SMPTE Small Format HD Session

FIRST HDV material used in feature film theatrical release. "FEVER PITCH" by the Farrelly Brothers starring Drew Barrymore & Jimmy Fallon.

It was a Saturday evening in February. I was working late at the office when the call came for a High Definition camera on location in Santa Monica on Sunday morning. The producers wanted a very small, portable HD camera that could move among kids and big dogs without intimidating them.

They also needed an experienced HD camera operator. I suggested the Sony HVR-Z1U and described its small size and high quality picture and offered my services. Having recently taken the first Band Pro Z1U HDV Seminar led by Jeff Cree, I was very comfortable using the camera. Though I was already familiar with the CineAlta F-900 camera, Jeff's class illustrated the best way to use the Z1U HDV 1080i camera in various situations.

Arriving at the location I was informed that the footage was going to be used at the end of "FEVER PITCH," after the credits. "FEVER PITCH" is the Farrelly Brother's comedy about love and Red Sox bas eball. The shoot went very smoothly. The kids and dogs that made up the cast were great. Having the on-camera color LCD screen allowed for viewing by the director while we were shooting as well as during playback. Though not a true high definition screen, it still gives one a good idea of lighting and framing in a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Peter Farrelly approved the footage and you can see the sequence play after the final credit roll in your local theatre or on DVD when its released for home video.

People I've talked with who saw the movie in the theatre did not realize it was HD video, as they felt it blended seamlessly with the rest of the movie footage. For post production, the HDV 1080i 25 frame footage was cross converted to 1080p 23.98 using the Sony M10U HDV VTR , an AJA HD10a converter and the Sony F500 HDCAM VTR. The post work was done by Matt Radecki at Different by Design and G.E.P. in West Los Angeles.

Just two weeks ago I was hired to shoot a "BEHIND THE SCENES" and "MAKING OF" documentary on a major AXE men's aftershave TV spot starring Ben Affleck. The spot will play worldwide with the exception of the USA. The crew for the spot film shoot was sixty-four with a cast of up to fifty. My crew was two: myself on the Z1U camera and my audio person. The agency was thrilled with the HDV footage. I overheard Ben Affleck asking the spot Director of P hotography why they weren't shooting in High Def. I believe that Ben is an advocate for HD production.