Living in a High-Def World

Randall Dark was recently interviewed for a technology piece by NOW Everything Toronto. The story focuses on how HD media is blurring the line between what's real and what's not. You can read the article here.

Randall Dark Productions Opens In Los Angeles and Austin, Texas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RANDALL DARK PRODUCTIONS OPENS IN LOS ANGELES AND AUSTIN, TEXAS

High Definition Director and Producer, Randall P. Dark announced the opening of his company in LA and now Austin, Randall Dark Productions effective May 1st, 2007. The mandate of his company is to create and bring to market Digital, High Resolution content of the highest quality standard.

"Technology has been changing at lightning speed. There seems to be a better camera or editing system out almost weekly. My new company will allow me to be more flexible in choices for my productions and for my clients." says Mr. Dark.

The road to Randall Dark Productions started just over 20 years ago when Dark started working in HD on a Mini-Series that was being shot in Toronto. Hooked on the attributes of this emerging technology, Dark founded HD Vision a few years later in New York. The company set out on a goal to be an integral part of the growth of digital content world wide. Carrying the HD torch when most people found the risk too hot to handle, Dark became an undisputed pioneer of the technology and the images his company generated have literally helped set the standards by which new televisions are judged to this day. In 2002, Randall launched HD Vision Studios in Los Angeles and emerged as a creative and marketing force whose innovative approach to business had wide appeal.

Newest Projects shot with Maxell HDCAM

RANDALL DARK PRODUCTIONS' NEWEST PROJECTS SHOT WITH MAXELL HDCAM TAPES

LAS VEGAS, April 17 -- Maxell Corporation of America's Professional Media Products Division has extended it's relationship with Randall Dark and his new enterprise, Randall Dark Productions, to provide performance based media that meet the demand for his latest high-definition productions including a Won-G rap video and numerous travel documentaries with footage available through FootageBank.

Randall Dark Productions have been chosen to direct and produce the video for the upcoming single release for "We Must Pray" by rap sensation Won-G featuring The TrollMates, a Tween super group and guest rap artist, Hood Surgeon, son of the legendary Dr Dre.

The video will be shot in Los Angeles with Maxell HDCAM media to capture the first collaboration between Won-G, The TollMates and Hood Surgeon. The high-definition footage on Maxell tape will allow the group to artistically bring to life its message and reach its audience in a vivid and compelling medium.

Maxell media has also been extensively used by Randall Dark Productions in a series of travel documentaries, and stock footage video available through FootageBank. HD footage has been recently captured by Dark using Maxell HDCAM across a diverse set of destinations, climates and shooting environments in Europe, China, Wyoming, and Hawaii.

"Our demanding schedule calls for reliability in the products we use and I trust that Maxell tapes including the HDCAM product will stand up to my difficult shot locations and time sensitive projects and provide me with quality footage regardless of the environment or pace of assignments," said Randall Dark. "We will continue producing HD film projects at an unprecedented rate. The playing field is leveled and high-quality content can be brought to market very quickly and inexpensively."

Maxell HDCAM videocassettes utilized by Dark and his production company feature ultra-high-performance binder systems to achieve exceptional durability, essential to resilience in the volatile environments of ENG/EFP recordings. The binder systems also help Maxell HDCAM perform well during long-term archiving. The 1/2" metal particle tape cassette incorporates super-fine Ceramic Armor Metal particles (0.1 micron size) to achieve an exceptional output level and to surpass the low noise requirements of HDCAM's 7-to-1 compression algorithm. Maxell HDCAM videocassettes feature a recording density 1.4 times greater than Digital BETACAM for superior digital and video archiving performance.

The small cassette lineup of HDCAM includes 6, 12, 22, 32, and 40 minute cassettes, while the large cassette lineup includes tapes that run 64, 94 and 124 minutes.

HD Expo Q&A

HD Expo Asks is a straightforward Q & A from leaders in the industry about the issues and concerns from our technology and entertainment community. (click for PDF)

HD Expo: What capture, editing and/or graphic technology advancements, if any, do you see reshaping our industry in 2007?

Randall Dark: Our industry is experiencing a radical change. No longer will we be dependant on traditional image capture, editorial and most importantly distribution methods. Although we have constantly said"Content is King," the financial truth historically has been"Distribution is King" and the creative content suppliers were always at their mercy.

Technology is allowing creative minds to have more control over the entire food chain. I can shoot and edit a killer product and have 10 million viewers download it worldwide within hours.

