Although the arrival of 24p high definition camera technology in the last years has garnered technical Emmys and intrigued episodic television producers, it has hardly flooded into production. Such camera packages, after all, were scarce in the United States until recently, and they still tend to cost slightly more to rent than equivalent 35mm or 16mm film packages, according to several producers. Nevertheless, a steady, and growing, 24p production trickle has begun, and some producers insist that trickle will eventually become a tsunami.

Still, since CBS' , now out of production, became the first U.S. single-camera drama to switch to 24p more than a year ago, followed by A&E's three-camera drama, SidneyLumet's , and Fox's three-camera sitcom , only a handful of shows have jumped on the bandwagon . Instead, most producers of episodic fare still choose to shoot film.

Episodic producers currently using 24p technology think the slow proliferation of the format into TV results from several factors. For one thing, they say that many producers, DPs, and camera operators do not yet understand how to make HD costs and images match their film counterparts.

“I'm a bit surprised more shows aren't doing HD-cam production,” says John Amodeo, producer of Titus. “I thought this would be the season where more shows would get involved, especially after the proven success that our show, and a couple others, had last season, both creatively and financially. Probably, some producers are still confused because it's a bit more expensive to rent [24p] camera packages, and they don't understand where their savings will come from. And lots of film DPs are probably hesitant because they don't see how they can make HD images match what they are used to in the film world. But I can say from first hand experience that a multi-camera, 24p production can work smoothly with a film-style crew and budget.”

“Having worked in videotape a good part of my career, I'm learning that HD is the closest thing to film that I have seen yet,” says Amodeo. “Our crew is learning to grow into this technology, and that is why we strategically put together a hybrid crew that has both film and tape experience. We are learning together how to give our show a high-end look with this technology.”

He claims, however, that the real accomplishment of the setup is creative in nature the production team has “accomplished a film look” mainly by discovering and adhering to “a set of rules” when it comes to shooting 24p, particularly on location.

“We had about a month for tests before we started shooting, and our camera team figured out a few basic things that allowed us to maintain the cinematic look,” says Holcomb another experienced producer. “Use lots of backlight for exteriors, avoid flood lighting, keep the camera moving, use longer lenses, be careful with the use of whites and blacks, things like that. By adhering to these rules even more strictly than we would if we were shooting film, and paying more attention to production design, we've been able to put the show together smoothly while maintaining a cinematic look.”

Holcomb says the Bickford production design team, headed by production designer Stephen Hendrickson, has also made strides in building sets that reduce the impact of HDs superior depth-of-field capabilities.

“Just through trial and error, we figured out that the addition of different kinds of geometric forms, like abutments or other things to make the walls seem non-flat, are really helpful,” he says. “Various other architectural elements, like railings to break up flat surfaces, also make a big difference. Such designs give us texture, which is the key to taking advantage of HD's strengths and minimizing its weaknesses. Our set has all sorts of nooks and crannies that reduce the flatness of our backgrounds. We've learned lots of little things like that.” The addition of a video engineer to the crew, and his use of a 14-inch Sony HD monitor as his main “viewfinder” are the only real differences between the setup and a typical 35mm setup for an hour drama shoot.

Good Enough for Emmy

Ron Fortunato is another DP who has been successful jumping into 24p technology. A first for a DP of an episodic drama, he earned an Emmy nomination in cinematography for a TV drama he shot using 24p technology. He came to the show last year upon its inception, having never shot video of any type, and agreed to work on the project solely because the show's producer, Sidney Lumet, asked him to, presuming it would be a film shoot.

“We have three cameras, and each camera has an operator and an assistant — all film-trained assistants who have learned to adapt to the video format,” says Fortunato. “In my opinion, focus pulling is every bit as hard on a show like this with HD cameras as it would be with 35mm cameras. I have no doubt this is like shooting film — it's just a film show that happens to use tape. My main reccomendation is to have your video engineer and hire a professional Film camera assitant. Other than that, everything we do and need is just the same — grips, assistants, we need them all. We light very carefully, just like we would with film, so I use the same mindset I've used in the past on film shoots.”

But in any case, this ability to look instantly at what we shoot, to nail it down right then and there, is a great benefit, from a creative point of view.”

Fortunato feels that, after using the 24p cameras for months now, DPs experienced primarily in film should have “no real problem” transitioning to 24p HD production.

“I think if you are a DP or operator used to video, and then you come in and step up to 24p, you will have a harder time transitioning than if you are a film guy primarily,” he says. “This experience has taught me that it's actually easier to come to these cameras from 35mm because you are already used to exercising extremely high levels of control. If you are used to Betacam, then HD is really a new animal. In my opinion, HD is much closer to 35mm than Betacam.”

“You might lose certain positions, but you gain others, like engineers and cable pullers,” says Amodeo. “As producers, we'll obviously save money in post by eliminating film and lab costs, but we'll also save time, which is just as important. I have talked to DPs who love it because they can see their shots at broadcast quality instantly, without waiting for dailies. That gives them more creative control, which gives them time to figure out methods of maintaining traditional film aesthetics that many of them might prefer. It's also interesting because many of our shows report they are shooting more material in the same amount of time, with HD tapes being so inexpensive.

On the other hand, the future is HD so you have to shoot digital in order to have a place in the market. Theres no point in shooting a drama in a format which will be obsolete in the near future. And as more and more TV productions turn to HD, TV commercials producers will have to follow as their spots should look at least the same as good as the programs do.

“Digital image acquisition will replace film for TV production. You don't need a crystal ball to know that.”