EPM commits to JVC Pro HD for Edinburgh Tattoo Archives

For the past 10 years Scottish Borders based EPM Production have been producing promotional videos and CDs for the highly successful Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
In 2003, DVD entered the scene and since then the company has been responsible for producing and designing compilations and annual DVDs.
Up until this year, the policy was to shoot on DigiBeta and Beta SX Cameras to cope with the highly challenging lighting conditions of this widely broadcast annual event.
“Because we often have to integrate our independently shot material with that of the BBC, who produce the main programme for broadcast on DigiBeta, the technical standards are high. It would not have been advisable for us to shoot with DV up until now,” said Ken Andrew, a producer with EPM. “With the delivery of the camera being on the first day of our shoot, we literally whipped it out of the box and pressed the recommended buttons.”
With lighting conditions on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle ranging from broad daylight through mixed daylight/tungsten to total tungsten the show provides a rigorous test for any camera.
The new JVC HD100 camera was used in Standard DV format to intercut with BetaSX material for this year’s Video News Release with completely acceptable results.
The HDV results are undoubtedly better but with the down converting process within the camera being from 720p to 576i, the irritating judder, viewable on CRT monitors and TVs, make it unwise to intercut the HDV with any material shot on standard defiinition at the moment.
(GB)