Presently the quality of these downloads is primitive and image resolution during the capture phase is almost irrelevant. That will soon change.

The real quandary is how to monetize this new distribution chain.

HD Expo: How do all the technology choices impact the end user/consumerand what should we, the creators be aware of ?

Randall Dark: The Achilles heel of the content creator is resolution. With the advent of prosumer technologies like HDV that can rival DigiBeta, where do you draw the line? How low is the benchmark? I firmly believe thatfuture sales will be hampered by limited resolution. Content needs toremain robust no matter what the native resolution of the display is.

The $10K HDV camera appears to be an incredible buy. Don’t get me wrong - for certain uses it is. I don't want to risk future revenue on the possibility that the resolution of this technology isn't goodenough. Most HD broadcasters limit the amount of HDV content they'll allow in their HD programs. Display devices are getting better daily. Will the lower bit rate devices hold up in the long run? Time will tell. The good news is that the high-end cameras and editing systems are improving greatly while their price points are dropping. The bad news is you get what you pay for. A $100K camera gives you a $100K image and a $10K camera gives you a $10K image.

HD Expo: What area(s) of our industry do you see as a leader in future technologies? Do you have any examples of what would demonstrate this?

Randall Dark: The internet has changed our daily lives more then any other technology since Television. The future technology that gets my high quality content into the consumer's hands while bypassing the traditional gatekeeper/distributor will be the killer product.

In the very near future, it will be common practice for programs to be downloaded to a display or listening device with the content creator in control of it all. Take a look at what YouTube is doing as the first level example. Right now it's a mess and is mostly used for sensational 2 minute clips. Even in its primitive development it has had an amazing impact! It has generated millions of dollars of venue for early adoptors and creative minds that have figured out a way to monetize that particular service.

We are about to enter a Platinum Age where content is truly King and we the originators will have more, if not complete control over the distribution.

Dark gives keynote address

Randall P. Dark will give the keynote address at the Playback Production Innovation Forum in Toronto. A Canadian, the trip will be a return (of sorts) to Dark's roots. In 1986, he was given the opportunity to work in High Definition in Toronto and knew it was the future of images. A few years later he founded HD Vision in New York City. The company's mandate was to specialize in the growth of HD. Dark has never looked back since, becoming an undisputed pioneer and leader in the emerging industry.

HD Insights

While at the High Definition Summit in Los Angeles, Randall Dark was interviewed by Dale Drewery for High Def Consult.

HD INSIGHTS

Randall Dark knows a good thing when he sees it. Introduced to high definition back in 1986, he was convinced it was the future. Two decades later, HD is very much the present, and Randall Dark is one of the technology’s biggest pioneers. The creative force behind HD Vision in New York City / Dallas and HD Vision Studios in Los Angeles, Dark has recently launched his new company, Randall Dark Productions.

Dale Drewery met with Randall Dark in December at the High Definition Summit in L.A. They began by talking about Dark’s latest film Closing Escrow, a mocumentary lampooning the real estate business.

Randall Dark: “The method we used was having the cameras (HDW-F900/3 CineAltas) feed a G4 loaded with Final Cut Pro. So when shooting a complicated dinner scene, for example, we were able to edit it in real time. Then, at the end of the scene, I’d bring our first-time director into what we called “the temple”, which is where we had our HD gear. We’d look at a rough edit of the scene, agree that we needed a master shot here or there, or perhaps it was perfect, and we’d be able to move on. So, by understanding and maximizing the technology we were able to shoot an incredible amount of material (57 hours of footage, using two cameras, over fourteen days) and get exactly what we wanted.”

“On top of that we were color-timing as we went. Two reasons why this is important - number one, you are saving a ton of money in post because it’s already pretty close to being perfect. That’s because it so quick to adjust things in the field, like the lighting and the paint menu in the camera, and really nail your look. The other reason is that when you are setting up a scene that connects to something you shot days earlier, you can pull up your edited version on the G4, which allows the DP, director and actors to look at and say, “OK, I’ve got the feel, got the look, let’s light this”. And that saves a lot time.”

Dale Drewery: “What about that often-heard caution that one should wait until post to really commit to a look?”

RD: “As an artist, I just find it bizarre that, if I’m creating an oil painting and I get it close to what I want, I have to give my work to some stranger in post to finish it for me. I don’t want that to happen to anything I create, so that’s why I love the immediacy of high definition – I see what I get. That being said, if I’ve changed my mind I can still strip it down, and add and subtract. Because I’m in a digital world, I can almost do anything I want.”

