For those unsure about what 1080/24p is: In simple terms, it is a high-definition format that looks—and acts—more like film than arguably anything before. In less simple terms, it is a high-definition, digital production medium that emulates the 24-frame picture capture rate beloved by filmmakers everywhere. Breaking the code, the"24" stands for the 24 frames per second, and the "p" stands for "progressive scan"—a technical aspect that ensures an individual digital video frame will be very akin to a film video frame. The "1080" stands for the resolution—1,080 lines—which is (depending on whom you ask) between four and six times the resolution of NTSC video; and (again, depending on whom you ask) anywhere between one-fourth of and equal to the resolution of 35mm film. For now, know that 1080/ 24p is a big boost to quality over conventional video, and makes life easier for postproduction folk.
"1080/24p is going to be the postproduction medium of the future. There is absolutely no question in my mind about that," states Dean Winkler, chief technology officer at Crossroads, bicoastal and Chicago. Winkler is a passionate student on the subject of high definition. He has been talking and thinking about it since 1989, and has never grown tired. "High definition just makes so much sense. It has everything behind it that there needs to be. But now the question is, ‘When will the other things catch up?’ "
While 1080/24p may be well suited for post, it has received a cool reception from the commercial production community. To address this, Sony, a key manufacturer in the 1080/24p space, along with its agency partner, Young & Rubicam (Y&R), New York, arranged an artistic event with a commercial agenda, called Dreams. The goal was to promote the use of Sony’s 24p high- definition (HD) cameras among commercial directors. The end result was eight short films helmed by commercial directors—films reflecting the directors’ creative interpretations on the subject of dreams. Directors taking part in the project were Simon Blake of bicoastal/international Chelsea Pictures (Minotaur); the directing team of Chuck & Clay—a.k.a. Chuck Bennett and Clay Williams—of Crossroads (Dreaming in the Dark); Bruce Dowad of Bruce Dowad Associates, Los Angeles (Buying Time); Bob Giraldi of bicoastal Giraldi Suarez and Case-Giraldi Media Co. (The Routine); Tony Kaye of Tony K., Santa Monica (Nonsense); Jordan Scott of bicoastal RSA USA (Never Never); Peggy Sirota of bicoastal HSI Productions (drem); and Frank Todaro of bicoastal/international @radical.media (Devotion).
Sony and Y&R arranged for three screenings: one at the Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah; another at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the third at The American Film Institute, Los Angeles. All took place last month. According to Ken Yagoda, managing partner/director of broadcast production for Y&R, the event planners were just as anxious to see the results as were the attendees—perhaps even more so. "There is always a lot of technology talk when something new comes into play," explains Yagoda, "but it doesn’t really mean anything until the technology is put into the hands of the artist."
Previous to working with Sony on the Dreams project, Yagoda had resisted HD for his agency’s clients. "The high-def or non-film that we saw was not to our liking," he notes. "It has been a second choice or a third choice, or a last choice for that matter. When we saw what these directors had done on HD—the quality of these images, the beauty of these images—it was so extraordinary."
By all accounts the events were a success: The attendees liked the short films, the quality was lauded and turnout was good. But a real measure of success for Sony will be whether there’s increased use of its cameras among commercial directors. Many feel that there is not an overwhelming need for HD. Currently, a commercial director’s need for the technology—whether it is 1080/24p or any of the 16 other high-definition standards—only exists in certain instances.
For now, those instances are fairly rare. One situation that would compel a commercial director to shoot in HD would be if the commercial were scheduled for cinema release. "Whether or not you shoot in HD, an HD finish would be an important factor," says David Binstock, CEO of Multi-Video Group, New York—parent company to Rhinoceros Post, Rhinoceros Editorial, Rhinoceros Visual Effects & Design, Wax Music and Sound Design, and audio post house Tonic. "Going from HD to 35mm was a better way to go as opposed to going from standard def. And, if you finished in HD, you could always down-convert to standard def. So transferring from 35mm to high definition for finishing and then going out to film led to a better end product. Certainly much better than if you went with standard definition."
Another instance of commercial directors opting for HD is a project with a lot of visual effects. Working in HD, you don’t have to scan the film into the computer—thus saving time and money. Plus, render time should be faster because film is scanned in at 2,000 lines, while 1080/24p is, as the name implies, 1,080 lines. While that may be half the resolution, the end result is downgraded for broadcast, making the differences between the two pretty much indiscernible to most TV viewers.
Commercial directors are by no means against HD. Those at the Dreams event spoke highly of the 24p standard, with Giraldi leading the charge. All of the directors recognized the increased quality, clear resolution and increased camera functionality—with a special appreciation for the ability to see dailies on the set in real time. However, none would go as far as to say they would never use film again—a declaration George Lucas made with regard to the production of the Star Wars prequels.
