EQUIPMENT
Generic Pool uses the latest Sony XDCAM HD professional full-size broadcast cameras that assure the very highest picture quality for your programme. The main camera is a Sony PDW-F350 High Definition camera that shoots directly to Professional Optical XDCAM HD Disc. Using Sony's PDZK-P1 XDCAM Transfer Software Version 2 allows us to shoot and edit in a totally non-destructive way, which keeps the footage pristine from acquisition through to the final DVD master. Our non-destructive workflow delivers stunning images that are the digital equivalent of a film camera negative.
Why should your production be shot in HD (High Definition) now if you're only producing an SD (Standard Definition) DVD or Video?
The answer to this is quite simple 'Future-proof'. Although most DVD movies people buy today are standard definition, this won't always be the case. HD-Ready TV sets have been around since 2002 and more people are buying them every day. Blu-Ray and HD DVD players are slowly finding their way into the shops during the first quarter of 2007 and by 2010 everyone will be watching HD DVD movies on their HD TV sets via Blu-Ray and HD DVD players. By this time, majority of television programming will also be broadcast in HD.
By shooting your programme in glorious high definition today you will be ready for tomorrow's technology.
We shoot and edit natively in HD, and we burn a master HD/Blu-Ray DVD and XDCAM HD Optical Disc, but we also make a 'down-converted' SD DVD master also, which you can use today for DVD replication purposes. Then in the future you can use your HD/Blu-Ray DVD for HD DVD replication purposes when the market is ready for it.
Apart from future-proofing your investment, another advantage for shooting in HD today is 'Quality'. A programme shot in HD then down-converted to SD will look better than a production shot in SD from the outset. This is because during the shooting stage we are capturing a lot more information to start with, 1920x1080 pixels to be exact, as opposed to SD, which is a mere 720x576 in comparison.
Our lighting set-up is also the very latest state of the art Dedolight equipment. This consists of a 1000 watt key light housed in a 5-foot Octodome twin-baffled soft-box, this produces beautiful light that wraps around the subject; it is lighting to die for. Then we have a further three Dedolights that are used for fill, back and background lights. We also have an arsenal of reflectors, diffusers, skylights, gels, cookies, projection lenses, gobos, flags and other accessories to assure stunning lighting.
The rest of our production equipment consists of Vinten and Libec tripods, and Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic radio and standard microphones.
Our postproduction equipment consists of an Apple Macintosh Intel Quad Core Mac Pro computer running the Final Cut Pro Studio suite. We also use Logic Pro 7 and Soundtrack Pro for the music side of things.
Generic Pool Productions equals great images, great sound, great end product!