Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/526086
www.postmagazine.com 11 POST JUNE 2015 BITS & PIECES DIRECTOR/CINEMATOGRAPHER TJ DERRY ADOPTS AJA CION FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION GRASS VALLEY, CA — In a new spot directed by Toronto-based director and cinematogra- pher TJ Derry, an elaborate photosynthesis experiment proves that Scotts EZ Seed fertilizer helps grass grow almost anywhere, including a basement. Shot with an AJA (www.aja.com) CION at 4K in ProRes 444, with timelapse footage captured on multiple Canon DSLRs, the spot showcases the cinematic images captured with the CION on a low-light set. Derry and his crew first designed and built the EZ Seed set in a studio, which they dressed as a basement. The set was lit mainly using practical lights, and augmented with skirted china balls to keep a base ambience in the room. Using CION with the older style Zeiss Super Speed MK2 primes, they shot almost wide open with very minimal light. Derry was impressed with how good the footage looked and the low noise of the image. "I couldn't believe how well the CION footage came out and how little noise there was; it was very cool and a great example of the filmic look the camera can produce, even in low light," explains Derry. Also noting his experience with how the footage looked in post, he adds, "My colorist was impressed with how good the image looked when we blew it up, and how much latitude we had with the picture coming off the CION when we were color grading." SOUND DEVICES PREVIEWS VIDEO DEVICES PIX-E SERIES FIELD MONITORS REEDSBURG, WI — At NAB in April, Sound Devices (www. sounddevices.com) previewed its Video Devices Pix-E, a new series of camera-mounted recording field monitors. This new line of Video Devices monitors feature 1,920x1,080 five-inch (Pix-E5 and Pix-E5H) and 1,920x1,200 seven-inch (Pix-E7) LCDs, a full suite of precision monitoring tools, SDI and HDMI I/O, plus the ability to record 4K and Apple ProRes 4444 XQ edit-ready files to affordable mSATA-based SpeedDrives. The Pix-E monitors feature compact, die-cast metal housings and an LCD display protected by Gorilla Glass 2, allowing them to stand up to extreme and demand- ing production environments. Pix-E includes Pix-Assist, a suite of monitoring tools that includes TapZoom for quickly checking focus. Additional tools include guide markers for framing, LUTs and a range of scopes, including waveform monitor, histogram and vectorscope. For more news on "Displays & Monitors," turn to our feature on page 34.