Guadalupe Island, Mexico: A shark being lifted onto a boat after it has taken a buoyed bait. The crew will take measurements and attach a tracking antenna to the dorsal fin before returning it to the water unharmed.

by Dara Klatt

A hundred sixty miles off the coast of Baja California, science and sport fishing join forces for an unprecedented research effort. A team of world-class anglers will land one of the most challenging fish imaginable: the great white shark.

Unlike any other catch ever attempted, they’ll lift an SUV-sized shark out of the water onto a platform, mount a long-lasting tracking tag by hand, take measurements and DNA samples while pumping water into the shark’s mouth to keep it alive and release it unharmed … all within minutes, like a NASCAR race pit stop. It’s all captured in high definition for the National Geographic Channel special Expedition Great White.

A great white shark dragging buoys after taking the bait.

Marine biologist Dr. Michael Domeier uses advanced tracking devices to help uncover how this predator lives, how it mates and where it roams, with the ultimate goal of conserving and protecting this endangered species. “Ecosystems are changing fast today with the amount of overharvesting. We don’t want to see them wiped off the face of the earth,” Domeier states in the film. But he can’t do it alone. He’ll rely on the fishing expertise of expedition leader Chris Fischer and crew members, including actor Paul Walker (Fast and Furious), who jumped in as a deckhand and quickly earned the crew’s respect. With more than 1,000 hours of high-definition footage culled into 10 upcoming episodes, NGC will broadcast a sneak peek of the 2010 series on their EXPEDITION WEEK.

Director of production Jeff Lubsen and senior creative director Rick Lloyd of Fischer Productions faced many challenges filming the largest predatory fish on earth underwater with the Panasonic HPX-2000 Camera. “Keeping the shark in the shot, the boat out of the frame, and following the action sounds a lot easier than it really is,” says Lubsen. “Oh, there’s also that slight chance that at any moment the shark could potentially attack the camera or operator.” Luckily, the camera and the operators were spared — however, one great white opened up on the camera and bit one of the inflatable boats.

Members of the crew attach a tracking tag to a great white shark's dorsal fin, it's least sensitive area.

Equipment failure in the wet and unpredictable conditions was also a constant problem. They stuck to slightly underexposing in daylight situations, using polarizer/matte box and filtration to help with light contrasts and shooting dark water against white boats. Following these standard techniques, details such as the surface of the sharks’ skin, their serrated arrowhead-like teeth and the incredibly rich blacks of a great white’s eye became amazingly clear. The wider 16×9 aspect ratio allowed for more of the 15- to 20-foot shark in the frame and helped capture the magnitude of the magnificent creatures. And when combined with Dolby E 5.1 surround sound, the viewer may just feel the need to run for cover.

Lloyd also points out the obvious: “Always make sure to pull perfect focus! Anything less is highly noticeable in HD and could potentially ruin an otherwise perfect take. And when shooting documentary style, there are no retakes. Our entire team is under the pressure of a do-or-die situation where everything has to happen right the first time. There will be no asking the shark for a second bite!”  

Owen Wilson, Robert Musgrave and Luke Wilson on the set of the cult classic Bottle Rocket.

by Brian Cali

Cinematographer Barry Braverman, the Director of Photography for the original, 13-minute black-and-white Bottle Rocket short that was the basis for filmmaker Wes Anderson’s 1996 cult classic, recently shot The Making of Bottle Rocket for the Blu-ray release (Criterion Collection) of the feature with the Panasonic VariCam 2700 P2 HD VariCam. The original behind-the-scenes documentary features interviews with Anderson, producer James L. Brooks, actors James Caan and Luke and Owen Wilson, among others, and revisits the Texas locations where the film was shot.

Bottle Rocket is a lovingly detailed, visually witty and warm portrait of three young misfits, best friends Anthony (Luke Wilson), Dignan (Owen Wilson), and Bob (Robert Musgrave). The trio stage a wildly complex, mildly successful robbery of a small bookstore, then go “on the lam,” where they befriend a real thief, Mr. Henry (Caan). Martin Scorsese has called Bottle Rocket, the film that put Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums) and the Wilson brothers on the map, “a picture without a trace of cynicism, that obviously grew out of its directorís affection for his characters in particular and for people in general… a rarity.”

Braverman, who had previously worked with the AJ-HPX2700 VariCam on wildlife shoots and indie projects, calls it the “ultimate non-fiction camera.” “I never considered anything but a top-end camera for this project,” Braverman said. “I was dealing with A-list talent who had no time for do-overs. It makes sense to have a camera like HPX2700 when you’re working at this level. Essentially, you’re paying for peace of mind and the confidence that the camera can handle and survive an unpredicted event.”

The gang in yellow jump suits executes the imperfect robbery inside Hinckley Cold Storage.

And The Making of Bottle Rocket was not without sudden changes of plans. “I was shooting the Jim Brooks’ (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Broadcast News, The Simpsons) interview on the Fox lot, and had 90 minutes scheduled with him,” Braverman recounted. “I had a ground-level office rigged out with full-bore HMI lighting. The famously reticent Brooks walked in and asked me to turn off the lights and start shooting in five minutes.”

“I had to wing it with available daylight through a window, and a hodge-podge of messy office lighting, but the HPX2700 could pull it out,” he continued. “The HPX2700 is clearly a craft-driven and performance-oriented tool that can excel when things change at the last second. It’s not about some potential resolution numbers. The P2 VariCam offers resolution appropriate for professionals earning a living: it’s not about imagers the size of a battleship.”

