 view all categories |
 |
|
|
|
|
| PANASONIC
VARICAMS® CAPTURE "THE CASINO" |
 A
slogan that's popular
with people visiting Las
Vegas is: "What happens
in Vegas, stays in Vegas." That’s
true until June 14th when
THE CASINO begins letting
the secrets out.
Beginning Monday, June 14th,
Fox premieres THE CASINO,
the first Primetime Network
unscripted drama series
to be shot in high definition
with Panasonic AJ-HDC27
VariCam®
HD Cinema™ cameras.
 The
newest creation and brainchild
of reality TV
king Mark Burnett,
creator of the phenomenally
successful SURVIVOR and
THE APPRENTICE television
shows,
and his production partner,
Conrad Riggs, the 13-episode
series provides a 24/7,
behind-the-scene look at
the real-life dramas
that unfold at the Golden
Nugget Hotel and Casino
after its new owners, dot.com
entrepreneurs
Timothy Poster and Thomas
Breitling, take the reins
and attempt to bring back
its glory days. The two
millionaires have spent
a good portion
of their fortunes to become
the youngest casino owners
in Las Vegas and to fulfill
their life-long dream of
purchasing the Golden Nugget,
the largest casino/hotel
room-wise in downtown Las
Vegas. The Internet pioneers
are betting that they can
succeed in returning the
hotel to its Rat Pack heyday
and restore the venture's
vibe and buzz. The Golden
Nugget was the most popular
Vegas casino during the
'50s and '60s and a favorite
of
the Rat Pack generation.
 To
give the hour-long show
(airing 9:00 - 10:00 p.m.
ET/PT) a unique "look
and feel" from past
reality series, Mark Burnett
has turned to Panasonic
VariCam cameras and to
the visual
talents of five-time Emmy
Award winner and renowned
cinematographer Scott Duncan,
whose has worked with Burnett
for the past five years,
including the creation
of the dramatic main title
sequences
for the SURVIVOR and THE
APPRENTICE* series.
A total of 22 Panasonic
VariCams, rented from Bexel,
were used
by the Duncan-directed
crews to provide viewers
with a
fly-on-the-wall, 24/7 perspective
of the drama unfolding
with the new owners and
among
the guests and employees.
The VariCam-equipped crews
shadowed Poster and Breitling
and a colorful, real-life
cast of characters and
entertainers for more than
seven weeks
to capture their doings
for the series' footage.
Each
week the audience will
be treated to an insider's
view
of the world of gambling
as the VariCams capture
people who come to Las
Vegas with
dreams of getting rich.
 "Combining non-scripted drama
television and the high
definition format in a large-scale,
multi-camera production
has been a high priority of Mark
Burnett Productions over
the past year, " said
Kevin Harris, supervising
producer for THE CASINO. "We
are very proud of the outcome
and benefits of our partnership
with Panasonic. We have
set a new standard for
non-scripted
drama programs."
The majority of the Panasonic
VariCams were used in documentary-style
to shoot the challenges
facing Breitling, Poster
and his
staff. Not surprisingly,
a substantial amount of
the unscripted drama revolves
around a gambling pit,
which
was outfitted with seven
VariCams (three mounted
on the ceiling with pan/tilt
heads for remote operation
and four on tripods behind
glass), all dedicated to
shooting the suspense.
 As
THE CASINO is the first
primetime network unscripted
reality series shot in
HD, Duncan, the show's
executive
visual director, said he
and his fellow cinematographers
were ultra-conscious of
creating a show that "pushed
the limits of VariCam to
make something great. We
strived to make beautiful,
richly-textured images
all the time. VariCam permitted
us to visually customize
to do this."
Duncan, whose clients place
a high value on his visual
production quality, explained
that VariCam allowed the
crews to add the extra
production value that was
not available
in shooting prior reality
shows captured in standard
definition. "From
overcranking at 60-frames-per
second to
vividly show the passage
of time to the cinematic
feel that 24-frame high
definition images can deliver,
we used
the VariCams to their fullest
capabilities."
 "We had 22 VariCams operating
for up to 20 hours a day
for 46 days during this
shoot. We had no major hiccups whatsoever," said
Duncan. "The cameras
took a lot of abuse as
our crews ran-and-gunned
to follow
the series' characters.
The VariCams held up amazingly
despite all the wear and
tear. And we shot a lot
of
videotape, as many as 190
tapes a day."
The crews mounted their
VariCams on a variety of
jib arms
and cranes (including a
30-foot Techno Crane to
shoot the
dramatic entrance of the
new owners as they first
enter Las Vegas) to give
viewers a unique and unprecedented
window into casino gambling.
The VariCam cameras wound
their way into places never
before captured on national
television. The VariCams
were presented with many
shooting challenges, from
capturing the casino's
low-light, dark interiors
to the "explosion
of white" they faced
when recording the Golden
Nugget's white exterior
as well as nearby street
action.
VariCam's ability to shoot
at variable shutter speeds
(from 4 to 60 frames per
second to create fast-
and slow-motion effects)
was
a great advantage. "When
we knew a dramatic moment
might be coming, we were
prepared to shot at 60fps
to capture that moment in
slow-motion as you can do
in film. In addition, the
camera's variable frame rates
proved essential in capturing
The Strip's flicking neon
lights with their beaming
electricity and the vast
array of colors that makes
Las Vegas unique," Duncan
said.
These dynamic moments captured
by overcranking and undercranking
the camera provide the
show's producers with a
plethora
of options to tell more
dramatic stories. "Instead of
having to tell a story verbally,
producers have beautiful,
slow-motion video. VariCam's
variable frame capabilities
permitted the crews to acquire
the magnetism of Las Vegas," he
explained.
 "My experience of using VariCam
for THE CASINO was very
good," added
Duncan. "VariCam is
the closest tool, next
to film, that provides
me the
creative freedom to create
beautiful colors and images
in the camera and to express
my artistic vision with
a distinct style, feel
and
passion when gathering
stories for a show like
this."
In addition to VariCam for
acquisition, Mark Burnett
Productions used a variety
of Panasonic DVCPRO HD VTRs,
including the AJ-HD1700 studio
editor and AC/DC-powered,
portable AJ-HD130, for both
ingest into their offline
edit systems and for screening
of material. Panasonic high-contrast
plasma displays were also
used to screen material.
In television, most new series are a throw of the dice. With Fox and Mark
Burnett joining forces (and shooting in higher-quality HD with VariCam),
a ratings
jackpot is in hand.
* Jim Harrington was also DP for THE APPRENTICE. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
