There was a time not long ago when the cost of shooting HD was prohibitive to some producers. But Showtime’s series Masters of Horror is demonstrating that you can shoot TV drama on an HD camera that costs $7,000 – in this case, the Panasonic AG-HVX200 HD camcorder.

The compendium thriller series, produced by Reunion Pictures and shot at Eastlake Studios in Burnaby, B.C., has used the prosumer camera on its episode entitled ‘The Screwfly Solution,’ starring Elliott Gould and Jason Priestley, which wrapped July 27.

Series director of photography Attila Szalay describes the ep as a doomsday/Invasion of the Body Snatchers scenario being shot in documentary style, as if it was unfolding on live TV.

‘Director Joe Dante [Gremlins, The ‘burbs] wanted to give the episode a sense of immediacy and urgency, which is why we decided to use DVCPRO HD rather than 35mm film,’ explains the Hungarian-born cameraman, who is based in Vancouver.

The AG-HVX200 can shoot in a variety of digital formats, including miniDV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO50, and DVCPRO HD at 60i or 24p. It records to removable P2 solid-state memory cards, which are available in 4 GB and 8 GB sizes. An 8 GB P2 card will hold 20 minutes of 720p footage, or eight minutes of 1080i footage.

Lee Wilson, president of Vancouver’s Anthem Visual Effects, which is doing FX for Masters, is also high on the little camera.

‘The AG-HVX200 is much more than a novelty,’ he says. ‘It is a functional HD camera that I can give to our guys to shoot water or smoke elements, then send them out to do it.’

Bang for the buck

The manufacturer touts that the camera provides plenty of bang for the buck.

‘Despite its price and small size, the AG-HVX200 shoots in the same DVCPRO HD format found on larger, more expensive HD cameras,’ says Terry Horbatiuk, national sales manager for Panasonic Canada.

And its small size, as Szalay has discovered, can also be an advantage. The cinematographer has been exploiting the AG-HVX200’s compactness to get dramatic angles and sequences not possible with a regular-sized film camera.

The crew has been mounting it on a Manfrotto Fig Rig stabilized handheld tripod, which is halfway between shooting handheld and using a Steadicam, and is shaped like a steering wheel with the camera in the middle. It is held using two side-mounted handles, which keeps the camera away from the operator’s body, allowing for very fluid shooting.

‘Combined, the HVX and Fig Rig are able to get right into a subject’s face, without losing the depth of field in the rest of the shot,’ Szalay says. ‘We like to joke that we’re getting the same full depth of field that Orson Welles achieved in Citizen Kane, without having to spend the fortune on lighting that he did on that film.’

The Fig Rig’s maneuverability makes it possible to ‘bomb up and down the aisle on an airplane interior set,’ he adds, ‘capturing footage that conveys a real sense of urgency.’

The AG-HVX200 is also being mounted on a MK-V Alien Revolution wearable rig that puts the camera on a gyroscope-stabilized platform at the end of a rotatable arm.

‘We’ve been using the AR to follow an actor from behind at three inches above the ground, with sudden springing motions up to eight-and-a-half feet in the air,’ Szalay says. ‘It gives a really alien perspective to the visual angles, which is what we’re trying to achieve.’

Having used the AG-HVX200 previously on a Warner Bros. pilot called Split Decision, the cinematographer knew that the prosumer camcorder could handle the requirements for Masters of Horror. And the fact that its P2 cards can be removed from the unit when full, then plugged into an on-set Mac for immediate downloading and reuse, was a big plus.

However, despite all these advantages, Szalay says the camcorder cannot entirely replace larger-scale HD cameras.

‘The AG-HVX200 delivers really good low-light sensitivity, which means you don’t have to do anything different in setting up shoots,’ he explains. ‘But you have to bear in mind that its CCD is only 1/3-inch in size, as opposed to the larger 2/3-inch CCDs used on more expensive cameras. The smaller CCD does come with a sacrifice in image quality, but not one that will make a difference in most situations.’

Anthem’s Wilson sums up the AG-HVX200 as a great entry-level camera for aspiring filmmakers.

‘It opens up the possibilities of making professional product on a budget,’ he says. ‘This is an HD camera that is not out of reach for most people.’

www.panasonic.ca

www.anthemfx.com