36
P14 Media Predictions P21 New News Sets at TVNZ P27 Film is not Dead P31 Precious Product DISPLAY & CLASSIFIED ADVERT BOOKINGS BY WED 29 FEB ADVERT COPY BY FRI 2 MARCH UP ON THE WEB BY FRI 9 MARCH NZVN on the web. Go to <https://sites.google.com/site/nzvideonews> for more news. The wise ones know that it’s not the machinery but “how you use it” that counts. Having a bigger sensor than your mates is not a guarantee of a better picture, is also true. For one man’s views on the best way to use the Sony F3, accompanied by Chris Barr from DVT, I went to Cloud South Films to see Tom Burstyn, director / cinematographer. Ed: Tom, we’re here because you’ve made a purchase from DVT recently of an F3. Are you happy? Tom: Yes, I love the camera; I think it’s great. Having said that, I think all these cameras are disposable. I think they’re good until the next generation comes along. I change my camera every other generation, before it loses too much value and the next new one makes a difference in the quality. Ed: What were you using before the F3? Tom: I had an EX1 before that, and before that I had a Z1. Ed: What made you go for the F3, because obviously this is quite a different format camera? Tom: The sensor size. My career, for the better part of my last 40 years, has been in film; it’s 35mm, so I have a much better sense of the perspective of the 35mm lens than those tiny little half inch and third inch chips where everything’s in focus and everything’s a wide angle. Ed: Is that always a bad thing? Tom: No, not a bad thing … look, for Citizen Kane, Gregg Toland, one of the greatest cinematographers of all time, spent vast amounts of time and money lighting sets so he could shoot at f16 and all we have to do now to accomplish that is use a little teeny camera in the dark. But it’s the modern aesthetic also – everybody’s used to shallow depth of field and close-ups that are done with a longer lens so that everything’s nice and fuzzy around the background. Ed: So for you, that move from the EX1 and the Z1 – what are essentially video cameras, now you’ve gone to a cinematographic camera. So it is a big change isn’t it, there is a big difference? Tom: Well the big difference in the HD formats for me is lens perspective. I think the first project I did on an HD camera was one of the first Sony 900s, that big amazing four foot camera. Now there’s an incredibly clumsy device. I complained to Sony and they said that they needed to get the camera out fast, so they just put the guts of whatever HD technology they were developing into a news camera; and whatever it was sat on your shoulder and had the tape deck on it, and then you put a cinezoom on the front of it. Trust me, you cannot go through a doorway sideways on a dolly. Ed: But surely there’s a big workflow difference between a video camera and a cinematographic camera? Tom: I’ll preface my answer by explaining that I wear two hats. My day job, or what I’ve been doing for the last 40 years, is as a director of photography on feature films and television dramas and in that field I’ve always used 35mm cameras and recently large format HD cameras. The F900 was a two-thirds inch and so was the Viper, so that’s like 16mm, and recently the RED and the Alexa and Sony F3 User Report FEBRUARY 2012 Vol 177 Tom and Chris with the F3.

NZ Video News February 2012

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

New Zealand television industry news

Citation preview

Page 1: NZ Video News February 2012

P14 Media Predictions

P21 New News Sets at TVNZ

P27 Film is not Dead

P31 Precious Product

DISPLAY & CLASSIFIED ADVERTBOOKINGS BY WED 29 FEB

ADVERT COPY BY FRI 2 MARCHUP ON THE WEB BY FRI 9 MARCH

NZVN on the web. Go to <https://sites.google.com/site/nzvideonews> for more news.

The wise ones know that it’s not themachinery but “how you use it” thatcounts. Having a bigger sensor than yourmates is not a guarantee of a betterpicture, is also true. For one man’s viewson the best way to use the Sony F3,accompanied by Chris Barr from DVT, Iwent to Cloud South Films to see TomBurstyn, director / cinematographer.

Ed: Tom, we’re here because you’vemade a purchase from DVT recently of anF3. Are you happy?

Tom: Yes, I love the camera; I think it’sgreat. Having said that, I think all thesecameras are disposable. I think they’regood until the next generation comesalong. I change my camera every othergeneration, before it loses too much valueand the next new one makes a difference inthe quality.

Ed: What were you using before the F3?

Tom: I had an EX1 before that, and beforethat I had a Z1.

Ed: What made you go for the F3,because obviously this is quite a differentformat camera?

Tom: The sensor size. My career, for the better part ofmy last 40 years, has been in film; it’s 35mm, so I havea much better sense of the perspective of the 35mm lensthan those tiny little half inch and third inch chips whereeverything’s in focus and everything’s a wide angle.

Ed: Is that always a bad thing?

Tom: No, not a bad thing … look, for Citizen Kane,Gregg Toland, one of the greatest cinematographers ofall time, spent vast amounts of time and money lightingsets so he could shoot at f16 and all we have to do nowto accomplish that is use a little teeny camera in thedark. But it’s the modern aesthetic also – everybody’sused to shallow depth of field and close-ups that aredone with a longer lens so that everything’s nice andfuzzy around the background.

Ed: So for you, that move from the EX1 and the Z1 –what are essentially video cameras, now you’ve gone toa cinematographic camera. So it is a big change isn’t it,there is a big difference?

Tom: Well the big difference in the HD formats for me islens perspective. I think the first project I did on an HDcamera was one of the first Sony 900s, that big amazingfour foot camera. Now there’s an incredibly clumsydevice. I complained to Sony and they said that theyneeded to get the camera out fast, so they just put theguts of whatever HD technology they were developing intoa news camera; and whatever it was sat on your shoulderand had the tape deck on it, and then you put a cinezoomon the front of it. Trust me, you cannot go through adoorway sideways on a dolly.

Ed: But surely there’s a big workflow difference betweena video camera and a cinematographic camera?

Tom: I’ll preface my answer by explaining that I weartwo hats. My day job, or what I’ve been doing for the last40 years, is as a director of photography on feature filmsand television dramas and in that field I’ve always used35mm cameras and recently large format HD cameras.The F900 was a two-thirds inch and so was the Viper, sothat’s like 16mm, and recently the RED and the Alexa and

Sony F3 User Report

FEBRUARY 2012 Vol 177

Tom and Chris with the F3.

Page 2: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 2

in the film stock that you could use, but now it’s theglass that makes the difference?

Tom: Yes, I think so. I think the glass is the lastbastion of mood that we have in this otherwisetechnically unforgiving world. The camera sensors areall blindingly sharp. Now we’re going into the world of4K cameras and I think that either equals or justsurpasses film and you have to mitigate that somehow.Either you get a very sharp piece of glass at greatexpense and then you put a diffusion filter in front of it,or my choice is to use this old glass that was madebefore computer designs and when lenses were stillmanufactured by human beings and they were handpolished and assembled by people. Even still cameralenses were assembled by hand. They have lovelyqualities; they have personalities. That Canon lens Ishowed you has a great feeling to it. I mean if you putit on a projector at wide open at .95, it’s a horrible thing… it’s not in focus; it’s a little soft in the upper leftcorner, but actually it has a signature and it has somecharacter and some balls to it. So in the world of HD,its flaws are transformed into qualities. I’m re-purposing a set of old Super Baltar lenses from theearly 60s next.

Ed: I sense an enthusiast here, but I guess being abusiness person you must temper that enthusiasm forgetting that mood into your movies with the reality of,when somebody wants a documentary, they want it bynext Tuesday, and you’ve got to use the rightequipment for that?

Tom: I make my documentaries in a dramatic styleand I make my dramatic films in a documentary style.I think that, yes, you’re absolutely right – in adocumentary you need to be efficient and ready foranything. The zoom lens makes sense here.

Ed: So some of the features of the F3 might be a littlebit slow in the workflow?

Tom: Yes, especially in the moment. Processing thework at the end of the day is one thing: after a long dayof shooting, in your hotel room, downloading cards is abit of a pain in the ass, but in the field when you’regrabbing something, it needs to be in focus … focus ismy big fear. I hate “out of focus”. Even with those oldlenses I want them to be as “in focus” as they can beand I want there to be a difference between what’s atthe plane of focus and what’s not … I don’t want theplane of focus to be on your ear, I want it to be on your

the EPIC and those cameras for my dramatic work. ButI also work as a director / cinematographer ondocumentaries and in that world, the cameras with thesmaller chip make my life much easier. Also, being acameraman, I have an aesthetic that I am a slave to, solook is very important even with a small chip camerawhen there is too much depth of field and you can’t doselective focus and almost every shot is a wide shot.The telephoto end of an EX1 is about 50 or 60mm, it’sabout a 300mm lens … a 300mm lens field size, but notthe perspective of a 300mm lens.

Ed: When you’re comparing it to a 35mm sensor?

