Filmmaker Enjoys Immediate Return on Camera Investment Shooting Feature Short, National Spots, Music and Corporate Videos
(SECAUCUS, NJ --April 10, 2006) - Los Angeles-based director/DP Evin Grant has owned his AG-HVX200 solid-state HD camcorder for less than three months, but he's already calling it "the Swiss Army Knife" of cameras for its all-purpose toolset and easy adaptability to the commercials, music videos, corporate projects, short films and features that keep him busy.
"The HVX200's versatility is a good fit for me," Grant said. "You can get multiple formats, multiple media and multiple looks with a flip of a switch. In my opinion, the HVX200 produces the most film-like images of all of the small HD cameras--Panasonic understands how to achieve a film-like image on video better than any other camera manufacturer. And the HVX200 adds variable frame rates, which are such an important tool in visual storytelling."
The HVX200 uniquely combines multiple high definition and standard definition formats, multiple recording modes and variable frames rates, and the vast benefits of P2 solid state memory recording in a rugged, compact design. The DVCPRO HD P2 camcorder offers contribution-quality HD with independent intra-frame encoding, 4:2:2 color sampling, and less compression, making HD content easier and faster to edit and more able to stand up to image compositing versus long GOP MPEG-2 systems.
Grant, who is represented for commercials, television and feature work by Blueyed Pictures, Inc., has been an enthusiastic proponent of Panasonic's 24p HD solutions. A still photographer who migrated to filmmaking, he initially shot 16mm film and says he couldn't find a video camera he wanted to spend his money on until Panasonic announced the DVX100. "It was immediately apparent to me how valuable it would be to have the ability to shoot the 24-frame rate on an affordable video camera," he said. "So I got a DVX100 the first week it was out, and by the second week I was using it to shoot an independent feature, ‘Fronterz,' starring Ted Danson, Blair Underwood and Henry Winkler. From the first footage we saw of the movie we were all blown away."
The DVX100 became Grant's primary video camera until he upgraded to a DVX100A. He also praised the performance of Panasonic's VariCam® HD Cinema and SDX900 DVCPRO50 24p cameras, which he employed as director/DP of five episodes of CMT's "Behind The Video" and "Total Access" documentary series.
When Grant previewed the HVX200 at NAB 2005 and later did some test shooting he discovered he "loved its workflow and image quality," and found "the feel of the camera was so intuitive for a DVX100 user." He placed an order, and when he booked two jobs for it before the camera arrived he rented an HVX200 to shoot a national spot for proflowers.com and a trio of corporate videos for Argent Financial. "Those jobs paid for the camera before I took delivery!" he said.
With the HVX200 now in hand Grant next used it to shoot two music videos. For The Ridaz's "Special Girl" video he served as technical advisor with the HVX200 mounted on a Porta-jib. For girl group Electrik Red's "Electrik City" video directed by Abdul Malik Abbott, Grant shot second camera to a Thomson Viper. "That was pretty eye-opening," he said, "because Viper is recognized as one of the best HD systems out there. But when we saw the HVX200 footage integrated with the Viper material there was total consistency between the two."
He also combined HVX200 footage with VariCam and high-speed digital camera footage as second camera operator on a California Governor's Athletic Council PSA on which Bruce Greene served as DP. "The VariCam and HVX200 footage mixed seamlessly," Grant noted. "You couldn't tell which was which."
Grant also DP'd most of a short film with the HVX200 and hopes to have the opportunity to use it on a new indie feature coming up in London.
Perhaps Grant's most unique application is using the HVX200 in tandem with his ProMax Systems' CobraCrane I Plus in a vehicle-to-vehicle camera car. He devised the Cobra system during the lensing of "Fronterz." "We wanted to do a couple of shots with a jib arm and had no money to rent one, but ProMax had a very affordable crane designed for smaller-format cameras which works with a regular tripod head and allows two-axis head movements. So we bought it and were able to do quite impressive camera moves inexpensively. We love the crane's simplicity and versatility--you can mount it to just about anything."
