Archive for May 25th, 2012

Follows Work of Long-Time FUJINON Shooter Bob Poole at Gorongosa National Park

Wayne, N.J. – FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Optical Devices Division has announced that “War Elephants,” a nature documentary featuring the cinematography and conservation efforts of DP Bob Poole was shot using FUJINON lenses. The documentary first aired on April 22, 2012 at 8pm ET/PT on Nat Geo WILD.

“War Elephants” also won the best documentary prize at the prestigious Sun Valley Film Festival in March. A link to the beginning of the film can be found here: http://www.poolefilms.com/index.html

NGTV’s in-house Director of Photography Eric Cochren for “War Elephants” turned the cameras on Poole, whose award-winning cinematography sheds light on the dangers facing the majestic but threatened animals of the African plains. “War Elephants” prominently features the elephants that roam Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park. Starting in 1977, a 16-year-long civil war ravaged the country, leaving more than one million people dead and wiping out nearly 95 percent of the park’s wildlife. Elephants, poached for their ivory, were among the hardest hit — their population was reduced from more than 2,000 to just over 100. Today, peace has been restored to Mozambique, but the surviving elephants still carry the emotional scars of war.

Featured with Poole in “War Elephants” is his sister, Dr. Joyce Poole, a world-renowned zoologist specializing in the health and welfare of elephants, including their unique means of communication. About their plight, Dr. Poole describes, “We’re talking about animals that are intelligent, highly social, and probably capable of revenge. This kind of [war] experience has left a deep scar. We’re not here to make them forget. We’re here to teach them that they are safe. Gorongosa today may be the best place in Africa to be an elephant.”

Bob Poole’s lifework— including his efforts to document the life and death struggles of elephants against natural and manmade threats—is the central theme of “War Elephants.” Cochren employed an extreme telephoto HA25x16.5BERD HD Premier Series zoom lens to document Bob’s work. Throughout the film, Poole is seen shooting with his FUJINON HA25x16.5BERD and HA13x4.5BERDHD super wide-angle zoom lens. Poole also utilized his FUJINON TS-P58A external stabilizer for shots requiring image stabilization on either lens. For both Poole and Cochren, FUJINON lenses have proven to be durable and rugged in inclement weather conditions—such as the powerful winds, extreme heat, and massive sandstorms common to the African plains.

To see footage of Bob Poole on camera in “War Elephants,” please click on the following link:

http://www.poolefilms.com/bob_on_camera.html

Today, the remaining elephants are traumatized by violence, and as a result, quite hostile and aggressive towards humans. Nevertheless, DP Poole repeatedly risks his personal safety to capture breathtaking images of the elephants in their natural habitat.

“Since the elephants are wary of humans and have an uncanny sense of smell and earth vibrations, Joyce and I must observe them from considerable distance,” said Poole. “They can charge at you from a half-kilometer away and attack if they believe they are in danger.

“Filming the elephants at great distances requires highly stable, high-performance optics and camera equipment,” Poole continued. “My FUJINON 13x wide angle zoom establishes scenic and beauty shots, and my 25x telephoto zoom helps locate subjects and then zero in. If I’m properly set-up, balanced, and leveled, I don’t miss any priceless moments of animal behavior anymore.”

In Bob Poole’s two most recent NGTV wildlife documentaries, “Great Migrations” (November 2010) and “Africa’s Lost Eden” (March 2010), he focused on the plight of elephants at Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique. Besides producing over 30 nature documentaries for NGTV, Poole is also a member of the board of Gorongosa National Park, which is entrusted with its restoration and preservation.

Bob Poole is also employing his FUJINON lenses in the production of a digital textbook available on the iPad regarding the plight of Gorongosa National Park, and he plans to produce a digital field guide for the park.

About Fujifilm
FUJIFILM North America Corporation, a marketing subsidiary of FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation consists of five operating divisions and one subsidiary company. The Imaging Division sells consumer and commercial photographic products and services including film, one-time-use cameras, online photo services and fulfillment, digital printing equipment and service. The Electronic Imaging Division markets consumer digital cameras. The Motion Picture Division provides motion picture film, and the Graphic Systems Division supplies products and services to the printing industry. The Optical Devices Division provides binoculars, and optical lenses for closed circuit television, videography, cinematography, broadcast and industrial markets. FUJIFILM Canada Inc. markets a range of Fujifilm products and services. For more information, please visit www.fujifilmusa.com/northamerica, or go to www.twitter.com/fujifilmus to follow Fujifilm on Twitter. To receive news and information direct from Fujifilm via RSS, subscribe at www.fujifilmusa.com/rss.

FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, brings continuous innovation and leading-edge products to a broad spectrum of industries, including electronic imaging, digital printing equipment, medical systems, life sciences, graphic arts, flat panel display materials and office products, based on a vast portfolio of digital, optical, fine chemical and thin film coating technologies. The company was among the top 16 companies around the world granted U.S. patents in 2010, and in the year ended March 31, 2011, had global revenues of $25.8 billion*. Fujifilm is committed to environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit www.fujifilmholdings.com.

* At an exchange rate of 86 yen to the dollar.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.

FUJIFILM Optical Devices Division, 10 High Point Drive, Wayne, New Jersey 07470. Phone: 973-633-5600. Fax: 973-633-5216. Web site: www.FUJINON.com

What happens when you put an iconic punk rocker, animals and BiG MACHiNE’s Steve Petersen on the same soundstage together? You get a really exciting promo for Nat Geo Wild’s new show, “Animal Underworld,” which premieres on May 28th at 8 p.m.

The show features host Henry Rollins (of Black Flag fame) exploring the dark and mysterious side of human interaction with animals from many different cultural perspectives. It’s a world where animals are revered, feared, eaten and protected.

