Projects
The tapeless
revolution XDCAM
Producers are finding that Sony’s range of file-based cameras
offer an impressive combination of speed and versatility
T
he reality of TV production in a downturn
is that producers are being challenged to
bring in shows on tighter budgets but at the
same quality as before. Increasingly they are
turning to Sony’s range of file-based XDCAM
cameras to help them achieve this. Shows such as
Dog Squad and The F Word, which switched to the
PDW-700 for the first time for its latest run, have
made the most of shooting on high capacity optical
discs, which provide high quality 50Mb/s
acquisition and cost effective storage. They have
also discovered that file-based workflows can cut
ingest time, resulting in significant savings in post.
Others have found that the compactness and speed
of operation made possible by cameras such as the
EX1 and EX3 using SxS PRO memory cards is
the perfect fit for the way they want to work. Either
A DOG’S LIFE way, more and more and producers are discovering
The PDW-700’s optical disc-based storage was the per- that file-based production is the way forward.
fect solution for Dog Squad director Andrew Zikking
Sky Real Lives’ 10x30-min series Dog
Squad follows the day to day lives of sniffer dog teams optical disc-based storage. For legal reasons, Zikking
and their handlers at Gatwick and Manchester airports. needs instant and reliable access to hundreds of hours
The follow up to producer Andrew Zikking’s first series of rushes, and will need to be able to search his archive
Customs UK, the gritty, action-packed documentary for clips as far back as five years. “Optical discs work
needed to conform to Sky Real Lives’ latest technical really well on a project like this because they become
specification for HD acquisition at 50Mbps, but with my storage medium – which I feel a lot safer with than
a storage medium that wouldn’t break the bank. a solid state hard drive solution. File-based systems like
While Customs UK was shot on the Sony PDW- XDCAM also automatically log the date and time, which
330, for this series Zikking and his producer/directors makes finding stories in a hurry easy.”
Mike Parmenter and Samuel Abrahams opted for two This is good news on a series like Dog Squad, where
higher specification PDW-700s, hired from Bristol- there can be changes in the edit, right up to
based hire and post company Films at 59. transmission. “It’s all about constantly checking what you
“We hired two PDW-700s primarily to meet Sky’s can say. You can’t call people ‘drug smugglers’ in the
new technical specification,” recalls Zikking. “But the show if they are still to be prosecuted and sentenced,”
Above: XDCAM EX models record onto SxS PRO cards. The 32GB
version stores up to 100 minutes of full-HD at 35Mb/s or 140 minutes
700 gave us far more audio options than the smaller explains Zikking, who is planning to reuse the PDW-
of 1440x1080 video at 25Mb/s. A mobile storage unit, the PXU-
cameras, so we were able to do great 5.1 sound.” 700s if the series is recommissioned. “Only if it does, I’ll
MS240, can be used to off-load data from the cards. It stores onto
removable 240GB hard drive cartridges. XDCAM HD models record to
Another crucial advantage of XDCAM is affordable, wish I’d bought rather than hired them.”
Professional Disc. Dual-layer 50GB Professional Discs store 145
minutes of 1080i HD video at 35Mb/s or 250 minutes at 18 Mb/s.
Winter 2010 theproducer 23
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