UPM Debbie Brubaker, HD/sound engineer Fred Meyers, Field Engineer David Langsam, and DP Don Matthew Smith form the SFCC’s Shooting and Working in HD for Motion Pictures & Television panel.- photos by Robert Mohr - click images for larger views

HD/sound engineer Fred Meyers, Field Engineer David Langsam, and DP Don Matthew Smith discuss the challenges of shooting in High Definition.

On Saturday, September 29, 2007, the Executive Committee of the SFCC hosted its second seminar of the year - Shooting and Working in HD for Motion Pictures & Television. SFCC DGA members gathered at Kerner Optical’s Building C Theater in San Rafael for the 6-hour program. Moderated by SFCC member 1st AD John Vournas, the seminar featured in-depth discussion and analysis of the various complexities in working in High Definition by a panel of experts.

Field Engineer David Langsam spoke about the pressures placed on HD engineers by those in production and reminded the attendees that before working in HD, it’s crucial to speak to the post-production team first. DP Don Matthew Smith, a veteran of countless commercials on HD, offered insights about why some projects make more sense to shoot in film, while others make more sense to shoot in HD.

UPM Debbie Brubaker distributed handouts with a Film-to-HD Comparisons, highlighting the costs of both while giving the pros and cons of each. She offered the opinion was that now it makes more sense for smaller, independent companies to shoot in HD. The panel also included HD/sound engineer Fred Meyers of Kerner Optical (formerly ILM), gave his insights about working in the medium.