“The HPX2700 produces very flattering images when working with talent, courtesy of the VariCam cinematic look and the camcorderís 10-bit capture,” Braverman noted. “Flesh tones appear organic with well-modulated shadow details. The image processing is extremely sophisticated for capturing the skin tones of celebrities, who are understandably focused on every nook and cranny of theircomplexions. This was especially true in this case, given the Blu-ray release.”

“The HPX2700 creates a distinguished look that can’t be reproduced in a lowerclass of camera,” he added. “I don’t confuse increased resolution with superior images. There are times you donít necessarily want to see maximum resolution; with portraits and close-ups, for instance, you actually want less resolution, not more. The VariCam 2700, in short, is effective as a tool for a working filmmaker at a level far beyond the number of pixels in the imager. After all, I canít remember the last production I worked on about a test chart!”

Designed as a premium-quality, workhorse HD cinematography camcorder, the VariCam 2700 combines VariCamís renowned filmic look with key functions including variable frame rates, wide dynamic range and advanced master-quality, 10-bit 4:2:2 AVCIntra recording.

Braverman said he makes judicious use of the HPX2700’s full range of variable frame rates (from 1 fps to 60 fps in 720p mode). “I tend to use off-speed in ways that are subtle,” he noted. “Shooting at 25 or 26fps can lend a certain gravitas to actors’ reactions, especially if you’re working with non-professionals on an indie project. And when I’m shooting with a long lens on a wildlife doc, you have to shoot overcranked. The HPX2700 does off-speed with the most versatility and most robust colormatrix of any camera out there.”

“I grew up with film cameras, and I used to feel that I was attached at the hip to my Arri,” the DP said. “I never had that kind of visceral attachment to any digital camera prior to working with the HPX2700.”

“I consider it Panasonic’s best camera,” Braverman added. “I do a lot of wildlife work, and you can slap the HPX2700 up to your eye, and shoot quickly and efficiently. Itís wellbalanced, and you can walk up trails with the camcorder shoved under your arm. It’s not a power hog. It has excellent metadata support, and the workflow is really, really good.”

Actor James Caan recalls his role as the flamboyant con man Mr. Henry.

Braverman shot the 20-minute The Making of Bottle Rocket in 720/24p in AVCIntra 100, using 32GB cards. He had the HPX2700 fully loaded with five cards, but offloaded only once a week, never using up more than three cards.

“AVC-Intra 100 was a huge advantage as I could be assured of smooth gradients in thefacial shadows of the various featured celebs and movie stars,” Braverman said. “The 10-bit workflow also allowed precise color correction in post, another source of confidence when working with image-conscious talent.

“The 10-bit AVC-Intra workflow adds no additional data load or storage requirement compared to shooting 8-bit DVCPRO HD or XDCAM HD/EX, further reinforcing the efficiency of AVC-Intra recording, especially in higher-end applications.”

Braverman outfitted the HPX2700 with the Fujinon HA23×7.6BE HDTV ENG-style lens with 23X magnification. He edited the behind-the-scenes doc in Final Cut Pro, and Criterion finished the piece.

“Criterion couldn’t believe how good it looked,” he said.

Braverman has also used the HPX2700 for time-lapse, night shooting in Los Angeles. “This is a very serious camera,” he said. “On the one hand, it achieves very subtle shadows and flesh tones. On the other, it’s terrific for very low light, effects-type shooting. With the HPX2700, you get reliability, absolute precision, 10-bit captureóa combination of features that really makes sense for professional filmmakers.”

The Criterion two-disc Blu-ray issue of Bottle Rocket is a restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by Anderson and director of photography Robert Yeoman. The many extras include the The Making of documentary as well as Murita Cycles, a 1978 short film by Braverman that Anderson credits as an inspiration for The Royal Tenenbaums.  

Barry Braverman is a veteran cinematographer and digital media expert with over thirty years experience in television documentaries and feature films. Credits include long-form programs for National Geographic, ABC News, HBO, Discovery and The History Channel. Recent projects include A One Track Mind: The Darjeeling Limited (2008), Café Lebowitz (2007) and music videos for Tangerine Dream, Stevie Wonder and Yanni. Braverman writes regularly on camera and craft-related issues. His latest book Video Shooter 2nd Edition (2009) from Focal Press explores the art of visual storytelling with the latest-generation HD cameras.

The host of Popular Science's Future Of - Baratunde Thurston is photographed on the set with the car bot during taping on the Stanford University campus.

by Andrew Scafetta

In five, ten or 25 years, our lives will be significantly different. Advances in the way we play sports, live in our homes, connect with others, fight wars or take vacations will feel as commonplace in the future as viewing highdefinition television or driving to work seem to us today.

But there are astonishing scientific and technological innovations being developed today by entrepreneurs, researchers and maverick scientists all over the world that are destined to shape every aspect of our lives tomorrow. Science Channel and Popular Science magazine have partnered to bring audiences an extraordinary glimpse at how important characteristics of human life will fundamentally change in the near future with the all-new series Popular Science’s Future Of.

Each episode finds host Baratunde Thurston uncovering breakthrough research and exploring the genius prototypes that show how our lives will evolve. From a “smart football” that can make Baratunde throw like an NFL quarterback to exoskeletons that will increase a soldier’s endurance, strength and communications abilities, Thurston acts as correspondent of the future bringing perspective and understanding to what we can expect in our lifetimes. Upcoming episodes include examinations of the future of pleasure, connecting, adventure, immortality and habitats.

To capture the incredible technologies and the details of researchers’ intricate designs, film crews primarily used the Panasonic HDX-900 and the Panasonic Varicam for each of the episodes. Popular Science’s Future Of airs Mondays at 9 PM (ET/ PT) on Science Channel HD.