Grant mounts the Cobra in his SUV with the hatch secured in the open position. "It makes a nice shooting platform," Grant pointed out that he shot the short film with the HVX200 on the Cobra.
Grant likes the ability to "immediately review material at full resolution and full frame rate" from the camcorder. "With the Argent videos and one of the music videos we were able to match shots identically right then and there on the shoot. Filmmakers have been wanting that capability, and it's been a long time coming," he emphasized.
The director/DP, who records to DVCPRO HD with his HVX200, has absolute confidence in the P2 solid-state memory card. "I have two 8 GB P2 cards, and I'm planning to buy two more to boost my efficiency," he said. "I trust them more than tape. I know they won't fail, and they don't lock you into the workflow that videotape demands. You can design a workflow to meet your own needs."
Grant's workflow is designed around "a two-pronged approach" on an Apple Macintosh PowerBook G4 with 1.67 gHz processor and 1.5 GB RAM. The "studio prong" has the laptop tethered by a FireWire cable to the camera. A 1.6 TB Wiebe Tech RAID array is set up on a camera cart along with a 17-inch HD monitor. With this method Grant's footage is imported via the laptop to the hard drive which will be used by the video editor. "It's so refreshing to sit down with the editor and say, ‘Voila!' There's no tape loading, no dropouts, no dirt."
He added, "In a studio application there are always cables coming off the camera, so having one more for direct capture is not a problem at all. It simplifies the workflow by offering immediate playback of the clip you've just shot and by being immediately accessible to the editor."
Grant captured a series of interviews for the Giffoni Hollywood Festival in this fashion for use in the film festival's promos and bumpers. He hopes to convince cable's TV One network to pursue this method for its "One on One" celebrity interview series. "They're interested in upgrading to HD as inexpensively as possible," reported Grant. "It would be possible with three HVX200s tethered to laptops; I plan to do some proof of concept and then present to the network."
His "location prong" has someone on the laptop downloading the P2 card contents to a G Drive mini FireWire drive which serves as portable media. "It's a self-contained download system," Grant explained. "I'm not usually shooting in adverse conditions so the laptop works well. And I like having the clips there to review."
Grant said he finds the HVX200 tailor-made for a working DP, noting, "The focus assist is extremely useful and effective for handling focus in HD. That's been a challenge on the smaller cameras, which offer a lot of depth of field but still require a critical focus."
He typically uses the camcorder with a Chrosziel matte box, Vinten Vision 6 tripod, and a bridge plate and iris rods which he and colleague David Fairbanks have designed for it.
"I recommend the HVX200 to all my colleagues," said Grant. "The camera offers an enormous amount of value for money. It supersedes other smaller cameras, and I've made a career out of getting a lot of quality out of those cameras. Moreover, I'm incredibly confident shooting with the HVX200 as a second camera to larger cameras such as Viper and VariCam."
The ultra-versatile HVX200 records in 1080i and 720p in production-proven 100 Mbps DVCPRO HD quality, with the ability to capture images in 21 record modes. The DVCPRO HD format offers users cost-effective, intra-frame compression, where each frame stands on its own for editing, and its full 4:2:2 color sampling allows the image to hold up under color correction. The camera records video on a P2 card as IT-friendly MXF files in 1080/60i, 30p and 24p; in 720/60p, 30p and 24p; in 50Mbps DVCPRO50 and in 25Mbps DVCPRO or DV. The HVX200 can capture fast or slow action in 720p at various frame rates--the first time this function is available in a hand-held camera. The shooting frame rate in 720p native mode can be set for any of 11 steps between 12fps and 60fps including 24fps and 30fps.
For more information on the AG-HVX200, visit
http://www.panasonic.com/hvx200
About Panasonic Broadcast
Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is a leading supplier of broadcast and professional video products and systems. Panasonic Broadcast is a unit company of Panasonic Corporation of North America. The company is the North American headquarters of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) of Japan, and the hub of its U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations For more information on Panasonic Broadcast products, access the company's web site at www.panasonic.com/broadcast.
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