, excitement and filth predict will someday totally replace the NTSC Other shots like big sweeps, of Discovery Channel’s hit series Deadliest format we know today in the US – making HD HD I intentionally kept the conver- Catch and Dirty Jobs; the adventures of TLC’s the standard definition in television. gence in the same place - 26 ft much loved Roloff family from Little People Clint Stinchcomb is Executive Vice President & out in front of the camera with Big World; all the antics and drama of Animal General Manager, Discovery Emerging Networks Planet’s Meerkat Manor; and the wonder and Group. 22 23 looked directly at me. At that moment I real- adore. We also got our money shot of wolves ized that in Texaco’s world, I wasn’t at the top howling at the moon (I am sure I have been of the food chain. I didn’t feel like the pepper asked for that shot over 100 times in the years spray and hot wire were much of an obstacle I have been licensing footage), and it was a for a 300 pound tiger. After a nerve-racking cold chicken treat reward for the wolves. I 10 minutes of shooting the cantankerous cat, suppose they do not have a sweet tooth. I decided to give Texaco the rest of the after- KAOS Entertainment is a Los Angeles noon off and moved on.” based Production Company, owned and After taking a break from the heat of the operated by Rob Englehardt and John day, wolves, more bears and baby mountain Scheer. The company’s credits include some lions were scheduled for the afternoon. With of the highest rated specials and series for the wolf pack not yet fed they were hungry U.S. Networks including WE, FOX, SCI-FI for a deer carcass given to “Yosemite”, anoth- Channel, Discovery, Travel Channel, TLC and er grizzly, and fought him for the meat. Here Animal Planet. were the action and the animal aggression Animals of Montana, Inc. is a full service shots we had hoped for. wildlife-casting agency located near West In stock footage clients most often ask Yellowstone National Park. With experienced for either “animal aggression” or “cute and and enthusiastic staff, they specialize in funny animals”. While he was not able to get trained behaviors such as stalking, snarling, a money shot of a growling tiger, Rob was playing, fighting, and running, without using able to capture 8 week and 5-month-old lion snares, leashes or fences. HD mountain kittens tumbling and playing, which Paula Lumbard is founder and president of our clients who make baby products will FootageBank HD Growling Photo by Poppy Englehardt For Marshmallows by Paula Lumbard

inematographers tell me that W.C. The day started at 6:30 in the morning Fields had a saying “Never shoot with giant grizzly bear Adam responding dra- Ckids or animals.” This makes sense of matically to commands to charge the camera course as both are unpredictable and capri- as well as snarl, growl, and swat. Rewards of cious which is why stock footage of aggres- marshmallows and hot dogs kept Adam inter- sive animal behavior is prized by those of us ested. who deal in the footage business. Next came the tiger, which proved the In July, director and cinematographer point that wild animals, whether in captivity or Rob Englehardt, also partner and president of in the wilderness, are always wild. It was get- KAOS Entertainment (and FootageBank HD ting to be noon and very hot so Texaco the supplier), traveled to the ranch of Troy Hyde, tiger was taken to a nearby pond in the hopes owner and trainer of “Animals of Montana,” that a swim would cool him down for the to shoot aggressive animal behavior for the camera. Rob who has shot all over the world FootageBank HD library. and in very dangerous situations said it was Choosing to shoot grizzly bears, wolves the only time he has been afraid for his life and tigers (our more commonly requested while on a project. Englehardt: “The cat was animal footage), Rob shot for a full day using released into a pond with an electric “hot” the Sony 900 with a 4.7 wide angle lens often wire circling a 50 square-foot area. I set up at 1/1000th of a second so that later we could right behind the wire and a trainer armed with slow down the action of the animals but still pepper spray. Texaco immediately started have the crispness that HD affords. stalking one of the trainers, then turned and

24 Photo by Poppy Englehardt 25 Forum by hdtvsteve sechrist

Sony Pictures’ “Citizen Videographers”

