Projects
ALL ABOUT THE DETAIL
The PMW-EX3’s unobtrusive design and PDW-700’s
crisp images were an ideal mix for Werner Herzog’s film
A combination of the PMW-EX3 and
PDW-700 cameras was used to achieve clarity and reflectors. “In such extremely tough conditions, light,
crispness of image and authentic colouring on both a mobile equipment was absolutely critical,” says producer
television and cinema screen for Werner Herzog’s film Andre Singer. Being discreet during filming was
for English National Opera and Sky Art. important too, in enabling the crew to shoot the tribes
Produced by West Park Pictures, the four minute close up without intimidating them. This meant that the
film was intended to accompany an aria from the opera compact design of the EX3 lent itself well to the project.
La Boheme. Before deciding to use the two Sony In addition to recording the intense detail needed,
models, DoP Richard Blanshard tested a range of the EX3 enabed the crew to shoot at 30 fps. This gave
cameras, with the help of Genesis Plus Hire. “We shot the slight sense of blurring reality that Blanshard
footage at the Central School of Ballet and then desired. “I wanted the people to have haunting faces
projected it onto a 20 foot screen. It looked very and their eyes to look extraordinary,” he says. “It’s so
impressive,” says Blanshard. powerful and it’s all about the detail. You keep looking
As the shoot was taking place in Ethiopia, an at it and seeing something else.” Although it was his first
unobtrusive camera that would be easy to get through time shooting tapeless and using the SxS cards,
customs and would not be a problem to transport Blanshard found it a straightforward process: “It was a
around was required. The crew also had to work without relief not to have to worry about the potential of getting
monitors during the filming and only had hand-held dirt into the camera with tape changes.”
24 theproducer Spring 2009
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