Cameras Gone Wild
TOTALLY Tapeless
By Mandy Wilson

The process in which video is acquired, manipulated, and managed has been advancing since its inception.  Recent improvements in digital resolution, dynamic range, and camera functionality have been stunning.  This growth in technology has affected both still photographers and cinematographers alike.

Today’s cameras are much different than the BetaCams of yesterday, and completely tapeless cameras are the way of the future.  In fact, the future may already be here.  Shaun has been shooting almost completely tapeless for over two years now, primarily utilizing the P2 and XD Cam technologies.

“I remember personally upgrading to the P2 technology when it first came out.  Because of my experience and confidence in solid state on the still photography side of my business, I was totally comfortable with the new video format at that time.  I welcomed it while some people were thinking, ‘No way.’  It’s actually been really exciting to see it grow and become mainstream.  Now there’s a ton of people that love it.”

But not everyone is ready to go tapeless.  It can be a difficult transition that does have a definite impact on acquisition, workflow, and storage. Shaun has been helping clients with this transition for quite some time now and has some solutions.

“I have a lot of clients that I travel for all across the country.  When we began shooting onto P2, I had to come up with a way to send the footage back to my clients wherever they may be because I’m often headed in an opposite direction.  Rather than ship my expensive P2 cards around the country, I embraced the solution of copying the files to an external hard drive that I always fly with.  This not only provides a backup of the footage, but it also allows me to ship the drive while I keep the actual P2 cards -- and a copy of the footage -- safe with me.  After my clients receive the footage and add it to their array, they simply ship the drive back to me.  This has been a totally seamless operation.”

Shaun is always trying to find ways to improve his client’s experience.  The age of digital acquisition has given him opportunities to do that.

“I obviously have to provide my clients with good images – without that nothing else matters – but I also want to go beyond that.  Digital acquisition has given our industry many things to think about that we’ve never had to consider before, and my personal goal is to create solutions to the various problems that clients bring to me.”

Part of creating those solutions involves teaching clients what the technology can do, what impact it will have on the overall workflow, and the advantages and disadvantages that it will bring during production in the field.  For instance, the amount of record time on digital media changes significantly depending on several factors of the recording.  It’s critical to know what these factors are ahead of time so that the amount of record time and storage can be properly calculated and planned.  This is a simple procedure, but one that’s totally necessary in order to prevent any blunders during production.  These are the types of solutions that Shaun can bring up ahead of time -- before they even have an opportunity to become a problem.

For more information or specific questions you may have about going tapeless, feel free to contact Shaun at 816.507.2989, any time.