A new reality television series, “On the Lot,” produced by Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg is using Sony’s XDCAM professional disc system to capture the action.
Series director, Jay Hunter, described the challenges of reality program preparation and likened the Sony XDCAM system to computer storage.
“I compare shooting reality television to an octopus because each arm (camera) is shooting independently,” Hunter said. “It presents huge quality control challenges because images shot by different cameras never have color uniformity. With its ability to store scene files, the XDCAM camcorder is much more like a computer than the video cameras of the past. With the flip of a switch, you can sync up all 12 cameras to the exact same look--eliminating color variables and inconsistencies.”
Hunter said that he also appreciated the thumbnail views provided by the Sony disc system, as it saved time by allowing the camera operator to review footage and then instantly start shooting again.
“You can instantly see whether you have the shots you need without worrying about recording over footage or damaging tape,” he said.
The ability of the XDCAM to do time lapse imagery was another factor in selection, as it mimics 35mm film results with much greater operational efficiency.
