Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/559853
www.postmagazine.com 6 POST AUGUST 2015 DISCOVERY CHANNEL'S MYTHBUSTERS EMPLOYS BLACKMAGIC'S POCKET CINEMA CAMERAS FREMONT, CA — DP Scott Sorensen is using 10 Blackmagic Design (www. blackmagicdesign.com) Pocket Cinema Cameras to capture secondary foot- age, as well as to shoot cold openings and the new opening title sequence for Discovery Channel's hit television show MythBusters. Sorensen is also using a MultiView 16, SmartView monitor and numerous Mini Converters Analog-to-SDI to remotely and wirelessly monitor and control the Pocket Cinema Cameras. Now in its 14th season, MythBusters seeks to answer questions and debunk myths and urban legends by putting them to the test, helping viewers find out which myths are true and which are not. While some myths can be shot and solved right in the show's San Francisco-based production studio, oth- ers require massive explosions, a trip to the shooting range, speeding cars, or swimming with sharks. "Going into every shoot, we are as prepared as possible, but we can never exactly predict what is going to happen during an experiment. It's why the sec- ondary cameras are so important," says Sorensen. "We use the Pocket Cinema Cameras to capture every possible angle so we don't miss any of the action." Originally chosen to improve the image quality of the secondary footage, the team quickly found the Pocket Cinema Camera's codecs, size, flexibility and versatility beneficial as well. "We wanted the secondary footage and openings looking as good as possible, and the Pocket Cinema Camera has a real cine- matic image with greater depth of field," says Sorensen. "Also, both production and post love the open file formats because they expedite the overall workflow. So much time can be wasted dealing with tape or foreign file formats." Now, the Pocket Cinema Cameras are used on a daily basis, set up around experiments in machine cages, custom blast houses or underwater housing, depending on what the myth calls for. The Pocket Cinema Cameras are often wirelessly monitored and controlled via the MultiVew 16, SmartView monitor, Mini Converters and a LANC-based wireless control system, especially when dealing with big explosions. "We spent many years rolling cameras and then running for safety, but now with the wire- less command center for the second cameras, we can operate from the safety of a blast bunker," he says. "When we arrive on-location, we immediately break out the cameras and put them in timelapse mode on a c-stand with a Kessler CineDrive, and it's been huge for us to easily get nice timelapse footage while everything is being built for an experiment," he continues. "Once the experiment is set up, the Pocket Cinema Camera's form factor is perfect because it fits wherever we need it to. It only takes a minute to throw them on a dashboard or windshield, or I can grab some gaff tape and glue and place them in a tight spot. The flexibility is great because the experiments vary so greatly." Sorensen also noted the Pocket Cinema Camera's versatility when it comes to rigging them for a multitude of uses. "We use them a fair bit with a shoulder rig, which is still tiny and light even when you throw a bunch of audio gear on," he says. "The cameras also really shined when we shot an intense underwater story for a 'Shark Week' episode." MythBusters airs on Discovery Channel on Saturdays at 8pm EST. BITS & PIECES MAXON ANNOUNCES 'MILESTONE' CINEMA 4D RELEASE 17 FRIEDRICHSDORF, GERMANY — Maxon (www.maxon.net) has announced Cin- ema 4D Release 17 (R17), what the company is referring to as a "milestone" re- lease of its cornerstone 3D animation, graphics, VFX, visualization, and render- ing software. Cinema 4D R17 delivers new, expanded and completely reworked features for "exceptional performance," allowing creatives to more easily and efficiently manage and create outstanding content. Central to Cinema 4D R17 is the new Take System that provides complete and flexible scene handling to manage render layers and animation variations. Also included are new Lens Distortion tools for improved motion tracking, and completely reworked Spline Tools for a more efficient workflow for manipulat- ing points, lines, tangents, arcs and more. "Maxon is committed to enriching user experience and productivity," says Harald Egel, managing partner at Maxon Computer GmbH. "The robust new features and subtle refinements throughout Cinema 4D R17 make this a must- have release." Cinema 4D Release 17 is scheduled to ship in September. Pricing and up- grade information is available on the company's Website. Cinema 4D R17 is available for both Mac OS X and Windows.