High Octane Action in High Definition
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New York based All In One Productions has just completed the shooting a high definition digital format action film starring Richard Grieco (21 Jump Street), Manhattan Midnight is billed as the first Chinese produced HiDef motion picture shot and finished on Sony’s new CineAlta 24P HDCAM digital system. This English language film is targeted for international markets and is planned for theatrical release in Summer 2001.

Financed by Emperor Movie Group, a major player in the Hong Kong entertainment industry which is currently producing the next Jackie Chan movie, Manhattan Midnight was directed by popular Hong Kong director Alfred Cheung. All In One Productions supplied the HiDef camera package and line-produced the film. This high octane action film was budgeted for $3 million and was completed in an amazingly short 27 day schedule.

“It is a pleasant surprise to see Asian producers embrace this new technology in such an early stage. When I first decided to invest in the system [24P HDCAM], I did not expect responses from outside the U.S. so soon,” recalls Derek Wan, H.K.S.C., president of All In One Productions. “After promoting the format in Hong Kong International Filmart last June, we have been getting calls from producers inquiring the advantages of the new system.”

Recalling the decision to go HiDef, director and producer of Manhattan Midnight, Alfred Cheung said, “I am always excited about new technologies that help creative people make better films and I am very willing to experiment with new tools. But I was a little skeptical when I first heard about this new format, until I saw the two tests All In One ran and some demos from facilities that provide tape to film transfer. Then I believed High Definition would be a viable format.”

“HiDef helps lower production cost and provides numerous visual possibilities fast and inexpensively. Moreover, shooting high definition allows the director to control the image, in terms of color, brightness and contrast, more accurately throughout the entire production process. Besides, finishing on 24P HD Universal Mastering Format you’ll save time and hassle down the road when you are ready to distribute the film to different markets and in different formats,” Cheung continues.

“At this early stage, the results of shooting and finishing on HiDef can vary, just like what you shoot on film. The key is the talent and experience behind the technology. The know how and skills of the tape to film transfer facilities is vital to the final look of the film,” Cheung notes. “Manhattan Midnight might not have taken full advantage of the format, but I am very happy with the result. Later when all the necessary components become available and the crew is completely comfortable with the new tools, I am sure we’ll get even higher quality and efficiency.”

Concluding his digital experience and looking ahead to his next project, Cheung says, “I am hooked. When you look at the advantage of the technology, there really is no reason not to go digital.”

CEO of the Emperor Movie Group, well known director/producer Gordon Chan also believes in the new technology: “Despite some limitations in the characteristics of the high definition system, it has obvious economic and logistic advantages for the creative people as well as producers. I believe it is a viable format for low to medium budget productions. That’s why we approved the use of HiDef format for Manhattan Midnight.”

Working also as director of photography on Manhattan Midnight, Derek Wan, a member of Society of Cinematographers, Hong Hong, had shot 40 features before turning to high definition. “I started looking at the HiDef format about 10 years ago but had not been happy with the technology until the 24-frames-per-second Sony system that came out last year. This format progressively records 1920 X 1080 pixels per frame and runs exactly at 24 frames per second like a typical film camera does. It not only gives me pristine picture quality that I need to project on big cinema screens, but also provides great flexibility in post-production and distribution. Then I decided to acquire both camera and editing systems for the format so that we can provide complete services and produce an entire show on our own”

“HiDef should not be regarded as traditional video nor film. It is a unique medium that doesn’t look like either one of them,” Wan further elaborates the technical side of HiDef production. “Some die hard film fans say that HiDef still doesn’t look as good as film. I’d say if you treat it with the same respect and skills as you would treat film, plus the knowledge in digital imaging and video engineering, you can get pretty comparable results.”

Wan continues, “When my potential clients and collaborators saw the footage from Manhattan Midnight, they were surprised by the sharpness, smooth tonal reproduction and faithful color rendering of the images. They are also impressed with the latitude in high light and shadow area this new tape format could hold. They never thought it was possible in a video format. They were even more shocked when I told them that at present time, with the limitations of manufacturing technology, no monitors or even video projectors can do justice to HiDef quality, meaning that we are not seeing the full potential of the High Definition video quality on any TV set or projector today. You can only appreciate everything the 1920 X 1080 [pixels] progressive image has to offer when it is transferred to 35mm film print and projected on large cinema screen.”

