The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) has announced its conference program for this year's CASBAA Convention, which will run from October 24-27, Hong Kong.
Themed as From Bandwidth to Brandwidth, the conference will focus on maximizing the value of newly available communications bandwidth through sophisticated brand development and innovative marketing.
The conference will feature speakers such as Charlie Ergen, Chairman and Founder of Echostar; Michael Fries, CEO of Liberty Global; Ho-Chen Tan, Chairman of Chunghwa Telecom; Irwin Gotlieb, CEO of GroupM; Kip Meek, Chief Policy Partner of OFCOM; Randall Dark, President of HD Vision Studios; Sofyan Djalil, Minister of State for Information & Communications, Indonesia and Wei Wen Bin, President of Hunan Satellite.
from Television Asia
Sunday, October 1, 2006
Tuesday, July 4, 2006
From 70ft theatrical screen to cell phone, HD is the answer, says Dark
“Closing Escrow,” an independent film shot entirely in HD, is out of post and entering the festival circuit as Randall Dark, the movie’s executive producer seeks broader distribution.Dark, who has long been an advocate of high definition as a viable alternative to 35mm film, hasn’t simply been content to push his comedy through post and out to moviegoers. He’s creating a smorgasbord of HD projects ranging from a 3-D feature film about World War II aviators flying over the Himalayas to deliver relief to the embattled Chinese to an expeditionary documentary, a unique, reality golf show and even music videos shot for cell phones and Video iPods.
“HD Technology Update” thought it was a good time to catch up on Dark’s latest projects and how HD is helping to make them happen.
HD Technology Update: Randall, for the past 20 years you’re always in the thick of HD production. What are your latest projects?
Randall Dark: I’m involved in four or five incredibly important projects, two of which I call the China projects. There’s a 3-D/2-D feature for an IMAX-type environment called the “High Road to China.” It’s a story about the Hump during the Second World War.
I think it’s important for a number of reasons. China obviously is an emerging power, and Americans seem to have lost sight of what an incredible country we are and the great things we have done hand in hand with nations throughout history. This is a forgotten story — how the American airmen, working with the Chinese were able to fly over the Himalayas in incredibly dangerous planes for humanitarian aid. I’m absolutely passionate about it.
I’m working on that as well as a project called “The Lost Tiger,” solving the mystery of Johnny Blackburn’s lost P40.
HDTU: What advantages and challenges does HD bring to the project?
RD: The most powerful attribute of any HD image is the sense of being there it affords. Capturing the raw emotion of Chinese and American people standing side by side as a plane that was responsible for bringing supplies to Chinese people who were starving in WWII is pulled from the murky water of a lake where it was downed is imperative to my story. It’s going to bring back a flood of emotion, and I want my viewers to feel like they’re standing on that piece of land with them.
Film is a great art form, but film distances you — it’s called poetic distancing. The frame rate and grain of film makes it look like it happened yesterday. This is a moment that’s happening in real time that I want to share as realistically and intimately as possible. HD technology will give the viewer that sense.
As for the underwater photography, I hear it is very, very murky down there, so we may have to do some animation or re-enactments. I will definitely be under the water with the camera to see what we can get, but we’ll have to wait and see if it works out. That’s just the nature of the water as opposed to the technology of HD.
HDTU: Are all the pieces in place? Is there a watertight housing for your HD camera?
RD: What’s great about where HD is today is that there aren’t any more excuses. Whether it’s underwater housing or mounts for flight-to-flight aerials or helicopter, everything I need for 3-D or 2-D projects is available. There aren’t limitations where one, it doesn’t exist, or two, it’s too expensive to have. My hands are no longer tied creatively at any level.
HDTU: What camera will you be using?
RD: I plan to use the Sony CineAlta F-900 V3 HD camera.
HDTU: And your recorder?
RD: A combination of in-camera and SR. I’ll also bring a 950. This gives me the flexibility to shot 3.1.1, 4.2.2 or 4.4.4. If there were any other new, cool toys coming out, I’d love to take them with me.
