kevinw
03-17-2003, 09:25 AM
Source: NY Times
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Mar. 9 - If war is indeed coming soon to Iraq,
images of that war are likely to follow not long afterward at the local
multiplex - all shot in the latest high-definition digital video.
Just as grainy Movietone newsreels brought images of World War II to the
home front, the military hopes the new footage it will present - with
high-technology cameras to match the high-tech weaponry - will provide a far
more crisp and vivid window into this war.
"The impact of war has always been filtered by the poor quality of film
and video," Dale Cripps, publisher of HDTV Magazine, said. "The impact of the
horrors of war in high definition are going to wake a lot of people up."
From the military point of view, the project "is intended to maintain a
strong connection with the American public and create a better understanding
about sailors and the marines, and how the Navy and Marines work together to
accomplish their missions," said Lt. Col. James Kuhn of the Marines, who heads a
Marine and Navy effort to outfit four teams of combat camera operators with
high-definition cameras.
The first newsreel could be in theaters within weeks after war starts, and
since a digital record, unlike celluloid, will not crumble over time, the images
will also provide a record for future generations.
Digital footage of this quality - high definition has five times the
resolution of standard television, plus Dolby-level audio - will probably not
show up on home television sets. No broadcast network plans to send
high-definition cameras into combat, in part because of the difficulty of
transmitting its bandwidth-hungry signal.
"The only way to get a signal back will be via satellite, and transponder
space will be at a premium," said Barbara Cochran, president of the
Radio-Television News Directors Association.
Bill Wheatley, a vice president at NBC News, said NBC will be using
tried-and-true Sony video cameras. "We've looked into using an HD format for
news-gathering in the field, but it's cumbersome, expensive and not easy to
edit," he said. "We'll get to it at some point, but especially for a war we want
to use what's dependable." Gordon Castle, a CNN senior vice president for
technology, said CNN's smaller field cameras are all standard-definition
digital. "Our current infrastructure does not support HD," he said.
The lack of high-definition television news from the Middle East will be
noticed by only a handful of Americans. Jeff Joseph, a vice president at the
Consumer Electronics Association, said 2.4 million digital sets - including
standard, enhanced and high-definition - were sold last year. And Mr. Cripps
noted that fewer than 500,000 of those are able to receive a high-definition
signal, either over the air or via cable.
Just off the tarmac at the Santa Monica Airport, Colonel Kuhn busily
prepared the last details of this mission, a partnership with a civilian
production company, American Rogue Films. The camera teams are expected to be
deployed in the Middle East within days, most likely first to Kuwait.
The newsreel they will create will be the second produced by American
Rogue with the Navy and Marines. The first, "Enduring Freedom - The Opening
Chapter," was made after the Sept. 11 attacks and screened before the main
features at about 200 Regal Cinemedia theaters. Regal Cinemedia now has digital
projection capabilities for 2,000 screens in 160 theaters across the country,
said Lauren Leff, a vice president
For Navy and Marine Corps camera operators, their unofficial mentor is
Norman T. Hatch, a former Marine staff sergeant, who was honored with an Academy
Award in 1944 for his World War II short "With the Marines at Tarawa." Mr.
Hatch, 83, who has discussed the new project with crew members, carried a
35-millimeter camera, a format that has largely been abandoned in favor of
lighter 16-millimeter cameras and, more recently, video. The new Panavision-Sony
camera, at 25 to 35 pounds, will be half the weight of a comparable
35-millimeter camera, though far heavier than other digital video cameras.
The cameras are able to withstand extremes of weather, as demonstrated by
their use in numerous nature documentaries. Another advantage is the 50-minute
cassette capacity, compared with 11 minutes for a 1,000-foot roll of
35-millimeter film. But most important is the ability to capture digital
imagery.
The footage will be put to multiple uses, including a four- to five-minute
newsreel. Budgeted at $1.2 million, it will be directed by Klaus Obermeyer of
American Rogue.
Captain Matt Morgan, who will head one Marine camera team, said there were
also internal discussions to produce more newsreels.
Most important, he and other combat camera operators see it as an
opportunity for a meticulous documentation of the action. "We want the big
picture," said Navy Chief John Wilson, who will operate one of the two
Panavision-Sony high-definition cameras. "The footage we shoot could be used 50
years from now to train soldiers in boot camp."
In addition to the Panavision-Sony HDW-F900 cameras, Colonel Kuhn's crew
will use seven Panasonic AG-DVX100's, which offer the same 24-frame-per-second
rate. This allows easy transfer from video to film.
Chief Warrant Officer B. Sean Fairburn of the Marines, who will operate
the other Sony camera, also sees the project as an opportunity to paint a
lasting picture of marines and sailors in combat. "If I document everything
well," he said, "any number of future uses can be made from it. When I'm in
combat, shooting, I'm carving up an elephant to serve to hundreds of people.