Tom: That’s right. So now with that I actually have toadmit that I’m a little bit nervous shootingdocumentaries with the F3 because on docos I don’t usean assistant, I keep the crew tiny, just my wife and I,and focus is very difficult because the camera is sosharp and I don’t use a lot of light. So if I’m shootingat 2 or 2.8, the focus is very difficult to master,especially if it’s handheld and you’re moving and they’removing.

Ed: In summary, the large sensor cameras havemuch depth of field so it’s actually much harder tomaintain it, especially if your talent’s moving. You saidbefore we started this interview that sometimes youhire a remote focus device?

Tom: When I’m using a remote focus device, it’sexclusively on a dramatic project, in which case wehave more time, are more organised, and there’s afocus puller and a dolly or, if I’m doing handheld,everything is marked out and the focus puller canactually take marks and do his proper job. I usevintage still camera glass – mostly Nikon and old Canonlenses so he can not only take his marks and do aproper job of it, but he can expand the limited barrelturn on a still camera lens … he can expand that into awhole 360 degree turn on his remote focus device. Itgives him a better chance of getting it in focus,especially at 0.95.

I’m a big fan of old glass and the other great thingabout the F3 is that, because the mount is so close tothe sensor, you can use almost any lens made andadapt it to the camera. P+S Technik or MTF make anadapter for most lenses. I have my favourite Canon50mm 0.95, a real “one-off” lens only made for acouple of years and the mount is very proprietary, soPanavision kindly made a custom one for me.

I think the distance from themount to the sensor neededto be 17mm, a PL mount ismuch deeper. So just byaccident, I’m sure Sonydidn’t devise it like that, butby accident, you can removethe basic mount and there’sa big fat bayonet there thatyou can make somethingfor. So I’m very happy withthat – and in fact it’s one ofthe reasons I’m looking atall the new cameras outthere and thinking I won’tchange until something …like the new Canon that’sjust come out, the C300.What ever possessed themto make their camera 8-bit?

Ed: Oh well there’sanother story in that I’msure. But really, in the daysof film, there were variations

Shooting breakfast scene in ‘Insatiable Moon’. Tom sitting on a turntable in a hole cutinto the breakfast table so he can be inside the scene watching everyone's interaction

with the food and one another.more on page 6

Page 3: NZ Video News February 2012
Page 4: NZ Video News February 2012
Page 5: NZ Video News February 2012

Phone (09) 3024100 Email: [email protected] Website: www.kelpls.co.nz

EXPENDABLESWE ARE YOUR BEST SUPPLIER FOR ALL EXPENDABLES

Chris James Lighting Filters Gaffer,Double-sided and Camera Tape

All Lamps Leads, specials this month1m to 30m, Tapon to cord socket

2mTapon to IEC Call us for quantity deals

Page 6: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 6

Tom: This happened on day one or two, right at thebeginning of the show. We had done quite rigoroustests comparing Ki Pro Mini – it was an 8-bit recorderright? – with the Nano Flash and that great big thing,the Cinedeck. I come from a mechanical background ofphotochemistry and clockwork cameras and now I’m inthis world of touchscreens, electronics and computers,I’m never quite comfortable with them. I looked at thatCinedeck and there were 8 million choices of how youwanted to record your picture. You know what I want?I want high, medium, low quality. I want the option ofmedium / low but I’m always going to record on high.In the field I want to collect all the information I canget; I don’t want Rec. 709 or a gamma curve. As mygood buddy, chief colourist at Technicolor Canadaexplained to me – he said “look at your camera. Yourcamera costs $100-200,000. It’s this big; and look atmy post production suite. It’s the size of a house, itcost millions of dollars. Which device do you think hasthe finest control?” Aha, sold, I understood right away,and since then all I do is record raw or as close to rawas I can. I consider the other half of the camera to bein the post production suite. For me, that’s the onlyway to do it; that’s the way to make video look like … Idon’t want to say “look like film” because it doesn’t looklike film; that’s the way to give video an emotion.

Ed: But in this case, you sacrificed that higher qualityrecording for …?

Tom: So we had done these tests, and the differencebetween the SXS cards and all those other mediumsthat we’d recorded to was minimal. What the higherquality files did provide was a cushion – if I screwed up,I had got some latitude up my sleeve. I could grab a

eye, and that’s where the DSLRs have so much trouble,the big ones, the 5D which I’ve worked with a lot.

Ed: Oh you mean the Canon 5D?

Tom: The Canon 5D. It is bloody sharp and I can’tfocus it – nobody can focus it. Nobody. At wide open,maybe if you had a monitor and you were really lookingcarefully, but you can’t do it on the fly; you can’t do itin a practical field situation. Well, you could get lucky,or you could have a feel for it, but you’re not going toknock it on the head every time.

Ed: Well that’s just another one to put on the list Iguess, but enough of my prejudices. This leads us ontoone of the shows that you’re well known for and that’sthe dramatic series Underbelly shown on TV3. Now Iunderstand there was a bit of controversy over the useof the recording media in this?

Tom: Well there was only a bit of controversy. A lot ofUnderbelly was handheld; it was a very fast turnaroundbit of television and I needed to move quickly and I gotfrustrated with the “rats nest” of wires that we had fromcamera to battery to recorder to monitor – you know,there’s a whole bunch of stuff on the camera. It madeit very messy. The cables are very easily dislodged;some of the cables are little tiny LEMO plugs that don’tlock in properly, they can pop them out by accident.

The Ki Pro Mini was also very power hungry, and I thinkwe had mistakenly chosen the wrong cards for it. Sowe would drop frames or it wouldn’t record, or we hadsome problem, so I tore the thing out and we justrecorded straight to the camera.

Ed: This happened on day one?

Page 7: NZ Video News February 2012
Page 8: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 8

Tom: Yes, it would be lovely to have a camera thatsize with a 422 native recording.

Ed: But I guess the test is that, if you had to do thesame sort of production again with a lot of handheld,you would …?

Tom: The best compromise I’ve found for low budgetproduction, is running a tether, a cable, from thecamera to a proper big computer off there somewhere.We can record a 422 or a 444 image with the S-Log andI don’t have that additional weight and that nest of wireon my camera.

Ed: But otherwise you’d be happy to use the SXScards?

Tom: Yes, I’m happy to use them. But, like everybodyelse, I’m always looking for something better, and forme, the only shortcoming that camera has is that itcan’t record natively a proper 444 or 422 file to thecard. Now you have that Blackmagic Hyper Shuttle – ainy device that does one thing. It records a RAW file.Here’s a small device that’s self-powered, light andsimple to operate. With most of the other devices I’veseen, you turn the camera on and then turn therecorder on. That’s an issue for post ifyou’re going touse the onboard recording as backup, because themaster and backup shots are two different lengths andhave two different opening timecodes. Editorial doesn’tlike that, we’re doubling their work. Here you have alittle tiny device that is slaved to the “On / Off” switchof the camera.

I was raised with a strict discipline for exposing motionpicture film. There were many variables and youcouldn’t see your result until it was too late. So we filmcameramen were very careful about our exposure; thelabs were careful about their process; and there was arigorous discipline applied to the work. So now, withthe advent of all these new cameras, these affordableand very high quality cameras, it’s become the greatdemocratisation of cinema; but the downside of that isthat anybody can pick up a camera without the benefitof my experience and make a shitty picture. So for me,it’s been an easy and a pleasureable move into theworld of HD because I apply my film discipline … when Iuse my discipline I don’t have to think, I can just workfrom the gut. I can see with my eye, I know this is toohot, that’s too dark, this is going to work.

I notice that other young people getting a camera forthe first time, people with no experience, notunderstanding the basics of exposure and optics andlet’s not even talk about composition, but themechanical basics of exposing an image, have a difficulttime. For me, coming from the old school world, HD iseasy-peasy and it allows me great flexibility.

little more out of the highlight or a little more out of theshadow or get a little more colour space to work with.

Ed: But the basic recording was virtually identical?

Tom: It was for HD television broadcast. If I wasdoing my job setting exposure and lighting properly,then within those parameters, the differences werenegligible. So I decided, “okay I’m going to be aprofessional, do a proper job and we’ll go with the cardson the camera.” It lightened the load considerably.The physical size of the camera was reduced usingonboard batteries instead of the big Anton Bauerbatteries and then the baseplate with the rods and allthat stuff. So if we’re doing a handheld scene, we canstrip the camera right down and it’s tiny, it’s beautiful; Ican handhold it, I can hold it at arm’s length, I can dolittle moves with it – you know, pull it towards my body,or drop it down, or raise it up.

Ed: Okay, so the controversy was you were using theSXS cards at 420 and 35 megabit per second and thiswas outside the original brief of the production, but …?