For “The Lost Tiger,” I plan to have three high-end cameras on location because that moment only happens once. I want to be sure I have a shot of the plane and shots of the people. I might include a couple of toy HD cameras just for fun. As long as I have my workhorse cameras with me, I’m always adventurous. If a manufacturer has something hot out of the design factory, call me; I’ll try it.
HDTU: When will you shoot, and what’s your distribution?
RD: We’re looking at an October-November shoot date, and we’re talking to PBS right now, but nothing’s been signed yet.
HDTU: How does HD play into the production of the “High Road to China” project, especially since it is intended for a screen as big as an IMAX theater screen? How will it hold up?
RD: First, I want to give credit to the genius behind the 2-D and 3-D “High Road to China,” Jeffery Greene. He wrote the screenplay with Geoffrey Schroeder. Greene is spearheading this, and when we talked about it, he asked that very same question. “How is HD going to look on big screens?”
We‘ve all seen what “Star Wars” looked like, and “Superman Returns” will be killer on the IMAX-size screen. It was an HD shoot with a Genesis camera, and I think that’s going to give everyone the warm fuzzy feeling that you can take HD and blow it up to any size and it looks breathtaking.
We’re seeing movies today that are captured completely in high definition — like “Superman Returns” — and a lot of the independent features — like “Closing Escrow.” I guarantee you that at the local theater, nobody in the audience knows or cares whether the movie was mastered in HD or 35mm. The quality is that good.
James Cameron has been such a huge advocate of 3-D that more attention has been brought to it and more projects are being developed in it. The technology has jumped greatly because someone of that stature has endorsed it. The same can be said about Robert Rodriguez.
Read entire interview in Broadcast Engineering.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Novalux teams up with Dark for demo content
Digital TV Designline
(05/26/2006 10:36 AM EDT)
SUNNYVALE, Calif., -- Novalux, Inc., developer of Novalux Extended Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (NECSEL) (tm) technology, will demonstrate prototype high-definition (HD) rear-projection laser television (RPTV) during Society for Information Display (SID) 2006, June 6 - 9, in San Francisco, California.
"Our SID demo marks the debut of speckle-free, bright, color-saturated prototype laser TV based on our NECSEL technology," said Greg Niven, Novalux vice president of marketing. "To showcase the system's performance, we've tailored several minutes of high-definition content. This will give viewers the chance to see what laser TV provides-better color, contrast and brightness than other competitive technologies, even on large home theater screens."
Novalux worked with producer Randall Dark to create high-definition demo content. Dark, founder of Los Angeles-based HD Vision Studios, is considered one of the most accomplished producers in the high-definition field. "Randall Dark represents the best in the HD television entertainment industry," said Niven. "We're excited to have worked with him on our custom content. We'd like demo viewers to see that laser TV is the only display technology that truly generates lifelike image quality."
Novalux first introduced concept NECSEL-based RPTVs during the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). These early units demonstrated the expanded color gamut and striking image contrast that laser technology provides. The company's latest prototype displays even higher brightness, color-balanced, speckle-free, high-definition images on a 52-inch screen. Ultimately, Novalux aims to enable home theater systems that marry over 200% of NTSC color coverage, high-brightness, high-resolution images, a thin, wide viewing angle architecture, and unsurpassed light source lifetime-all for a price tag of under a thousand dollars.
Lasers have long been recognized for their potential as illumination sources for projection applications due to their wide color gamut and high light energy efficiency. Historically, however, lasers have lacked the power, the small form factor and cost performance to realize laser-based projection TVs. NECSEL lasers overcome these obstacles, making them an ideal light source for next-generation RPTVs and home theater front projectors.
NECSEL devices are housed in a revolutionary package smaller than a matchbox. All NECSEL light sources produce color-saturated output, allowing them to reach a larger color space than competitive lighting technologies. And NECSEL sources provide bright, speckle-free output, resulting in clear, vibrant images unattainable by any other lighting technology. Additional advantages include long lifetime, instant-on and low étendue.