Recalling the equipment used in the “film”, Wan says, “Sony is the only manufacturer that makes a 24P portable camera, the HDW-F900 CineAlta HDCAM. Any optics that is designed for 2/3” CCD cameras will fit. However, the higher quality the lens you use, the better picture you can get out of the format. There are several “cine style” zoom lenses from Fujinon, Canon and Angenieux designated for High Definition applications. We shot Manhattan Midnight mostly with the Angenieux 11.5:1 wide angle zoom lens for the quality and efficiency. To get optimum quality out of the camera, you still need to resort to prime lenses (fixed focal length). The aperture speed, distortion correction, flare control and sharpness are the best. There are not many choices though. Currently, only Canon and Fujinon make their own complete sets and the prices are outrageous. We chose the Canon for its relatively lower cost. Until Zeiss and Angenieux or other lens manufacturers come up with their solutions, options are very limited.”

“Throughout the shoot, we used different HD to SD and HD-SDI to HD component converters, HD switchers and HD monitors of different sizes for different applications. An HD waveform monitor/vectorscope would be very handy if we had a video engineer on set. But the budget and shooting schedule couldn’t afford either the gear or the person.”

However, 24P HD is not without drawbacks. Wan points out, “There are technical issues a producer or director should be aware of when adopting HD. The current version of digital cameras, like any traditional video camera, wouldn’t let you do under or over cranking (fast motion of slow motion) like a film camera does. We can only rely on post-production, mainly software interpolations, to recreate the effects. And they don’t look the same as in-camera effects. The other known limitation about HiDef is that due to the small size of the CCD chips used in a video camera, typically 2/3” on a high end ones, HiDef has deeper depth of field loosely similar to that of a 16mm film camera, so it is harder to throw things out of focus. Adding the characteristic of extra sensitivity in the shadow area of an HiDef camera, special attention needs to be paid to art direction, camera positioning, choice of focal length and iris opening, etc., so that the audience stay focused in where we want them to see.”

“For cinematographers,” speaking from his experience, Wan says, “lighting and use of color is a little tricky since the CCD and the electronic circuitry don’t respond to the color and intensity of the light source as linear and predictable as film emulsion does. Experimentation and experience with the new format is crucial to success. Furthermore, due to the unavailability of some peripheral components at the moment, minor inconvenience is part of the package in an HiDef shoot. Cabling and monitor set up are needed if you want to take full advantage of being able to see what you’ll get on tape as the actions take place. However, it becomes cumbersome only when using Steadicam or multiple cameras which is quite common in an action film shoot.”

“I am learning every day as I go,” summing up his final thought on the new technology, “there is no unsurmountable problems I am aware of. But the reward is way greater than the disadvantage and limitations. I remember reading from somewhere that somebody said, ‘film has evolved over a hundred years and High Definition is still in its infancy. Give it time, I believe the technology will solve most of the issues we complain about today.’ I agree with this guy. Just look at the fact that a new model of HiDef camera that is capable of shooting variable speeds is expected to come out in about two years, then you know what I mean.”

One word of caution for people contemplating about investing in this new camera format, Wan points out, “The video industry is getting more and more like the computer industry, technology is advancing at lightning speed. Before Sony could deliver our order, they had already announced the next generation products with some improvements. While we are still waiting for this camera’s accessories to ship, a new model is already on the horizon. Just make sure you can recoup the cost before your equipment becomes obsolete.”

The popularity of the Sony CineAlta format is gaining momentum. While feature film producers begin to follow George Lucas’ suit in adopting this system, network television producers have already taken advantage of the format. Clearly, in addition to the savings in film related costs, given the tight schedule a TV producer constantly faces, episodic series can also benefit from the fast turn around times in a post-production process that doesn’t involve film processing, Telecine transfer and location sound sync-up. This is another important reason why television producers who would normally shoot on film are changing over to HD.

Though this is the case, HiDef is not for everyone. “While the cost of equipment and finishing is still high, HiDef is best suited for medium budget productions,” explains Wan. “I would say feature films in the budget range of five hundred thousand to five million dollars can best benefit from the technology. In that range, the time and money savings are most significant.” As a cost saving work around when producing in HiDef, Wan suggests “You can avoid costly transfers by shooting and editing on HiDef for cable, direct to video or even theatrical releases in some digital projection-equipped cinemas until you have stricken a distribution deal that requires a film print.”

All In One anticipates expanding to Los Angeles and Hong Kong early year 2001 in order to continue promoting the high definition system and better serve the production community.

Manhattan Midnight was honored with two awards at the Philadephia Film Festival with Best Film and Best Cinematography. Saturday night an award ceremony was held where Alfred Cheung (writer,producer, director) received the Leigh Whipper Best Film Award and Derek Wan (D.P) was presented the Gordon Parks Sr. Best Cinematography Award from the Philadelphia Film Festival Committee.

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