Tom: The commissioners were happy with the outputof the Sony F3 and the truth is, once all that stuff goes

through a professional post production workflow and thecinematographer’s done a proper job, you can’t tell thedifference. I wonder whether you can get a propertechnician to study the image and find a signature ofwhat camera that came from.

Ed: So in reality, having a higher level of recordingwith an offboard recorder just does give you some morelatitude if you do need to change something in post?

Tom in his EX1 days.

Page 9: NZ Video News February 2012

PRODUCTION | POST | VISUAL EFFECTS

TERADEK CUBEStream media anywhere locally or globally.

Teradek’s revolutionary, camera mountable Cube media encoder and decoder family wowed audiences at NAB. Capable of turning your iPad into a fi eld monitor, streaming live content to the web or a wireless SDI Field monitor this box has to be the most fl exible, cost-effective and exciting encoder to date.

GOPRO 3D CAMERASProfessional 3D made easy only from GoPro

The GoPro 3D HERO System and CineForm Studio software make it easy to capture and create professional quality 3D content. Combine two 1080p HD HERO cameras into a single housing to record 3D video and photos while simultaneously recording in 2D.

AJA KI PRO MINIOn camera ProRes 422 HQ recording at its best.

Ki Pro Mini is the smallest and simplest way of connecting production and post, anywhere shooting takes you. With a miniature form factor that makes for the smallest camera and recorder package available, Ki Pro Mini is powerful, supporting all four types of Apple ProRes 4:2:2 (including HQ, LT and Proxy).

SONY PMW-F3 CAMERASuper 35mm digital cinematography. The new PMW-F3 Camcorder is designed for digital production environments that seek the creative fl exibility offered by a large frame sensor- including commercial, documentary, television and feature fi lm production.

GEMINI 4:4:4 RECORDEROn camera uncompressed 4:4:4 recording with S-Log.

Convergent Design’s Gemini 4:4:4 combines a small 5” touch screen monitor with an uncompressed HD recorder that supports HD-SDI, Dual Link and 3G-SDI inputs. It records to one or two 1.8” solid state hard drives. Just about every HD format is supported up to 2k in resolution in both the 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 colour space.

DVT PRODUCTION INCLUDING CAMERAS, LENSES, LIGHTS, BATTERIES AND INTEGRATION SERVICES. VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILED PRODUCT FEATURES OR CALL ON 09 525 0788.

BLACKMAGIC MIXERS1ME Switcher and Panel now shipping.

Get the workfl ow of a traditional 1 M/E SDI switcher combined with a very portable compact 2 RU size and a software control panel you can run on your laptop! Includes 4 SDI inputs, 4 HDMI inputs for consumer cameras or computers, analog input, and SDI, HDMI and analog outputs including down converted SDI output and USB 3.0!

GENUSMatte boxes and follow focus by Genus

Genus creates award winning and innovative Mattebox, follow focus and camera support systems for video and fi lm professionals.

The Genus range of products are designed and built to exacting standards and are very reasonably priced.

The NEX-FS100 is an interchangeable lens camcorder featuring a full Super 35mm sensor with Sony E-Mount and an optional 18-200mm zoom lens. It is capable of capturing stunning image quality with shallow depth of fi eld.

Sony NXE-FS100Super 35mm NXCAM Camcorder

Digital Video Technologies (NZ) Ltd | Phone: 09 525 0788 | Email: [email protected] | 45 Fairfax Avenue, Penrose, Aucklandwww.dvt.co.nz

STREAMLIVE!NOW SHIPPING

NOW SHIPPING

3D MADE SIMPLE!

Page 10: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 10

Ed: Chris, was it a hard sale?

Chris: Tom required a solution and the rightsolution was the F3. He had made his mind up as to hiscamera of choice, so it was more about making surethat he got everything else around it in terms ofaccessories and getting it in time for him to actuallystart using it. We ended up giving him our demo unitand he used that for testing and then once his cameracame in, he went away and did his thing.

Ed: I guess it’s heart-warming to see a product thatyou’ve sold being used in such a good way?

Chris: I like seeing what people do with the toolsthat we supply. I like knowing and finding out whatpeople are doing and then just matching up the righttool for the right job.

Ed: And you’ve got plenty of things planned for 2012to excite your customers?

Chris: We have lots of exciting products availableand look forward to telling everyone about them.

Ed: Oh that’s Stuart’s job though isn’t it?

Chris: Very much so, so if I get on his case …

Ed: I think everyone should get on Stuart’s case andcall him as often as possible, because he likes phonecalls from customers, especially grumpy ones.

Chris: Oh he’ll sell ice to an Eskimo mate! He’s afantastic salesman and …

Ed: But he’s a really nice guy?

Chris: He’s a really nice guy – he’s got the “gift ofthe gab” as they say.

Ed: I think we’ll stop it there.

Ed: But if you come from a video world and you gointo a large sensor, short depth of field camera, you aremore likely to have some problems?

Tom: A bit of a learning curve I guess. But that’s whyI like to work with an imaging technician. The thingthat would be easy for the video guy is the thing that Ihave trouble with – the different codecs and recordingdevices and the file management and all that stuff. Ilike the security of having a guy there who canguarantee that all my stuff is safe and it’s well dealtwith at the end of the day.

Ed: Archiving you mean?

Tom: Archiving, that’s the next thing. We don’t careanymore. The show’s good for 1 or 2 seasons and thenthey’re going to sell it on; they’ve got a tape, nobodycares about archiving. Gone With The Wind would belost if it was recorded on HD. I just threw out sixcardboard boxes of U-Matic cassettes and two inch tapeand all this stuff that nobody has the players foranymore and when I did I find a guy with a U-Maticplayer, it turned out all my cassettes had jammed upand that it became a forensic operation to capture allthe work that was on there. A piece of film lasts for along time; a cassette – I don’t know how long that lastsfor.

Ed: And a solid state media card?

Tom: A bunch of “On’s” and “Off’s” and a little tiny bitof plastic – I have no idea.

And now the man responsible for selling Tom this F3that he’s actually very happy about is Chris Barr fromDVT. NZVN

Page 11: NZ Video News February 2012
Page 12: NZ Video News February 2012
Page 13: NZ Video News February 2012

Digital Video Technologies (NZ) Ltd | Phone: 09 525 0788 | Email: [email protected] | 45 Fairfax Avenue, Penrose, Aucklandwww.dvt.co.nz

Terms and Conditions apply. Contact DVT to fi nd out more information.

PRODUCTION | POST | VISUAL EFFECTS

Talk to DVT about the benefi ts to your business if you UPGRADE BEFORE 15 MARCH 2012*.

Page 14: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 14

to be moving, it’s got to be in a network system and

have some sort of redundancy?

Olivier: Yes. It’s like a car – if you leave it for 10

years in a garage, even if the car is new, it will not start

after 10 years. It needs to be used to stay in a good

state.

Ed: Well that’s very clear. So really you see the long-

term solution being a cloud?

Olivier: Yes, more and more people talk about this

system and it seems to work. And also data is moved

from place to place automatically so it doesn’t sit in the

same drives all the time.

Ed: So are there any hubs – I mean for the local

person who might have a programme they want to save

that is 800 gigabyte, it’s a long time sitting on your

broadband from somewhere in Auckland to get it sentsomewhere. Are there any hubs that do this?

Olivier: I really don’t know. Today, there is no real

solution like this in New Zealand I think. The internet is

too slow, especially if the files have to be sent overseas.

The transmission of data is too slow here in New

Zealand.

Ed: Oh dear, it’s not a very positive outlook Olivier?

Olivier: It will get better in the future as new cable

will increase the transfer capacity.

Ed: Okay, that’s probably upset quite a few people …

now shall we upset some more and talk about DVDs

and Blu-rays. What about release formats? Now that

the codecs for YouTube presentation have improved

dramatically, a number of people are actually delivering

programmes as H.264 files on YouTube. Is this sort of

Media PredictionsThe place you go for all those tricky format transfers

and any duplication need is where I went to gaze into

the crystal ball foretelling the media future of our

industry. The facility is Next Technology and the

resident gypsy with the “second sight” is OlivierWardecki.

Ed: Olivier, I’ve decided that it’s time to “pick your

brains” again. You’ve got your finger on the pulse of

things duplication and things archiving because you’re

doing them every day. The archiving issue is the big

one for most people – has it been solved?

Olivier: It’s coming along, it’s a work in progress.

Things are getting better but I think there’s two

directions There are some big suppliers who are goingto handle data only, and I’m talking about big

companies like Hewlett Packard or other companies like

this, with massive servers built to stand up to natural

disasters like earthquakes.

Ed: So this is a “cloud type” operation?

Olivier: Yes, and in fact I think in the future, video

will be stored like that.

