Cameras: News and Updates

Holiday Road, a feature-length anthology of 12 separate comedy shorts shot with the Panasonic AG-AF100 large imager HD cinema camcorder.

(Secaucus, NJ) The spirit of Slamdance powers Holiday Road, a feature-length anthology of 12 separate comedy shorts shot with the Panasonic AG-AF100 large imager HD cinema camcorder. Having premiered at the 2012 Slamdance Film Festival to a packed audience, then traveling to the Oxford (MS) Film Festival, Holiday Road will next be seen at the Durango Independent Film Festival (February 29-March 4) and Chicago International Movies and Music Festival (April 12-15), and is being screened by several A-list distributors.

The ineffable spirit of the holidays is showcased in Holiday Road, written and directed by 13 of today's hottest, up- and-coming independent writer/directors. The project is the brainchild of producer/actor Kevin M. Brennan, writer/director/actor Todd Berger, writer/director/actor Michael Suter, writer/director/actor Doug Manley, producer/actor Will T.S. Coleman and producer Kelly Williams.  Brennan and Manley had won an AF100 last year at Slamdance, where Panasonic’s new large imager camcorder was the official camera and the subject of an on-site filmmakers’ contest called "The Road to Park City." Their goofy existential riff on moviemaking (The Road to Park City is Paved with Artists) took the grand prize and they headed home with the camcorder and an idea for a movie.

"At Slamdance 2011 we began talking with colleagues about a collaborative project that would embody the spirit of Slamdance and its slogan, ‘For filmmakers by filmmakers,’" Brennan said. "That was the genesis of Holiday Road and its parameters, basically that the filmmakers were charged with delivering a comedic short, eight minutes or less, about an assigned holiday. No actors could recur, and each short (except the St. Patrick’s Day animation) was shot on our AF100."

 Helena Wei both directed the November, Thanksgiving-themed short and served as Director of Photography on two other segments, May (Mothers’/Fathers’ Day) and October (Halloween).

"On Holiday Road, multiple filmmakers used the same camera and achieved many completely different looks: it was truly a communal experience," said Wei.  "We had the AF100 outfitted with standard Lumix 14-40 and wide angle Lumix 7-14mm lenses. Given the limitations of budget and time, I feel like we were able to pull it all off because we used the AF100."

"One crew would shoot, buy and hang onto their own SD cards, add 35mm lenses if they wanted, record sound into camera, experiment with visual settings within the camera and either go handheld, put it on a jib/dolly, or go static, then pass it on to the next person," she continued.  "Same thing over and over again. With all our powers combined we were able to complete a feature in under a year. We had polished stylized saturated segments with lots of play on depth, we had fast-paced handheld realistic comedic sketch, we had black and white static horror, we had moody overcast underwater drama... the possibilities became endless!"

"I love the AF100; having the ability to throw on almost any type of lens for that film look without having to deal with cumbersome and complicated adapters is a dream come true," Wei said.  "On set you don’t have to take up time adjusting back focus, raising or lowering lenses, adding extra accessories on those adapter systems. And I also appreciate that all those beautiful old lenses out there have the chance to be put back to use. In a way, it's environmentally sound - and a nice blend of digital and analogue. 

"The DSLRs may have similar lens capabilities to the AF100, but lack in sound options. With the AF100 I get to adjust levels and record crisp, clear sound straight into the camera.  With the high resolution, quality, ease, portability, affordability of this camera, there's no excuse for any professional or nonprofessional not to be shooting. The AF100 is such a great tool for shooting anything from web content to broadcast-quality movies and TV."

The Holiday Road filmmaking team includes January-Todd Berger/Michael Suter; February-Bill Palmer; March-Bobby Miller/Daron Nefcy; April-Ian Eastin/Ben Grinnell; May-Mary McIlwain; June-Aaron Arendt; July-Michael Suter; August-Dee Austin Robertson; September-Doug Manley; October-Todd Berger; November-Helena Wei; and December-Andrew Putschoegl. The producers are Kevin M. Brennan, Will T.S. Coleman, Kelly Williams and Michael Suter.

For more information, visit www.holidayroadfilm.com.

Resources:

www.panasonic.com/broadcast

www.holidayroadfilm.com