Novalux will hold its SID 2006 laser TV demos from June 7-9 at the Marriott Hotel in downtown San Francisco. Other opportunities to learn about Novalux and NECSEL technology include the Projection Summit 2006 in Orlando, Florida, where Greg Niven will present "Status, Costs and Trends in Lasers for Displays" on June 5; the SID 2006 Investors Conference, where Novalux Chairman and CEO Jean-Miche Pelaprat will present "Novalux's Role in the Emerging Laser Display Market" on June 7; and the SID 2006 Symposium, where Greg Niven will present "Low-Cost Lasers for Projection Displays" on June 9.
About Novalux:
Founded in 1998, Novalux has developed proprietary Novalux Extended Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (NECSEL) technology. NECSEL technology combines mass volume manufacturability with excellent optical performance. NECSEL device attributes include bright, reliable, consistent, speckle-free light output from a compact, low-cost package, making them ideal for current- and next-generation display applications.
For more information about Novalux, please contact Vice President of Marketing Greg Niven at (408) 773-3433, or visit www.novalux.com.
(05/26/2006 10:36 AM EDT)
SUNNYVALE, Calif., -- Novalux, Inc., developer of Novalux Extended Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (NECSEL) (tm) technology, will demonstrate prototype high-definition (HD) rear-projection laser television (RPTV) during Society for Information Display (SID) 2006, June 6 - 9, in San Francisco, California.
"Our SID demo marks the debut of speckle-free, bright, color-saturated prototype laser TV based on our NECSEL technology," said Greg Niven, Novalux vice president of marketing. "To showcase the system's performance, we've tailored several minutes of high-definition content. This will give viewers the chance to see what laser TV provides-better color, contrast and brightness than other competitive technologies, even on large home theater screens."
Novalux worked with producer Randall Dark to create high-definition demo content. Dark, founder of Los Angeles-based HD Vision Studios, is considered one of the most accomplished producers in the high-definition field. "Randall Dark represents the best in the HD television entertainment industry," said Niven. "We're excited to have worked with him on our custom content. We'd like demo viewers to see that laser TV is the only display technology that truly generates lifelike image quality."
Novalux first introduced concept NECSEL-based RPTVs during the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). These early units demonstrated the expanded color gamut and striking image contrast that laser technology provides. The company's latest prototype displays even higher brightness, color-balanced, speckle-free, high-definition images on a 52-inch screen. Ultimately, Novalux aims to enable home theater systems that marry over 200% of NTSC color coverage, high-brightness, high-resolution images, a thin, wide viewing angle architecture, and unsurpassed light source lifetime-all for a price tag of under a thousand dollars.
Lasers have long been recognized for their potential as illumination sources for projection applications due to their wide color gamut and high light energy efficiency. Historically, however, lasers have lacked the power, the small form factor and cost performance to realize laser-based projection TVs. NECSEL lasers overcome these obstacles, making them an ideal light source for next-generation RPTVs and home theater front projectors.
NECSEL devices are housed in a revolutionary package smaller than a matchbox. All NECSEL light sources produce color-saturated output, allowing them to reach a larger color space than competitive lighting technologies. And NECSEL sources provide bright, speckle-free output, resulting in clear, vibrant images unattainable by any other lighting technology. Additional advantages include long lifetime, instant-on and low étendue.
Novalux will hold its SID 2006 laser TV demos from June 7-9 at the Marriott Hotel in downtown San Francisco. Other opportunities to learn about Novalux and NECSEL technology include the Projection Summit 2006 in Orlando, Florida, where Greg Niven will present "Status, Costs and Trends in Lasers for Displays" on June 5; the SID 2006 Investors Conference, where Novalux Chairman and CEO Jean-Miche Pelaprat will present "Novalux's Role in the Emerging Laser Display Market" on June 7; and the SID 2006 Symposium, where Greg Niven will present "Low-Cost Lasers for Projection Displays" on June 9.
About Novalux:
Founded in 1998, Novalux has developed proprietary Novalux Extended Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (NECSEL) technology. NECSEL technology combines mass volume manufacturability with excellent optical performance. NECSEL device attributes include bright, reliable, consistent, speckle-free light output from a compact, low-cost package, making them ideal for current- and next-generation display applications.