To view, please go to: http://bigmachine.net/works/animal-underworld-promo/

“As always, we had a blast collaborating with BiG MACHiNE Design,” says Vincent Aricco, Executive Producer at National Geographic Channel. “For this project, they brought a ton of creativity and production value to the screen. In particular, their team put together killer set design, art direction and lighting for the shoot. The attention to detail on set allowed us to capture an awesome look in-camera, so post was a breeze. I look forward to our next project together.”

BiG MACHiNE Creative Director Steve Petersen and his team created a moody forest scene with dramatic lighting to showcase Rollins interacting with snakes, spiders, rats and a chicken. Petersen used four simultaneous rolling cameras to capture multiple angles of Rollins as he performed a combination of scripted lines and extemporaneous riffs.

“The set was really elaborate,” says Rollins. “I thought it was going to be a small utilitarian box with me going down the barrel as it’s usually been for voiceovers and little wraparounds, but when I walked in and saw the forest and the interesting backlighting, I was impressed. It was great to look back at the monitors for some of the shots, which turned out really cool. Hopefully, it sets up the mood and makes people interested in seeing these amazing and intense moments in the show.”

“Henry is an amazing guy and performer,” concludes Petersen. “I shot this spot with multiple cameras because going in, we knew we wanted a frenetic edit style, and I didn’t want to interrupt Henry’s delivery regarding his pace and energy to get various takes from different camera positions. So I captured everything he said, scripted or not, simultaneously with multiple cameras to let him freely perform the promo in the cool environment we designed for him.”

Project: Animal Underworld
Client: National Geographic Channel

Production Company: BiG MACHiNE / Burbank, CA
Director: Steve Petersen
Art Director: Elizabeth Steinberg
Executive Producer: Sean Owolo
Producer: Matt LeBoeuf

Where shot: Mack Sennett Stage / Los Angeles, CA
Postproduction Company: BiG MACHiNE / Burbank, CA

About BiG MACHiNE:
BiG MACHiNE is an award-winning visual production company founded in 2003 by Steve Petersen and Ken Carlson. BMD has produced visuals for everything from: film titles, advertising, TV shows, games, multi-screen experiences and mobile devices. Recent clients include Ubisoft, Nike, NFL Network, Warner Bros. / ABC, and Colgate.

www.bigmachine.net

TSL Professional Products Ltd., manufacturer of hardware and software audio monitoring, tally and power management products for the broadcast industry, is pleased to announce that the BBC will soon be taking delivery of over 40 of its PAM2 multi-channel audio monitoring units to provide standardized monitoring capabilities across its Olympic broadcast facility within the International Broadcast Centre (IBC). Forty-six PAM2 units, supplied by Dega Broadcast Systems, will sit across numerous operator positions in the temporary facility for the duration of the games, including the BBC’s VT editing suites and playout desks, main MCR, three main TV galleries and the commentary line-up area. more

Look Solutions’ foggers and hazers are enhancing The Holy Land Experience for visitors to the Orlando-based living biblical museum and park. The attraction, a mission of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, brings the world of the Bible alive through educational, inspirational, theatrical and historical elements.

The Holy Land Experience has invested in an array of Look Solutions products, including six Viper NTs, a Viper 2.6, two TINY CO7s, and two Unique 2.0 hazers.

“We use the hazers in our theatrical presentations,” says lighting director David Parks. “For our live show, ‘We Shall Behold Him,’ which is the story of Jesus, we use the hazers during the crucifixion scene to add to the effect of a thunder and lightning storm. Then we use them to make fog come out of his tomb.

“We also use the Unique hazer and some foggers onstage in our new Church of All Nations,” he adds.

The TINY CO7s are employed to give extra menace to a Satan character appearing in one of our shows. “The TINYs are so small that we’ve strapped them to the actor with his mic packs and use a remote trigger to make fog pour out of his hood and cape,” says Parks. “He looks like he just came out of Hell!”

Look Solutions’ Unique2 haze machine offers minimal warm up time, minimal noise and minimal fluid consumption. Its new, more efficient fan quickly distributes haze in a room, and its variable output can achieve any desired effect from the finest mist to a thick haze similar to fog.

The Viper NT fogger unites current digital technology with proven technique and power. It features DMX 512 as standard, has an internal timer and easy-to-use LED-display panel, and offers fine adjustment of the output to produce everything from a tiny fog cloud to the thickest fog.

The Viper 2.6 combines a very powerful output with simple handling, DMX 512 and the ability to connect an external fan.

The TINY CO7 is the modified successor of the Tiny Compact. The handy, compact, lightweight fog generator is battery operated and offers easy handling and quick start up – it can easily be triggered with one hand.

The Holy Land Experience began acquiring Look Solutions products with the purchase of two Viper NTs, “then I just started ordering them until they replaced everything else,” Parks explains. Other foggers and hazers he tried “did not have the same output or longevity of fog. The Viper NT’s bursts are stronger and go farther. They seem more powerful than numerous other brands.”

He also notes the industrial foggers he used before “needed constant maintenance. Look Solutions’ products work fine – you turn them on and they go. And the company’s technical support has been great.”

About Look Solutions

Based in Germany, Look Solutions manufactures high-performance fog machines, haze machines, battery-powered mini-foggers, low-foggers, accessories and fluids at reasonable prices. Look Solutions USA, located in western Maryland, serves customers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. For more information, or to request a demo machine for evaluation, visit www.looksolutionsusa.com or call Hunter Totty, Director of Operations, at 1-800-426-4189. Look Solutions’ Technical Service line is 646-300-0520.