Projects
Keeping it
HDV compact
Why HDV is the format of choice for producers on a tight budget
who are looking for a combination of image quality and portability
S
ony’s HDV range has provided an entry level
path into the world of high definition, with
the format proving essential for TV
productions shot on a budget, in remote locations
or in difficult conditions. They all offer down-
conversion capability of their 1080i recordings for
operation in SD while providing the flexibility of a
migration route to HD. Newer products to add to
stalwarts such as the HVR-V1E include the HVR-
Z7E, offering interchangeable lenses and hybrid
operation with CompactFlash recording, the
HVR-Z5E – also a hybrid model – and the HVR-
S270E shoulder-mount camcorder which offers
interchangeable lenses and supports standard size
cassettes for extended recording times. Portable
shooting on a budget were the benefits which led to
the HVR-V1E and HVR-Z1E being used on
recent projects such as Xbox Reverb and award- MUSICAL REVERBERATIONS
winning feature doc Addicted in Afghanistan. Rockfeedback’s Kevin Molloy on why the HVR-V1E is the
camera you need in Xbox Reverb’s moshpit
One regular gig for specialist music
producer Rockfeedback is shooting Xbox Reverb, a tripod-mounted camera at the back of the gig covering
series of Xbox-sponsored showcases for breaking the wide angle, plus we have one handheld camera in
musical talent. The events, exclusive to Xbox the audience shooting the band through people’s heads
competition winners, are held in venues around the UK, to lend an air of intimacy and excitement.”
from warehouses in Birmingham to churches in The lightness and portability of the V1E are key, says
Colchester and are designed to build a strong online Molloy. “Similar to the HVR-Z1E, which we all use,
community of passionate music fans on the Xbox lightness is really important on the V1E when you are
Reverb website. doing a handheld shoot of a 45-minute set. A heavier
The latest shoot involved sending four single- camera would be quite annoying.”
shooter cameramen armed with HVR-V1Es hired from The V1Es were also used for additional sound in
VMI to a Leeds recording studio to capture hotly tipped combination with multitrack recording. “We normally use
acts such as Pulled Apart By Horses, Sky Larkin and shotgun mics on the cameras, multitrack the live sound
local boy Napoleon IIIrd. Rockfeedback’s head of TV and produce a multitrack mix which brings in the camera
Above: HDV cameras record onto Digital Master tape, which has been
Kevin Molloy, who doubles up as a cameraman for the audio on the top of that to get some of the atmospheric
designed to provide the best recording quality while shooting in HD.
The recording time of Digital Master tapes ranges from 63 minutes
shoots, describes the set up: “We film the show using room sound.” The assign button is another favourite
(with PHDVM-63DM tapes) to 276 minutes (with PHDV-276DM
hand-held cameras on stage, so we can get right into feature of Molloy’s. “It’s really useful because it allows
tapes). Hybrid-HDV models provide the option to record on to
CompactFlash memory cards, as well as tape. It is possible to record
the moshpit and up close to the action. We put a single you to set the zoom and do quick shift pulls.”
up to 72 minutes of video on a 16GB CompactFlash card.
28 theproducer Winter 2010
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36