Raider Productions Shoots 'Emeril' Special with Panasonic DVCPRO Camcorders

By Katie Makal

Sep 15, 2003, 13:17 PST

Raider Productions recently completed primary photography on "Emeril Kicks Up Halloween," a one-hour Food Network Halloween special shot with Panasonic's AJ-SDX900 dual-mode DVCPRO cinema camcorders. The special, with star chef Emeril Lagasse ("Emeril Live," "The Essence of Emeril") demonstrating the fine art of throwing a Halloween party, will air on October 26.

"Emeril Kicks Up Halloween" was shot over the course of three days at Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary, a national historic landmark and famously scary spot. Ira Raider, the project's director of photography, used three Panasonic AJ-SDX900s, one recently purchased by Raider Productions and the other two rented from AbelCineTech in New York.

The AJ-SDX900 offers video professionals the ultimate in acquisition flexibility, expressed in the operator-controllable selection of EFP-quality 4:2:2 sampled DVCPRO50 or classic 4:1:1 sampled DVCPRO recording, and native 16:9 widescreen or 4:3 aspect ratios. The AJ-SDX900 is also the first broadcast-grade standard definition camcorder to offer film-like 24 frames per second progressive scan (480/24p) acquisition, in addition to 30 frames per second progressive (480/30p) and 60 fields per second interlace scan (480/60i) capture.

Raider said, "We shot handheld with two of the cameras, with the third on an 18' jib complete with x, y and z axis to acquire the high-quality cinematic look that the producer was seeking. I shot film-style, recording each camera's footage individually in the camera and taking advantage of a number of the AJ-SDX900's in-camera effects -- including under-cranking for ghosting effects, frame-by-frame intervalometer for animated sequences and 12-Axis Color Correction for controlling specific color regions." He added, "The 24P mode, in tandem with the cine-like gamma curves and exceptional colorimetry, knocked everyone's socks off. Now there is a less expensive alternative to HD that offers superb picture quality and the option to upconvert later to HD, should the client wish."

Food Network's Karen Katz, longtime executive producer for the "Emeril Live!" series and specials, said, "The material looks gorgeous, with film-like images. We shot movie-style, and the Panasonic camera held light well and showed great contrast range. We look for new and different approaches, especially for the specials, and the AJ-SDX900 was an ideal fit."

"Emeril Kicks Up Halloween" was posted in-house at the Food Network on an Avid|DS v6.01. NLE video editor Andy Turits commented, "The material cut together beautifully, and the picture has a startling depth of field and clarity similar to film.ÝWe used a Panasonic AJ-D95DC deck to digitize the DVCPRO50 material into the Avid system. We had about 20 hours of material; we did our initial cut at a low, 20:1 resolution. We were aiming for a 'spooky' look and created 3D warp effects in the edit system, melting and blurring images. When we went on-line, everything fell into place and integrated seamlessly. There were no issues with the 24p frame rate."

Raider Productions is a 16-year-old company that specializes in documentary and commercial production for clients including Food Network, NBC Productions, "Nova," "60 Minutes," "20/20" and various advertising agencies. Raider noted, "I've spent years trying to make video look more like film; although we also shoot HD, some of our clients have had to take the cost of gear and downconversions (to NTSC) into consideration with lower budgeted projects. The AJ-SDX900 has made film-like video an affordable reality. What the AJ-SDX900 delivers at a moderate price are big budget features: 24p, high-end electronic control, low light sensitivity and the ability to use interchangeable HD or film lenses. You can get either a 24p 'film' look or regular 60i 'video' look out of a single product.ÝThe image looks superior to DigiBeta. The real beauty, in terms of my current work, is that there's no need to downconvert; if eventually required, the material will upconvert well to HD or transfer easily to film."