Kevin Bachar
Forum Replies Created
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Amen Tom.
Kevin
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Dear Helmut,
When I read your post it sure had a lot of …”in one or two years”. I’m working now ..not in the future…unless I can get that Delorean working again with those Jilowatts. On the how I work question …I can only talk about how I work and what I do. On the power front, I’m heading to Argentina now to shoot and the generator at the place where we are staying is only on for 4 hours a day. So …you tell me do I break in the middle of the day to get my download time in? I don’t think so. As I have said …if P2 works for you …great…but in my conditions for my shooting it doesn’t. i was at Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival in 2005 when Panasonic introduced the first P2 camera. Needless to say…there was excitement…but a bit of – huh? How does this work for us in the field…it almost seemed a step backward in terms of downloading – reminded many of changing mags…and needing an AC or now a DIT. Of course the P2 has come a long way since then..but one of the essential questions raised back in 2005 was this. I asked everyone to raise their hands if they have had a computer or hard drive crash over the last year…half the room raised their hands. I then asked if anyone had had a tape failure in the field over the last year…no hands raised. Again…let me make it clear I am not against solid state for the right shoots..go to http://www.aetv.com/jacked/ to see my series that was shot on the EX1. Like I said the proper tool for the right job…it’s just what you are hearing from people like myself and Tom and Erich is that the F900, and the tape based Varicam, or Panasonic 900 is still the best way to get the shot and show in the can. I’m glad it works for you in what you do, but for others, sorry it isn’t working. The 3700, the 2700 and now the mini 1/3″ 300 (Big HUH! who is that for)….3 cameras and each does something different…how about one that does it all. I think if you have invested in one of these then of course you need to make a case for why it works and why it works best. For me I own both Sony (F900) and Panasonic (Varicam) product and EX 1 (3 of them) so I really don’t have my apples all in one cart. I’m looking at this from a strict production view and what is best for the projects I work on. Anyways…as always …my two cents…nothing more.
Kevin Bachar – http://www.pangolinpictures.com
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Dear Jeff,
Did you read my post? You mention a set…which is precisely what I was saying about what some people call being out in the field and what people like myself, Tom and Erich consider the field. Sorry but for us …the set…doesn’t come into play. As for DIT’s…well let’s see on my “set” I have the DP, Sound and Director. No room for a DIT in the tent. P2’s have their place…but shooting in the “field” docs is not want of them…yet. And as I stated I am not afraid of solid state my series JACKED was shot on it. Also parts of my Hawaii film for PBS were shot on the EX1 so …sorry it isn’t fear it is what works and what is practical for shooting real in the field documentaries and not set work. Not saying one is more important or better or anything like that just saying you don’t use a hammer when you need a screwdriver.
Kevin Bachar – http://www.pangolinpictures.com
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Hey All
My two cents….of course I saddle up with Tom and Erich. Which is how we owner operators work in the documentary field. 5 cards shoots 12 hours…big deal!!! On an extended shoot in a foriegn country with power coming off a back up generator that runs for 6 hours a day…what good is that. Those 12 hour cards will have to be dumped and re-used 3 times. Who is downloading…who is doing double back-up??? I think there is a big difference between shooting in a city…or your own city with your own post house nearby…so you can throw your cards into a reader and download…and shooting in the “field”…and by field I mean a place without running water….or power …or ..you get the picture. Again, don’t get me wrong ….I am not anti- panasonic or anti – sony as I own and operate both an f-900 and a Varicam. I also am not anti-solid state as I finished a big series for A&E called JACKED! which was shot with three crews a night on EX1 SXS cards. But that was shot near my office and we were able to download every night and get new cards out for the next days shoot every day. It was also only possible because of the inexpensive SXS cards which we needed in bulk to equip 3 crews shooting approximately 6 hours a night. Again, P2 would have been too expensive. On the PDW 700 front and the SDX900 the problem with those cameras are they are both at this point not considered GOLD by some networks. I love the Sony PDW 700 —but no over cranking….and no 24p at this point. I mean what was the thought process – The earlier XCAMs had over cranking but this one doesn’t? Huh????? Does that make sense? No…of course not. And like I said don’t even get me started on the P2 Varicams. How are you saving money on tape costs, when you have to either hire someone to do the downloads in the field or work someone to death and then you have to archive at the end. And again…maybe this isn’t known to some…but you have to deliver not just the finished film.. but all the footage. Where is the savings now??? Anyways…my 2 cents…keep and eye out for my Kilauea:Mountain of Fire film for PBS Nature on Sunday March 29th. Shot on the SONY 900 and EX1.
Kevin Bachar – http://www.pangolinpictures.com
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Dear Erich,
I think what happens on some of these threads is the difference between what you and I consider shooting out in the “field” and what others consider “field” production. For shooter/producers like us the “field” means jungle, in tents, powering off a 20 year old honda generator that only runs 6 hours a day to conserve fuel. While for many others the field is out in their city and back to their facility or hotel room at the end of the day. This is where P2 cards and tape diverge. I’m not sure where my savings are on the P2 front if as some broadcasters still require a tape based delivery. So I’m saving time on ingesting into my NLE at the head of the post, but then I’m making 50 to 80 tapes at the end for delivery.
