Tag Archives: filmmaking

The Weekend numbers explosion

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According to a post at the Long Tail, it would seem that Hollywood is doing its best to hide the fact that blockbusters are few and far in between.

I first posted about Hollywood’s plans to produce fewer movies last year. Now it seems they’ll also be massaging the numbers as well.

According to post (a reader who requested anonymity said):

I happened to be riding to work with an exec from one of the major studios this morning, and he mentioned that the studios are increasingly making deals with theaters to inflate opening numbers. In particular, they will give the theaters very high revenue share for the first X days of the movie (he mentioned 100% for the first 3 days), incentivizing the theater to maximize the number of screens the movie’s shown on, inflating opening numbers.

The particular example of Superman and Pirates were actually the ones he brought up – that Superman’s decline was partially due to the theathers’ incentive period running out.

I have no idea how true or prevalent this is, but something you might want to look into. This would be done for movies which the studio considers potential “hits”, increasing discrepancy between them and normal movies.

Funny, I don’t think I heard Bryan Singer mention it in his Superman interview.

I’m still hopeful that the explosion of user-generated content will severely erode the blockbuster’s share of the pie. Remains to be seen if Google Video will finally launch their marketplace for indie producers.

Panasonic HVX200 gets an award

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Panasonic HVX200Now, we all know HVX200 deserves an award. An award for making dreams come true for a lot of guys in video production and indie filmmaking.

There’s nothing wrong with getting a few “official” awards as well. On July 10, Panasonic got Bronze IDEA awarded to the AG-HVX200 for excellence in design”. Here’s the press release:

SECAUCUS, NJ (July 10, 2006) – Panasonic Broadcast announced that its high definition, solid state memory AG-HVX200 hand-held camcorder has received a bronze in the 2006 Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) competition for the best designed product in business and industry.

Dislaimer: About IDEA
Celebrating its 26th year, the IDEAs are dedicated to fostering business and public understanding of the importance of industrial design excellence to the quality of life and the economy. The IDEAs are co-sponsored by BusinessWeek and the IDSA, a nonprofit association that represents the profession of industrial design to education, business, government and the public and serves the profession’s needs for information and networking.

Panasonic HVX200

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Finally! The specs for the Panasonic HVX200 have been sent to a couple of review sites. If you’re in a video production company or (even better) an aspiring filmmaker, you should start taking notes.

Update: You can already get REAL footage from the HVX200, even footage at 60p (frame rates supported by HVX200). The camera should be available in stores, so you might also want to get my recommendations for accessories for HVX200.

Here’s a summary of the important features introduced with the new Panasonic HVX200. I’ll prioritize them for you.

Panasonic HVX200Variable frame rates
Panasonic HVX200 supports a variety of frame rates just like Panasonic’s Varicam (AJ-HDC27). In 720p, the HVX200 records not only in the most popular 24p, 30p, and 60p, but almost any rate between 4 and 60 as well. One limitation is that his flexibility is reserved for 720p.

When we jump up to 1080p, the camera still delivers TRUE 24p – which is amazing considering none of the HDV cams in the same price range support it. Click here for more on HVX200 frame rates.

Robust format
Panasonic HVX200′s HD format is called DVCPRO-HD. The difference between DVCPRO-HD and HDV is about 4 to 1 in terms of data throughput. DVCPRO-HD supports data rates of up to 100Mbps. This allows the camera to record video without applying as much compression as the HDV cameras do. Another advantage in terms of format is the support of 4:2:2 color space – again linked to the 100Mbps allowance. The DVCPRO-HD has been around for several years and has been used in the Varicam.

In addition to the HD format, Panasonic HVX200 also supports standard DV, as well as DVCPRO50 (Panasonic’s more professional DV format with a much lower compression ratio).

Tapeless recording (P2)
The argument tape vs, memory is still raging on. On the negative side, memory is very expensive compared to tape. An 8GB P2 chip that can hold about 10 minutes of HD (depending on frame rate) is going to cost you $1,700. On the positive, it’s quick, durable, and best of all – bound to become cheaper. SONY has pioneered a disc system – XDCAM – which is similar but naturally, cheaper because it uses Blu-Ray discs (27GB).

