Rogue Element Films Expands Digital Cinematography Services

In response to what the company described as an "unprecedented customer demand for HD recording," independent digital cinematography provider Rogue Element Films has announced a major investment in new hardware.
The company has acquired a second Grass Valley Viper Filmstream digital cinematography camera from Thomson and full DFR (Digital Film Recorder) recording capabilities (data) via Stwo's Take2 system, as used by David Fincher.
New Zeiss Digiprime HD lenses and Fuji HD Prime and Zoom lenses as well as a second Sony SRW-1 recorder and a CineTal Cinemage 4:4:4 monitor are added to the product and service offering.
The equipment has already been used to great acclaim on the promotional video for Simon Webbe's 'Ride The Storm' (tie-in with the 'Fantastic Four' blockbuster movie), a series of idents for Kia motors which are broadcast alongside the CSI show currently running on Channel 5 television, as well as a number of television commercials.
"The demand for high-end, high-def film-making just keeps rising and rising," said Rogue Element Director of Photography Dan Mulligan. "We are seeing more and more call for high end 4:4:4 and 4:2:2 capture in promotional videos and believe that this trend will only accelerate in the months to come."
Mulligan is passionate about both his methods and the equipment he uses, and says only the best will do when it comes to shooting Digital. "The Viper captures information straight from the CCD, bypassing all in-camera processing," he said. "It's like operating a digital workflow in a film capture mode, so you can concentrate on focus, framing and exposure, rather than tinker with a long list of sub-menus. Workflows for Digital Filmmaking are also one of the most important factors for me. Developing a simple yet effective solution for my clients whilst retaining feature film levels of image integrity are paramount, hence our success and continued expansion with only the very best equipment available.
Lens choice, too, is vital, as Mulligan explains: "The Zeiss Digiprime HD lenses are at the high-end price bracket, but cheaper lenses lack the contrast ratio, suffer from breathing and barrelling and do not match the ability of Zeiss DigiPrime lenses - and all those functions affect the quality of the image."
Mulligan says that the CineTel Cinemage 4:4:4 monitor is "the best on the market today" and that Rogue Element Films has also invested in Venom flashpacks for handheld and steadicam work - again in response to customer demand."
With more commercials in the diary and BBC's 'Last of The Summer Wine 2007' also currently in production, it looks like being a busy second half of the year for Rogue Element Films and its enhanced roster of hardware.
(SP)