For more information about Novalux, please contact Vice President of Marketing Greg Niven at (408) 773-3433, or visit www.novalux.com.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Television technology enters new era
by Craig McCulloch
For the past several years, the television industry in the United States has been facing the looming date of February 17, 2009. On that date, less than three years from now, all TV stations are to shut off their analog transmitters and hand the licenses for them back to the government.
Extended from the original date by six years, the broadcasting industry is optimistic this change is going well. Many stations, especially in bigger metropolitan areas, will also upgrade to High Definition television, commonly known as HDTV.
At a recent convention in Las Vegas of the National Association of Broadcasters, products featuring HDTV technology played an important role.
Jonathan Adelstein is a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the regulatory authority that governs all broadcasting and telecommunications in the United States.
Mr. Adelstein believes the conversion over to digital is going well.
"There's all kinds of new content that's coming on," he said. "Consumers are buying new HDTV sets in droves; it's going to be the biggest new consumer product on the consumer electronics industry shelves by 2009. I think it's moving forward. We need to do more to educate the public to be prepared for it. But, I think consumers are going to find all kinds of great new content. High definition, better sound quality, new offerings that are going to make it worthwhile for them to make the switch. They are already voting with their wallets by purchasing all kinds of new digital television sets and taking advantage of these new digital offerings."
One of the biggest supporters of the conversion from analog to digital is the Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Broadcasters. Spokesperson Dennis Wharton says that only 200 American TV stations have yet to make the conversion. "There are about 1,700 TV stations in the United States," he noted. "Over 1,500 have already made the digital television transition. Which means they are either simulcasting a digital signal along with their analog signal, but most of them are doing High Definition television during a lot of the day parts. Most of prime time, for example, is in High Definition television; all of the major sporting events are in High Definition television, late night shows are all in High Definition television. I'm not going to be Pollyannaish and not admit that there are some challenges still to go, but considering where we were and where we are now, things are going great."
Mr. Wharton says the biggest problem has been the cost, especially to stations that serve smaller population areas. He estimates a basic conversion from traditional analog to what is called SDTV (Standard Definition digital television) costs a station at least $2 million. To go all HDTV with good equipment can push that price tag up to $10 million.
Veteran producer Randall Dark has been working in HDTV for years. A longtime advocate of the technology, he says the price has dropped rapidly in the last few months.
He says this price drop is allowing stations to produce their local news, usually the most expensive part of a local station's operations, in HDTV.
Mr. Dark feels this development will be the impetus for stations to go all digital HDTV, which is broadcast in widescreen, or a 16:9 aspect ratio. "It's a very competitive marketplace for stations in every major city," said Mr. Dark. "They always say, they got the first Doppler [radar], they got the first helicopter, and they're always looking for that competitive edge. Now, all of a sudden you've got consumers everywhere that got these [HD]TVs and they 're not going to watch a four by three newscast on a 16:9 television. And they' re not going to watch in digital low resolution when they can watch it digital High Definition."
Mr. Dark says the impending release of HD DVDs and BlueRay technology will also advance digital HDTV.
Both these type of technologies will allow consumers to play DVDs in High Definition. Current units can only double the lines of resolution of non-HD DVDs. Along with falling production costs, Mr. Dark says this will encourage companies to start advertising in HDTV, as they will not want to showcase their products in lower resolution.
He also says these advances will allow stores to properly display HDTV and encourage more people to buy higher end television sets. This conversion will also make traditional television sets, in use for decades, useless.
The NAB's Dennis Wharton says that by the time February 17, 2009 arrives, many people would have replaced their traditional TV sets with news sets anyway. With most of the current sets on store shelves having built-in digital decoders, he feels consumers will embrace the new technology.
from Voice of America News
For the past several years, the television industry in the United States has been facing the looming date of February 17, 2009. On that date, less than three years from now, all TV stations are to shut off their analog transmitters and hand the licenses for them back to the government.
