Summary

American Production Services and Galanty Productions completed one of the first local television commercials produced entirely in 24p High Definition video, a 30-second political spot for the 2001 Los Angeles City Attorney race. The production demonstrated that 24p HD could match 35mm film quality while cutting costs by roughly 30 percent and eliminating three days of lab processing time.

Source document circa 2001 preserved as-is
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Thursday, June 7, 2001

APS and Galanty Productions Pioneer The use of 24p HD for Local Spot Production


Los Angeles, (American Production Services) recently completed the post production of one of the first local commercials ever produced entirely in ì24pî High Definition video.

With 1920 x 1080 lines of resolution and 24 frames per second, 24p is a Digital Cinematography breakthrough that combines film-like image quality with the immediacy, portability, and cost-effectiveness of video.

The 30-second spot, which aired in the L.A. media market from May 16 to June 5, 2001, urged voters to choose City Councilman Mike Feuer over Deputy Mayor Rocky Delgadillo for L.A. City Attorney on Election Day, June 5th.

ìWe chose to produce and post this spot entirely in 24p HD for three reasons: time, cost, and quality,î says Executive Producer Mark Galanty, President of Galanty & Company, Inc., a full-service production company, in Santa Monica, CA.

ìIn political campaigns, time is the most important factor because the candidateís message must be before the public in the weeks prior to Election Day. The tight schedule doesnít allow re-shooting in the event of technical mishaps.î Were it not for the availability of 24p HD, Galanty and cinematographer Brian P. Reynolds would have filmed the spot in 35mm film. If time did not allow for film production, the spot would have been shot in Digital Betacam.

"Digital Betacam is affordable and immediate, but the picture quality lacks the aesthetic and emotional impact of film. 35mm film produces beautiful imagery, but inflates production costs by about 30-percent, and adds three extra days for lab processing, film to tape transfer, and other film post services," says Galanty. "24p HD gave us the best of both worlds-- with image quality comparable to 35mm film and the cost-effectiveness and immediacy of Digital Betacam."

The post production, which included editorial assembly, graphics, text, voice-over audio, and closing logos, was done by APS Editor Walt McGinn in the fully-digital 24p HD edit suite at APS/LA. The suite offers state-of-the-art Sony HD gear, including the HDS-7000 (3 M/E) production switcher with primary and secondary color correction; companion HDME-7000 (two-channel) digital video effects system; and the BE-9100 edit controller, as well as four HDW-F500 (24p segmented frame) VTRs. Altogether, this powerful HD equipment ensemble gives producers unprecedented creative control over the color and composition of each frame in real-time.

Since the Feuer spot featured on-camera endorsements by ordinary peopleónot professional actorsóReynolds was free to let the (Sony F-900 HD) camcorder roll and repeat takes as necessary without financial penalty. And, unlike the delayed gratification of film dailies, the HD footage could be viewed and client-approved on HDTV monitors on the set.

ì24p HD gave us the look and impact of film. It saved money that would otherwise have been spent on film stock, processing, and telecine transfer. It saved us three days of post,î says Galanty. ìAnd, most importantly, 24p HD gave us a high comfort level knowing with certainty that when we finished shooting, we had captured all the high-quality shots we needed to build this spot.î

Conrad Denke, CEO of APS, commented: ìGalanty and Company are realizing a dream that many of us in the HD world have had for a long time. 24P is a perfect medium for commercials, especially those with short lead times. You simply get the advantages of tape with the quality of film.î

APS has a Website at www.apsnw.com. APS Seattle is located at 2247 15th Avenue West, in Seattle, Washington, 98119 (Phone: 206-282-1776; Fax: 206-282-3535.) APS-LA is located at 11755 Victory Blvd., in North Hollywood, California, 91606 (Phone: 818-769-1776)Ö five minutes from the Burbank Airport and Universal Studios.

APS supports the community Website http://www.highdef.org