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MillimeterCompact HD
Dec 19, 2006 8:00 AM, By Craig Erpelding
At NAB 2006, Iconix, a Goleta, Calif.-based startup, released a small camera with big aspirations. Iconix calls the camera the HD-RH1, which is a 1/3in. progressive 3-CCD HDTV camera aimed at giving those making HD-acquired projects a new perspective on capturing footage in cramped quarters. HD Focus recently sat down with George Loucas and Danny Prussmann (commonly known in industry circles as DannyP), founding partners of Baked Goods Productions, Los Angeles, to discuss one of the first practical uses of the camera system in the field.
The Iconix HD-RH1 is a remote, POV lipstick camera head coupled to a multi-format control system that offers 720p, 1080i, and 1080p HD resolutions at 24fps, 25fps, 30fps, 50fps, and 60fps (the 1080i setting shoots at frame rates of 50fps and 60fps). All this is packaged in a camera body that is less than 2in. in length (not including lens) and a mere 2.5oz. Therefore, Iconix claimed, at press time, that the system is the world’s smallest HD camera. That kind of tiny footprint was a perfect fit for Baked Goods needs on a recent promotional shoot for Scion Racing—a project designed to capture footage for a variety of uses promoting the racing team’s adventures. For POV footage captured inside Scion drag race cars, producers had to figure out the best way to mount cameras inside high-speed vehicles, and they eventually chose the Iconix system.
“We actually had some issues in the past with mounting cameras in the cars that recorded to tape directly, because there’s a lot of harmonics going on and G-Force involved,” says DannyP, who directed the project. “So, our DP [Michael Mansouri] came to us with the solution of the Iconix cameras so we could avoid some of those problems.”
“As you can imagine, the forces associated with accelerating to 200-plus mph in less than eight seconds are immense,” Loucas says. “This was probably our biggest concern, having lost footage in the past by securing a traditional camera body [in a car] and having it twist, and in some cases, shut down completely.”
But actually getting a camera to perform correctly under such conditions wasn’t the only challenge on a project like this. In the world of racing, every pound counts, and in this case, drivers were very particular about what producers put in their cars, as any added weight could possibly impact the outcome of a race. But the tiny Iconix unit essentially eliminated their concerns.
To get in-car footage with the HD-RH1, the Baked Goods crew shock-mounted the head in the dragster with a fast prime lens (primarily a Tamron Fisheye f1.3 so they could see as much of the car interior as possible, as well as minimize apparent camera shake), and connected it to the unit’s controller box, which is used for adjusting output specs and basic image correction. This configuration allowed them to output image data at 720p 23.98fps to a shockproof box containing a Panasonic AJ-HD1200A DVCPRO HD VTR.
Another benefit was the ability to mount the HD-RH1’s camera head to a boom pole. This allowed Baked Goods to get footage in typically hard-to-reach areas—around the engine block and under the car, for example, as well as creating faux crane shots by manipulating the boom. It also provided an opportunity to shoot drivers and crew working around the vehicles in the pits, without getting in the way.
Still, the entire shoot was not done solely with the HD-RH1. More traditional footage of the event—driver interviews and track shots—was captured using the Panasonic AJ-HDC27H Varicam and AG-HVX-200 camcorders. That brought up the issue of image quality and the matching of footage captured in different formats using different kinds of cameras.
“I think the image looks great,” Loucas says. “If I had to put it up against a [Sony HDW-F950], you couldn’t compare the two. There’s a compromise. Obviously, the optics are smaller and it’s a smaller sensor, but for the size and the convenience, it’s an outstanding image. The Iconix was output to a DVCPRO HD deck, so, we kept the formats from all cameras identical. Importing, we could just drop footage from any camera into a given timeline and never have to worry about rendering or format conversion.”
The footage was handled onsite by digital imaging technician (DIT) Ryan Mitre, who offloaded footage from all systems onto two Apple PowerBook G4 laptops. Editing was done entirely in Final Cut Pro, with minimal color correction that was accomplished with standard FCP filters.
Most importantly, the results of the project were more than acceptable, producers say. Although Scion plans on using the footage for a variety of different end-sources—including material featured on Scion Racing’s Broadband site, for instance—the first application of the footage came at a salon show for car dealership owners, projected as five-minute looped video on a large wall behind the race cars and drivers. The imagery accomplished its goal, according to DannyP.
“[Scion’s] estimate was that people would stop and watch it for 30 seconds,” says DannyP. “But what happened was people ended up stopping, and there was a crowd watching the entire thing over and over. The really interesting thing that transpired was this piece somehow got in the hands of some executives at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), and they approached the agency that we’re working through about us possibly doing some stuff for them based on the crisp, high-energy images.”
Although they were an early adopter of the Iconix HD-RH1 technology, the team at Baked Goods Productions felt comfortable using a new, unproven acquisition method, as they pride themselves on remaining on the cutting edge, which may be an adventure not all productions are prepared to handle.
“There’s always a risk when you’re dealing with new technology, but if you put in your time and do your research, it really benefits you,” Loucas says. “Some people just jump onboard and don’t do their research, and then find out after a week’s worth of shooting that maybe it isn’t compatible with the editorial package that they’re used to using, or that they’re going to have to spend three days converting it to a different format. All these are things that I think with the proper time and effort can be non-issues.”