Yes, the “digital age” really Television, the IMPROV a modicum of training to put does change everything. The Comedy Lab and others. “eyes” everywhere in the evidence is all around us, It doesn’t stop there, as community—for a fraction of local broadcast news being access to Sony’s distribution the traditional ENG (electronic fed not by your traditional network is also in the offing. news gathering) cost. ENG (electronic news gath- Successful citizen videogra- In the meantime, YouTube ering) professionals, but an phers will find opportunities and other social networking army of “citizen journalists” to syndicate content on the / video content sharing sites empowered by low-cost high- PlayStation Portable (PSP) and came along empowered by resolution digital cameras and the internet and again—the trained by the local stations low cost, high quality digital to put “eyes” everywhere in content that can be created the community. Now Sony today ala the digital revolu- Pictures Entertainment (SPE) tion. Steve Sechrist is announced a new “open stu- What we are really seeing an editor/analyst dio” approach akin to this, in this latest Sony announce- at Insight Media, a looking to create “citizen vid- ment is the confluence of sev- technology based eographers” to produce con- eral factors. Mass, ubiquitous media firm specializing tent for its “Crackle” stream- distribution (internet), content in large format and ing entertainment network— creation / capture technology, micro display and and perhaps serve as a kind of (digital video cameras etc.) related industries. farm system to breed the next and a generation of digital generation of entertainment a host of other web distribu- gear head kids all raised on a talent. tion sites. Sony said the busi- healthy helping of first video, Unlike the content of ness model is paid-advertiser then digital games and other YouTube that is “undifferenti- based, with some new and content, making it as natural ated” Crackle’s intent is to creative ideas in the pipe. a medium of expression to put the power of the Sony For its part, “Citizen them—as pen, paper and Studio behind specific citizen journalism” started with a few typewriter are to pre-digital projects, some commissioned, local broadcast stations in generation fogies like me. some given incentives and markets like Nashville (WTNH) So bring on the next shepherded by the studio’s and Santa Rosa (KFTY) facing digital entertainment wave. editorial staff. The company the continued loss of local Technology has opened the said the best new video cre- coverage due to ever-shrink- door and the citizens are ators will receive funding, ing budget cuts. Some vision- responding in kind. What a promotion, syndication, and ary network risk takers willing fantastic time to be alive, even tie-ins with the mammoth SPE to engage viewers as “citizen for us pre-digital generation empire including Sony Pictures video-journalists” began arm- fogies. HD Animation group, Imageworks, ing local viewers with high- Columbia Pictures, Sony resolution video cameras and 26 HD Concert Tech FlitePak