Ed: So you’ll pay a fee per year to store so manyterabyte and that’s it?

Olivier: Yes, that’s the future I think. It will replace

drives and LTO tapes.

Ed: I’ve heard quite a few people saying LTO tape is

the way to go for permanent storage?

Olivier: The data will be fine on the LTO tapes but

you will need to have an LTO deck in a good state to be

able to read the data and I don’t know how many LTOs

are going to be around in 20 years.

Ed: So it could be like D1?

Olivier: Similar – very similar actually.

Ed: What about Blu-ray disc?

Olivier: I don’t think it’s really the best way of

storing things. You can use them for a small amount of

data, but they’re like DVDs.

Ed: Because the longevity of a Blu-ray disc is very

long, especially if you put it in some sort of case?

Olivier: Yes, but it’s not big enough. On an LTO

today, you can put 1.5 terabyte uncompressed. A Blu-

ray is a lot smaller and files are getting really big. An

uncompressed QuickTime HD for a 90 minute

programme is about 800 gigabyte. Where do you put

that?

Ed: It’s a lot of discs.

Olivier: Yes.

Ed: Are you starting to get people coming in withremovable hard drives that they’ve stored material on

years ago and they’re finding that they’re not spinning

up?

Olivier: It does happen. Sometimes you can hear

the heads clicking away and generally that’s a sign not

much will happen. You can always go to a specialised

forensic place where they will retrieve the data at a

very high cost. I had a client last year who had a

problem with a drive. It cost him $6,000. That’s a lotof money.

Ed: So people are still not realising that a drive sitting

on a shelf is not a permanent means of storage; it’s got

Olivier with just some of the technology at Next.

Page 15: NZ Video News February 2012

Atomise LimitedAuthorised Reseller of Professional Editing Equipment

Visit www.atomise.co.nz; email [email protected] or call Richard Kelly on 04 380 5010 / 021 86 33 94

for information & demos.

Apace Systems

Editing Solutions Experts

Atomise Limited is proud to supply and support the editorial solution for “The Hobbit”.

Avid Media Composer Nitris DX | Avid ISIS 7000 | Apace VSTOR OctopaRead about it in the June edition of Content And Technology magazine.

http://tinyurl.com/CandT-june11

• Now 64bit native for higher perfomance

• New sleek interface

• Avid Open I/O brings support for more I/O hardware

• Edit 3D like you edit 2D with new tools

• Avid DNx444

• Create 5.1 and 7.1 mixes

• Access, screen, and edit AVCHD and RED EPIC clips through AMA

• Full native ProRes support on Macs

• Color correction and grading functions with Artist Color

Contact Atomise Limited for information today

Introducing JMR Electronics StorageHigh performance Avid Qualified storage available now at great prices

Up to 1,500 Megabytes per second transfer rate with RAID securityContact Atomise today for a quote

Page 16: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 16

Olivier: Yes, I think so; I cannot be 100% sure, butI think internet linked to a TV set is going to allowpeople to watch TV in a new way.

Ed: So it’s the best of both worlds; it’s not TV on yourcomputer, but it’s actually computer files on your TV?

Olivier: Absolutely, yes and streaming files directlyto your TV. It works quite well in Europe now. I was inFrance for Christmas and I saw it there. It works verywell in HD. But there are some changes to come – likeif 3D doesn’t take off.

Ed: What … you don’t think 3D’s going to take offOlivier?

impacting the number of people

outputting DVDs and Blu-rays?

Olivier: Oh certainly. I don’t know

exactly how much, but it certainly does

especially for “work in progress”. A file

uploaded is the way to go and is used by

a lot of people. But it doesn’t have to be

YouTube, it can be used for other places

like Vimeo. That’s actually often used in

the cinema world.

Ed: So Vimeo is in competition with

YouTube?

Olivier: Not really, it’s more a place

where you actually put non-public data.

You have an account with them, upload

your work in progress or your final movie

and you give a code to whoever you

want to have access to it, and they can

play it or download it. It’s up to you to decide in fact.

Ed: Are the quality levels the same as YouTube or are

they higher?

Olivier: There is not much difference. The quality is

linked to the speed of your connection. If you have

high speed internet it will look very good. You can also

watch it on the latest TV sets. New TVs have an

ethernet port and you can actually directly link to

websites with video content. You don’t need a

computer anymore.

Ed: So are you seeing your business moving more in

that direction; changing codecs for clients coming in

with a tape, disc or a hard drive with files on it and you

converting it to something that is to be used in a

different way?

Olivier: Yes, we do more and more of this.

Actually, last year we bought a big machine called the

“StreamZ HD” full options. It’s a machine that can

digitise and convert almost anything into anything. It is

quite expensive, but it’s extremely efficient. We also do

broadcast quality conversions of HD NTSC files to HD

PAL files and vice versa.

Ed: But the actual printing and duplicating of DVDs

continues?

Olivier: Yes it continues. It’s a media that’s

actually still used quite a lot, it’s surprising sometimes.

It’s used a lot for advertising and promotions, but not

so much for commercial release DVD’s. You just need

to look at the ratio of Blu-rays to DVDs in the shops

now.

Ed: But not a great burst in the level of Blu-ray

required?

Olivier: No. Commercial Blu-rays are mastered

only in limited numbers in New Zealand. But you

actually see more and more international Blu-ray

movies in the retail shops today …

Ed: Even though the price of blank discs has come

down considerably?

Olivier: Yes the blanks are cheaper but still it has

not made a great change. I think files are going to take

over in a certain way.

Ed: So a lot of it will be on the Internet as opposed to

people having solid state devices carrying around files

on those devices?

Page 17: NZ Video News February 2012
Page 18: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 18

Ed: Well that’s a topic of emotional debate Olivier,whether 35mm film is “nice”?

Olivier: I think it adds something. There’s a certainromanticism about it.

Ed: Oui, oui – very French. I’ll bet you like steamtrains and horse riding too.

Olivier: No it doesn’t seem to be …

actually, while I was in Paris, Canal Plus,

which is a major player in Europe, put on

hold their 3D channel. Just stopped it.

That means what it means.

Ed: But, still talking about your

business, what are some of the things

that are going to be happening in 2012?

Olivier: This year, we are now

equipped to do what we call DCP files.

They are special files destined for cinema

servers.

Ed: Oh, okay, so if you’re making

something for Hoytes Sylvia Park to

show?

Olivier: That’s right. Most cinemas

are now playing film from files because

35mm is nearly finished. Everything now

goes onto DCP files and these DCP files

play in a specific player ( it’s called a

server ) made by two major brands in

the world. We make these unencrypted

files for a very reasonable price now.

Ed: So come to Olivier for the best price.

Olivier: Yes, as always – and for the highest quality

also! One thing we are going to see, sadly, is the

35mm reel disappearing. It’s a shame that we are not

going to see the nice look of 35mm anymore. NZVN

Olivier and Kate.

Page 19: NZ Video News February 2012
Page 20: NZ Video News February 2012
Page 21: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 21

Paul P: I think it’s about 11 hours of programmingif you include Good Morning. That level is commonlycalled “sweating the asset”.

Ed: And this is just for TV One?

Paul P: TVNZ 7 and One, yes.

Ed: That’s a lot of people coming and going from oneset?

Norman: It’s one studio rather than one set, so wehave a number of presenting positions within the space.There are two very definite hard set areas, but we havelots of options around those as well.

Ed: And your mission in all this is that you’ve got tomake the vision a reality?

Norman: It’s my charge,yes, it’s my life’s work. It’smy life’s desire to make PaulPatrick happy!

Paul P: And he does ona regular basis. No … thebrief on this and what’sbeing done so brilliantly isthat we wanted to create aset that was going to beflexible for our presentersand for our programmes; togive essentially the chanceto future-proof Suite Four.We’ve got now the basisthat will allow us to tweak aset over the years, buthopefully won’t have toresult in a massive change-up again. We’ve now gotthe capacity to grow in thatspace and bring in moreprogrammes if we needed tobecause there’s alwayssomewhere for them to workfrom.

Ed: There’s more hours inthe day?

New NewsSets at TVNZ

“Ho hum” you may think,but you’d be wrong. This isnot just a better look, but abetter workflow. To explain,I spoke with Paul Patrick,the daily programmeseditor, and NormanSievewright, senior studiodirector for News andCurrent Affairs. We’retalking about workflow, butnot workflow in the sense ofprogramme making; this isworkflow in a set; how, inthe best possible way, youarrange a set that is beingused most of the day and ina variety of programmes.

Ed: What was the drivefor this Paul?

Paul P: There were acouple of things we wantedto do: firstly, we wanted tohave all our programmes inSuite Four and secondly, totake some cost out of the business in terms of theprocess of getting sets in and out.