Extended from the original date by six years, the broadcasting industry is optimistic this change is going well. Many stations, especially in bigger metropolitan areas, will also upgrade to High Definition television, commonly known as HDTV.
At a recent convention in Las Vegas of the National Association of Broadcasters, products featuring HDTV technology played an important role.
Jonathan Adelstein is a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the regulatory authority that governs all broadcasting and telecommunications in the United States.
Mr. Adelstein believes the conversion over to digital is going well.
"There's all kinds of new content that's coming on," he said. "Consumers are buying new HDTV sets in droves; it's going to be the biggest new consumer product on the consumer electronics industry shelves by 2009. I think it's moving forward. We need to do more to educate the public to be prepared for it. But, I think consumers are going to find all kinds of great new content. High definition, better sound quality, new offerings that are going to make it worthwhile for them to make the switch. They are already voting with their wallets by purchasing all kinds of new digital television sets and taking advantage of these new digital offerings."
One of the biggest supporters of the conversion from analog to digital is the Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Broadcasters. Spokesperson Dennis Wharton says that only 200 American TV stations have yet to make the conversion. "There are about 1,700 TV stations in the United States," he noted. "Over 1,500 have already made the digital television transition. Which means they are either simulcasting a digital signal along with their analog signal, but most of them are doing High Definition television during a lot of the day parts. Most of prime time, for example, is in High Definition television; all of the major sporting events are in High Definition television, late night shows are all in High Definition television. I'm not going to be Pollyannaish and not admit that there are some challenges still to go, but considering where we were and where we are now, things are going great."
Mr. Wharton says the biggest problem has been the cost, especially to stations that serve smaller population areas. He estimates a basic conversion from traditional analog to what is called SDTV (Standard Definition digital television) costs a station at least $2 million. To go all HDTV with good equipment can push that price tag up to $10 million.
Veteran producer Randall Dark has been working in HDTV for years. A longtime advocate of the technology, he says the price has dropped rapidly in the last few months.
He says this price drop is allowing stations to produce their local news, usually the most expensive part of a local station's operations, in HDTV.
Mr. Dark feels this development will be the impetus for stations to go all digital HDTV, which is broadcast in widescreen, or a 16:9 aspect ratio. "It's a very competitive marketplace for stations in every major city," said Mr. Dark. "They always say, they got the first Doppler [radar], they got the first helicopter, and they're always looking for that competitive edge. Now, all of a sudden you've got consumers everywhere that got these [HD]TVs and they 're not going to watch a four by three newscast on a 16:9 television. And they' re not going to watch in digital low resolution when they can watch it digital High Definition."
Mr. Dark says the impending release of HD DVDs and BlueRay technology will also advance digital HDTV.
Both these type of technologies will allow consumers to play DVDs in High Definition. Current units can only double the lines of resolution of non-HD DVDs. Along with falling production costs, Mr. Dark says this will encourage companies to start advertising in HDTV, as they will not want to showcase their products in lower resolution.
He also says these advances will allow stores to properly display HDTV and encourage more people to buy higher end television sets. This conversion will also make traditional television sets, in use for decades, useless.
The NAB's Dennis Wharton says that by the time February 17, 2009 arrives, many people would have replaced their traditional TV sets with news sets anyway. With most of the current sets on store shelves having built-in digital decoders, he feels consumers will embrace the new technology.
from Voice of America News
Monday, April 24, 2006
Press release on Closing Escrow
HD Movie Shot on Maxell Tape - Closing Escrow
Las Vegas, NV (April 24, 2006) - Closing Escrow, a comedy film about real estate, has been accepted at the Dallas Video Festival, the largest video festival in the nation. Randall Dark, an undisputed leader in the High Definition (HD) industry and the Executive Producer of the new film, convinced the Director Armen Kaprelian to shoot his first feature entirely in HD. The movie was shot entirely on Maxell tape.
"Randall Dark has long been the primary visionary and advocate for high-definition TV," said Bart Weiss, Director of the Dallas Video Festival. "In Closing Escrow he brings together his passion for HD to produce this entertaining film. In a time when HD is reaching the low-budget- indie masses and people are buying HD televisions at home, a new feature from this technology-advanced team helps move the aesthetic further."
