On the advantages of small-format HD production

Not one to stand on ceremony, Jimmy Hanks is constantly involved in a number of projects-from small independent features to big-budget productions-and says that the new generation of compact HD cameras from Canon helps him affordably bring ideas to the screen. “There’s no reason not to use these cameras,” he said. “Instead of sitting around, people should be out shooting.”
Hanks uses the latest Canon HD camcorders, the XH G1 and XH A1. He recently completed work on a pilot presentation called The Floor, which he shot handheld and with a Steadicam rig. The pilot, which is garnering interest, depicts “the seamy underbelly of telemarketers.”



His latest project, called When We Were Pirates, is another small budget feature, featuring Jorge Garcia of Lost fame. It’s a co-operative venture with his acting class, which he’ll begin shooting in June.



The point Hanks makes to anyone who’ll listen is that you can do production on a shoestring and get high-quality results. The equipment out there is that good. His XH G1 and XH A1 HD camcorders are equipped with a Canon 20X HD video zoom L-series lens. He’s also using a variety of lens adapters to accommodate some prime lenses that provide a more filmic look and, he said, help defeat the depth of field that is inherent with digital cameras. Limiting the depth of field, Hanks said, gets the audience to look where he wants them to. Blurring the background and applying a good rack focus are easier using prime lenses.
Q: Some people reject the smaller cameras as “toys” and won’t work with them for their projects. What would you say to them?
A: I think there are several reasons why people won’t go out and take the bull by the horns. It’s daunting. It’s hard to put it all together, but it’s silly to limit yourself to only using expensive cameras or film. In my experience, with the projects I’ve done with these small cameras, when you project it on a large screen, it’s looks pretty darn good. So I say to people, what are you complaining about?

Q: For your next project, instead of recording to HDV tape, you’re considering using the HD-SDI stream directly out of the camera and recording to an XDCAM deck. Explain why.
A: I want to get the most out of the camera. The XH G1 HD camcorder has got time code and embedded audio, so I’ll have all I need. I will then be able to utilize the camera’s uncompressed 1.485 Gb/s output with 4:2:2 color sampling.

Q: There are a lot of options in this category. Why did you choose the Canon cameras?
A: I had acted in a low-budget feature where they used the Canon camera and I was quite impressed. I started in this business shooting underwater footage as a hobby with a Sony prosumer camera (TRV-900). Then a friend of mine hired me to shoot some underwater footage on a low-budget feature he was working on because he knew I had experience shooting and I own all my own dive gear. I was also cheap. I had the opportunity to shoot with a full-size digital camera in a Pace housing. It took two or three guys to get it in the water.

Then I saw the Canon cameras. Here were these lightweight cameras that could be maneuvered easily and the camera operators had such freedom. It was eye opening for me.

I like the color rendition of the Canon cameras and the richer reds they provide. I don’t feel that I’m compromising at all. Using the HD-SDI stream out of the camera and into an XDCAM deck, I have a poor-man’s Genesis camera setup. The signal is very clean and the images look great. I also like the camera’s infrared auto focus feature. It’s truly amazing. I might get grief for saying this, but with this feature I don’t need a focus puller on set when flying a Steadicam. It’s very liberating. What more can I ask for?

Q: What’s the biggest misconception about HD production?
A: With these small cameras, you have to be very careful about lighting HD sets. It’s easy to blow out the scene (whites) and/or lose everything in the blacks.

When using larger HD cameras, you end up having to have so much support on the set that the cost advantages of video versus film get lost. I’ve seen so many problems on film shoots where they had to call the actors back to the set because they didn’t get what we needed. With video you see everything immediately, so that’s not a problem. I’ve also heard of productions being shot with a solid-state recorder and the hard drive failed.

So there’s no magic camera or way of working that can do it all. But I still love shooting on tape. I know what I’ve got is going to stay on that tape. It’s in my pocket, so it’s protected. And I don’t have to transfer it to another media. The new way is not always the best way.