Ed: So what programmes are we talking about?

Paul P: All of the daily News and Current Affairsprogrammes. So that’s everything from Breakfast inthe morning to Tonight late at night, Q & A, Sunday –all of the stable of News and Current Affairs, plus thisyear, TVNZ is bringing Good Morning to Auckland andwe wanted to use a part of Suite Four for a portion ofthe programme that Good Morning offers.

Ed: So how many hours in a weekday are we lookingat here?

It’s a very “clean” set.

Paul Patrick and Norman Sievewright bringing you their version of the News.

Page 22: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 22

Norman: There’s no more use of chroma key than wehad in the old set. What we’ve done with this set, iswe’ve given ourselves the ability to make changesthrough a bigger area. We’re using more screens;we’ve reused some of the screens that came out of theold suite and we’ve purchased new ones as well. Sowe’ve just increased the amount of wall space forscreens, without going virtual, because I think we allfeel that that’s kind of a very cold and precisepresentation. Having real pieces of furniture is muchmore friendly, warmer and cleaner for us.

Ed: And you haven’t gone for the stand up look?

Paul P: Well there are stand up positions and we douse them. In Breakfast we’re using Nadine Chalmers-Ross in a stand up position which we haven’t usedbefore. There is a position there that has a relatabilityback to whatever part of the set you want to use. Sothe whole editorial drive was to create a sense that youcan see everyone that you want to in one shot. Thehard set is smaller, so we can see the Weather andNews presenters in the same shot; you can see Sportand News in a much closer environment, so it feelswarmer, more relatable.

Norman: It’s very early days of all of this technologyand for the new sets as well, as we build theprogrammes, because we haven’t done anything yetwith any of the Current Affairs or non-daily shows. Soour plan is that next week we start looking at thoseshows and they will definitely expand our use of thesuite for sure.

Norman: There’s more hours in the day, we can fillthem, yes.

Paul P: The possibility exists of putting some of theother stable of programmes that News and CurrentAffairs look after, which is Maori and Pacificprogrammes in Suite Four as well.

Ed: So you haven’t gone the American way, the fullvirtual set?

Paul P: There’s always a cost element associatedwith that. A virtual set is very expensive and actually, Iprefer the look that we have.

Ed: Oh I’m very pleased and I’m sure many of ourreaders will be very pleased that you’re not going thefull virtual American set way. Some of them areexceptionally tacky?

Paul P: Yes but, if you look at the BBC, their virtualset is awe-inspiring in its complexity and what they’reable to do. With our screens, we’ve got a very crispand a very good look that I think is going to serve TVNZfor a number of years and we’ve added some nice bigplasmas that allow us to get rid of some of the uglyvisuals that we’ve had over the last few years. Forexample, when we threw to reporters, we’ve had peoplecaught in the crosshair of the screens. We haven’t gotthat now and it looks smart.

Ed: So you’ve sort of gone partial virtual – you’re notusing only hard sets, you have gone some way towardsvirtual backgrounds; for example, more use of achroma key?

Page 23: NZ Video News February 2012

VIDEO EQUIPMENT FOR SALEAll this gear has to be sold All this gear has to be sold All this gear has to be sold

Canon XHA1se HD Camera S/N number 894710010167; 2 Batteries 1 = 7200mAh and 1 = 5200mAh;Power supply - charger 240v - A/V lead (RCA to 3 way mini Jack); Camera output Cables DTC 1000 out-put to Component; Head Phones and DV Tapes Panasonic .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Sennheiser Shot Gun Microphone. K6 Base and ME66 Microphone; Rubber sock and Rycote BigFluffy wind sock; 450mm XLR to XLR and 1500mm XLR to mini jack; Microphone Clamp .. .. .. .. ..

Manfrotto Tripod 547B legs 701HDV head; Medium weight tripod 10-03-2010 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Vivitar Mono Pod with quick release camera plate .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Microphone / Light stand light weight .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Green Screens Two of 2 metre square .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Paglight C6 KIT Camera mount Lamp Barn doors & 2 filters; N-Cad Battery 6v 7ah -20 watts .. .. ..

Light Reflector Fold away 80cm White and Gold .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

PAG 2002 Camera Shoulder Mount. Brand New; Designed to allow you to mount your camera on a setof brackets that hang off your shoulders; A form of camera support .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Camera Remote Control Unit Bebob BE-ZOE-DVXL Lanc / DVX Remote for Tripod mounting .. .. ..

Visual Reality 2.00 Seven DVDs of Effects; Objects, Textures, and Jurassic Adventures .. .. .. .. ..

JVC TM-10E 10: Professional Monitor. Very tidy condition .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Australian Monitor Professional Amplifier Model AV2.2P Dual Channel Output 75 Watt at 8 Ohms.As new condition .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

All this equipment is as new condition and has had very light usage

CONTACT BRUCE COLQUHOUN PHONE 09 235 8834

$ Inc GST

3300.00

650.00

350.00

52.00

40.00

40.00

360.00

36.00

690.00

190.00

50.00

150.00

380.00

Page 23

set. The physical set for Breakfast would be rolled outand the Close Up set would come in. And then, on theother side of the studio, fixed permanently, was the setfor our News programmes; Midday, One News at 6 andTonight were all fronted from that position. With thisnew design, we’ve still got the hard and the soft sets,

Ed: And Nadine’s chroma key is a work in progress –as an avid Breakfast watcher I have to pose thisquestion, I’m sorry?

Paul P: Everything is a work in progress, so whatyou’re looking at today is probably not what any of theprogrammes are going to look like in July. You knowwe’ll be fine tuning it all the waythrough, but what I’ve been impressedwith is that I think that, even in thethree days we’ve been live, the littletweaks that we’ve made have madesome pretty impressive changes to theon air look. I think it is a remarkablepiece of television, that set. I love it.

Ed: Let’s go and have a look, shall we?

We’re now in Studio Four and we are

joined by Paul Hedges, Productions

Services Manager, who is trying not to

say anything ... but that’s not an option.

Ed: We’ve just finished the middayNews and Paul, well it’s all in one room?

Paul H: Yes, that was the purpose ofwhat we were trying to do; just use theone room space more effectively, sowe’ve opened up the room by pushingthe set design out into the corners of thestudio. In the past, we had one side ofthe studio given over to Breakfast in themorning and Close Up in the evening andevery day there was a daily change of Paul Hedges on the comfy sofa.

more on page 26

Page 24: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 24

NEWS RELEASE

JVC Kenwood appoints Gencom in Australia and New Zealand

For immediate release:

Sydney - Thursday, 2nd February, 2012 - Gencom Technology announces exclusive distribution of JVCProfessional products and JVC’s award winning D ILA projector series for the Australian and New Zealandmarkets.

Commenting on the new product lines, Ray Sanders, Gencom Technology CEO stated. “We are very pleasedto broaden our relationship with JVC Kenwood to now cover distribution of these products in the Australianmarket also. Having exclusively distributed the JVC Professional products line in New Zealand for the past 12years, I see this expansion as an excellent partnership fit, bringing additional scope to grow marketopportunities and offer enhanced services to our clients in both countries.”

Sanders continued, “We are equally pleased to have secured the services of several ex JVC Pro Australia staff,including Noel Oakes, Martin Scott and Nick Critelli bringing a wealth of experience and adding continuity tothe operation for existing JVC customers and dealers.”

Mr Lindsay Nolland, National Manager, Communications Division, JVC Kenwood Australia commented - “Weare very happy to be working closely with Gencom in both markets for these product lines. GencomTechnology has an excellent industry reputation for customer focus and advanced technical service capability.I am confident this appointment will benefit not only our two companies, but more importantly our valuedcustomer base in the Australia and New Zealand markets.”

For press information contact: For JVC sales info contact:

Jennifer Richardson Noel Oakes, Gencom Technology

[email protected] [email protected]

Tel. + 61 4 1146 7915 Tel. + 61 2 9888 8206

About Gencom Technology

Gencom is a leading provider of integrated broadcast solutions, which has built a strong reputation ininspiration, partnership and support over the last 40 years.

Gencom’s investment in not only the finest technology but the training of their staff in areas of HDTVtransmission, media asset management and delivering technologies like IPTV on a global scale, has madethem one of the most talented and experienced design and support services world-wide.

Gencom has offices in Sydney, Singapore, Johannesburg and Wellington and representatives in Delhi andLondon with a head office in Auckland, New Zealand and design centres in Auckland, Sydney and Singaporeproviding end-to-end technology solutions for the broadcast, multimedia and telecommunications industries.

Further information visit www.gencom.com

******** ENDS ********

Page 25: NZ Video News February 2012
Page 26: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 26

Ed: Okay, but are there any other bits that you haveto physically change out here?

