Press release from Well Above
A recent documentary about jousting in the modern era was shot entirely with JVC ProHD cameras. This most unusual of sports was delved into by director Simon Van Der Spoel with interesting results.
Van Der Spoel said, “Jousting is such a unique past time and we wanted to know all there was to know about the people involved. Who are these people? Why do they joust? What draws them to this international sport? What we found out surprised us all.”
Competitors travel from around the world to compete in jousting tournaments and reputations are forged ‘in the tilt’ according to jousting speak.
Van Der Spoel continued, “The title of the doco is Mounted Steel. As the director of the film I specifically chose JVC ProHD cameras and tapes because I wanted the high definition pictures they provide and their amazing quality of shots. The high-speed action was caught on tape in stunning clarity with a bit of shutter to make the lance breaks extra crisp. We filmed on location in Lithgow NSW in the Blue Mountains with severe wind gusts and in minus 7 degree temperatures. The camera and tape stock held up beautifully under these filming conditions getting lush colour even in overcast weather.”
The documentary was shot by Van Der Spoel’s Ethereal Productions in association with Thru a Lens Media, the production company of Mounted Steel’s DOP Kris Woldt and was made possible by one of the Pacific Film and Television Commission’s funding programs and QPIX, the government film body in Brisbane (www.qpix.org.au)
“This is one of the most interesting films I have ever worked on.” Added Van Der Spoel. “I can tell you that all the jousting you see is for real and having tried it, it really really hurts when you get hit. In order to capture the authenticity and intensity, the ProHD cameras had to perform and I’m delighted to say they did just that. Overall I was very impressed with the JVC cameras and tape stock, especially as I am a former broadcast news camera operator/editor with over six years experience. The ProHD cameras are above and beyond most cameras I’ve used in my professional career. My Director of Photography Kris Woldt has always been impressed with the quality of JVC’s gear and he personally owns the ProHD cameras that we used in this documentary. The action of the Jousting tournament was fast and colourful, and was captured perfectly on the JVC ProHD cameras and HD tape stock, a testament to the JVC brand.”
A trailer for the Mounted Steel documentary can be found at: www.thrualensmedia.com.au/mountedsteel.html