HDW-F900R used on French Film

New British digital film production company, Slingshot, has started production on the second of a slate of ten feature films. Romantic comedy, French Film, marks the features debut for award-winning commercials and short film-maker Jackie Oudney.

Written by The Catherine Tate Show veteran Aschlin Ditta, the film stars Hugh Bonneville as a bumbling Englishman who is taking romantic instruction from French movies and from a French film director, played by former Manchester United footballer Eric Cantona. Also starring are Anne-Marie Duff, Douglas Henshall and Victoria Hamilton.

French Film began a five-week shoot in and around central London at the end of March, with one day scheduled in Paris during April. The feature’s director of photography, Sean van Hales, has recently worked on BBC drama Hotel Babylon. He explains that French Film draws inspiration from comedy greats: “The main reference for French Film has been Woody Allen’s Manhattan and we have tried to shoot London with the same love and enjoyment that Woody showed to his favourite island. We wanted to make London look cinematic, while avoiding the pitfalls of the Britflicks and making it look more European.”

Van Hales chose to shoot using the HDW-F900R camcorder, which was supplied by 24-7 Drama. He used HD expert Alan Roberts’ settings for ultra latitude, whilst shooting 24P at the request of the cutting room. Having had plenty of experience with the previous HDW-F900 camcorder and the HDW-750P, Van Hales doesn’t have any doubts. “I love the camera. I’ve been a Sony fan for years now and with the HDW-F900R, there’s been such a difference in the camera in just a year.”

Back to the eighties

The films within the film, as directed by Cantona’s character, are shot with a 1980s look. “French love films of the 1980s rely heavily on fantastic period art direction, perfect casting and the HDW-F900R has the ability to be graded anyway you like it,” says Van Hales.

Although the film has been made on a tight budget, Van Hales says he did not feel compromised in his choice of camcorder. “My choice wasn’t a second best option,” he says. “The HDW-F900R is a good workhorse. It keeps things simple and it’s as fast and flexible as shooting on a moviecam compact. The pictures it produces are incredibly colourist-friendly and with two Canon zooms and a box of brand new Canon HD primes, I feel I’ve been totally equipped to shoot this movie.”

The producers of French Film include Slingshot co-founders Arvind Ethan David and Rachel Connors, as well as Jonny Persey and Stuart Le Marechal. APT Films is also attached to the project with Judy Counihan as executive producer. Backed by equity fund Creative Capital Fund and Arts Alliance Digital Cinemas, Slingshot’s business model is based on producing low-budget films — up to US$1m (£550,000) — with cast and crew paid a flat-rate fee plus a share of gross revenues.

The first of Slingshot’s slate of low-budget films, Sugarhouse, finished production earlier this year and is scheduled for a UK release in the autumn. French Film will follow, with a release in 2008.

22 August 2007