Norman: There are no physical changes at all now.The one thing we’ll do for Fair Go is we’ll have one pieceof furniture brought in for that, but apart from that,there are no changes.

Ed: A guillotine? Think of the ratings!

Norman: The gallows will be in, yes. As we’ve beensaying all along, the whole idea with the new set was tobe able to ring the changes instantly through use oflight and graphics and screens. So the brief has beenvery well fulfilled by the design team and executed bythe technical people who have pulled it all together inrecord time, and with a minimum of stress, which hasbeen very good.

Ed: There’s not a lot of hair left?

Norman: There wasn’t a lot to start with! We had tomove everything that we had been doing previously inthis studio into the studio next door, Studio Three, priorto Christmas, and work out of there for about fiveweeks, and then get ourselves back into here over thelast weekend. So it’s been military precision to get usto this state.

Ed: Now with your hard set, with your News set herefor example, you could obviously change what’s on thedesk screen and the colour of the strip?

Norman: Yes, that’s right. We can go to any colourwe like on the strip and again, the screens behind, andalso the coloured light boxes behind can be changed outwith ( as Paul says ) “the click of a mouse”.

so the News presentation is done from one static set,but the graphics and the screen displays behind it aresignificantly bigger than we’ve had in the past. We alsohave a very sophisticated control system so we canchange the look and feel of all of the shows very quickly– lighting changes and the configuration of the screendisplays can be changed very quickly. Different showscan have their individual look without having to movesets in or out.

On the other side of the studio we’ve got the couch set.This is where Breakfast will be fronted and then we “hotseat” into Good Morning when the show resumes inFebruary. Again, we’re using a plasma screen walldisplay behind, that can be configured with one pictureinside it, or the wall can be split into different sectionswith different images displayed.

The technology that we’ve deployed for this means thatchanges can happen instantly, so preconfigured setupscan be created and designed and then, at a mouseclick, implemented. One show can finish, another showcan start and the transformation can happen virtuallyinstantly. Lighting changes and graphics changes areall very, very quick now.

Ed: What’s the soft side of it? You say this is sort ofthe “hard” side, is the soft side just the change out ofthe screens, or are there some other bits you canadjust?

Norman: We refer to the soft set as being the couchset, so it’s more the interview time on Breakfast andGood Morning so that’s a “soft” set versus the “hard”News desk set.

more on page 29

Page 27: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 27

Film is not Dead!One of the books I brought back from IBC was ajournal by the IET which is the Institution ofEngineering and Technology and it’s entitled “TheBest of IET and IBC”. Now you can actually get thiswhole journal by Googling <ISSN 2041-5923> andyou can download the whole booklet or magazinewhich is about 2½ megabite.

Within this there’s a lot of very high levelinformation, but one of the topics there took myfancy, and that is “Applications of Data Storage onCinematographic Film for Long-term Preservation ofDigital Productions.” Now basically, they’re sayinghere that with all the digital information originatingfrom today’s film productions and I guess all sortsof other productions, there’s a challenge for digitallong-term archiving. In the past, you used filmnegatives, but these days the digital storage mediahave a relatively limited lifetime and requiremigration – in other words, recopying of the datawithin certain time intervals; and they’re saying amajor disadvantage of this approach is a permanentneed of financial resources for such digital archives.On the other hand, many film materials exhibit anexcellent long-term stability and therefore areexcellently suited for long-term archiving applica-tions. So, yes, perhaps there is a use for film givingus that long-term storage and, of course, there arelots of simple pieces of equipment out there that areable to read film and so it’s not a terribly expensivetechnology.

My advice is read the article, which is on page 41 ofthis booklet. NZVN

Page 28: NZ Video News February 2012

Gemini 4:4:4 is a revolutionary full uncompressed HD recorder which stores video/audio data onto two removable 1.8” SSDs (Solid State Drive) for playback/transfer to a PC/MAC. Gemini supports most HD/2K formats in 4:2:2/4:4:4, 8/10-bit formats with single-link HD-SDI/3G or dual-link. A built-in 5.0” sunlight viewable (800 cd/m²), 24-bit, 800x480 color LCD touch-screen serves as a high-quality monitor and playback screen. Gemini also features an industry fi rst: the unique ability to record to both drives simultaneously, creating identical masters.

Gemini 4:4:4Award winning uncompressed recorder

Features:• 4:4:4 RGB S-Log 10-bit• Low Power, Weight, Size and Cost• Includes transfer station and hard case • 3D (Option) and/or ARRIRAW (Planned) Support

via paid updates

PRODUCTION | POST | VISUAL EFFECTS

Captures pristine video and audio direct from any camera with HD/SD-SDI. The Samurai builds on the already impressive HDMI based Ninja to bring a host of new production weapons aimed at camera professionals with HD/SD-SDI cameras.This incudes plus timecode, genlock and the ability to work with multiple synchronised units. With up to 10 hours battery, you truly have a super high quality deck & monitor in the palm of your hand.

Features:• 5” TFT/LCD 800x480 super high resolution screen• HD/SD-SDI Connecitvity• 24 PSF support with 24/60i 3:2 Pulldown removal on capture• SDI Play Out or Loop-Though: connect to an external broadcast monitor or

director’s monitor and record and playback on set• SCreen Flipping and more....

The revolutionary Ninja is a portable touchscreen Professional 10bit HD Recorder, Monitor, & Playback device that captures pristine video and audio direct from any camera with a clean HDMI output. It encodes in real-time to the visually-lossless Apple ProRes format, onto low-cost, removable 2 ½ inch hard disks in Apple ProRes.

Features:• Recording direct to Apple ProRes via HDMI• Monitoring - On the Ninja Screen• Instant onscreen playback for review of Apple Prores fi les• Simple intuitive touch screen functionality• Continuous Power with dual Battery technology• Affordable Storage on removable 2.5” HDD/SSD disks• Includes rugged case that fi ts all accessories.

Digital Video Technologies (NZ) Ltd | Phone: 09 525 0788 | Email: [email protected] | 45 Fairfax Avenue, Penrose, Aucklandwww.dvt.co.nz

SamuraiNinjaRecord | Monitor | Playback | Ready-to-Edit Record | Monitor | Playback/Playout | Ready-to-Edit

HD-SDI FIELD

RECORDERHDMI FIELD

RECORDER

Page 29: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 29

your viewing public doesn’t like what they see, they’ll

let you know and as long as you make some changes or

acknowledge it, that’s good relations with your viewing

public?

Norman: It is, and it makes good commercial sense

as well when we want to retain our position as the pre-

eminent News organisation in New Zealand. So we do

adapt.

Ed: We’ll keep an eye on that and give you a score

later in the year.

Norman: Not too far into the year I hope.

We happened upon another member of the team,electrician Lyall Sullivan.

Ed: But you can’t change the colour of the sofa?

Norman: No. I think in time it will change itself, butanyway … and the same for this screen down on thedesk in the soft set area, we can change that out aswell. The intention now – we haven’t lit this area, butthat’s another position over there that we’re going to beusing for stand up – over here in front of that 103 inchplasma – and that will give us some more options whichwe haven’t had yet.

Ed: I guess that’s it – lighting – with one studio andall these sets, you’ve got to be very careful with yourlighting, so you don’t get spill?

Paul H: Yes that’s correct. Nigel Windsor hasdesigned the new lighting look and he’s used a mix ofincandescent and fluorescent lighting in here. Thelighting plan has been very carefully designed, carefullyrigged and carefully pointed. And with the controlsystem he can change things out quite quickly to createa new and unique look for different shows. But, yes,identifying the area that’s to be lit and then managingthe spill-over between one show and another, and thecolour changes from one show to another, has all beencarefully designed and managed.

Ed: So are there lessons here for anybody else whomight be setting up a set?

Paul H: I think understand what it is that you’retrying to achieve, be very clearly focused on youroutcomes, and then have a very good project teaminvolved. We’re lucky that we’ve got a great team ofpeople involved here who have got good experience,excellent skills and they understood the brief right fromthe outset. There was great communication all the waythrough and people got in and played their roles reallywell.

Ed: Well where can you go from here. I mean ifyou’ve got it right now …?

Norman: We’ve got it right now for the next 4 or 5years absolutely, but technology will change. TVNZ hasalways been willing to adapt to technological changeand embrace it, and so there’s no reason why wewouldn’t do that again in 4 or 5 years and, again, it isgoing to get tired in that time. Even though it’s brandspanking new and looking gorgeous, it is going todeteriorate and I think from a commercial perspective,TVNZ would want us to adapt and change as the yearsgo by. There will be commercial imperatives involvedthen as well.

Ed: And also, you must get feedback from the public.For example, the News desk background in Breakfastwhen I first saw it, I thought “What”?

