The introduction of HDTV into the area of field production has
been exciting. Initially, what one notices is the stellar improvement in resolution that
HD conveys. Television imagery was ready for something improved, impressive, and dynamic.
HDTV is all three.
It is a technology that is very easy to like, yet one that must be approached as new, not
as an upgrade to Standard Definition Television (SDTV).
Some of major areas to be addressed are:
1. Aspect Ratio - With a 16x9 aspect ratio, HDTV allows
for the planning of scenes and blocking of action in ways restricted by the 4x3 aspect of
SDTV. Frame dynamics change and expand with 16x9 composition. Grand vistas or grotesque
close-ups play out in new ways with HDTV.
2. Sets - Increased resolution requires that sets be
designed with the understanding that many more details will be seen on the screen. There
is no room for sloppy craftsmanship, painting, props, etc. Background details that may
have been obscure in SDTV can play very much as foreground in HD.
3. Make-Up - When the high resolution of the camera is
mixed with the lens designed for HD origination, the style and amount of make-up must be
adjusted.
4. Lighting - My experience in lighting for HDTV has
indicated that there is a greater contrast range available than in SDTV. The equipment,
methods, approaches and ratios that I generally use in film lighting have crossed over
nicely into HDTV. Low light conditions are recorded with a truer black range than the
noisy, murky, muddy imagery generated in SDTV.
A rule of thumb that I have adopted concerning exposure/aperture is to err in being a
little under rather than overexposed. As a result, you will have some image substance with
which to work in post-production, rather than a "blown-out" scene in which no
detail is retrievable in the over-exposed highlights. Testing, evaluating, and developing
knowledge of the set-up parameters of your camera are critical to producing a rich, full
palette.
5. Lens - With the new cameras has come a whole new
class of lens--HD lens. They are built similarly to SDTV zoom lens, but what you see and
how you use them is different. Because of the critical resolution and detail of high
definition, care with focus setting and depth of field is important. Access to a high
quality, critical resolution monitor is imperative to properly focused images.
Experimenting with the best range of apertures for your camera and lens is suggested. As
HDTV progresses, the marketplace will be filled with prime lenses. Then, even more options
for composition, camera movement and placement will be available.
6. Filters - If you are used to deriving certain
effects with certain camera filters, you will need to adjust. Changing the intensity or
the nature (i.e. material) of the filter may be necessary to achieve the same
"look" you achieved in SDTV.
My recent experience in shooting HDTV for a six-hour PBS public affairs series entitled
"National Desk" left me with these impressions: a good "talking head"
in 4x3 is better as a "talking head and shoulders" in 16x9 . . . let the image
breathe; use less camera movement, let the movement occur within the frame; HDTV is
something different in the world of video, treat it as such. Do not look at it, light it,
or shoot it as if it is just "improved" video. HD stands alone. The learning
curve is stimulating. And the results are rewarding.
