Projects
OCEANS OF QUALITY
High-end cameras were crucial in realising the vision of
Oceans directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud
Three and a half years in the making and shot in 57 We also wanted to improve the quality by
different locations around the world on a budget of suppressing the threshold effect, or the solarisation of which was the vision of directors Jacques Perrin and
€50M, Oceans is one of the most ambitious and the highlights on video, where you get colours that are Jacques Cluzaud. “The goal was to be in rhythm with
eagerly anticipated films of 2010. Shot on 35mm film not natural.” the animals – a dolphin among dolphins,” reveals Ros.
above water with underwater sequences captured on The real benefit of using HD camera formats boils One question which he is frequently asked is what
a range of high-end Sony HD cameras, the challenge down to simple arithmetic for Ros. Shooting on HDCAM camera system would he use if he was to start shooting
for the project’s digital imaging director and DoP and HDCAM SR tape affords camera teams up to 48 Oceans again, given recent advances in file-based
Philippe Ros was seamlessly uniting the 35mm film minutes underwater shooting time compared to the six media. “I wouldn’t choose file-based recording for a very
stock with digital footage captured on cameras such minutes they would have had shooting on film. That’s simple reason,” says Ros. “Each night you have to back
as the HDW-F900R, F23 and HDC-950. more time for the cameramen to do what they are there up everything onto hard disc. I couldn’t imagine asking
Ros spent nine months on Oceans working with for; to get amazingly beautiful underwater shots. the guys after the tough days they spend shooting
French digital cinema specialist HDSystems and Sony Production manager Olli Barbe estimates that if all of underwater to spend three hours every night uploading.”
engineer Christian Mourier designing new gamma Oceans was shot on 35mm the film would not have been Ros insists that the real measure of his success using
curves specifically to get the most out of the underwater finished until 2012. gamma curves and designing workflows on Oceans is
shoots. “My aim was to improve the dynamic range of Combining the benefits of HD shooting with the end result. He declares: “If you look at the film it’s
the Sony cameras to match 35mm. We managed rebreather systems which allow cameramen to stay not so easy to tell what is shot on the F23 and what is
significant improvements of up to eight stops on the underwater for three hours at a time cinematographers 35mm. I think my search has led a lot of people to
F900 and 10 and a half stops in the case of the F23. were able to get as close to their subjects as possible, reconsider the use of digital cameras.”
Winter 2010 theproducer 21
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