By William Wheeler b y Lowell Kay or a recent Taylor Hicks concert at the he performed at the Warren Haynes benefit Warfield in San Francisco, Bennett concert for Habitat for Humanity in Ashville, hd Productions handled all the HD video NC. A series of conversations between Hicks, F and 5.1 audio production on-site and brought his management and Bennett producer Blake post back to its sister company HD/LA to Morrison led to the company’s handling at the deliver a 90 minute concert special to air this San Francisco venue. Color in a Projection Environment fall on HD Net. “Taylor loved the work we did at the ben- At the heart of the production company’s efit concert and wanted to convey that same HD capabilities is its ‘FlitePak’ system that cinematic look,” says Morrison. puts a network-quality production up and The lighting crew used the existing ‘rock running anywhere in the world in a matter of ‘n roll’ fixtures and added more white light We have been searching for hours. The FlitePak is easily loaded onto any to capture the nuances of the performers’ the perfect way to present commercial airline or truck, goes anywhere in expressions while avoiding any ‘blown out’ color grading to our clients for the world, and operates in limited space, all results which are the pitfall to inadequately lit digital cinema and broadcast with exceptional cost efficiency. HD productions. television, so we created a For the Taylor Hicks event, Director Eric Production communications were han- digital 2K theater with Color Cochran was given complete directorial con- dled seamlessly via the RTS PS-31 3-channel on the front end for grading trol over the multiple camera feeds (Sony communications system, along with an array shots. F-900 HD cameras/1080i formats, 23.98p) of wireless mics fibred to cameras and a por- Apple’s Color software connected by fiber optics providing power, table Mackie for on-site mixing. allows you to grade in 4:4:4, signal, gen-lock, time code, two-way commu- Being able to set up the video control but only displays its output nications, and complete camera control all by center inside the venue also proved to be a way of two plasma screen visuals. Audio cov- plus for Hicks, who was able to merely walk with a single link 4:2:2 HD sig- erage was handled by the industry-standard over to video operations to check the shots nal. It is only a matter of time Digidesign 120-channel Venue System. and the mix during rehearsals rather than Lowell Kay is the until Color is able to pass a Taylor Hicks was introduced to Bennett have to go to a truck parked behind the founder and president true dual link signal, but until Productions’ location HD capabilities when stage. HD of Hollywood’s top then, we have to create 3D through Apple’s new software will store the same data as post-production and LUTs (Look Up Tables) that Color. Since each program the projector’s output. Grass motion picture film emulate the full color space must work with each other, we Valley has a device called a servicing company, while using this product. use the same G5 computer Luther, which stores this data The DR Group. Below is a solution that and pass all signals except the and allows the signal to be www.thedrgroup.com allows you to grade with con- projector’s through an AJA converted, thus introducing 323-960-1781 fidence and lay back the infor- Kona 3. the LUT from the projector mation to tape correctly or to Once we were able to into the signal path to the transfer the data for film outs. verify that the primary, sec- final output, in this case an In preparation for judg- ondary, ramps, scanned mate- HDCAM SR deck with 4:4:4 ing the color properly on rial and video matched to dual link. the screen, we first measure both outputs (Final Cut Pro & If we were to finish on the projected color with a Color) we load this data into film instead of tape, our LUT spectra radiometer. This is the projector and then check information is sent with the done with three outputs: 1. the outputs again. data on disk to the film out Color produced by the Barco Because the LUT is on facility, where they apply this DP90 projector itself; 2. Color the projector and not Final information to the data and produced through Final Cut Cut Pro’s output, we have to then film out the finished Pro; and 3. Color produced introduce another device that product. HD 28 29 THE CONSUMER FRONT by hdtvDALE CRIPPS

