THE WORLD OF AMERICAN INDIAN DANCE, SHOT WITH PANASONIC VARICAM™ HD CINEMA CAMERA, PREMIERES ON NBC ON SATURDAY, APRIL 19 AT 3 P.M. (EST)/NOON (PST)
* Panasonic Variable Frame HD Cameras Help Oneida Indian Nation Production Company Preserve its Heritage in Riveting Documentary *
SECAUCUS, NJ (April 16, 2003) -- The World of American Indian Dance, a one-hour documentary produced by Four Directions Entertainment, an enterprise of the Oneida Indian Nation, will premiere on the NBC television network on Saturday, April 19th at 3:00 pm EST, 12 noon PST. Shot with Panasonic AJ-HDC27 VariCam™ high-definition cameras, this is the first-ever American Indian-produced documentary to air on a major television network.
The World of American Indian Dance introduces audiences to the beauty, athleticism, and competitive spirit of American Indian dance. Actor Peter Coyote provides a stirring narration to the documentary. Ray Halbritter (Oneida), Dan Jones (Ponca) and Sonny Skyhawk (Lakota) are executive producers; Jones is producer. Randy Martin directed and Patrick Blackard served as director of photography.
Panasonic's AJ-HDC27 VariCam replicates many of the key features of film-based image acquisition, including 24-frame progressive scan images, time lapse recording, and a wide range of variable frame rates (4-fps to 60-fps in single-frame increments) for "overcranked" and "undercranked" off-speed in-camera effects. The AJ-HDC27 VariCam also features CineGamma™ software that permits Panasonic's HD Cinema camera systems to more closely match the latitude of film stocks.
Producer Dan Jones said, "American Indian dance is this continent's oldest cultural tradition, with many of the country's 550 tribes and nations hosting gatherings commonly called 'powwows,' which are growing in popularity as both cultural and sporting events. Some powwows boast attendance of more than 50,000, such as Crow Fair in Montana, where we shot over 40 hours of dance footage and interviews."
Against this historic and spectacularly beautiful backdrop, the compelling story of America's first "performance artists" is told through dance. Whether inspired by revered animals, sacred places, or belief systems, American Indian dances span the gamut of human emotion and expression. These beautiful, energetic dances require the skill of an Olympic athlete, as powwow contestants must adhere to rigorous protocols to win championships.
The producers were determined to showcase the aesthetic beauty of the dances, the colorful regalia, and the breathtaking Crow Indian lands to the American viewing public. "For that reason," said executive producer Sonny Skyhawk, "Four Directions selected Panasonic's VariCam variable-frame high definition camera for primary photography, with the results providing an
extraordinary introduction to the beauties of this cultural expression."
The uncompressed edit was done on the HDBOXX editing system from BOXX Technologies, which supports Panasonic's VariCam variable frame rate camera.
Four Directions Entertainment is committed to creating more opportunities
for American Indians in the entertainment industry and to re-defining, through its productions, the perception of the "First Americans" on the continent. For more information about Four Directions Entertainment, visit
http://www.4d-enter.com
For more information on Panasonic's complete HD Cinema product lineup, visit
http://www.panasonic.com/hdworld
Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is a leading supplier of broadcast, professional video and presentation products and systems. Panasonic Broadcast is a unit company of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America, the principal North America subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC), one of the world's leading producers of electronic and electric products for consumer, business and industrial use. For more information on Panasonic Broadcast products, access the company's web site at
http://www.panasonic.com/broadcast
