TV series - Media formats

Krisztian Tolnay · March 31, 2005

Hi there,

I would like to know what camera/format (film,video->interlace/progressive) they are using for TV series, like Friends, CSI, ER, and older ones like Family Ties, Dallas etc. One looks like high-end video, the other looks like film. Some of them have different look and it would be good to know that what media format they were using.

Thanks!

Krix

John Sprung · March 31, 2005

In the beginning there was film. "Lucy" was shot on 35mm 4 perf, posted like a movie, and aired from a film chain. "Gleason" was shot on video cameras, but recorded on hot kinescope cameras, 35/4p, developed and aired on the West coast from film. In 1956, 2" quadruplex video tape was introduced, and live TV disappeared.

In the middle years, dramatic shows were mostly shot on film, sitcoms mostly on tape, with 1" C replacing 2".

About 20 - 25 years ago, film made a comeback, replacing tape on many comedies. People were starting to think about HDTV and the future value of their archives. Post, though, remained on 1" C.

1987 was a year of transition. Panavision introduced 3 perf, Pacific Video introduced their "Image Translation" PAL conversion process, the first to un-do the 3-2 pulldown. Burn correction for CRT telecines came along within a year or two, and both 3 and 4 perf were able to re-center to full rather than Academy aperture.

Then D-2 and D-3 came and went before 1" C was finally replaced by Digital Betacam, IIRC, about 1994. The rest of the '90's were mostly on D-Beta.

Today the majority of our dramatic shows are shooting 3 perf, mixed with some 4 perf. Inserts and stock usually come in on 4 perf, and stuff that has to be registered for effects is often done 4 perf. There are a few going to S-16, we have one pilot this time doing that, mainly because they want to shoot run-and-gun style. We have a couple Viper shows, and a couple dramatic Sony 900 shows. Our sitcoms are all shooting Sony HD cameras, all 1080p/24. The old ones stayed on film to the end, the new ones all started on HD.

In 2001, we did one last D-Beta show. Everything else from then on has been posted in 1080p/24, either on D-5 or HDCam. A lot of people prefer D-5, though the difference is small. The new HDCam SR beats both of the old HD formats by a lot, and we'll be going to it as soon as there's enough equipment available in the post houses.

In HD, interlace is kinda like SECAM. It's strictly a broadcast format, not appropriate for production or post.

-- J.S.

Edited March 31, 2005 by John Sprung

Michael Nash · April 1, 2005

Friends, CSI, ER, and older ones like Family Ties, Dallas etc.
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Everything except Family Ties (shot on video to assumably 1" tape) was 35mm transferred to video. Bear in mind that film stocks, telecines and post formats have improved over the years, so recent productions will have higher image quality than older ones (say CSI -- posted on HD -- compared to Dallas circa early 80's).