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Panasonic AJ-HDC27V HD Cinema™ Camera

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• Panasonic AJ-HD150 DVCPRO HD Studio VTR

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 2001) -- Independent, Los Angeles-based filmmaker Chris Doyle recently shot a short subject narrative film with Panasonic Broadcast's new AJ-HDC27V variable frame rate progressive HD CinemaTM camera. The AJ-HDC27V allows digital cinematographers to capture 24-frame high-definition progressive scanned images with film-like sensitivity over a wide variety of frame rates.

The short, entitled "Norman J. Lloyd," chronicles the plight of a homeless man in view of his successful past career as classical guitarist whose career was cut short by an accident incurred while saving a child's life. Shot on location in Los Angeles last month, it stars Dimitri Diatchenko as Norman. Producer/director/writer Doyle, a veteran second-unit director and stunt coordinator, is editing the piece for film festival submission.

Doyle said, "The AJ-HDC27V represents a remarkable expansion of a filmmaker's toolkit. The resolution is incredible, and I particularly like the ability to overcrank or undercrank. Because the AJ-HDC27V writes (to tape) at 60p, material is easy to edit--you get live 2:3 pull down and eliminate posting problems typical of 24p. Any eventual tape-to-film transfer will pose no difficulty."

Providing great economy, long recording times and a refreshing ease of use, the AJ-HDC27V offers 24 frame per second capture for acquisition of exquisite film-like images. And with its unique variable-frame selectivity, cinematographers can choose from a wide range of other frame rates - including 4 to 33-fps (in one frame increments) 36-fps, 40-fps and 60-fps providing the capability to "overcrank" or "undercrank" the camera to achieve fast or slow-motion effects. This is the first time this traditional film technique has been applied to a high-definition digital camera system.

"'Norman's' Director of Photography, Tom Eckelberry noted, "I was amazed at the camera's 1000 ASA speed--it's extremely light sensitive and renders colors wonderfully. I used a 15" computer monitor on location, and saw what I considered a 1:1 rendition of what I was shooting. I couldn't have asked for a camera to give me a better interpretation of this piece."

He continued, "I lit as I would for film, and the AJ-HDC27V responded like a champ. Our first location was in North Hollywood on a very hot spring weekend. I didn't silk the actors, as I wanted to show the heat in Norman's tough environment. I was ecstatic about what I shot-the dynamic range of this camera shortened the contrast ratio difference between film and past video considerably. In general, I got by on minimal lighting and shot from the camera's presets, selecting -3dB as the best setting for digital-to-film transfers.

"I utilized the variable shutter, and really liked it. We shot at the Fourth and Sixth St. bridges--a pretty rundown section of Los Angeles. At one point, Chris and I wanted to show that Norman exists in a world of his own, and that everything around him seems to move at a different pace. So we undercranked, shot some 'walking' scenes at 3, 6 and 12-fps, and were able to realize the desired effect. It's great to be able to that in the field, not in the lab or in post."

In post, Doyle will use Panasonic's AJ-HD150 DVCPRO HD VTR to downconvert the native 1280 x 720 progressive material to 525 line standard definition for an off-line edit, and will then produce masters in both HD and film for festival submissions. A truly flexible digital camera, the AJ-HDC27V's progressive images can be directly converted to film avoiding unnecessary frame rate conversions. By utilizing Panasonic's AJ-HD3700 D-5 HD Studio Mastering VTR, images can be converted to 1080p/24 -- a Universal Master from which 25fps PAL programming can be easily derived. The AJ-HDC27V can also create "motion-blur" and "warp-speed" special effects in real-time by shooting at very low frame rates without shutter. The camera's shutter speeds automatically track frame rate changes, ensuring consistency throughout the shoot.

The AJ-HDC27V HD Cinema camera records for 46 minutes on DVCPRO HD format large-size cassettes and provides exceptional sensitivity-at 24fps its equivalent ASA speed rating is approximately 1000 (without shutter) or F13@2000 lux. Capable of shooting in a wide range of light-level conditions, the AJ-HDC27V's programmable gain preamplifier can be set to optimize signal levels--operators can choose from -6 dB to +36 dB in 12 steps. Its advanced color correction scheme utilizes a 12-pole color matrix that allows very specific colors to be set without affecting the overall picture color imagery. The camera offers a selection of 12 separate camera set-ups, which can be saved internally or on a removable memory card.

Other production-oriented features include Interval Recording, a time-lapse function that allows for a recording duration of 10 frames to 59 seconds with a pause duration (interval) from 2 seconds to 24 hours. Power consumption is a low 32 watts (39 watts fully operational with lens, VF, VTR active, and SDI output active). Two SMPTE 292M HD-SDI outputs permit direct monitoring onto a 720p/60 compatible HD video monitor, or an SXGA resolution computer monitor via appropriate HD-SDI to 15pin VGA computer interface converter available from several 3rd party manufacturers. If required, 10-bit resolution, full bandwidth recordings of the HD-SDI outputs may also be made directly to Panasonic's D-5 HD Studio Mastering format.

"PANASONIC TAKES AIM AT THE FILM COMMUNITY"

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