Preparing Consumers for the Digital Television Transition

“We need to get the digital public safety announcements, acknowledged Inouye grimly. Photo courtesy of Steve Jennings transition right.” Senator and their community unless “We have seen working Daniel Inouye they get a converter box and groups, conferences, tip Christina Aguilera and AJA’s The Senate Commerce attach it to their television. Yet sheets, and a converter box Committee on Science and far too few of these consum- coupon plan. What we do Transportation held yet anoth- ers know that the transition … not have yet is a public that is er hearing on July 26, 2007 on is underway.” aware that the digital transi- the digital television transition. Inouye pointed to a June tion is taking place. 2007 edition of the National The time to act is now,” Xena With only eighteen months Journal which claimed that declared the senior Hawaiian by Jennifer Wolfe only 10 percent of the nation’s legislator, “before the digital citizens know that the DTV transition devolves into digi- hristina Aguilera’s “Back to Basics” different editing houses onto his transition is slated for 2009. tal disaster. We must work tour features dramatic video foot- system and position the clips “Many stakeholders in indus- together to ensure that no citi- Cage displayed on giant, wraparound within the templates. Then he try, in government and in our zen is left behind in the transi- screens. Behind the scenes, veteran video manipulates the clips using Adobe Dale Cripps is the remaining until shut off of all engineer Jason Harvey helps bring the show Premiere Pro and Adobe After publisher of HDTV analog terrestrial broadcasting communities are engaged in tion to digital television.” to life, combining pre-created videos with the Effects, color correcting them for Magazine, the first (switching to all-digital) there well-intended efforts to publi- While the list of things publication in the cize and promote the upcom- that stand accomplished live event on two systems, an HP 8400 run- consistency and creating compos- is a frightening recognition ning AJA’s XENA 2K card, and an HP 8200 world dedicated to ing transition. To date, how- by the transition partners is ites of the video streams for each the consumer of High that the public has yet to be with the XENA LS. screen before rendering them out ever, their efforts have yielded impressive, it remains up to Definition programming informed about it. Senator “The XENA 2K gives me the flexibility I for play during the show. and hardware, and too few results.” each and every one of us to need to work on-the-fly regardless of format,” Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) Harvey also provides on-site Photo courtesy of Short & Spikey the founder and opened the hearing with a fist Several representatives aid our families and friends - explains Harvey. “With some of the material editing for any extra material president of the High full of “facts”. from Washington institutions those who are less-than clear shot on film, we can bring those files directly needed on the tour—such as show clips—for Definition Television took the microphone and minded - in doing what must from telecine onto a hard drive—Mac or posting on the web. “Normally, something Veteran video engineer Association of America. “Between 15 and 21 mil- reeled off a long list of who be done to keep their over- PC—and ingest them straight into the edit like this would be created back in LA, New Jason Harvey behind the hdtvmagazine@ lion households,” he said, suite. Everything goes right up onto the ilovehdtv.com “rely exclusively on over-the- they had contacted in their the-air television services com- York or London, which takes extra time,” scenes of Aguilera’s Back screen, in real time, so we can immediately explains Harvey. “But now I can handle every- to Basics concert tour. air television. Many more effort to reach the old folks, ing. It is YOU who will make see what’s working, and what isn’t.” thing on-site, which means we can get new have second and third over- the indigent, and the befud- a bigger difference in this dled along with those who transition than will a handful Harvey’s job is two-fold: in addition elements up and running right away.” HD the-air sets in their homes. to preparing pre-edited video content, he just don’t give a damn about of non-stakeholder populated Jason Harvey is the founder of Short and Spikey, In February 2009, these streams and controls live video captured dur- change. committees waving arms and a UK-based full-service creative video company Americans could see their ing each show. Harvey created pre-loaded “Managing the transi- flags in Washington. HD specializing in live music events. www.shortand- televisions go dark, discon- templates allowing multiple video sources to spikey.com. necting them from news, tion is by no means easy,” playback on a single screen, and uses AJA’s Jennifer Wolfe is a publicist working with Raz XENA 2K card to load material from several Public Relations, www.razpr.com. 30 31 JVC-3289 HD200-8.25x10.75 4/24/07 2:40 PM Page 1

You asked. We listened. We delivered.

JVC’s new 200 series. JVC’s new 200 series is the result of television networks, news organizations and top cinematographers telling us precisely what they wanted in a production camera. Now you HD/SD-SDI with embedded audio (GY-HD250) Studio-capable can experience high-end performance in a The uncompressed full-resolution 4:2:2 signal can be The highly versatile GY-HD250 output via the built-in HD-SDI and analog terminals, can easily be converted to a compact, professional, high-definition providing an ideal feed to a video server, HD switcher cost-effective studio camera camcorder that’s comparable in cost to or microwave link. with an adapter. the SD equipment you’ve been using. Be first-to-air by using the optional hard drive that records in the native file format that your editing system requires. Add to that benefit, 720/60p capture and recording capabilities, and you’ll see that JVC’s new GY-HD200U and GY-HD250U are perfect for shooting the next generation of HD news, documentaries, multi-camera shows and indies.

More of the features you asked for: • Microwave-ready MPEG-2 HDTV output via IEEE 1394 • Native 1280x720p CCDs • Multiple frame rate recording: 24, 25, 30, 50, & 60p • Record on tape and/or HDD • Studio option with CCU (250 only)

JVC’s ProHD 200 Series. Discover Multiple lens choices Fujinon and Canon provide a wide the new world of HD production. Broadcast-grade Super Encoder range of professional HD lenses JVC’s 200 Series features a built-in and adapters to choose from. For a FREE encoder that can provide a 19.7Mbps application MPEG-2 encoded output for microwave and satellite feeds, eliminating the need brochure and for expensive external encoders – perfect details, call for live HD remotes! High-end image quality 1-800-582-5825 An improved wideband front end or visit us at produces sharper images with www.jvc.com/pro less noise than competing models.