Norman: You thought “what” – what?

Ed: Well there was this funny little blue strip at thetop. I sort of figured out the sunrise, you know theJapanese battle flag in the background for the lowerpart, but then there was this blue strip at the top and Iwas just wondering is this still a work in progress?Please tell me?

Norman: Everything that you see currently is a workin progress, yes. Over the weeks and months andyears …

Ed: So you’ll receive letters?

Norman: We will receive letters and texts and manyphone calls, yes. Without going into it in too muchdetail, this has been “rehearsing on air” and I don’tknow that you should print that.

Ed: But you see I believe that’s important, becauseyou are providing a service to your viewing public and if

Ed: Lyall you’re responsible for the LED effectslighting in there so I’ve been told?

Lyall: Yes, I’m the electrician.

Ed: But you’re more than that … you must havedesigned the way the lights are arranged in thedifferent parts of the set?

Lyall: Yes, we’ve worked with a supplier to provide thebest solution and it had to be an adaptable solution tosuit all the shows that we need to produce from thestudio. So we’ve opted for a Philips Color Kineticssystem and it works well.

Ed: That’s the software sort of in control of all thelighting that’s in there?

Lyall: There’s hardware and software, yes.

Norman: That’s for the LED effects lights in thestudio, not the main overhead lights.

Ed: Do you also control the main overhead lights aswell?

Lyall with some of the special lighting.

Page 30: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 30

Lyall: That’s right. It’s no longer“smoke and mirrors”, it’s “smoke and TVscreens”.

We also asked for some input from theSound department; here’s what SeniorSoundman John Prinsloo said about thenew set up:

John: We’re using more radio mics andearpieces which gives us much greaterflexibility for the presenters to utilise thevarious areas. We mounted the gear inan events rack, so it’s easy to seebattery and signal levels at a glance.The earpieces have a pan betweenprogramme sound and director talkbackso the presenters can customise theirown mix to their personal preferences.

This gives us the ability to hotseatbetween Breakfast and Good Morning onthe same area of the set. The radios arealso duplicated in Studio Five where theother aspects of Good Morningproduction will be done.

This allows the presenters to move between the twostudios without the need to re-mic and re-earpiece.They also stay on the same talkback key for theconvenience of the director.

The set is now fixed, meaning no derig and rerig twice aday that we used to do when the Breakfast set gatswapped out for Close Up. This should give usextended life on the equipment and reduce maintenancedowntime. The set is always in place now, meaning wecan walk into the studio and do any one of severalshows just with the flick of a switch, depending on thelook/style required. Because the set is permanent ( notmoving in and out twice a day ), the cabling has allbeen done very tidily and discretely.

The presentation areas of the sets no longer face eachother meaning better acoustics ( not as "live" asprevious sets ). The sound is now projected into thecyc/wall where it is absorbed. This results in animproved low frequency sound, flatter eq's and a richerviewing experience. We are using PZMs as backup micson the two main desks and they are sounding reallygood. The bigger models ( PZM 30 I think ) aresensitive enough to cover a wider area. They also havea nice rich sound.

I must conclude by adding that the chroma key for Jimdoing the ‘Weather’ that night and for Nadine on‘Breakfast’ was much, much better! NZVN

Lyall: Not directly, no, the system’s just focused on theset lighting. There’s another separate system whichcontrols the overhead stuff.

Ed: But obviously you have to balance what you’redoing on the set with what the overhead lights aredoing?

Lyall: Yes, we all work together to produce the bestresult on camera. That’s what it’s all about.

Ed: So are you where the buck stops over the chromakey?

Lyall: No, nothing to do with me! I’ll deny allresponsibility.

Ed: I’m going to find someone.

Lyall: When we were building this set we werebalancing everything visually to the eye. But of course,once you put a camera in front of that and start lookingat it on camera, everything changes. All of a sudden ared will become a pink and a white will become blue andall that, so the actual colours used quite differ fromwhat you see on TV.

Ed: Because that’s it, you’re mixing LED,incandescent I guess and some fluoro in there too?

Lyall: Yes and then however the camera works as well.That all changes it.

Ed: I guess that’s why they have you on here?

Page 31: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 31

Ilya: In some ways yes, but you know when you cometo a new country at the age of 38, you already haveexperience. You are not naive and you expect youknow something. You already have working skills andsome background which, with your life skills makes iteasier. On the other hand, at that age, you can’tchange your accent, so you do have to start again insome ways; and also, you have to establish yourreputation again.

Ed: Now let’s get onto the subject of camerasbecause, although you are probably not unique, there’snot many people who have had as many cameras asyou. I know in recent times you’ve had a number ofSonys, but at the moment you’ve got a Canon. Whatcamera did you start with?

Ilya: My first camera here in New Zealand was a CanonXL1, and I have to say that it was the best camera Iever had. Of course it was not high definition, so I hadto switch to another camera. After a while, I came backto Canon and I bought an XL H1. After the H1 I boughtan EX3 and now I have an XF305 and I am also using aCanon 5D photo camera for filming – mostlycommercials.

Ed: And you’ve been happy with the progression or,as you say, that very first one, the XL1 was the best?

Ilya: Yes, it was very practical as I think it wasdesigned by filmmakers, which means that thetechnicians understood the needs of a professionalcameraperson. As a professional, you tend not to useso many options they offer to you because you usethem later in postproduction. In general, a pro cameraperson needs manual iris, shutter speed and focus. Forthe rest, it is better to use external filters, etc. So, tome, from the operational point of view, the XL1 was the

Precious ProductIf there’s one thing I’ve learnt in conducting interviewsrelated to this business, it is that everyone has a storythat consists of many similarities – it’s just that theycombine them in a unique way. Ilya Ruppeldt fromGolem Productions in Auckland is no exception.

Ed: Now Ilya, Ruppeldt is a German name, but you’renot actually from Germany?

Ilya: No, I’m from Czechoslovakia, but I was born inIndia and I am now a Kiwi citizen.

Ed: As I was driving over, I was a bit concerned thatI’d actually interviewed you before, but then I suddenlyremembered I was here for another reason. Do youremember?

Ilya: From time to time, I buy discs from your musiclibrary, Music2Hues.

Ed: Oh, that’s nice – and are they any good?

Ilya: Yes, they are excellent. Of course, there aresometimes complaints from clients because they areexpecting a different kind of music, but when I tell themabout the cost involved they are much happier. I haveto say that I like the way Music2Hues serves the musicrights because, in other cases, you can buy the musicrights for a limited time or something like that. Theproblem for us producers is that we can’t control howthe video is later used by the clients, so this gives mepeace of mind that I am not doing anything againstcopyright law.

Ed: Yes, better safe than sorry. Now your mainbusiness is production, you have corporate clients, butyou also dabble in documentaries?

Ilya: My philosophy is simple: I am telling stories byusing visual images and it doesn’t matter if the story isa 15 second TV commercial or a one hour documentary,because the story-telling template is always the same.That means you have the plot, explanation, culminationand conclusion in your story, and it’s just the way youuse your visual grammar and editing skills to assemblethe story and to tell the client’s message. But there isone additional element: Idea. This can change our craftinto art. I did a lot of TV commercials, music videos,corporate videos. In my opinion, it requires similarcraftsmanship. In terms of revenue, 80% is comingfrom corporate production for Internet andsmartphones, and the rest is coming from my ownproductions which I produce by using my resources. Isell such programmes through the Internet and myagent.

Ed: Now you’ve had a bit of a history inCzechoslovakia?

Ilya: Yes, I was working in the same jobs as here:producer / director of documentaries, as well as TVcommercials. Also, for about four years I was presidentof the Film Association there. That means that I waselected by my peers from the film industry to be arepresentative of them, which was not a paid functionbut it was an honour of sorts because it meant thatabout 1,000 people from the industry had trust in you.I was also, in Czechoslovak TV, Head of theDocumentary and Education Department. Wedeveloped and produced about 400 hours ofdocumentaries and educational programmes. Maybe Iwill have a comeback there. They want me to managethe entire state TV for five years. We will see.

Ed: So you’ve come from a very big pond into thelittle pond that is New Zealand and really, I guess, youwould have had to have started again?

Ilya is happy with his 305.

Page 32: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 32

happens with the tape … you have damage let’s say on10 seconds, but you still can use 59 minutes. With thesolid state things can be a bit worse. Otherwise, ofcourse, it’s much more practical; it’s faster. I waswarned that combining, let’s say, footage from Sony X3and Canon and other solid state cameras can makeproblems with compatibility in the editing line, but Ihave never experienced that. I currently work withCS5.5 and I have never experienced any problems.

Ed: Do you think that the cost of getting into thisbusiness now is too little?

