Surf with Panasonic

SURF’S UP! PANASONIC AG-DVX100 MINI-DV 24P CAMCORDER
CHOSEN FOR DOCUMENTARY ON THE ULTIMATE CALIFORNIA PASTIME SECAUCUS, NJ (May 2003) – Principal photography has begun on a full-length
documentary on the California surfing culture that is being shot with
Panasonic’s
AG-DVX100 Mini-DV 3-CCD camcorder. Executive Producer/Director Eric Jordan
has harbored a lifelong fascination with surfing style and has done extensive
research into the history of the sport — its personalities, icons and
paraphernalia. He recently invested in an AG-DVX100 for his company Aquatic
Concept (Yuba City, CA), which specializes in underwater and marine photogra
phy. Ted Langell will co-produce the documentary.
The breakthrough AG-DVX100 is a unique Mini-DV 3-CCD camcorder with
exclusive CineSwitch™ technology that supports 480i/60 (NTSC), cinema-style
480p/24fps and 480p/30fps image capture.
Jordan’s interview subjects will include Leroy “Granny” Grannis, one of
the pioneers of surfing photography and a past editor of surfing magazines,
who recently produced a book called “Photo: Grannis, Surfing’s Golden Age,
1960-1969”; George Barris, a well-known car designer, who has made cars
specifically for surfing and beach-related movies as well as the original
Batmobile; and Johnny Rice, who has perfected the art of surf board shaping
over the past 50 years.
The filmmaker will also travel to Hawaii to interview veteran surfers,
and will shoot during the upcoming “Woodies on the Wharf” auto show in Santa
Cruz, featuring the wood-paneled cars that became an iconic vehicle
highly-prized by surfers.
“This is the mid-range camera I’ve always been looking for in terms of
image quality, consumable costs and price,” said Jordan. “Prior to using the
AG-DVX100, I’d always been disappointed with how video looked — too flat.
Right out of the box, the AG-DVX100 has a subtle quality that draws you in
like film — and produces the most stunning footage I’ve ever seen with video. “The AG-DVX100 does exceptionally well in an interview setting, so it’s
ideal for this surfing documentary project. It’s lightweight, fast and
doesn’t have the usual video news look. And I’m delighted that I can shoot
60 minutes at this quality level for about $6.00. The camera bridges the gap
between the high cost of film productions and the usual news look of video.”
Jordan said he purchased this specific camera to take advantage of its
24p capabilities, and will edit the documentary on Final Cut Pro 4. He plans
to submit a short version of the project to the Malibu Film Festival this
summer, and then produce an hour-long documentary for which he will seek
distribution on cable networks.
Panasonic’s ultra-compact 4.2-pound AG-DVX100 offers entirely new
features and price performance levels, and is engineered to give shooters a
single camcorder that captures in 60i to acquire standard video projects and
in 24p to add the “look and feel” of film to their productions. To acquire
stunning digital pictures, the AG-DVX100 is equipped with newly-developed
1/3” progressive-scan 410,000-pixel 3-CCD imagers to deliver more than 500
lines of horizontal resolution (nearly double that offered by VHS analog),
low smear and flare, a low light performance of 3 lux (at +18dB) and a high
sensitivity of f11 at 2000 lux. The native progressive CCDs eliminate
interlace artifacts including horizontal jaggies and motion-edge tearing.
The well-balanced, ergonomically-designed AG-DVX100 features a precision
wide-angle zoom lens (4.5mm to 45mm with a 56-degree viewing angle) and a
host of manual controls to make subtle picture adjustments. Shooting with the
AG-DVX100 is a breeze from overhead or from low angles with its two,
easy-to-view displays – a large, centrally-located pivoting electronic
viewfinder for left or right eye use, and a flip-out, 270-degree, 3.5” LCD
panel.
For more information on Panasonic’s complete DV Cinema product line-up, visit
www.panasonic.com/dvcinema
Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is a leading supplier of
broadcast, professional video and presentation products and systems.
Panasonic Broadcast is a unit company of Matsushita Electric Corporation of
America, the principal North America subsidiary of Matsushita Electric
Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC), one of the world’s leading producers of
electronic and electric products for consumer, business and industrial use.
For more information on Panasonic Broadcast products, access the company’s
web site at www.panasonic.com/broadcast
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