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PBS Valentine's Day Special "Lasting Love" Shot with Panasonic VariCam HD Cinema Camera |
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Madison principal Karen Inwood Somers was the writer/director/producer of the hour-long special, which profiles 10 real-life couples who have been together for more than 25 years. The couples relate the stories of how they met and what their secrets are to successful, long-term relationships. Jennifer Lane was the Director of Photography. [an error occurred while processing this directive]The AJ-HDC27 VariCam replicates many of the key features of film-based image acquisition, including 24-frame progressive scan images, time lapse recording, and a wide range of variable frame rates (4-fps to 60-fps in single-frame increments) for “overcranked” and “undercranked” off-speed in-camera effects. The AJ-HDC27 VariCam also features CineGamma software that permits Panasonic’s HD Cinema camera systems to more closely match the latitude of film stocks. The couples featured in “Lasting Love” include renowned animation artist Martha Siegel and her husband Sol; one of JFK’s Dallas-based Army Intelligence agents and his wife; a gay couple – one African American and one Irish – together more than 35 years; a married team of 40-something Cuban attorneys; and actor Charlton Heston and his photographer wife Lydia. The warm, humorous tone of the special is articulated by Heston, married 58 years, who said, “The key to any enduring relationship is to never lose sight of the three most important words in the language--’I was wrong!’” Inter-cut with the couples are insights from the best-selling author and love/marriage expert, Dr. John Gottman, as well as the candid observations of children ages 4 - 10. The special was shot on location in several cities, including Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Dallas, from July 2001 through August 2002. Somers made repeat rentals of the VariCam from Bexel’s Los Angeles and Dallas offices. The off-line edit is currently underway, with the HD masters downconverted to standard definition, which is then being input to the PC-based Video Vegas NLE system. “I couldn’t afford film on this project, but I was determined to attain a film look regardless of the ultimate delivery format,” she said, “We loved the results, especially the warm, buttery flesh tones. We certainly achieved the feel of film. In short, we met our visual objectives while working within the constraints of a television budget.” As a director of photography, Jennifer Lane’s experiences range from documentaries and music videos to feature films and television, including work on Fox’s "Temptation Island," VH-1’s "Bands on the Run," and "Coming to Light" for PBS’ “American Masters” series. Recently, she completed work as the DP for a Pontiac commercial spot, “Pass It On,” and is currently shooting the MTV series, "Becoming." Her cinematography, notably the award-winning Butch Wax and A Guy Walks Into a Bar, has screened at film festivals around the world. Regarding her work as DP on “Lasting Love,” Lane said, “The VariCam’s performance is excellent, and so similar operationally to Betacam that its familiarity gets the ball rolling on set immediately. In my opinion, it’s as simple as ‘shoot it’ and have it look better. The AJ-HDC27’s color rendition was fabulous, very rich and detailed--another reason the 24p camera looks more like film.” She added, “The variable frame rate gives the cinematographer more tools to create, and the functionality was user-friendly and as easy as the touch of a menu button. You can always go 30-fps if you're feeling nostalgic and still have a higher resolution image. It was fun adding slo-mo and the slower shutter to some of the images. Even though you don’t monitor the slo-mo effect in the field, it was great to know we were retaining the high-quality image of HD and wouldn’t sacrifice resolution by slowing the image in post. The poor quality of slow motion has been a video deterrent since video began--it’s exciting to think this is no longer the case. “Some people say HD is harder to light. Well, maybe this is because the higher resolution makes it harder to get away with more general lighting choices. I found myself more concerned than usual about ‘white shirts’ and ‘forehead highlights’ in interview set-ups. But let’s face it, no matter what your format, Mini DV to 35mm, good lighting is always good lighting. So, hone your lighting skills, step back and look at the monitor and go, ‘Wow!’ As far as I'm concerned, if you have the budget for the VariCam, why use anything else?” For more information, go to www.panasonic.com/hdworld. Source: Panasonic [an error occurred while processing this directive] 
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