Croll has served as a freelance director, supervising producer and
director of photography (DP) on a long list of reality TV productions.
He’s been in chest-high water with a camera balanced over his head for
a Survivor shoot and hidden in the bushes for a
Surreal Life sequence. Croll is currently in
production for CBS’ Rock Star: INXS, where he works
as DP as well as supervising producer. At one point, Croll had four
shows on the air nearly simultaneously. Besides Rock
Star, he also served as supervising producer and DP on Fox’s
Hell’s Kitchen, and as director and DP on NBC’s Average
Joe and Three Wishes. That’s in addition
to shooting four seasons of CBS’ Survivor and
serving as senior producer on The Surreal Life 3 and
4 for VH-1. For Rock Star: INXS,
Croll is supervising six camera operators (and sometimes shoots
himself) using Sony XDCAM standard-definition camcorders handheld, as
well as another on a jib.
director of photography (DP) on a long list of reality TV productions.
He’s been in chest-high water with a camera balanced over his head for
a Survivor shoot and hidden in the bushes for a
Surreal Life sequence. Croll is currently in
production for CBS’ Rock Star: INXS, where he works
as DP as well as supervising producer. At one point, Croll had four
shows on the air nearly simultaneously. Besides Rock
Star, he also served as supervising producer and DP on Fox’s
Hell’s Kitchen, and as director and DP on NBC’s Average
Joe and Three Wishes. That’s in addition
to shooting four seasons of CBS’ Survivor and
serving as senior producer on The Surreal Life 3 and
4 for VH-1. For Rock Star: INXS,
Croll is supervising six camera operators (and sometimes shoots
himself) using Sony XDCAM standard-definition camcorders handheld, as
well as another on a jib.
Q: In general, why aren’t reality TV shows shot in HD?
A: I’m not exactly sure. Like film, HD is bulletproof. It’s easy to
make film look good. It’s harder to shoot DV than it is to shoot HD and
make it look good. When shooting in HD, you have more latitude to work
with. There’s more room for error, whereas DV can’t handle some
highlights and other ambient effects. I have shot with the Sony
HDW-F900 HDCAM camcorder, and it’s a wonderful camera. It uses film
lenses and other professional peripherals, but it’s not such a great
tool for reality TV because it’s too heavy and tape stock is expensive.
make film look good. It’s harder to shoot DV than it is to shoot HD and
make it look good. When shooting in HD, you have more latitude to work
with. There’s more room for error, whereas DV can’t handle some
highlights and other ambient effects. I have shot with the Sony
HDW-F900 HDCAM camcorder, and it’s a wonderful camera. It uses film
lenses and other professional peripherals, but it’s not such a great
tool for reality TV because it’s too heavy and tape stock is expensive.
Now, with the new generation of HDV cameras on the market – which I
have not used at this point – we’ll see more HD acquisition being
incorporated into reality TV. At this point, the producers of these
shows are not convinced that HD is worth the extra expense, but once
these shows are broadcast in HD [CBS’ Survivor is shot SD and
upconverted for broadcast], we’ll see more producers requesting it. I
don’t think there’s a demand from the audience.
have not used at this point – we’ll see more HD acquisition being
incorporated into reality TV. At this point, the producers of these
shows are not convinced that HD is worth the extra expense, but once
these shows are broadcast in HD [CBS’ Survivor is shot SD and
upconverted for broadcast], we’ll see more producers requesting it. I
don’t think there’s a demand from the audience.
The [reality TV] medium has changed considerably, and that’s one of the
reasons I don’t own any cameras: I don’t want to be tied down to a
format or specific camera model that might not be right for the next
show I’ll be involved in. There are so many formats out there being
used right now and I imagine that they will all change over the next 10
years.
reasons I don’t own any cameras: I don’t want to be tied down to a
format or specific camera model that might not be right for the next
show I’ll be involved in. There are so many formats out there being
used right now and I imagine that they will all change over the next 10
years.
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