Projects
CAT’S GOT THE CREAM
African Cats director Keith Scholey on why the F23’s
sensor is a huge leap forward for digital cinematography
When Big Cat Productions came to
deciding on a camera to shoot the bulk of their first cheetah to end its chase 25-30m from you it will start
Disney movie African Cats it boiled down to a beauty that chase about 1km away. If you want a reasonably
contest between Sony’s high-end digital sized and framed shot throughout its run you need a huge
cinematography camera the F23 and film. But as amount of magnification.” Over the last two years, Big
African Cats director Keith Scholey recalls, as soon as Cat has spent a lot of time working closely with specialist
the team saw the F23 it was a “no brainer”. “The dealer Top Teks – from whom they have bought two F23s.
wonderful thing about shooting wildlife on the F23 is The focus of attention has been experimentation with
the small video sensors [the camera has three 2.2 different Gamma curves and the results are now
megabit 2/3-inch CCD imagers] so the magnification beginning to bear fruit. “We are able to handle huge
you get with the long lenses is huge and you get 35mm contrast ratios with the camera,” enthuses Scholey, who
quality at the end of it.” adds that despite the heat, dust and banging around the
The ability to use long lenses such as the Canon camera has had to put up with in the bush, “the F23 has
HJ18 in combination with the highest quality proved incredibly reliable – touch wood!”
1080x1920 at 4:4:4 shooting on HDCAM SR was Back at base the footage has amazed the grading
paramount, stresses Scholey. “You need to keep your technicians. “Whenever we take a tape back to the office
distance from the cats so that you don’t affect their they look at the dynamic range and detail and are
behaviour. Also filming a cheetah chase, if you want a awestruck. Nobody’s ever seen video like it before.”
20 theproducer Winter 2010
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