It’s an exciting time to be a techie!? That’s the beaming sentiment of John Rule of Rule Broadcast Systems. John was February’s host of the Filmmakers Workshop at the Bernard Toale Gallery, Boston. The home of the monthly AIVF/CID documentary filmmaker’s salon.

Here John Rule arrived with three of the newest cameras bridging the now narrowing digital divide. He proudly announced them with a phrase he coined: The Compact HDs: namely the Sony HVR Z1U, the Panasonic HVX 200, and the Cannon XL H1. Renting from $200 to $285 per day. Retail prices are $5,000 to $10,000 plus.

The spectrum of filmmakers in attendance could not have been broader, from veterans in the TV/Film industry and career filmmakers, to those moving into the field for the first time. From film stock lovers, and its low light cinematic seduction, to the budget reality of shooting features for less.
The excitement seems to be here in more than one way. 1) Quality verses Hi-Def. turn around time. Shoot. Post. Edit. Air. 2) HD over SD; Rule said “In its simplest terms. The picture looks better.” 3) The pro-sumer and the consumer coming to the technological forefront together and 4) The most intriguing of all is going tapeless. You never have to change a tape when it doesn’t have one.

When referring to the Panasonic HVX 200 and the P2 cards (The latest in flash memory) Rule said, “This is a whole new camera. Suddenly, you are going to need to think about “Card Management.” It’s a change in managing workflow. He went on to list the pros, cons and cost concerns of each. Informing the audience of Rule Broadcast Systems upcoming talks on product developments. The most eagerly anticipated is seamless hours of capturing direct to a hard drive.

Being familiar to the plights and quests of his rental and sales clientele, Rule said, “There is no magic bullet. There is no one camera to meet every need.” To the pro-sumer he posed the value of their discretionary size, and the value of understanding task-specific risk factors, shooting in certain conditions. Rule continued, “It is an unprecedented time to use gear exactly suited to the task at hand.”

For all concerned Rule answered question from an array of angles; some about the first camera in this price range with a 60/50 switch: shooting in PAL, others about focusing all the way down to the lens, he also defined “Metadata,” explained “Long GOP” where only 3 of 15 frames are real, fixed lens, how 3 hours of cards can cost $20,000 and why this works for some. Storage issues, versatile frame rates, non-linear systems, down converts, and file management - the newest issue of all.

When the talk was over the dream makers began to speak. Giles Baker, a director of photography, executive producer and editor for a number of well know entities, could afford to pose a professional concern about button placement “You used to be able to pick up a new camera and the buttons were all in the same place,” and he also expressed the old-school, “these lenses are not really lenses. You’re not physically turning them with your fingers. They’re great for POV shots and B-roll.”

Veteran filmmaker Jim Wolpaw has always worked in film. Now moving into his first film in digital, he states, “My biggest concern is how it handles light, HD can begin to come closer to handling light.”

Lanice O’Bryant said, “Being able to focus down to the lens is a plus!” Documentary filmmaker Courtney Hayes said, “My dream camera would be a camera with a reliable view finder.” Rob Peyrebrune shared, “It’s an exciting time to have the first hard memory cameras. Ed Imbier, an electrical engineer who teaches video at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, was hopeful, “They’re getting close. Hard memory will be useful to consumers as soon as the price comes down.” David Chin said “HD is still about 2 to 3 times the cost of SD.” Cinematographer Stephen McCarthy, “My dream camera is tapeless, will do PAL and NTSC, has an option to ride on shoulder, and a choice of good glass.”

Filmmaker Janice Rogovin would simply love to be able to someday shoot directly onto hard drive. Steve Beinar, a novice, would like to learn more. As there is so much to keep up with, Rule Broadcast Systems offers special Tuesday events filled with information and demonstrations. Called “Tuesday's with Twarog,” you can find out the current weeks topic at www.rule.com.

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C.C. Arshagra is a poet and writer, you can lean more about him at www.arshagra.com