Panasonic HVX200 takes advantage of its data recording medium in several ways. First, you start recording immediately after you hit the button. In fact, it’s better than that. P2 allows you to start recording BEFORE you hit the button. The memory will buffer 3-7 seconds of video, so even if you don’t have split-second reactions, you’ll be able to capture action flawlessly.

Another advantage is the ability to transfer files directly to your computer (or you could back them up to Firewire drives). During shooting you can also mark takes which you like so that you can start editing in seconds.

Lens and controls
HVX200′s lens is a 13x Leica which compares favourably to SONY FX1. The zoom ring is full manual which is another big plus. Both JVC GY-HD100U and the upcoming Canon XL H1 have interchangeable lenses although the availability and variety of quality lenses is still in question.

Audio
Panasonic HVX200′s more robust format (DVCPRO-HD) allows four uncompressed channels of 16-bit 48Khz quality audio (or two stereo pairs). This is a BIG change from the HDV format.

Final verdict (based on specs)
Panasonic has created a worthy successor to the DVX100. HVX200 excels in all areas and it could be hard for a HDV camera to compete, especially, when you consider the price. At $5,995, it’s only marginally more expensive than SONY Z1 (50 bucks more) but offers a lot more. It’s much cheaper than the interchangeable lens cameras – Canon XL H1 and JVC GY-HD100U.

That’s until you consider the cost for the media. At $1,700 per a pop, 8GB P2′s are going to be a TOUGH sell. In a year’s time, it’ll probably be 2-4 times cheaper, so don’t start stocking on P2s just now. If $6,000 is too much for you, you could get Sony HC1 for less than $1,500 – it’s a more affordable, entry-level HDV camcorder. The bigger and better Sony FX1 is midway (at $3,000 it’s perfect for wedding videography) between the Hc1 and HVX200.

Update: Check out this USB 1.1 vs USB 2.0 speed comparison.

Email: Is HVX200 enough?

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I get quite a few emails from people interested in becoming indie producers and filmmakers. Here’s one:

Panasonic HVX200 (Front): offers variable framerates at 720p

Thank you for your webpage and all the valuable information it contains. I had a question please: I want to be a totally independent guerrilla filmmaker, and was wondering if
the Pansonic HVX200 would be good enough a camera to start with? Is the true 24P the most important factor here?

I had intended to shoot with an HD camera of some sort, and then use the software that gives video that
“film look”.

I appreciate your time and assistance. Thank you.

My answer:

Thanks for writing. I think independent film making goes beyond the hardware. It’s true that HVX200 will get you closer to getting filmlike video than say … Sony FX1. However, film and video are two very different media and you cannot expect a $20,000 production to look like a $20,000,000. It’s bound to look “different.”

That’s why, I think you should pick a subject matter that will let you “exploit” the advantages of the digital medium and hopefully mask its weaknesses. For example, you might want to try a “reality” format for your feature. Intrusive, in-your-face camerawork with a lot of close-ups will put emphasis on video’s strengths (check out Waterborne at Google Video).

Hint: Get diffusion filters, if you plan close-ups as video is quite unforgiving to ANY skin imperfections. A good make-up artists is a plus!

I encourage you to rent HVX200 for a weekend and plan a shoot around it. There’s no better way of managing your own expectations for the final result. Once you see the results, you can either select another cam or perhaps change your script a bit to accommodate the specific “look” you get from the camera.

Remember that high-end cameras give you flexibility and protect against errors but at the end, all cameras are the same. I’ve seen some amazing photos coming out of Kodak’s single-use cameras. It’s just that a high-end Canon gives you consistency and flexibility. The same thing applies to camcorders as well.

Hope that makes sense :)

SXSW showcases HVX200

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Panasonic HVX200There’s a report at Cinema Minima that while guys from Apple and Panasonic were setting up an Apple G5 / HVX200 combo. The point of the exercise is obviously to showcase how well HVX200 integrates with Apple’s new mac.

If you’re attending SXSW, you might want to check out some of the movie premieres as well. They boast “115 features, 50 of which are World Premieres.” Not exactly equal to Sundance’s selection but nonetheless impressive. Here’s the schedule.