Again, to make it clear. I am not anti solid state. Our series for A&E Jacked! was shot with three EX1 cams and we shot in Newark and handed off the cards to be dowloaded every night and then back out again the next day. I couldn’t imagine shooting it any other way. I’m also not anti Panasonic as I own a Varicam as well as a SONY 900.
The fact is I would love the Panasonic Varicam 2700 if the P2 cost the same as the EX1/3 SxS cards. But they don’t. I would also love the PDW 700 if it shot variable frame rates and was classified as Gold by certain networks. But it isn’t. To make a purchase for a less than top of the line camera does not make sense for me or many other owner operators. So the HPX 500 or 300 or the Panasonic 3000…or the PDW 700 don’t really work, because so many clients don’t look at them as the best. And the truth is if a client will accept a lesser format but I offer them the F900 or the Varicam they will never say no, but there is no way to make that work the other way. My two cents.
Kevin Bachar – http://www.pangolinpictures.com
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That’s it shoot for the silver!!!! Now who won the silver medal to Michael Phelps…oh yeah…no on remembers.
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Hey Erich
My problem with the PDW 700 – not Discovery Gold and no over crank for slo mo which is so important for wildlife . In the past we would shoot super 16, but that truly seems to be a dead standard…as it isn’t considered gold by discovery anymore. To bad about the 700 it would have been a purchase for us…the rep came by and everything…but alas it didn’t do a few of the things we needed. The 2700 seems the way to go…but the P2 cards expense and the lower pixel rate…well like we have said over and over..does anyone read these posts from the big guys. Don’t even get me started on the RED …I mean how can that be a true in the field doc style run and gun camera. Anyways…I hope DC is treating you well…I remember posting down at Roland House…Commenwealth…Capital Video…etc back when I worked at Nat Geo. I appreciate everyone’s comments here, it all comes down to buying what you need and what works for you…I think for us, as owner operators and renters to high end clients the limitations presents with so many camera’s available is perplexing.
Thanks
Kevin -
Hey All,
I thought I would weigh in on this as an owner operator of many cameras that have been discussed recently. My company Pangolin Pictures http://www.pangolinpictures.com has purchased the following over the last 6 years – 1 – F900, 1 – Panasonic Varicam H series, 3 Sony EX-1’s, 3 Sony ZU’s, 3 Sony HUs. As you can see from our website we do work for Discovery, National Geographic, A&E, History Channel, etc. What I think might not be known about, but clearly you do Erich, is the standards each of these networks have for cameras. Discovery’s GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE and how only a few of Panasonic’s and Sony’s cams reach the Gold standard, and how the new HPX 300 maybe will qualify for Bronze. The new Sony PDW 700 relegated to silver. The HPX 500 bronze maybe silver as is the 3000 and 2000. So you are Erich or you are me, what camera do you buy.
You want to buy the best so you future proof yourself, so you are going to bite the bullet and buy the top of the line. But, the Panasonic top of the line or the Sony – F900R don’t do all the features the smaller HPX300 or EX1 do – namely 1080/720 – and under and over cranking to 60 fps. Hey since we shoot so much wildlife a 10 second cache would be great – that’s on the PDW 700 – but again not excepted as gold. Also, with the costs of P2 cards through the roof – which someone will have to explain to me why I can buy a 32gb I phone that plays video , music, and some killer apps costs a fraction of the P2 cards.
Also, since a lot of our shooting is done in rain forests, deserts, powered by generators and shooting from first light to darkness, P2 cards transferring to drives really stretches a two to three man crew to say nothing of the worries of not frying a drive when powered by a 10 year old Honda generator. And trust me I’m not against tape less, our JACKED series for A&E was tapeless on the EX-1 which was the only way to go when shooting so much material. But again we were coming back to offices to ingest the material and the cheaper SxS cards made it easier to have enough cards where we didn’t have to download in the field.
The new HPX300…not sure who that is for…1/3 chip and 1/3 lens? Will not past the test for many networks. But – we’ll see, maybe I’m wrong. What do we want – and excuse me for speaking for you Erich – but it may be this –
The Sony PDW 700 -love the inexpensive discs – that makes it to Discovery Gold – but add on –
1 – 60 under and over
and some SXS card slots.
it has a pre-record cache of 30 seconds so this is great, also with 2/3 lens you can put some awesome glass on it. But alas, as of now it doesn’t rate gold and doesn’t even shoot 24p 720 – you have to pay $4000 to upgrade to that in June. I feel your pain Erich. If I had bought the 3000 or the 2000 as others here have I wouldn’t be shooting my current Gold standard project for Discovery on my own camera, and that’s the problem. Who want’s to rent when you own.my 2 cents…all in good cheer. Neither a panasonic or a sony guy, just a filmmaker.
Kevin Bachar
Pangolin Pictures