ProVision supports HDCAM dramas

ProVision, with bases in Leeds and Manchester, is one of the leading camera, grip, sound and lighting hire companies in the north of England. The company is wholly owned by ITV Productions, though half its work is for outside producers. Recent productions include Waterloo Road, Bonkers, Gavin and Stacey, Adam and Shelley, The Chase and Roman Mysteries, all shot on HDW-750P HDCAM camcorders. The company also supplies Emmerdale and Coronation Street, including HVR-Z1E and HVR-A1E HDV camcorders for stunt sequences.

“We’ve been growing the business for the past three years and supply about 45 dramas a year,” says Adrian Bleasdale, who heads both ProVision and Post Production at The Leeds Studios. “HD work is on the increase, with a significant amount on HDCAM.”

The company is supported by Sony Specialist Dealer, Top-Teks. “The HDW-750Ps fits really well into our business and the markets that we focus on,” he says.

Bleasdale is in the process of enhancing the service that both ProVision and The Leeds Studios provide. “We’re reviewing the processes so we can provide the right support for productions as technology changes.”

The Leeds Studios currently has four dubbing theatres, 21 offlines, 4 HD non-linear onlines, an HD grading suite and audio post. Bleasdale says the company is closely tracking the broadcaster’s plans to move to HD. “We’re well-positioned to react and we’re doing the background work, so if that was to happen, we’d be ready,” he says.

Roman Mysteries

ProVision supplied two HDW-750Ps to Roman Mysteries, a nine-part period drama for CBBC. The series follows the fortunes of a group of four children as they investigate a series of puzzling mysteries, set against the backdrop of the Roman Empire. It was produced by The Little Entertainment Group with Jon East as Executive Producer.

Director of Photography John Rhodes says the series shot on location in Bulgaria and Malta and was supported throughout by ProVision. “ProVision were, as always, very good,” Rhodes says. “If gear goes down, you know they’ll get it working. The cameras worked perfectly, so we never had any problems with them, but other things, like monitors and such like, they would support us. We never had a situation where we couldn’t shoot.”

The decision to acquire in HD was made by the production company, though Rhodes chose the HDW-750P. “I have used the 750 before and know what I can do. And it’s reliable,” he says. “I’ve always used Sony and there was no need to use the HDW-F900R because I shot in 25P, not 24P, so the 750 was the obvious choice.

“We shot in a studio in Sofia, Bulgaria, where they have a Roman town, which was built for Spartacus. We went in and patched it up and were there for ten weeks. Then we went to Malta for the tank – the tank there is the biggest in Europe, I think, and has an infinity line. The water falls over the edge and on the horizon is the real sea, so it looks fantastic.”

The Chase

The second series of The Chase was also supported by ProVision and DoP Peter Butler again chose to use the HDW-750P. “I was really pleased,” he says. “I thought it was a really nice camera to use. I try and get as close to a film look as I can and the skin tones are lovely. In fact, I was surprised by how much tonal range there was. I was cautious at the beginning, because I thought HDCAM didn’t have the tonal range of film, but it had more than I expected. As we started to grade, I realised I could even have been braver.”

Butler thinks the higher quality of HD is something to be embraced. “What does become more important is the lighting, but if it’s beautifully lit, it shouldn’t really be a problem. It’s nice to have all that resolution. You can see the higher res and I think it looks nicer. But it is easier to get it wrong with HD and that is what you have to be careful of. But if you get it right, it’s lovely; it’s stunning actually.”

ProVision, he says, gave excellent backup. “The support they gave was great,” he says. “They were only across the road from the studio and if there were any problems at all, they were straight over. It was an eight-month shoot and there were not really any problems at all.”

25 February 2008