Ilya: You can have two quite different views. The firstone is that it’s great that everybody can afford to buysuch gear. But there might be a problem that somepeople also believe they have the skills to work withsuch gear, when they actually don’t understand thecraft particularly well. Maybe they can do it up to somelevel, but they really don’t often have the right skills todo it properly. I am experiencing this not only withcompetition, but mostly with clients when they just callme and they want me to edit their footage they filmedby themselves with a single CCD camera for example.Single CCD is not the main issue. The problem is thatwhen they are filming, they are not filming it with theknowledge of how it will be edited and it’s oftenimpossible to edit what they give me. I remember oneclient coming to me with terrible footage of his yacht,and he also brought a film about the ship QM II herecorded on a tape from the Discovery Channel, and hetold me that he wanted the footage of his yacht to beedited so that it would look like the Discovery Channelfilm. I never take such jobs.

Ed: Now we want to look at your editing setup hereand I was intrigued when I saw it. You’ve just got onelarge screen and I see that you’re an Adobe user. Justtell us why you’ve set yourself up this way?

Ilya: I started with Premiere 4.2 …

Ed: Oh, so did I … wasn’t that a dog?

Ilya: Well I think that was good enough at the timeand, realistically, the new versions of editing softwareoffer you maybe more special effects, but usually youuse just 5 or 6 classical film effects like fades ordissolves, and if I really need some special effect it isbetter to buy Boris software than to use Adobesoftware. But, in general terms, I would say that 4.2was good enough for editing. You upgrade mostlybecause of change of formats and codecs.

Ed: But one screen, you use one large screen?

Ilya: I had a setup with two screens, but now I have a40 inch monitor and I think that gives me enoughcomfort. In fact I have more monitors in the otherroom – it’s just that there is no need for them at thisstage.

Ed: And you can fit everything you need on that onescreen?

Ilya: Absolutely. You see that the screen is big enoughand now it’s just what is convenient for you. DefinitelyI wouldn’t be able to use one screen if I was editing justfrom the laptop screen. Sometimes when I go to theclient, I have to do some adjustments on that smallscreen, which is a hassle of course, but with this screenI have no problems whatsoever.

Ed: Okay, so it looks as though you’ve got yourselfpretty well set up, but 2012, a new year, is thereanything that you’ve got on your wish list that you wantto add to your box of toys?

best camera, and second to that was the XL H1.Otherwise I am quite happy with the XF305 and I washappy with the EX3 as well. I went back to Canon and Iam having moiré pattern issues with it, but it is not mycamera’s problem only, all Canon products do this.

It’s a moiré pattern in things like venetian blinds or veryfine lines on a client’s shirt and so on – so if anyoneknows of a “fix” for that with this particular camera, letus know, send us an email.

Ed: Now one of the key reasons that you wanted toget the Canon XF305 was?

Ilya: I am recording more and more using a greenbackground and because the XF305 has 422compression which is giving much better results with agreen background, I went for that. There was, ofcourse, an option to buy some additional gear whichwould make the compression of EX3 also 422, but Iprefer to have everything compact, so not to have anexternal device, but internal which is the thing with theXF305. I have to say that keying is much better now.

Ed: And this is recording onto what sort of cards?

Ilya: This is to SanDisk Extreme CF cards. For HDrecording, you need to have Extreme or Fast datarecording cards.

Ed: What about the transition from tape to solidstate? You’ve obviously gone from the Z1, which was atape-based camera, to solid state with the EX3 and thena different version of solid state with the Canon?

Ilya: Firstly, I am similar to you ... I preferred tapes …

Ed: I think it’s an “old dog” thing Ilya.

Ilya: No, recording on tapes has one advantage – youkeep them. You keep them because you never use thesame tape twice, so I have all my old footage on tapes,till 2007 or 2008 – which gives you some peace of mindin case you need to come back to the footage. Theother thing is that I’m not quite sure about thelongevity of these solid state cards, because I read alsoquite scary things about them on the Internet. Ihaven’t experienced anything bad till now, so from myexperience it is okay. But realistically, if something

Caption could be “Is there a warm and dry placewhere I can put this Prime Minister?”

more on page 35

Page 33: NZ Video News February 2012

Audio 2 viZual - A2Z Technologies Ltd29 Sale Street, Freemans Bay

P. (09) 375 3085E. [email protected]

AUDIO

VIZUAL

A2Z Technologies Ltd

@Audio2vizual

Audio2vizual

WWW.AUDIO2VIZUAL.CO.NZ

YOU WON’T BEAT THESE DEALS!

1

2

3

4

5

Camera, Tripod, Bag & Spare Battery

Camera, Tripod, Bag & Spare Battery

Only $9,399

Only $14,399

Only $8,999

Only $24,999

Only $9,199

Lenses: Sony 35mm, 50mm & 85mm Primes

Note: All prices exclude gst. Offers available while stocks last

Panasonic HPX-250

Panasonic AG-AF102

Sony NEX FS-100P

Sony PMW-F3K

Canon XF-300

Camera, Lenses, & MTF Adapter

Camera, Tripod, Bag & Spare Battery

Camera, Lenses, Battery & Charger

Lenses: Sony 35mm, 50mm & 85mm Primes

Page 34: NZ Video News February 2012
Page 35: NZ Video News February 2012

Page 35

movies. You will probably not be buying DVDs in the

future, but you will be just downloading movies from

the Internet in HD as an MP4 or an MPEG.

Ed: And this is obviously a very more cost-effective

way of distribution for your client as well, if you can put

it on the Internet?

Ilya: You know, ages ago, I had a client who requested

10,000 DVD discs! Can you imagine the cost for that at

the time for them? It was heavy, but now this is, of

course, much cheaper and much more flexible. You

have only one disadvantage and that is with the

classical DVD, you can have a menu, you can have

bonuses and such stuff, but in general, these times are

slowly fading away. It’s like the film industry: they

switch from film to digital.

Ed: No more chemicals?

Ilya: No more chemicals. Greenpeace and the Green

Party should support our business.

Find Ilya at <www.golem.co.nz> NZVN

Ilya: In fact I was

upgrading my gear last

year when I bought the

XF305 and 5D and CS5.5,

new Mac and even a

teleprompter. So, I think

that in 2012, I will not be

spending much because

there is not much need. I

usually do some upgrades

every 2 or 3 years. These

toys have to make the

money back first ... I know

your magazine is supported

by sellers, so I think they

will not be happy with my

plans for 2012. I will just

buy some additional solid

state and a new audio

system … yes, maybe I will

put some money into

audio, because I already

have one job for July and

there will be a need for four

microphones recording. I

prefer to own than to hire.

So that will probably be my

main investment, which is

not big money.

Ed: And you say most of your material is actually for

the Internet these days … what about Blu-ray? You’re

shooting in high definition so it must be a bit unpleasant

to see your material on YouTube at a very low

resolution – do you do anything that goes out as high

definition?

Ilya: Yes, I am recording all the time on high

definition, so the master is always high definition, but

you know there are still some clients who want classical

DVDs. That means you have to downgrade it into

standard definition. Also, Blu-ray is not very strong on

the New Zealand market. Nobody asks me for that,

although I can do a layout and all this stuff with Blu-

ray. On the other hand, you can watch HD on Internet,

and also you can play video HD files in your computer.

I just think that the demand for discs in general is

slightly fading away. That means that you are now

distributing or giving away or selling your stuff as an

MP4-HD file and I think that is also the future of

The engine room at Golem Productions.

NZVN ADVERTISING RATESNZ Video News is posted free to New Zealand video production professionals - if youknow someone in the business who would like NZVN too, tell them to write or phone us

Rates from April 2008 NZVN AD RATES: - EXCLUDING GST

Advertisement A6 (must be set portrait) $ 80A5 (must be set landscape) $140 for one $270 for two in the same issueA4 (must be set portrait) $260 for one $250 each for more than one in the same issueSpot colour - a supplement of $120 per A3

Full colour - a supplement of $420 per A3

Classified 40 words pre-paid cash $ 20 ($23 including GST)

Loose Inserts are accepted conditionally

AD COPY REQUIREMENTS: To qualify for listed rates, all copy and artwork must be submitted in photo copy readyform - black on white, as an Adobe PDF file - print optimised. Email to <[email protected]>

AD DEADLINES: SEE FRONT PAGE Pay by cheque or direct credit to ANZ # 010242-0160111-00

Page 36: NZ Video News February 2012

www.panavision.co.nz

Tim (09) 3608766 318 Richmond Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland [email protected]

the new shooting heads from Manfrotto

Sales Support Service

heads up!

Manfrotto 509HD

100mm ball head

13Kg max load

Manfrotto 504HD

75 mm ball head

7.5Kg max load

Manfrotto 502A

75mm ball head

4Kg max load