Digital Video - December 2008 - (Page 28)

CRYPTO CAMERAWORK you can record to a DVCPRO HD deck and bypass the HDV compression. For a couple grand, that camera makes beautiful images, and if you can bypass HDV, it’s hard to beat that price for that quality. During producperts setting tion on season one, we did an episode where we needAngling in on ex of th the hope camera traps wi ed some digital video engineers as experts, and I got to monsters. photographing meet some of the guys from Panasonic and see their gear. I really fell for the HDX900.” angry that I was putting him on. I didn’t get to follow the The show is recorded in 24p 1080 on DVCPRO HD tape. Phillips tracks that day, but that discovery started me on an entirely new life’s admits to occasionally breaking out a C-camera. “I’m a little embartrack. Now I produce shows that primarily center on cryptozoology.” rassed to admit it, but I have incorporated the Sony HDR-SR10 on the Cryptozoology, the study of mythical and legendary creatures, is show a few times. It’s a tiny consumer camera, but it’s great for getwhat MonsterQuest is all about. Moving into its third season, the ting into tight spaces and for places where you don’t want to risk the show strives to use textbook science and forensic techniques to prove larger cameras. I’ve put the HDR-SR10 into a plastic bag and dunked the existence of unusual creatures — from man-eating snakes to the it into the water to create monster POVs — and it works great! It Chupacabra, from Nessie and Bigfoot to the giant squid. shoots 30p and is AVCHD, but once you convert that to DVCPRO HD “When I was a child, giant squid were a legend — a total BS leg24p in post, the results are great from such an inexpensive camera!” end that I was fascinated with,” continues MonsterQuest creator Onboard the Panasonic AJ-HDX900, Phillips often uses a Panasonic Hajicek. “As an adult, I had a chance to produce a show about BT-LH80W monitor, a small 7.9" LCD. “They’re great monitors,” he searching for giant squid! I came up with the idea of attaching a attests. “I love the built-in waveform. That’s an invaluable tool that I camera to a squid and seeing where it goes, a kind of Trojan animal, can’t live without anymore. When we do all the reenactments, you to help uncover what we couldn’t otherwise see. I used a well camhave to check your exposure, make sure you’re within legal limit and era — designed for examining deep-water wells — which was small, so forth, so having an onboard waveform is really fantastic.” had attached lighting and was designed for high-pressure environPhillips carries a small package of Mole-Richardson tungsten fixments. We attached it via harness to a live squid that we caught and tures with him. Generally two 2K Baby Junior Fresnels, a 1K Baby released, and we wound up capturing that squid swimming by the Fresnel, and a small compliment of Tweenies (650W) and Inkie largest squid ever recorded — estimated to be up to 108' long! (250W) fixtures. The package is rounded out with a compliment of When I was a kid, this was a legendary creature, then 40 years later C-stands and various grip gear. “I have about 6,000 watts of lights I wind up capturing evidence that they actually exist!” with me at most times,” he says. “Pretty much all of the lighting I do They aren’t always as lucky on MonsterQuest, but each show is tungsten, just for the mere fact that it’s lighter, cheaper and easier employs scientists and experts to examine any evidence surrounding a to transport. I’d love to have a 4K HMI in the package, but we just mythical creature. When they are dealing with sightings and experiences don’t have the budget or space. Also, these Mole-Richardsons take a that took place in the past, Hajicek turns to director/cameraman Tom lot of abuse and they keep working. I’ve dropped a few down severPhillips to produce dramatic reenactments of the eyewitness experiences al flights of stairs and picked them up at the bottom and they light for each episode, in addition to taking on select investigations. right up — amazing fixtures.” Phillips got his start as a director/cameraman in commercials and “A lot of people don’t realize we’ve documented only 1.8 million music videos, and brings his experience as a hyphenate to the creatures on this planet and that scientists estimate we have another MonsterQuest production. “The show needs a certain look, they 30 million yet to discover,” explains Hajicek. “In some instances, need to add the monster into the quest, and that’s where I come in,” there have been well over 4,000 credible sightings of mythical or legsays Phillips. “I add that sense of atmosphere. It’s all right endary creatures, and there’s a strong possibility that creatures we up my alley. I love this stuff.” now consider to be imaginary will someday be discovered as new MonsterQuest shoots primarily with a Panasonic AJspecies. It’s the advent of digital technology and the refinement of HDX900 and incorporates a Canon XL-H1 as a B-camstorage techniques that will aid, considerably, in the discovery of new era when necessary. “The HDX900 is a great camanimal species. I spend a lot of my day coming up with odd ideas to era. It’s a real workhorse,” attests Phillips. “When I incorporate new technology as evidence-gathering tools. People roll originally started with the show, it was all shot their eyes at me, saying, ‘You’re gonna put a camera on a squid?’ with Canon XL-H1s, which And I say, ‘You betcha!’ It’s often laughable, but these out-of-the-box are really nice — especially ideas of how to incorporate new technology are what lead us to with the SDI output where some really extraordinary discoveries.” DV 28 dv december 2008 www.dv.com http://www.dv.com

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Digital Video - December 2008 Contents DV Expo Gallery First Look: Ultimate 35MM Lens Adapter Vidock GFX Pro Videostudio Pro X2 Instant Expert The Making of Roman Close-up: Dave Ruddick Crypto Camerawork Click To Play DV101 Production Diary

Digital Video - December 2008

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