Award-winnning cinematographer David Darby, ASC, celebrated for his national and international commercial work, recently shot projects for major advertisers Chrysler Mopar and Chick-fil-A with the VariCam 35 4K camera/recorder.
The Los Angeles-based DP said that, with these commercials, he was working with different production companies who each stipulated shooting at a minimum of UHD resolution.
Both of these spots were CG-intensive and, in both cases, the production team emphatically did not want to up-rez, said Darby. Having had prior hands-on experience with the VariCam 35, I recommended using the Panasonic 4K camera. The production companies got the resolution they required, and I got the fine-grained film look I was after.
Darby described the shoot for Chrysler Mopar (the service and parts division of the automotive giant) as having many inherent challenges. The spot has tons of visual FX and many CG elements, to the extent that we virtually eliminated 75% of the set, and worked with the automobile, actors and props on a very small stage.
We shot UHD, and it was the prettiest digital image Ive seen thus far shot at 3200 Kelvin, he continued. We lit the car and people to look fabulous and, when I first saw the images out of the VariCam 35 using tungsten lamps, my reaction was that the flesh tones were absolutely gorgeous, and very creamy.
Darby said that the Chick-fil-A spot emulates the look of a TV camera with tele-photo lens covering a baseball game, with similar results of the look, feel and integrity of the material being as fine-grained as it could be in case certain takes had to be blown later up within the frame--but still looking much better than just video.
The VariCam 35 is just a beautiful machine, and Im pushing to use it whenever I can, Darby said. Im especially eager to utilize the ISO 5000 extreme low-light feature, which I think has the potential of making magic hour last another 15 minutes (referring to the beautiful light before daybreak and right after the sun has gone down).
Budgets have been cut so drastically, with what used to be a 12-14 hour work day now routinely limited to 10 hours, that the ability to get those extra minutes of magic coverage is a terrific advantage of the camera, he added.
The VariCam 35 has a lovely filmic quality, Darby noted. You achieve 4K/UHD resolution without sacrificing any of the pleasures of the viewing experience--you get high resolution with no ultra-sharp video feel.Its as if the camera is impervious to the resolution, in terms of cinematic results: its a really sweet machine.
For more information about Darby, visit www.daviddarby.com.
About the VariCam 35
Panasonic's VariCam 35 is an unparalleled tool for high-end filmmaking, commercials and episodic production as well as live 4K events. The camera provides superb image handling in multiple formats ranging from pristine 4K RAW to more practical AVC codecs for4K, UHD, 2K, HD and HD ProRes capture.Several assets set the VariCam 35 apart from other high-end cinematography cameras, including dual native ISOs of 800 and 5000, allowing DPs to realize incredible image quality in extremely low light situations;its ability to record three simultaneous video formats (4K 2K Proxy, or UHD HD Proxy);an optional high-speed 4K uncompressed RAW recorder (CODEX) that will capture uncompressed 4K VariCam RAW (V-RAW) at up to 120fps;internal AVC-Intra 4K / 2K / HD recording to 120fps;support for an ACES workflow for full fidelity mastering of original source material; and in-camera Color-Grading via CDLs / 3D LUTs.
For more information about the VariCam 35, visit www.us.panasonic.com/varicam
Panasonic Solutions for Business
Panasonic delivers reliable business technology solutions that connect data with decision makers to drive better outcomes-for our customers and our customers' customers. Panasonic engineers reliable products and solutions that help to create, capture and deliver data of all types, where, when and how it is needed. The complete suite of Panasonic professional solutions for government and commercial enterprises of all sizes addresses unified business communications, mobile computing, security and surveillance, retail point-of-sale, office productivity, visual communications (projectors, displays, digital signage), and 4K and HD video production. Panasonic solutions for business are delivered by Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation.
All brand and company/product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. All specifications are subject to change without notice. Information on Panasonic solutions for business can be obtained by calling 877-803-8492 or at us.panasonic.com/business-solutions.
About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and solutions for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. In Interbrand's 2014 annual Best Global Green Brands report, Panasonic ranked number five overall and the top electronics brand in the report. As part of continuing sustainability efforts, Panasonic Corporation of North America relocated its headquarters to a new facility, adjacent to Newark Penn Station in Newark, NJ. It is the first newly constructed office tower in Newark to earn both LEED Platinum and Gold certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council.
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Award-winnning cinematographer David Darby, ASC, celebrated for his national and international commercial work, recently shot projects for major advertisers Chrysler Mopar and Chick-fil-A with the VariCam 35 4K camera/recorder.
