AFFORDABLE TV CAMERAS CASE STUDY
4 show,” she says, “but they were perfect for the job primarily because of their size. The crew is effectively embedded, so has to be as discreet as possible, so the fact that the 205 is extremely compact and can be tucked away out of sight very easily is a real plus. There are times when the camera needs to be hidden under your coat or stuffed into a bag. We used mics in collars, and all sound equipment and batteries etc were built into our backpacks.” Naturally, on a shoot such as this where contact with the outside world can be extremely limited, there’s an absolute requirement for those behind the cameras to be way more than just operators. An ability to take on a full range of roles was called for, and the expectation was that there would an ongoing need to improvise as situations developed. “Alongside being a camera operator we’re also producers and directors,” says Anna, “so we needed to know how to follow and shape narrative. Although we weren’t allowed to directly intervene or dictate direction to the fugitive we
and basically had to follow their every move. The PD stayed with the fugitive 24/7, and I covered from early morning into the evening. Having two cameras meant that, as well as the actuality, it was possible to achieve extra shots like the general views, establishers and wides that the PD can’t always get due to the nature of the shoot. They need to be 100% focused on the fugitive.” While Sony FS7 cameras were widely used for shots of the hunters in their London HQ over the four weeks of filming and for many of the field shots, Anna worked with a Canon XF205 camcorder, and found it ideally suited to the particular requirements of the programme. Chief attributes include a built-in 20x optical f/1.8 wide angle zoom lens, an HD CMOS Pro sensor, optical image stabilisation, two XLR mic sockets and on-board Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, and the product has a street price of around £2500/$2999. “To the outsider these cameras might seem to be an odd choice for a big Channel
“Formany of the field shots, Anna workedwith a CanonXF205 camcorder, and found it ideally suited to the particular requirements of the programme”
TOP Four Panasonic GH5Ss being put to work on the brand new Ford GT40. ABOVE AND RIGHT Anna’s work has taken her to a range of challenging environments around the world.
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SUMMER 2018 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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