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Mar. 9 - If war is indeed coming soon to Iraq,
images of that war are likely to follow not long afterward at the local
multiplex - all shot in the latest high-definition digital video.
Just as grainy Movietone newsreels brought images of World War II to the
home front, the military hopes the new footage it will present - with
high-technology cameras to match the high-tech weaponry - will provide a far
more crisp and vivid window into this war.
"The impact of war has always been filtered by the poor quality of film
and video," Dale Cripps, publisher of HDTV Magazine, said. "The impact of the
horrors of war in high definition are going to wake a lot of people up."
From the military point of view, the project "is intended to maintain a
strong connection with the American public and create a better understanding
about sailors and the marines, and how the Navy and Marines work together to
accomplish their missions," said Lt. Col. James Kuhn of the Marines, who heads a
Marine and Navy effort to outfit four teams of combat camera operators with
high-definition cameras.
The first newsreel could be in theaters within weeks after war starts, and
since a digital record, unlike celluloid, will not crumble over time, the images
will also provide a record for future generations.
Digital footage of this quality - high definition has five times the
resolution of standard television, plus Dolby-level audio - will probably not
show up on home television sets. No broadcast network plans to send
high-definition cameras into combat, in part because of the difficulty of
transmitting its bandwidth-hungry signal.
"The only way to get a signal back will be via satellite, and transponder
space will be at a premium," said Barbara Cochran, president of the
Radio-Television News Directors Association.
Bill Wheatley, a vice president at NBC News, said NBC will be using
tried-and-true Sony video cameras. "We've looked into using an HD format for
news-gathering in the field, but it's cumbersome, expensive and not easy to
edit," he said. "We'll get to it at some point, but especially for a war we want
to use what's dependable." Gordon Castle, a CNN senior vice president for
technology, said CNN's smaller field cameras are all standard-definition
digital. "Our current infrastructure does not support HD," he said.
The lack of high-definition television news from the Middle East will be
noticed by only a handful of Americans. Jeff Joseph, a vice president at the
Consumer Electronics Association, said 2.4 million digital sets - including
standard, enhanced and high-definition - were sold last year. And Mr. Cripps
noted that fewer than 500,000 of those are able to receive a high-definition
signal, either over the air or via cable.
Just off the tarmac at the Santa Monica Airport, Colonel Kuhn busily
prepared the last details of this mission, a partnership with a civilian
production company, American Rogue Films. The camera teams are expected to be
deployed in the Middle East within days, most likely first to Kuwait.
The newsreel they will create will be the second produced by American
Rogue with the Navy and Marines. The first, "Enduring Freedom - The Opening
Chapter," was made after the Sept. 11 attacks and screened before the main
features at about 200 Regal Cinemedia theaters. Regal Cinemedia now has digital
projection capabilities for 2,000 screens in 160 theaters across the country,
said Lauren Leff, a vice president
For Navy and Marine Corps camera operators, their unofficial mentor is
Norman T. Hatch, a former Marine staff sergeant, who was honored with an Academy
Award in 1944 for his World War II short "With the Marines at Tarawa." Mr.
Hatch, 83, who has discussed the new project with crew members, carried a
35-millimeter camera, a format that has largely been abandoned in favor of
lighter 16-millimeter cameras and, more recently, video. The new Panavision-Sony
camera, at 25 to 35 pounds, will be half the weight of a comparable
35-millimeter camera, though far heavier than other digital video cameras.
The cameras are able to withstand extremes of weather, as demonstrated by
their use in numerous nature documentaries. Another advantage is the 50-minute
cassette capacity, compared with 11 minutes for a 1,000-foot roll of
35-millimeter film. But most important is the ability to capture digital
imagery.
The footage will be put to multiple uses, including a four- to five-minute
newsreel. Budgeted at $1.2 million, it will be directed by Klaus Obermeyer of
American Rogue.
Captain Matt Morgan, who will head one Marine camera team, said there were
also internal discussions to produce more newsreels.
Most important, he and other combat camera operators see it as an
opportunity for a meticulous documentation of the action. "We want the big
picture," said Navy Chief John Wilson, who will operate one of the two
Panavision-Sony high-definition cameras. "The footage we shoot could be used 50
years from now to train soldiers in boot camp."
In addition to the Panavision-Sony HDW-F900 cameras, Colonel Kuhn's crew
will use seven Panasonic AG-DVX100's, which offer the same 24-frame-per-second
rate. This allows easy transfer from video to film.
Chief Warrant Officer B. Sean Fairburn of the Marines, who will operate
the other Sony camera, also sees the project as an opportunity to paint a
lasting picture of marines and sailors in combat. "If I document everything
well," he said, "any number of future uses can be made from it. When I'm in
combat, shooting, I'm carving up an elephant to serve to hundreds of people.
