Sony puts the HD focus on football violence

Dougie Brimson, the best known author on football violence, has written a provocative, fictional account of the myths behind football hooliganism, which has been brought to the screen using Sony’s High Definition format.
The director-producer Jon S Baird who’s original idea the story was, could not be happier with the results: “I am so glad my Director of Photography convinced me to use High Definition over 16mm. The results I feel were simply stunning.”
Freelance Cameraman James Saligari was DoP of the short film 'It’s A Casual Life' and has found working with the format enlightening. He had approached leading Broadcast equipment distributors Mitcorp about the project and following two demonstration and training sessions at Mitcorp’s West London showroom, Saligari saw first hand how Sony’s HDW-750 would provide the superb high-resolution images previously only possible on film.
By shooting 25 frames per second in progressive scan mode (25P), with levels of detail, colour depth and contrast that you might associate with Super16 or even 35mm film, the shots share “filmic” motion portrayal that can add a subjective richness to any production.
“The picture quality is amazing and has absolutely converted me over from 16mm,” said Saligari. “When you're working on a project where time is of the essence and you want to retain an impeccable standard, I would now always opt for High Definition."
It was also the flexibility and cost effectiveness of HD which sold the format to Baird, who said: “The ease of shooting, production cost and quality of picture has convinced me that HD is the future of television drama and short film.”
(GB)