"I’ve always maintained, as much as I love HD, if it is just the technology without the economics, it is not going to fly," Winkler notes. For longform directors and DPs—a group that has driven the 1080/24p standard up to now—the economics are apparent. They must be prepared for future technology and they need to save costs on film stock and processing—two problems that 1080/ 24p easily solves.
However, these are not issues that commercial directors typically need to concern themselves with. The nature of commercial work does not require that attention be paid to eventual syndication, nor to the skyrocketing costs associated with filming a one-hour television program every week. And there is one problem with the 24p cameras—you can’t overcrank them, which means that a director can’t shoot in slow motion. Commercial directors often need slow motion to convey their messages, and this little fact alone is a real deal breaker.
While a new Panasonic 24p camera that allows for faster frame rates (and thus, slow motion) is anticipated at the upcoming NAB confab, it might not satisfy the film purists who enjoy playing with film speed until they get just the right effect. It should be noted that algorithms can be applied to 1080/24p in post to slow down the speed of the action, but these are not fully developed. As of right now, a camera or other HD-related technology that will satisfy almost every commercial director’s need for slow motion is generally regarded to be at least one or two generations away.
The Post Side
Post houses are certain to embrace 1080/24p as the most versatile standard. For directors who shoot a lot of film and/or need to add a good deal of visual effects, 1080/24p will again come to the rescue. A valuable technical advantage is a reduction of variables inherent in shooting film. Using HD, directors can see dailies in real time and know if they have the shot right then and there. Color correction is also easy in 1080/24p, with many of the necessary adjustments available right in the camera’s settings.
The economics for post houses are apparent—1080/24p is a friend to all the delivery formats. If a facility needs to deliver 720 progressive to ABC, or 1080 interlaced to CBS, it’s easy. It’s also fairly simple to output an HD project on DVD, video or film. A 1080/24p master copy lets post houses deliver in all of today’s formats and, in theory, tomorrow’s as well. "1080/24p is a tremendously viable economic solution for what we are calling intermediary mastering," explains Winkler, "meaning the format where you do all your editing, color correction, etc. It is the master that lives up on the shelf. Then when you want to release it, you can make a 720p copy, print it back to film or whatever you want."
Rhinoceros is among the few post houses in New York equipped to handle the new 24p format. The shop also did the color correction on three of the eight Dreams submissions, and the editing and special effects on two. HD television projects like 100 Centre Street and The Sopranos come through its doors, but according to principals at Rhinoceros, they have not seen much in the way of commercial work in the last couple of years.
The same is true at The Tape House, New York, which also did some finishing work on Minotaur—one of the films in the Dreams project—to assist the overall promotion of the 1080/24p standard. Mark Polyocan—CEO of The Tape House family of companies, which comprises the New York-based firms Black Logic, Tape House Digital, Tape House Editorial, Photomag, Editing Concepts and The Anx—says, "We should have an extensive list [of commercials] by now. Oddly enough, about two years ago when we first started in [high definition], there were about sixteen or seventeen spots that we finished for Procter & Gamble through Y&R and Grey, New York. Procter & Gamble made an effort with their agencies to push the format.
"But [Procter & Gamble] backed off because they saw no reason to do it," he continues. "And with the networks accepting material in any format and [upping the resolution], there was even less of a need. If the networks said, ‘We would love you to shoot it in HD and we will do whatever we can to help you get work in HD,’ then that would help. But there is no pressure, and the pressure won’t start until, I’m guessing, 2004. The problem is that the longer you wait, the more of an opportunity people [have to] find fault with the format. I don’t know if 24p is going to be a viable format. Somebody could think of something else."
Winkler feels there is a place for both HD and film. "As for capturing images, I think we are going to have both for a while," he notes, "and there are going to be applications for both." But he went on to say that because post houses can master in HD, regardless of how the scenes were shot, 24p is clearly part of the future of post.
Lesley Robson-Foster, a director/designer at R!OT Manhattan, is self-educated in HD, and prefers not to concern herself with the future, but rather to straighten out the mess that is currently underway. "There has been a lot of the ‘what’s going to happen?’ stuff, but what is important and interesting to me is what is actually happening," she states. "HD is really stuck in the middle with a lot of half-assed solutions. There are so many ways to skin the cat at the moment. One day we will all get standardized, but right now it is wide open and there are so many hybrid solutions to things."
Binstock feels that slow motion is the key to bringing more commercial directors to HD. "When you have slow motion, I think more and more people will adopt HD," he says. "So many scenes in commercials are shot in altered speeds, and the fact that you [currently] can’t do that is a detriment. I think we are six months away from having that [type of technology]. And that will be adequate for some."
