Fletcher Sports has purchased four LDX XtremeSpeed (LDX XS) 6X ultra slow-motion cameras and four XCU XtremeSpeed XF Fiber transmission solutions from Grass Valley, a Belden Brand. The powerful LDX XS camera integrates seamlessly into live workflows with 3X (1080p) and 6X (720p/1080i) speeds for ultimate versatility, including a standard-speed 1X live output.
“As a company that operates in a high-demand environment, we need to have reliable equipment that helps us deliver quality content in real-time to hungry audiences,” said Dan Grainge, VP at Fletcher Sports. “As we sought to upgrade our slow motion cameras from 3X to 6X speed, the decision to go with Grass Valley’s LDX XS camera system was an easy one. The ergonomics, and the look and feel of the camera make it stand out and the components are easy to use.”
Grainge went on to add that “our sports production customers are very happy with the performance of the cameras and we’re very happy because the reliability of the product is outstanding, and the integration and support from Grass Valley is outstanding.”
The LDX XS camera is the perfect addition for super-slow motion and ultra-slow motion applications and delivers instant time-to-air capabilities, so that the ultra-slow motion footage from the LDX XS is available immediately to Fletcher Sport’s customers. This means they don’t have to wait for the camera to transfer clips from an internal storage device.
“We take pride in knowing that Grass Valley products are being used to cover some of the most well-known and watched sporting events in the world,” said Stephen Stubelt, vice president of North American sales, Grass Valley. “In addition to helping us secure market share with the LDX XS on “A” trucks, we are pleased to continue providing the best possible products and service to Fletcher Sports.”
To fully support both ultra (6X) and super (3X) slow-motion operations, Fletcher Sports also purchased the high-speed XCU XtremeSpeed XF Fiber transmission system, which utilizes the same XCU cradles as the single-speed range of the XCU base. Because the XCU’s unique cradle can be pre-mounted and pre-wired in the rack, it can quickly and easily be transferred between OB vans and studios.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More