(SECAUCUS, NJ --August 8, 2006) New from the producers of the top-rated reality series The Real World comes One Ocean View, chronicling the singles scene on New York's Fire Island. Shot with multiple Panasonic AJ-SDX900 DVCPRO Cinema® camcorders, One Ocean View premiered on the ABC Television Network earlier this week. The hour-long show airs on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET and is simulcast on ABC's high-definition channel.
One Ocean View is the address of the summer share beach house where 11 attractive, career-driven New Yorkers flee Manhattan each Friday to escape the soaring city temperatures for a tempestuous weekend. The Real World producers, Jonathan Murray and Joey Carson, are the executive producers of One Ocean View. The co-executive producers are Laura Korkoian and Dana DeMars. The series is produced by Bunim-Murray Productions.
Director of Photography Jack Reichert supervised five camera crews, who shot on location in Manhattan and on Fire Island June 1 through July 17. Three SDX900s were used simultaneously, with the five crews trading off to cover an 18-hour day. Upon occasion, additional SDX900s were deployed for special shots, for example, the first day of shooting, arrival at Fire Island, aerials, etc. The series comprises six one-hour episodes.
"We had previously used the SDX900 on The Simple Life 4: ‘Til death do us part and liked the look," said Mark Raudonis, Bunim-Murray's vice president of post-production. "We had also just committed to shooting the 18th season of The Real World ( Denver) using the SDX900, and everyone was thrilled with the initial footage coming back from the shoot. The 16x9 ratio combined with 24p delivered a more cinematic quality that felt right for the One Ocean View project."
"The beach presents one of the most difficult shooting environments imaginable," Raudonis said. "Contrast is high, the light is harsh, and the physical conditions are challenging. During the early days of our shoot, the sky was overcast most of the time, creating a bland white background for many scenes. The unique color rendition of the SDX900 enabled our operators to hold a higher dynamic range in their shots than we were used to seeing from other cameras. Specifically, the white areas of the frame seemed to hold on to more detail, looking natural rather than blown out."
"Getting to Fire Island usually involved a train ride, a ferry boat ride, and a long walk to the beach house. Our crews followed along every step of the way," he continued. "Portability and dependability were key on these shoots, since backup support was not possible in transit. Once on the island, there are no cars, so crews had to hand carry any equipment. Overall, our expectations for the SDX900 were rock-solid reliability and world-class imagery - and the camera delivered on both counts."
Post-production was Final Cut Pro-based. "We used FCP for everything from off-line to final, full resolution output," Raudonis noted. "From a post perspective, we're thrilled by the way the camera outputs a 29.97 signal with 3:2 pull down already in place. If you are not going to film, no other steps need to be taken. Due to our multiple delivery requirements, we must create three different kinds of masters: 4x3 ‘center punched,' 4x3 anamorphic squeeze, and 16x9 letter box. For One Ocean View, we're taking this anamorphic SD image and upconverting it to HD."
"We have other shows currently in post that used different cameras," Raudonis added. "The difference is immediately noticeable. The SDX900's picture looks ‘smoother,' more like film compared to the other cameras which have that harsh ‘video' look."
"It's all about thinking outside the box," said One Ocean View executive producer Jon Murray. "We thought that the 16x9 look would enhance the show, and even though we didn't have the money for HD, when we up-rez the show, it looks great. As someone who has HD at home, it's hard for me to watch the regular 4x3 feed of shows. One Ocean View is one of the first shows to find a way to take advantage of the 16x9 HD option, but on a reality budget. Also, since Bunim-Murray owns the foreign rights on the show, we wanted to protect our asset by shooting it in the aspect ratio of the future. Five years from now, 4:3 aspect ratio TVs will be a thing of the past."
Panasonic's AJ-SDX900 offers filmmakers the ultimate in acquisition flexibility, expressed in the operator-controllable selection of EFP-quality 4:2:2 sampled DVCPRO50 or classic 4:1:1 sampled DVCPRO recording, with support for native 16:9 wide-screen. The AJ-SDX900 combines in one camera the "look" and "feel" of electronic film, high-performance 525-line field production, and low-cost NTSC compatible news. It is also the first 50Mbps 4:2:2 sampled standard definition camcorder to offer 24 frames-per-second progressive scan (480/24p) acquisition, in addition to 30 frames-per-second progressive (480/30p) and 60-fields-per-second interlace scan (480/60i) capture.
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.
About Bunim-Murray Productions
Bunim-Murray Productions is the leading independent producer of innovative entertainment content. The company is widely credited with creating the reality television genre with its hit series THE REAL WORLD (now airing its 17th season on MTV). Bunim-Murray's other current programming includes REAL WORLD ROAD RULES CHALLENGE (MTV), THE SIMPLE LIFE (with its fourth season on E!), STARTING OVER (syndicated) and the upcoming ONE OCEAN VIEW (ABC). Bunim-Murray Productions is based in Van Nuys, CA. It was founded in 1987 by Jonathan Murray and the late Mary-Ellis Bunim.
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