Digital Video - March 2008 - (Page 25)

BY MATTHEW JEPPSEN B ased on the Japanese series Iron Chef lapel mike and is ready to begin taping. With the (1993-1999), which became a cult hit in the exception of the judges, U.S. after being rerun on the Food Network all the talent are rigged channel, Iron Chef America is a flurry of cooking with Sennheiser SK-50 creativity that pits seasoned “Iron Chefs” against beltpack transmitters talented challengers in a cooking battle of speed, and MKE-2 capsules. The judges are hard wired resourcefulness and skill. A secret ingredient is to the 64-channel Solid State Logic C-100 digital revealed, and one hour later each chef must audio console. The crew quickly tapes deliver a number of finished courses to be judged Samuelsson’s selection of today’s Iron Chef oppoby a panel of food critics and celebrity judges. Iron Chef Bobby Flay vs. nent: Bobby Flay. There are really two battles happening here: Marcus Samuelsson One between the chefs in Kitchen Stadium, and one on the other side of the lens as the show’s production team 9:30 AM: Moving quickly, the crew resets for a few takes of cocaptures the frenetic whirlwind of action. DV went behind the host Kevin Brausch introducing today’s judging panel. Meanwhile, Flay and Samuelsson convene with their kitchen scenes at Food Network’s New York City studios to experience staffs and the production crew shoots B-roll of steaming pots. the battle firsthand. Chef Flay seems ready for the action to start. Fans of the show already know that competing chefs have no prior knowledge of 9:00 AM: Arrival at Food Network’s facility at Chelsea Market, the battle’s secret ingredient. However, I’m informed that they are located in the Meatpacking District of New York. I’m ushered allowed to build a pantry of complimentary ingredients in through corporate offices and past a series of test kitchens to the advance, working only from a short list of secret ingredient hints. Iron Chef America battleground: Kitchen Stadium. It’s bustling Chef Flay makes his way over to me and shakes my hand. It’s with activity and appears much larger on TV than it is in reality. I clear from our short conversation that he is highly competitive. count eight Thomson multi-format Worldcams on the set, and can reach out and touch one of the two Stanton Jimmy-Jibs. Overhead are two robotic cameras from ACE Robotics. Though 9:38 AM: Show host (and chef in his own right) Alton Brown all the Grass Valley LDK 6000 cameras are HD-capable, I’m told rehearses his lines to himself. Focused and prepared, he nails the that the show is taped in SD. Executive producer Bruce Seidel says show intro, a push-in jib shot, on the first take. The director this choice is due in part to how the widescreen format affects requests a quick safety take, and then the crew moves on. I note close-up image framing. that Alton has live Internet access via his Apple laptop. He can also monitor all the camera feeds live on dual 30" Apple Cinema Displays, as well as the director’s live switch. 9:20 AM: Today’s challenger is Marcus Samuelsson, owner of New York’s Aquavit restaurant. He has been fitted with a wireless Flay and his team dig into their secret ingrediant while being covered from multiple angles. Q PHOTO BY MATTHEW JEPPSEN PHOTO BY MATTHEW JEPPSEN; ABOVE, COURTESY OF FOOD NETWORK www.dv.com dv march 2008 25 http://www.dv.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Digital Video - March 2008

Digital Video - March 2008 Contents DV Update Q&A Fest Circuit Instant Expert LP-Micro Light Fusion F2 Drive PPFP-3N Bag Ego Digital Imaging Light KE-79CC Boom & Fuzzy Close-Up: Honoring George Spiro Dibie, ASC Food Fight Key Thoughts on Chroma key DV101 Dynamic Duos First Look: A Big Serve Cameras & Courtrooms Ad Index Production Diary

Digital Video - March 2008

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