Pasadena DP Embraces HD

Early this year, DP Roy H. Wagner—a 35-year film formatveteran—found himself in the ironic position of arguing to usethe 24p high-definition format for the new Fox drama, Pasadena.Wagner, who had never previously shot any type of video professionally,joined the project at the behest of executive producer, Diane Keaton,presuming the show would be filmed in 35mm. Only after signing on, didhe learn the show’s budget limited the format to 16mm.

“I’ve had varying experiences with 16mm, but for an hourseries, my experience had been that there are often various dirt fixesneeded, as you try to massage the negative into something that seemslike 35mm,” says Wagner. “I felt like there are alwayscompromises involved with 16 for this type of show, so I thought aboutit and decided I really wanted to try 24p, to see if it really was anoption for the future.”

Wagner took his request to producers and the Fox network, whichultimately left the choice between 16mm and 24p up to Wagner for theshow’s pilot.

“It was the first time in my career that I had ever been askedas a DP to meet with all the key executives from (production company)Sony Television and Fox,” he says. “They were concernedthat 24p would be cruel to the actors. I could only reply that I hadnever used it before, but that it was my opinion that the person behindthe mechanism is the ultimate factor in how the images came out. So Iput my reputation on the line with them, and promised I could make itlook good. They put the whole thing in my lap, and I took a huge leapof faith by choosing HD over film.”

Wagner says he shot the Pasadena pilot “exactly as Iwould shoot film.”

“I used the dynamic contrast ratios that I normally use with35mm, and we don’t paint the images on set(electronically)—leaving all that for post, like we would withfilm,” he says. “Other than using filters like I would withfilm, I decided all that manipulation would come in post. I’vesince shot (at press-time) 11 episodes in HD, and I’m now gettingready to direct an episode. I’ve found the transition to beextremely smooth.”

Wagner’s team shoots Pasadena with a single camera,using Panavision’s cine-style package with Primo lenses (thepilot was shot using a video package from Plus-8 Video, Burbank), minusthe standard eyepieces—his operators rely instead on LCD colormonitors. Overall, Wagner says the experience has been a lot likelearning a new film stock, with a few extra lessons thrown in, such ashis growing reliance on a 24-inch, color, Sony HD monitor as hisprimary tool for shot composition.

“Depth of field, obviously, was another thing that I’velearned to deal with,” he adds. “We keep the camera as faraway from the actors as possible, using the longest lenses and heavierdiffusion than I would normally use. HD absorbs so much of therefracted light that normally occurs with optical diffusion in front ofa film camera. The electronic HD cameras absorb that information andinterpret it back into resolved high-contrast images. So to compensatefor that, we cheat a bit with heavier diffusion.”

Wagner adds that he “rarely” adjusts controls on the“Panavised” Sony HDW F-900 camera, and therefore, does notrequire a regular on-set video engineer.

“That’s why things are not all that different for me asthe DP,” he explains. “I set the cameras myself and alwaysleave the gamma set in the same place, so I don’t need to adjustcontrols for color imagery at all—we do all that in post. All Ineed to do is make sure the color bars are appropriately displayed onthe monitor, check the black-and-white balance when we go from onelocation to the next, and make sure the pedestal is residing where itshould. In terms of controls, other than that, I leave everything elsealone.”

Wagner’s general attitude after learning the nuances of 24p isthat the format should be considered just another filmstock—“another option”—by film-trainedDP’s and operators, and neither the ultimate solution forepisodic TV production nor a development to be sneered at.

“Pasadena is a film noir style show in its approach, soin that respect, it’s the last show you would expect to seefilmed in HD,” he says. “But we’ve made it work. Thatis not to say I think all TV shows should be shot this way—itreally depends on the artistic requirements, as well as the budget. Ihardly think HD is the sole format for the future, but at the sametime, artists have to be prepared to learn about new technology to helpthem capture images—they shouldn’t put fences around newtechnologies. I’ve shot film for 35 years, and now, I’mlearning new things every day. I think it is very important that allartists become involved in future technologies—especially inworking with the manufacturers and giving them input. Otherwise, theywon’t have a voice in how the systems develop, and that would bea shame. If there is any problem with HD and other new technologies,it’s that the artists are not consulted enough. So, I’m notafraid of HD—I’m enjoying this experience.”