Production Technology

Quality Starts with the Cameras

Large format cameras are an integral part of the filmmaking process. They are extremely robust, designed to withstand the most severe shooting conditions. They also have to be robust to shoot the standard 24 frames per second of the enormous 70mm/15 perforation-wide film -- that works out to 334 feet per minute rolling past the lens! Unfortunately, this also means that a standard canister, holding 1000 feet of film, only lasts 3 minutes. And the cameras are also capable of shooting at 48 frames per second, creating a slow-motion effect when projected – a nice effect, but one that limits the cinematographer to just 90 seconds of film per canister.

Bigger Film means Bigger Everything

The larger film that necessitates the larger cameras in turn leads to uniquely large and time consuming requirements throughout the filmmaking process – from 800m lenses the size of the cameraman to specials mounts for helicopter aerials and massive data storage requirements for computer effects. It also requires special considerations and an experienced perspective when editing the film electronically on small computer screens.