Friday January 21, 9:00 am Eastern Time
Sony Shows Digital Cinematography Successes at Sundance Film Festival

PARK CITY, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 21, 2000--For the fifth consecutive year, Sony will participate in panels and presentations at the Sundance Film Festival highlighted by the growing body of digital feature productions in high definition and other digital video formats. This year, those feature productions will be complemented by the Sundance premiere of the first 24-frame progressive high definition camcorder, developed by Sony and supported with specially developed lenses and accessories by Panavision.

Laurence Thorpe, vice president of acquisition systems for Sony Electronics' Broadcast and Professional Company will host a Digital Electronic Cinematography dialogue at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 21 and Saturday, Jan. 22 at the New Media and Technology Center in the Inn at Prospector Square. The panelists will include Panavision Senior Vice President of Technology John Galt and filmmakers Bernard Rose and David Effress.

Discussion will focus on their recent HD feature projects (both shot by Sony's HDCAM® camcorder); the new 24-frame progressive high definition system; the growing role of digital video formats, including HDCAM, Digital Betacam®, DVCAM(TM) and consumer DV, in the production of entertainment and documentary programming. These formats constitute a wide spectrum of creative and economic choices for the independent film community.

``The Sundance 2000 Film Festival is a milestone on many fronts, and it marks the first 20 years in our relationship with Sony,'' said Ian Calderon, a founder and senior consultant to the Sundance Institute. ``Sony's role as a technology leader at Sundance continues to grow each year as has Sony's commitment to digital electronic cinema initiatives at the festival, evolving into a steadily-growing force in the industry.''

``Festival attendees will discover the emerging presence of digital video technology, both in the festival competition itself and through the special presentations conducted by such supporters as Sony and Panavision,'' continued Calderon. ``This is a particularly exciting time for independent filmmakers with the advent of a 24-frame production system for high definition, the developments in electronic filmmaking, such new distribution methods as broadband on the Internet and developments in electronic cinema presentations.''

During the panel presentations, Galt will discuss the special series of Panavision lenses and accessories designed for the Sony 24-frame progressive scan HD camcorder, the result of more than 10 years of work. The Sony and Panavision 24P camcorder will be used this spring by filmmaker George Lucas in the making of the next Star Wars feature.

``Our goal was to develop extremely high-performance lenses specifically for digital cinematography that would satisfy experienced film cinematographers and directors,'' said Galt. ``The combined Sony Panavision system presents these tools to filmmakers in a form that is both familiar and unobtrusive to their creative needs.''

Veteran film director Bernard Rose (Immortal Beloved, Anna Karenina, Candyman) will discuss the creative and economic advantages he realized on the HD feature he recently finished shooting, called ivansxtc.

``I have quickly learned that the HDCAM format is not just a camcorder, but a catalyst for change in the motion picture industry,'' said Rose. ``I originally set out to film ivansxtc in 35mm, but after conducting HD demonstrations, I was convinced that HD originated footage was indistinguishable from 35mm film once transferred back to 35mm and projected. High definition offers attractive economic and creative advantages without sacrificing picture quality.'' Producer David Effress will share his experiences training on the Sony HD camcorder, as well as those he and his director of photography, Uta Briesewitz (Next Stop Wonderland), had in making the HD transition from film and other earlier digital formats in the production of his new HD feature, Seven and a Match, which stars Heather Donohue of The Blair Witch Project. Effress' company, Smart Films, was founded to produce films utilizing the highest standards of digital technology.

``The learning curve on the Sony HD camcorder was surprisingly short, and it was easy to get up to speed and make the transition with my DP,'' said Effress. ``I am definitely looking forward to the arrival of the 24P camcorder and what impact that will have on our next feature projects.'' ``The HDTV era is not only having an unprecedented impact on television production, but also on feature production as the market dictates that content be acceptable for both means of viewing,'' Sony's Thorpe added. ``Filmmakers who have made the jump to shooting in widescreen digital video are already enjoying significant creative and economic benefits. In addition, they are 'future proofing' their work, which will pay dividends well into this new century.''

Additionally, on Sunday January 23 at 11:30 a.m., Thorpe will participate in a panel entitled, ``Digital Cinema - A New Aesthetic?'' This sure to be a lively discussion, moderated by Godfrey Cheshire, will dissect an important, but often ignored facet of digital technology -- the aesthetic. Thorpe and the other panelists, who include film critic Roger Ebert, will discuss such issues as how digital technology is changing the way images are composed and stories are told, and the emerging new electronic aesthetic.

Also on Sundance's credit list of ``DV performers'' this year are Sony Electronics' latest and most powerful VAIO® desktop PCs -- the VAIO Digital Studio® (PCV-R549DS) and Slimtop® LCD Computer (PCV-L630). These multimedia desktop systems are high-quality, nonlinear, digital video editing stations equipped with unique Sony software that allows aspiring filmmakers to seamlessly create their digital masterpiece on a consumer's budget.