(SECAUCUS, NJ -- May 11, 2006) Panasonic's AG-HVX200 DVCPRO HD camcorder answered the call of Broadway when it played a key role in a new identity campaign for Live Nation's Touring Theatrical division, Broadway Across America (BAA), from Red Wagon Media, a boutique agency, branding company and production house in New York City. The HVX200 was paired with Panasonic's VariCam® HD Cinema camera on three 30-second spots for BAA, a premiere presenting network of 49 North American cities offering first-rate touring Broadway, family productions and other live theatrical events.
"The spots will be seen nationally in over 30 markets but the client was so happy with the spots that they also plan to buy time on the Tony Awards ceremony, June 11, to show them to a national TV audience," says Richard Drutman. A creative producer and editor at Red Wagon Media, Drutman was one of the campaign's shooters; he also performed the spots' HD edit. Red Wagon director/DP Jeff Hirschorn directed the campaign, which features actual season ticket holders relating stories about the excitement of live theater.
Red Wagon had already decided to shoot the campaign with VariCam when it took delivery of the HVX200. "We had shot a lot of projects with VariCam, but it wasn't an option to mix cameras in the past," notes Hirschorn. "I found it hard to believe that VariCam and the HVX200 could cut together, but we decided to try the HVX200 as our second camera for the BAA spots and it worked out extremely well."
The HVX200 uniquely combines multiple high definition and standard definition formats, multiple recording modes and variable frames rates, and the vast benefits of P2 solid state memory recording in a rugged, compact design.
The small, lightweight HVX200 also had another attraction. "Because this was a real-people shoot, it was incredibly important not to overwhelm the talent," says Hirschorn. "We were already using a lot of technology. We were shooting on the Broadway Stages in Queens, New York with a Technocrane and VariCam, and didn't really want to get into a whole second unit. But you'll go through hoops to get performances from real people. We felt the HVX200 was small and mobile and wouldn't slow us down. Handheld or on a light tripod, it could catch slices of life, the moments between the action that can really make a spot."
So they "fired up both cameras" on the set and compared some VariCam footage shot by Al Rodgers with HVX200 footage shot by Drutman. "We did double takes," Hirschorn recalls. "We were extremely happy. We knew it was going to work." Rick Nagel served as VariCam digital imaging technician on the shoot.
Drutman was especially pleased with the HVX200's overcranking feature. "The ability to do slow motion was a huge plus, facilitating our ability to create some stylized visuals within the spots. And it was amazing to watch the slow-motion footage play back on the set directly from the camera -- not only very convenient but also impressive."
Drutman has extensive experience shooting with Panasonic's DVX100 series camcorders. "I've been using them since they were released. I'm a tremendous fan of Panasonic's 24p technology and other innovations."
"We had been looking for a way to do smaller-budget features with lightweight equipment," Hirschorn explains. "With the HVX200 we saw a chance to experiment with a format that could truly stand up to digital projection. We'll probably do a film-out test with the BAA spots to see how it works, but the issue of projection had a huge influence on my desire to get the camera."
The HVX200's DVCPRO HD codec was the "main selling point" for Drutman. "It's a mature, proven codec with considerably lower compression than the HDV codec. We looked at a large 720p video projection of HVX200 footage and it was gorgeous and artifact-free," key advantages for any prospective feature work.
Familiarity with the DVX series and "its menus, settings and ergonomics allowed me to get up and running fast on the set of the BAA spots with the brand new HVX200," Drutman reports. "I just jumped right in!"
He admits to being "a little apprehensive at first" about solid-state technology. "Would there be enough time on the card?" he wondered. "I found by shooting 720p in its native 24-frame mode I was able to get 10 minutes on a 4GB P2 card. That almost corresponds to a film load, so it made the workflow quite nice."
Hirschorn agrees. Coming from a film background, he felt reloading the P2 card "wouldn't be a big deal. It's more like working in film than videotape."
Drutman used two 4GB cards during the shoot; he has since purchased an additional 8GB card. "As soon as I filled both cards with 20 minutes, I transferred them on the set to my Apple iBook with FireWire drive. Once on the drive, I downloaded the material into Final Cut Pro 5.03, making a copy of the media in the native QuickTime file."
Drutman edited the BAA campaign at his Triode Pictures post house in New York City, intercutting the HVX200 footage with the primary camera's VariCam material. "Once we projected the imagery we would have noticed any artifacting if there had been any," says Drutman. "The quality of the projection gave us even more confidence that VariCam and HVX200 really work well together. And DVCPRO HD on its own is a very solid format."
Red Wagon creative directors Joshua Rudolph and Ian Sachs and producer Leslie Hirschorn were equally impressed with the results and how the HVX200's added coverage allowed the spots to cut better.
Drutman likes the feel of the new camera. "It felt like a DVX100A on steroids when I first used it!" he declares. "I like that smaller configuration; it's very comfortable to shoot with. I can get into the kind of spaces other shooters can't."
He uses the HVX200 with a Century Optics .6 wide-angle lens attachment, which he calls "a must have for really wide and long shots."
The BAA spot shoot employed a lot of theatrical gels to create a highly-colorized environment. "The HVX200's color rendition held up to VariCam extremely well," says Drutman. He also found that the focus assist "worked quite well" and believes that "having four channels of audio available has great potential."
Drutman wouldn't hesitate to tell colleagues that "the combination of the solid, mature DVCPRO HD codec and the ability to shoot variable frame rates makes the HVX200 the only viable choice for high-end work in a small HD format."
"I'm glad we took a chance on using the HVX200 as the second camera on the BAA shoot," Hirschorn adds. "I think it really made the shoot, and made a huge difference to the spots."
The DVCPRO HD P2 camcorder offers contribution-quality HD with independent intra-frame encoding, 4:2:2 color sampling, and less compression, making HD content easier and faster to edit and more able to stand up to image compositing versus long GOP MPEG-2 systems.
The ultra-versatile HVX200 records in 1080i and 720p in production-proven 100 Mbps DVCPRO HD quality, with the ability to capture images in 21 record modes. The HVX200 offers users cost-effective, intra-frame compression, where each frame stands on its own for editing, and its full 4:2:2 color sampling allows the image to hold up under color correction. The camera records video on a P2 card as IT-friendly MXF files in 1080/60i, 30p and 24p; in 720/60p, 30p and 24p; in 50Mbps DVCPRO50 and in 25Mbps DVCPRO or DV. The HVX200 can capture fast or slow action in 720p at various frame rates--the first time this function is available in a hand-held camera. The shooting frame rate in 720p native mode can be set for any of 11 steps between 12fps and 60fps including 24fps and 30fps. For more information on the AG-HVX200, visit http://www.panasonic.com/hvx200
About Panasonic Broadcast
Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is a leading supplier of broadcast and professional video products and systems. Panasonic Broadcast is a unit company of Panasonic Corporation of North America. The company is the North American headquarters of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) of Japan, and the hub of its U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations For more information on Panasonic Broadcast products, access the company's web site at www.panasonic.com/broadcast.
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