DD: “How much do you estimate you saved on “Closing Escrow” by shooting it in HD and all that entailed?”

RD: “Because our movie was well under a million dollars, and we pulled the trigger a lot, we probably saved about 38%. But then every project I’ve ever done in high definition has been under budget and on time. One of the things that people don’t often take into account is that, when you shoot film, you shoot for 10 minutes maximum and then you have to change mags, which means that the director goes out for a cigarette, the actress/actor gets coffee, etc. I’ve been on film sets where they are shut down for 20-minutes, even though it only takes them four to five minutes to reload. When I’m directing, and we’re shooting 50-minute loads, we don’t let anyone know when we’re changing tapes. My AD just comes up and touches me on the shoulder, and I talk a little longer. That’s 15 to 20-seconds out of your shooting day, versus 20-minutes.”

DD: “You’ve talked about high definition technology leveling the creative playing field. How so?”

RD: “Film stock is very expensive, and so is processing. Shooting film takes years to understand and perfect. High definition is very immediate, and you can learn to shoot with it very quickly. The other thing I love is that we are looking at very different distribution streams. You no longer have to rely on the kindness of strangers, like the studios. Now if you can’t get your foot in the door, you create your own studio. Give me a camera and Final Cut Pro and I can make a movie, and one that is good enough technically that you can enter it into any film festival in the world. At the end of the day, when a movie-goer is sitting in the theatre eating popcorn and watching your story he or she doesn’t care which technology it was shot with. As long as the willing suspension of disbelief kicks in, they enjoy the ride.”

DD: “HD is also opening up new revenue streams. What has been your experience with those?”

RD: “A good example is “evergreen” material. Since I had never been to Hawaii, I wanted to go and do a half-hour show about the islands. I started by talking to technology manufacturers to see whether they needed any eye-candy for CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) or some (equipment) testing. Some did, so I got a little bit from here and a little bit from there, and put together enough financing to break even. I created Wild Hawaii and then approached broadcasters, and they bought it. Then I hooked up with Footage Bank and said, “I’ve got 40-hours of incredible Hawaii raw footage, can you sell it?” They said, “Of course.” So something that may have cost me $40,000 has already paid for itself a few times over from the auxiliary streams. And, more importantly, for the rest of my life, people will be buying my digital, widescreen, high-resolution images. You’ve got to love that.”

from High Def Consult

Randall Dark Opens Production Company

HD PIONEER RANDALL DARK OPENS PRODUCTION COMPANY

Randall Dark has gone his own way again. After nearly 14 years with HD Vision, he's opened Randall Dark Productions in Los Angeles. His inaugural projects include documentaries in China and music videos for cell phone and iPod screens--all in HD.

Dark said he sold out his interest in HD Vision to Steve Wiener, who became Dark's partner in 2002. Wiener, in turn, has rolled the HD Vision studios and broadcast center into Illuminate, a high-end production/post-pro facility in Hollywood. Dark said he was ready for name "HD Vision" to be put to rest because HD is no longer visionary. Everyone's doing it.

Dark, however, was one of a handful of people shooting high-definition projects in the 1980s, starting with a miniseries shot in Toronto.

"I bought all the first-generation HD gear," he said, including analog open reel VTRs at $350K a pop, and tube cameras. "Then everything changed from 15:9 to 16:9... so I got killed constantly."

At the time, however, Dark was more focused on pioneering HD than turning a profit. He recalled doing live HD broadcasts more than 10 years ago for Network Event Theater. The shows were broadcast via satellite to college campuses and dubbed "broadcast cinema" because d-cinema was not yet a part of the vernacular.

Dark founded HD Vision 1992 in New York, "when HD was user hostile and unbelievably expensive," he said. He eventually moved the business to Dallas to embark on multicamera productions.

"In the early years of HD, we could only afford one or two trucks, so we had to be in the middle of the U.S.," he said.

Dark intends to open offices in Austin, Texas later this year, and in New York a year or so after that, to be "positioned to see what's coming over the next 10 to years."

"The world is going digital HD widescreen broadband," Dark said. "Ten years from now, you'll be able to search for 'Randall Dark Productions,' and get our stuff," which might very well include HD videos for cell phones in China.

"We're in a world where you can close your eyes and imagine it, and you can do it. And now," he said, "it's cost-effective."

from TV Technology