Filmmaker and Director of Photography Robin Berg used Sony's new optical disc-based XDCAM HD Professional Disc System to produce "Speargun Hunter," a new documentary airing on the Outdoor Channel.
Berg shot all the above-water footage for "Speargun Hunter" with the XDCAM HD PDW-F350 camcorder, which withstood saltwater spray, tight quarters and wave-tossed seas.
Berg relied on the XDCAM HD's flip-out LCD monitor and the random access capabilities of Sony's blue laser-based Professional Disc optical media to view thumbnails instantly on-site.
According to Berg, the intense three-month production schedule took him, his production crew and expert speargun hunters Sheri Daye and Chad Palan to the waters of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, as well as Key West and the Treasure Coast in Florida.
Below the surface, spear fisherman and underwater photographer Terry Maas shot with Sony's HVR-Z1U compact HDV camcorder, encased in an underwater housing. Maas captured Palan and Daye's underwater adventures, including Daye's close encounter with a shark and her successful struggle to capture a world record-sized Yellowfin tuna.
Berg condensed highlights of 13 hours of footage into an hour-long documentary that will air on the Outdoor Channel. The production took "Best Documentary" honors at the Temecula Valley (CA) International Film and Music Festival in September 2006.
For more information, visit www.sony.com.
