HDFEST interviews HD Director

Matthew Golding from Rubberductions

HDFEST: What should a filmmaker who has previously worked in another digital format or film know before working with HDV?

Matt: HDV is a great format for capturing high resolution images on a budget. The big plus is the detail of the images. The minus is the fact that as a consumer format the camera's have limitations in terms of lenses. Overall though there are a whole load of pluses. Tape stock is cheap. Editing can be carried out on standard edit gear as the data rate (and tapes!) are the same as DV. Colour quality is in my opinion better than DV. The format is good at almost everything but fast horizontal pans cause it headaches sometimes. Ovarall though you could buy an HDV camera for the price of the rental of a HD-CAM camera for a longer shoot, so its really up to the filmmaker to decide how to use it.

HDFEST: What should be at the forefront of a DP/DoP's mind when using HDV? Any advice for DP's using HDV for the first time?

Matt: Treat it like DV. Light it carefully. The camera's are largely similar to DV camera's. If you do this you will get way better images than DV out of the camera.

HDFEST: Would you use HDV again??

Matt: Definitely. For lower budget shoots its invaluable and if you use it well it can look great.

HDFEST: If you have used more than one camera, which do you prefer and why?

Matt: I've mostly shot on the Z1. I'm still waiting to use the JVC HD-101 and Canon XLHD. A better lense would make all the difference. The camera can record great pictures but cheaper camera's lenses limit how great. The mini 35 system is fantastic. I saw one in use the other day on a friends shoot and it makes a massive difference to what these cameras can achieve. More so that which camera in my opinion.

5. How did you edit? What software did you use? What were the pros and cons of this process?

Matt: Well I use FCP but when I started I used Lumiere HD plus a bunch of other programmes like MPEG Streamclip and MainConcept for transcoding. Its all simple now though. You just cut like you cut anything else. You don't really need to think about it.

6. With High-Definition, HDCAM etc. it has been noted that special consideration must be made with make-up and set design, due to the sensitivity of HD. Did you find this to be the case with HDV?

Matt: HDV is pretty much the same definition (well technically it is the same resolution) as HDCAM. However its compressed, both in terms of using MPEG2 compression to fit it onto the tape, and also as many of the camera's use clever optics to fit 1920 pixels of output resolution into 1440 pixels of CCD. Then the lenses are lower end etc so I don't feel you get quite the same problems as you do with HDCAM, but overall I would just say HD is a different look than DV or film. It is kind of hyper real. It can be a bit clausterophobic feeling as you can feel sucked in to the picture in a different way than with other formats. Film makes you see the whole picture as if its real. DV is more of an abstract representation. HD kind of pulls you in to look at the details, and that's a very different mental effect than other formats. You can use it though. Its a great tool.

7. With High-Definition many have noted that the "hyper-real" look of HD presents actors in a manner that is very similar to how they look in real life. Did you find this to be the case?

Matt: Haha! Poor old actors! Yeah definitely. I used to have a problem fancying all my actresses but now HDV has been invented its completely dissappeared! I'm joking, but I think like DV it just needs lighting simpathetically. Unlike film, HD doesn't so much create a beautiful representation of life as just take loads of hi res pictures in a row. You have great material for cutting with but if you want something softer you have to work out a way of doing it yourself in post. In terms of how that affects actors, it is a little harsher on them in that it grabs all the detail.

HDFEST: Could you give us a brief rundown on the cameras you have used and a bit about their technical capabilities?

Matt: Z1: Shoots HDV 1080i, inbuilt lens has reasonable range but wide angle very hard to find.

HDFEST: What in your opinion is the greatest limitation to working with HDV?

Matt: The camera's, although great, are more low end in terms of optics etc, and the format occaisionally struggles with movement, especially horizontal movement.

HDFEST: What in your opinion is the future of HDV? is it a "mini-DV killer?"

Matt:Mini DV does seem a bit pointless now HDV exists. However, I recently shot a feature on DV because it was all we could get in the short (7 day) pre-production schedule. However, in hindsight, and given the lively way we shot it (ie rushed) DV masked our focus issues where HDV would have made them painfully obvious. In a way there is probably still a limited use for DV, but overall HDV is just DV, but better.

HDFEST: Thanks again Matt!

Matt is a director who works exclusively for production companies beginning with the letter R. His own production company Rubberductions, has a portfolio of strong creative work, either self penned, or for clients. Matt also directs commercials and promo's via agency Rokkit in London, and is part of BBC New Filmmaker Award winning comedy collective RONG. His work can be found on each of these companies websites repsectively. He is currently working on a TV series, further film and music video work, and commercials.