Question: Why did you select the VariCam for this particular project?

Irv Goodnoff: The director Eric Weston's goal was to make a commercial theatrical film for a budget, and he asked what I thought about shooting digital. Having just finished color timing a 35mm print of a short shot in Digital Betacam for the American Film Institute Women's Directing Program, I knew film prints off digital had become a reliable technique. I had also just completed another project with director Richard Mann shot with the Panasonic DVCPRO 50 progressive-scan camera, and was impressed with the results. Ryan Sheridan, then of Birns & Sawyer/Hollywood, told us about the Panasonic VariCam camera, and we visited Panasonic's offices in Los Angeles and received a demonstration. I am a film DP, but I was impressed with what we saw. We explored the camera's internal menu, its hue control, contrast and sharpness, and played with its variable-frame rate and shutter.

We compared it to Sony 1080p footage. I was impressed with the Panasonic. I was up for shooting a full-length feature in high-definition, and recommended the VariCam. Eric spoke to Birns & Sawyer, and was able to work out a budget--the price was significantly less than the Sony HDCAM. Our savings for film stock and lab costs were a no brainer. Our choice to use the DVCPRO HD 720p format Varicam was made.

Question: As a veteran of dozens of projects shot on film, did you approach this shoot differently?

Irv Goodnoff: When putting the package together, I relied on my film experience. I knew we were shooting film-style, so a studio and hand-held follow focus was needed. An extension, eye piece and on-board color monitor were used. Most importantly, I needed a 6x6 matte box which held four filters and a rotating polarizing screen. Extensive use of diffusion filters and graduated neutral density filters helped me make the high-definition look more like film. I also used smoke on the set to keep the background softer than the foreground.

Since most of "Hitters" was shot in the city of Los Angeles, interiors and exteriors, a 20" HD monitor was used. I also watched a wave form monitor to let me know where my blacks and whites fell. Having transferred digital to film, I knew keeping within range was important. Ryan Sheridan is a great craftsman, and he helped me select three presets for the look for "Hitters." We went into the engineering menu, and worked with the contrast, sharpness and hue. I went for a soft, low-contrast feel, and it worked out quite well. The settings were stored in the memory card for future work, re-shoots and pick-ups.

After testing, it was apparent that a camera operator would let me spend more time studying the HD monitor, observing subtle color and shadow detail and how the filters played. The viewing system is the biggest difference between film and HD work. In film, the best seat on the set is your eye on the camera; in HD, the monitor is the thrill.

Crewing up was similar to film. Our camera operator, Phil Hurn, did a great job. There was a noticeable difference for the grips with HD. It was necessary to use more silk and blacks to control the high side of the lighting curve. More negative fill was called for to model and soften daylight. Controlling the shadow and contrast required more work. Picking locations and the time of the day for shooting took some thought. We tried to stay out of front sunlight. Staying in the shadows, tenting and silking and use of backlight were always more pleasing.

Question: How did the camera perform on location?

Irv Goodnoff: We subjected the camera to extreme shooting conditions, not only rugged action (including car explosions) but the gamut of contrast situations--day, night, interior and exterior; also, interior to exterior, exterior to interior, day for night, night for day, in the rain, car shooting and shooting fire were all called for. All the craft that a DP calls on in film was needed in this HD feature. It seems like we just changed our film stock rather than adopting a new medium--except that the HD camera gave us more control.

Our presets served us well. Only once or twice did we go into the engineering menu, and alter the camera, mostly for contrast. Eric and I love the "dancing camera" (camera movement). Dollies, cranes, Steadicam, hand-held and car mounts were all used. Changing the Panasonic camera from one configuration to another seemed effortless--it never slowed us down.

Question: How was "Hitters" edited and finished?

Irv Goodnoff: Post-production started the day after production ended. We used the AJ-HD150 DVCPRO HD deck to downconvert and digitize our Varicam masters directly into Final Cut Pro for offline without any other format transfers. We'd shot entirely at 24fps with 3/2 pull-down--our choice because film for theatrical release is our goal. Because our Final Cut Pro editor wasn't a 24fps native product, had to honor the 0's and 5's in our SMPTE time code to ensure the EDL list worked smoothly.

Our on-line in HD went without a hitch. We utilized the Snell & Wilcox 1010 switcher for the on-line, and color corrected using the Valhall color corrector from Digital Vision. The online was performed in 1080i, although we wanted to stay in progressive for our digital-to-film transfer, so our plan is to go back to 24p after color correcting. One of the great advances of the not-so-new digital world is coloring in post production. The difference between color correcting on film and using power windows in digital is that we no longer just smooth out color from cut to cut. Now we can re-contour each shot.

Question: How did shooting in HD impact your budget?

Irv Goodnoff: Using the AJ-HDC27 saved us enormous amounts of money, not so much in production values--which were fairly full-fledged--but in film processing and development. We shot a 18:1 ratio of HD video, versus the 10:1 or 12:1 we'd customarily shoot with film. The more you shoot, the more you save.

Question: What would you say to your fellow filmmakers about VariCam?

Irv Goodnoff: The AJ-HDC27 is giving an incredible boost to the independent film world and moviemakers with modest budgets, e.g., $1 million to $8 million. With the current state of HD lenses and a camera as versatile as the VariCam, you can achieve the highest level of digital filmmaking with results rivaling film in its emotional richness.

What ultimately matters to me is the ability of the camera and recording stock to reflect the intended emotional effect in all its complexity; in that sense, I viewed the VariCam as just another film stock with its own "personality." As with film, I was able to deploy all the craft at my disposal--lighting, composition, filtration and movement--to creative a style that engages the audience.

Gordon Willis once said, "We are artists, but our art is in our craft." So often we are told that digital and HD need less light, need fewer people, need less time. If a filmmaker wants to create a visual style for his story--and we are storytellers--we still have to shape and sculpt our images. We still need a key, fill and back light. Our background still needs to be painted. Cameras still need to be choreographed with actors so compositions can be achieved. Filtering is probably more important in HD and, last but not least, artistry is still needed. Knowing your craft and how to use all your tools is more important than just knowing a camera. But having a great camera is invaluable in bringing it all together. The Panasonic VariCam was put to the test and, for me, passed with flying colors.

"Hitters" was recently finished at The Post Group/Hollywood, and is slated for a 35mm film transfer at Filmout Xpress prior to theatrical distribution.

Goodnoff, is an AFI Graduate Fellow and veteran filmmaker who has shot 36 features (seven of them with Weston). He can reached through Steven England at the Paul Girard agency, (818) 769-7015.