Noted Director of Photography Peter Richardson Makes Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 P2 HD VariCam His Camera of Choice For Projects Ranging From Commercials To Documentaries
SECAUCUS, NJ-- Portland, OR-based Director/Director of Photography Peter Richardson, a veteran of P2 HD production, recently purchased the Panasonic VariCam 2700 P2 HD VariCam, which he is using to shoot a feature-length documentary about Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act. He has also utilized the camcorder to shoot promotional video for one the world’s largest commercial brands.
Designed as a premium-quality, workhorse HD cinematography camcorder, the VariCam 2700 shines in a wide range of mission-critical content creation applications, from sports and films to music videos and television commercials. The camcorder combines VariCam’s renowned filmic-look with key functions including variable frame rates, wide dynamic range and advanced master-quality, 10-bit 4:2:2 AVC-Intra recording.
Richardson is highly-regarded for both his commercial and documentary work. His documentary, Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon, shot on Panasonic’s DVX100 series camcorders, premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. Since then he has shot and directed a variety of commercials and short-form content for Microsoft, Bluetooth, HP and Nike.
Richardson shot the promotional video for Nike, Inc., the largest, leading athletic brand internationally. The company chose an auspicious venue, the 2009 Boston Marathon, to launch its new running shoe, the LunarGlide+. At an international press event, the company showcased the new lightweight running shoe, providing a “breakthrough, custom ride in every step,” with stunning video shot with the HPX2700.
The video was produced by ALPHA Multimedia Solutions (Portland, OR), with Mike Lepis as Producer and Richardson as Director/Director of Photography. The project included interviews, B-roll shot on both Steadicam and tripod, slow motion footage of a runner on a treadmill, and stylized set-ups for silhouetted runner shots. The video was shot over the course of three days at Nike's world headquarters in Beaverton, OR and Cathedral Park in Portland.
“I couldn’t imagine shooting this assignment with any other camera but the HPX2700,” Richardson said. “We were tasked not only with shooting slow motion, in-camera, in HD, but also with shooting against a very dark, mostly black background, almost in silhouette. This aesthetic was chosen to match the product photography Nike had already done for the LunarGlide+.”
“I needed a camera that could shoot slo-mo that was really clean in the blacks, and that would not exhibit any rolling shutter artifacts when shooting extreme close-up details of a runner on the treadmill,” he added. “Those capabilities, along with AVC-Intra and the ability to play off-speed clips back instantaneously, made the camera an obvious choice for this shoot. In this price range, the HPX2700 was the only camera up to the task.”
Richardson shot the Nike material at 720p at a variety of frame rates, all at AVC-Intra 100. “I can't see any reason not to shoot in AVC-Intra,” he said. “You're dealing with the same data rate as DVCPRO HD, yet you are getting a full-raster, 10-bit image that is even cleaner. The workflow in Final Cut Pro for AVC-Intra is totally seamless, so I see this codec as one of the few examples of a ‘free lunch.’ It’s amazing that I am able to cut AVC-Intra material, imported into FCP as ProRes 422 in HQ mode, on my MacBook Pro. That is a pretty astonishing feat -- to be able to cut D-5, master-quality footage, on a laptop.”
“From an image perspective, I especially notice the way the 10-bit color space handles refined gradations in light,” Richardson added. “For Nike, we wanted to achieve a very subtle lighting effect on our background, and AVC-Intra handled these gradations perfectly.
“I also think AVC-Intra is a codec best suited to harness the wide dynamic range that Film-Rec provides. I usually shoot with Film-Rec at 600%, and with AVC-Intra I feel that I am actually able to capture the entire dynamic range of the camera. Additionally, the codec is incredibly clean. On the Nike shoot, the image is nearly a silhouette and there are lots of blacks. I was delighted to see how clean they came out considering how far we were pushing the camera.”
For the Nike assignment, Richardson used the HPX2700’s Film-Like 3 gamma setting, which he called “a nice mixture of the Film-Rec gamma and some of the other Film-Like gamma settings.” He utilized a Fujinon 13.x4.5 HA-BERM 58B HD lens, O’Connor 1030HD fluid head, a variety of Kino Flo and tungsten lighting, and shot with five 32GB P2 cards.
“The on-set workflow was very simple--we shot and shot and shot, and then when we were all done I transferred the data to the client’s portable, bus-powered HDD, and Mike went back to his office with that, ready to ingest. Very simple and straightforward,” Richardson noted.
The footage was edited and finished in Final Cut Pro (by James Allen of Visual Aid, Inc.) and was burned to Blu-ray for playback on HD plasma monitors at the Nike launch event.
“The HPX2700 has been a huge asset to ALPHA's productions,” said producer Lepis. “Our workflow speed has increased and the quality of our projects has improved as well, and those assets in combination with a knowledgeable DP like Peter make this the best camera package I've ever worked with.”
“I use the HPX2700 for a variety of work now, from commercials to verite documentary, and when I review the footage I am always struck with how the camera really enhances what I saw with my own eyes,” Richardson said. “In a lot of ways, I think digital cinematography can be very frustrating because it seems to pull the ‘magic’ out of a scene. The amazing thing about the P2 VariCam is how it retains this magic, much as a film camera would do. In my documentary work, especially, I think the camera adds some emotional content to a scene, that it captures color and gradations of light in a way that doesn't look at all digital.”
“I think the HPX2700 is a very unique camera right now,” he said. “I purposely purchased this camera vs. other high-end Panasonic P2 HD options because I wanted the extensive variable frame rate capability, and I didn't think the slight loss in resolution was much of an issue. I ruled out purchasing a RED because its ergonomic approach and post workflow would not be compatible with my documentary work. I also like the record times that having five P2 card slots affords.”
“I love that the P2 VariCam is totally rock-solid, and that everything you're going to get out of the imager is organic,” Richardson continued. “Beyond these technical attributes, there is something special about what Panasonic has done with the colorimetry and dynamic range of the HPX2700, producing a unique image that really has a soul. Combine that with the advantages of P2 production, especially the long record times that are hugely beneficial in documentary work, and you have a camera that suits a variety of production scenarios and has very few limitations.”
About the VariCam 2700
The VariCam 2700 delivers stunning film-like recordings with solid-state’s exceptional reliability and fast workflow to excel in today’s demanding production environments. Equipped with three full 1-megapixel 2/3” native HD CCDs, the VariCam 2700 records pristine, independent-frame 1080 and 720 images using advanced AVC-Intra 100 and AVC-Intra 50 compression, supported by the industry’s leading nonlinear editing systems. The camera also records in the widely supported DVCPRO HD format. Offering a full range of variable frame rates, from 1 fps to 60 fps (in 720p mode) in single-frame steps, the VariCam 2700 provides precise control for overcranking and undercranking for fast and slow motion effects. For more information, visit http://www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/p2-hd/index.asp.
About Panasonic Broadcast
Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is a leading supplier of broadcast and professional video products and systems. Panasonic Broadcast is a Unit of Panasonic Corporation of North America. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC) and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. For more information on Panasonic Broadcast products, visit http://www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/home.asp.
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