Weiss has seen a significant increase in submissions in HD over the last several years. Over the past five years, there has been an increase of 15-20% of entries shot in HD. Weiss forecasts that number will jump dramatically to 40% this year with the entries submitted to the Festival.
Closing Escrow was shot entirely on Maxell tape, using 62 Maxell HD Cam tapes and 3 Maxell D-5 tapes. "It's an easy choice when I decide what tape I'm going to use for my projects. Maxell tape has been consistent and reliable. It gives me the superior results I'm seeking, and the quality of my projects is always the best."
"High definition is an incredible art form. I strongly feel that HD's time has come. Seeing truly is believing with the quality of the HD picture," said Dark.
Closing Escrow is about three quirky families seeking to buy their next home. The Dallas Video Festival is being held August 8-13, 2006, at the Dallas Theater Center, as well as other venues in Dallas.
About Maxell
Maxell Corporation of America, a Hitachi-Maxell, Ltd. Company, is a leading full-line manufacturer of professional digital and analog audio and video media; computer data storage media; media products for consumer audio, video and camcorder applications; and batteries. Maxell also markets a full line of care and maintenance accessories and headphones.
For more information, please visit the Maxell Web site at www.maxell.com.
About Randall Dark
Randall Paris Dark is the creative marketing force behind HD Vision Studios, a complete High Definition Production and Post Production facility equipped with the latest technology, and optimized for producing and finishing independent films, television shows, commercials, documentaries, music videos, industrials or any other project in which HD is the medium of choice.
For more information on Closing Escrow, please visit www.closingescrow.com.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
New Entrepreneurial Opportunities
A member of the Caucus for Television Producers, Writers and Directors, Randall Dark was on the panel discussing on Content, Screens and Distribution Platforms. The panel focused on cross-platform and the latest ways to monetize content in the future. You may download a transcript of the panel discussion here.
Panelists: David Goldsmith - Marketing Consultant of Digital Media Distribution & Content Acquisition, Bruce Gersh - Sr VP of ABC Business Development, Dean Valentine - Symbolic Action, LLC, Bryan Seth Hurst (moderator) - CEO, The Opportunity Management Company, Jeremy Toeman - VP Market Development, Sling Media and Dark.
Panelists: David Goldsmith - Marketing Consultant of Digital Media Distribution & Content Acquisition, Bruce Gersh - Sr VP of ABC Business Development, Dean Valentine - Symbolic Action, LLC, Bryan Seth Hurst (moderator) - CEO, The Opportunity Management Company, Jeremy Toeman - VP Market Development, Sling Media and Dark.
Saturday, February 4, 2006
Dark relies on Canon lenses for Closing Escrow
DIGITAL FILMMAKER RELIES ON CANON WIDE-ANGLE PORTABLE HD LENSES FOR VERSATILITY IN DOCUMENTARY-STYLE PRODUCTIONFlexible Lens Controls Allowed for Quick and Easy Changes in Framing Scenes
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Feb. 14, 2006—Shooting in the unpredictable style of improvisational and documentary filmmaking requires flexible, responsive technology that can easily adjust to sudden changes in the actions of the people in front of the lens. That is why executive producer Randall Dark convinced Creator/Director Armen Kaprelian to use Canon wide-angle, portable High Definition (HD) zoom lenses to shoot their new real estate themed comedy, Closing Escrow. A pioneer in HD production, Dark knew that Canon wide-angle HD lenses on his two Sony CineAlta cameras would not only achieve sharp, high-quality images, but would also enable him to utilize the lenses’ versatile zoom and focus controls to keep up with the fast pace of the actors.
“I’ve used Canon lenses for almost 18 years,” said Dark. “I got the Canon HJ9X5.5B IRSD wide-angle HD lens (recently updated to the Canon HJ11ex4.7B IRSE lens) because it is my zoom workhorse lens. It is a fast lens that gives me the flexibility to be on a wide-shot at the start of a take and go to a tight-shot at the end of a take. This lens is versatile, flexible, reliable, and just incredible.”
