Manhattan-based director of photography Manfred Reiff recently chose Panasonic’s new AG-3DA1 full HD 3-D camcorder to shoot a piece of high-end video art entitled “Time Suite III.”
The project depicts moving, animated type projected on the human form and shot in 3-D. It is the third work in a series from director John Zieman and is currently in post production.
The filmmakers plan to enter “Time Suite III” for consideration at the upcoming Art Basel Miami Beach, as well as at leading galleries and museums. “Time Suite,” the first in the series, was showcased during the 2009 Armory Show week with a theatrical 4K projection. “First Dream” followed, playing in the Chelsea Art Museum.
Reiff is celebrated for his commercial work for brands such as Rayban, L'Oreal, Armani Beauty, Reebok and Pepsi. He has worked extensively with Panasonic camcorders, having shot “First Dream” with the AJ-HPX3700 P2 VariCam, and video profiles for the “New York Times’” TMagazine.com with the AJ-HPX3000 native 1080p P2 HD camcorder. These “Screen Tests” featured celebrities such as Charlize Theron and Natalie Portman.
“Time Suite III” was shot totally as an exterior on a rooftop in lower Manhattan, with the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings to the north and Flatiron Building to the south. Shooting was all done at night, with considerable supplied lights. “Our camera tests paid off, and we able to achieve very good 3-D depth perception of the classic architecture in the distance as well as the foreground action,” Reiff said. ”We lit up the night and really pushed the dynamic range of the camcorder, whose light sensitivity was quite pleasing.”
The piece, which will run approximately three minutes, is being edited in Final Cut Pro at PS260 in New York City where Zieman is supervising the edit. The production company is New York City-based High Line Films.
