Director of Photography Cliff Charles selected six VariCam 35 4K camera/recorders for the live shoot of Amy Schumer's first HBO comedy special at New York's historic Apollo Theater. Schumer headlines the Comedy Central seriesInside Amy Schumer, and wrote and stars in Judd Apatow's summer blockbuster Trainwreck. Chris Rock directed the special, which begins airing on HBO Saturday, Oct. 17.
Charles has served as DP on projects ranging from Rock's Sundance-winning documentary, Good Hair, the Spirit Award nominated film, Jellysmokeand the Jamaican Gangster film, Shottas. He earned two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Cinematography on Spike Lee's multi-award winning documentaries, When the Levees Broke andIf God Is Willing And Da Creek Don't Rise. His commercial credits include spots and promos for HBO, NBA, The Daily News, Converse, State Farm, BET and VH-1 along with music videos for artists like Mos Def and Wyclef Jean.
Charles' association with Panasonic pro cameras precedes his work on the 2009 Good Hair, which he shot with the AJ-HDX900 and AG-HPX500 models. He had extensive experience shooting with prior tape and file-based VariCams. When Rock approached the DP about the Schumer special, it was not yet attached to a distributor, and their plan was to acquire in 4K to assure maximum usage for the ultimate airer.
The production rented the VariCam 35s from AbelCine to coverSchumer's two live shows at the Apollo on May 29.
When Idemoed the VariCam 35 at AbelCine, I immediately gravitated to the 12-bit 4:4:4 color space, Charles said. The dual native 800/5000 ISOs were intriguing, and I really liked the option of capturing our 4K master and 1080 proxy files simultaneously in camera.
The camera's selectable LUT capabilities afford a lot of flexibility in sending out different looks, he added. Our DIT onlyprovided minimum correction to achieve a pleasing LUT
Charles explained that the director wanted the production to look completely different from Schumer's previous performances, to have the edge of a live concert while also taking of advantage of the Apollo's landmark ornate architecture.
The DP situated the six VariCam 35s throughout the 1500-seat theater, one on a jib, one on a dolly, a third camera holding a close-up, and three used hand-held. OurCamera Operators were pleased with the build and ergonomics of the camera, especially those working hand-held, Charles said. Even fully outfitted with matte boxes, lenses, batteries, the cameras remained under 50 lbs and well-balanced.
We had all the pressure of a large-scale live performance and absolutely no issues, he continued. We built a solidlook into the cameras, and the results totallylive up to the VariCam reputation for cinematic imagery.
Charles said that the VariCam 35 is on his short list of cameras to use in the future. The camera's ability to be modular combined with itsergonomics make it very friendly to both narrative and documentary productions, which I do a lot of, he noted. I look forward to gettingmy hands on it again.
For more information about DP Cliff Charles, visit www.cliffcharles.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 4K, UHD, 2K, HD and HD ProRes capture.Several assets set the VariCam 35 apart from other high-end cinematography cameras, includingdual 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,or contact Panasonic at 877-803-8492.
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 ofPanasonic 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 Panasonics U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. In Interbrands 2014 annual Best Global Green Brands report, Pa
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Director of Photography Cliff Charles selected six VariCam 35 4K camera/recorders for the live shoot of Amy Schumer's first HBO comedy special at New York's historic Apollo Theater. Schumer headlines the Comedy Central seriesInside Amy Schumer, and wrote and stars in Judd Apatow's summer blockbuster Trainwreck. Chris Rock directed the special, which begins airing on HBO Saturday, Oct. 17.