The widest portable HD zoom lens on the market, the HJ11ex4.7B IRSE features the optical excellence of Canon’s e-HDxs technology, which employs the exclusive X-Element and Power Optical System for high-quality optics in a robust, compact, and lightweight housing that weighs just 4.10 lbs. The HJ11ex4.7B’s Enhanced Digital Technology eDrive features further enhance the lens’ versatility. With eDrive, users can easily pre-program functions such as zoom and focus settings into the lens for precise, automated repeatability via an easy-to-use LCD menu, assignable “soft” function buttons, and the rocker switch built into the lens grip. Users can program multiple setting or none at all depending on their personal needs and preferences.
“Canon lenses are true to what we’re seeing.” explained Dark. “What I love about them is they give us the raw image—whether it’s the set, the costumes, or the make-up. The image comes out of there raw and as perfect as possible and allows us, at the back end of the camera, to color-time it the way the director sees fit. It’s just a great workflow.”
Dark describes Closing Escrow, his first HD feature with Kaprelian, as a “comedic mock-u-mentary” featuring several popular comedians from television and film. The story called for a large part of the script to be left open for comic improvisation. For Randall Dark, the lens’ wide-angle capabilities made it possible for each impromptu scene to be captured easily and effectively, while maintaining vividly clear images.
“The movie has a script, a loose script with story arcs, but when we got into the scenes, the director let the actors loose and the results are hilarious,” said Dark. “It was the kind of shoot where we didn’t want to stop the momentum to change lenses or to move the camera in to get different framing. So I used my zoom lenses like prime lenses. I could be shooting totally wide and then—in the middle of a take—quickly find the next shot, zoom in, frame it, and carry the scene that way. My Canon HD zoom lens is adaptable to focal length so it’s easy for me to get a shot very quickly without interrupting the flow of what the director and the primary camera are doing. It’s just a different way of shooting. I’m not saying that one method is better or worse than the other, it’s just that I find that this style of cinematography works for me personally.”
Scott Billups, Closing Escrow's director of photography, also had high praise for Canon’s wide-angle HD zoom lenses. “Unlike the relatively constant world of film acquisition, each HD camera comes with a dizzying array of data rates, color space, and format choices. The only constant in the topsy-turvy world of HD production is the unflinching quality of Canon lenses. It’s nice to have a time-proven lens that can resolve every pixel. HD is a far different beast than film; the light becomes your medium and the lens your brush. My ‘brush’ of choice is Canon.”
Canon portable wide-angle HD zoom lenses also provided a solution for the production team’s time and budget constraints. “Especially with independent feature films, it’s all about ‘You’ve got to shoot it, edit it, and get it out there to be seen and sold,’ so there’s a faster turn-around for your investors,” Dark explained. “The director wanted to shoot two cameras and we only had 14 days of principal photography. Time is money and we didn’t have a lot of time to re-set the camera and snap-out lenses. So my two Canon wide-angle HD lenses were perfectly matched with my cameras, allowing the scenes to be executed quickly and efficiently with their rapid zoom speeds of 0.5 seconds and focus speeds of 1.5 seconds. As a result, we were able to shoot 57 hours of HD content in 14 days.”
“As an Executive Producer, if I can control my costs and bring our movies in under-budget because of technology, it’s a win-win,” Dark added, summing up his latest HD feature experience. “Film would have cost us well over a million dollars, but we’re well under a million dollars because we used HD. It’s just an incredible way to make affordable, high quality, great-looking independent features that can be exhibited digitally, or transferred to film for traditional release, and used for all the markets in-between. Finding the right project with the right budget and using the technology the way I’ve come to understand it, I’ve committed myself personally 100 percent. Closing Escrow is my first HD film and, hopefully, there will be many more to come in the future—and Canon will be there.”
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies in America and is rated #35 on the BusinessWeek list of “Top 100 Brands.” Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent holder of technology, ranking second overall in the U.S. in 2005, with global revenues of $31.8 billion. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.
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