ARRI AUSTRALIA EXPORTS EXPERTISE
Arranges top industry experts for Korean HDR event
SYDNEY, 1 February 2017 – When ARRI Korea’s Carlos Chu needed a whole team of industry experts to bring the Korean TV and movie industry up to speed on HDR he turned to ARRI Australia’s Brett Smith for help.
Smith explained, “The Top Creative Skill Training for 4K Broadcast Professionals event was the result of a Korean government initiative and they wanted only the very best experts and speakers. Having discussed the event with Carlos I quickly realised this couldn’t possibly be a one person event so I got in touch with well-known DOP and AFTRS lecturer Richard Wilmot to see what kind of a team we could put together.”
Very quickly Smith and Wilmot realised in order to do the topic of HDR justice they would need a DOP, gaffer, grip and lighting expert.
Wilmot said, “We already had ARRI's Middle East GM and resident DIT Phillip Chudalla in place. Alongside Philip we got in David Burr ACS (Mad Max: Fury Road, San Andreas) as the event required a DOP with a recognised Hollywood presence, Grant Wilson as our gaffer, Glen Bielenberg as our lighting expert and myself as a second DOP and team coordinator.”
With the team in place Wilmot and Smith set about preparing an extremely comprehensive agenda and presentation that included film clips, links to media, content hardware and full facilities in just two weeks.
Wilmot continued, “It really was a very tight timeline and required a great deal of coordination and cooperation.”
Waiting in Seoul were the very best broadcast cameramen from all of the main Korean networks alongside colourists and lighting directors all very eager to learn about the complexities of HDR.
As the four day workshop kicked off in Gangham’s Dae Yoo Studios it became clear to Wilmot and the team that the level of presentation had to be absolutely first class.
Wilmot added, “It was a good job we had done our homework and got the cream of Australian talent to do this event as the attendees were interested in all aspects of HDR and how it can and will affect production. We used ARRI ALEXA SXT cameras and ARRI Master Primes for show and tell style presentations and ARRI SkyPanels, LED ribbon lights and a Grand MA2 console for the lighting sessions. On day four we all came together for a DIT presentation that covered all the disciplines.”
Wilmot and the team also shot and recorded footage at the studio so they could then discuss different techniques and approaches that best suit HDR in realtime. The discussions also extended to post production which meant the use of high-end LG and Canon HDR monitors as part of the demonstrations.
Wilmot added, “The number of attendees grew each day as did the level and depth of their interest and interactivity. This was a very serious event. As a result we set up and tested many different scenarios using all the ARRI cameras and lighting equipment. No creative stone was left unturned. As a result these cameramen and lighting operators from Korea’s best broadcasting crews walked away with a far better understanding of HDR and the full dynamic range of ARRI cameras. That combined with a broader knowledge of how creative lighting can enhance shooting with HDR made the event a huge success.”