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Award-winning cinematographer Kate Reid has made use of the Panasonic VariCam 35, to shoot the highly anticipated second series of ITV police drama, Marcella.

The critically-acclaimed drama, which was acquired by Netflix, was a smash hit in 2016, attracting over nine million viewers at its peak. It follows Anna Friel, as Detective Marcella Backland, as she investigates the death of a young boy whose body has been discovered several years after his disappearance.


Photo (c) Marcella/ITV

The first series of the scandi-noir drama, was shot largely at night and in the depth of a London winter, resulting in a dark, foreboding look. However, due to filming schedules, the second series was filmed in the summer, but writer and executive producer Hans Rosenfeldt, the show’s executives and returning first series director Charles Martin, were keen to continue this look for series two.

Kate Reid, Director of Photography says, “The subject matter is pretty dark, so there is a license to light in a very dramatic way, and I was happy to follow in the same vein as the first series as I had enjoyed the style.”

Whilst the cast and structure maintained their continuity into the second series, Kate Reid chose to shoot series 2 on a different camera, whilst still achieving the thriller-like look that had been established in series 1.

"Shooting in 4K is a requirement for Netflix productions which lead to a shortlist of five cameras I wanted to test during prep, none of which I had any prior experience of, including the Sony F65 which season one was shot on, as well as the VariCam35 and LT," explains Kate.


Photo (c) Jason Cuddy.

"I have to say I really liked the VariCam35. The compact size of it was one of the deciding factors (in comparison to the camera used in series one) as we were shooting in physically small spaces, which would require the camera to be hand held at times. I was really impressed with the VariCam's picture and especially the dual ISO feature," Reid continued.

"After shooting some test footage and taking it into the grading suite to look at, it was really interesting to see how much we could pull back the highlights, which was reassuring as I knew that shooting in summer there was a good chance I would have to manage blown out windows in certain locations where I didn't have much control over them, so this supported my decision to change the camera," added Reid.

Marcella is executive produced by Hans Rosenfeldt, Nicola Larder and, Buccaneer Media's founder, Tony Wood who created the joint venture production company in partnership with global entertainment company, Cineflix Media.


Photo (c) Jason Cuddy.

Panasonic has announced a free firmware upgrade for the AU-EVA1 cinema camera that greatly enhances the camera's recording capabilities, including ALL-Intra frame recording formats, RAW output, timelapse recording, HD 4:2:2 interlaced formats, and more! The free Firmware upgrade (Ver. 2.00) will be available at the end of March.

Ver. 2.00 allows uncompressed RAW output via 6G-SDI. Formats include 5.7K at 1 to 30 fps, 4K at 1 to 60 fps, and 2K at 1 to 240 fps. A key feature of Ver 2.00 is ALL-Intraframe (ALL-I) recordings offering 10-bit 4:2:2 at 400Mbps. Intraframe recordings require less processing, enabling real-time editing on more cost-effective high-performance computers.

New ALL-I codecs and frame rates:

• 4K, 400Mbps, 10-bit 4:2:2, 29.97p/25p/24p/23.98p
• UHD, 400Mbps, 10-bit 4:2:2, 29.97p/25p/23.98p
• 2K/FHD, 200Mpbs, 10-bit 4:2:2, 59.94p/50p
• 2K, 100Mbps, 10-bit 4:2:2, 29.97p/25p/24p/23.98p
• FHD, 100Mbps, 10-bit 4:2:2, 29.97p/25p/23.98p

New Variable frame rates:

• 4K/UHD, VFR up to 400Mbps, 10-bit 4:2:2, 1-30 fps
• 2K/FHD, VFR up to 200Mbps, 10-bit 4:2:2, 1-120fps

And Version 2.0's expanded recording capabilities include two additional interlaced codecs: 1920 x 1080, All-I, 10-bit 4:2:2, 59.94i/50i; and 1920 x 1080, LongGOP, 10-bit 4:2:2, 59.94i/50i.

In addition, remote operation is now available through 3rd party wired controllers that will allow focus, iris and zoom control of Canon Compact Cine Servo zoom lenses (18 to 80mm and 70 to 200mm). Remote operation of these lenses will be available wirelessly through the EVA ROP application. Interval recording (timelapse) is now available for both LongGOP and ALL-I.

LCD signal cloning to HDMI, as well as additional home screen indicators improve monitoring in the camera. To improve the workflow, Panasonic has also added the capability to output ancillary data for RAW such as timecode, RAC flag and also VANC metadata on SDI, as well as improved file playback in LongGOP and ALL-I.

Panasonic has announced the addition of the AK-UC4000 studio camera to its system camera line, joining the current AK-UC3000 4K HDR capable-camera and the AK-HC5000 1080p 4x high-speed HDR-capable system. It brings together the features of both and raises the bar for 4K HDR performance and future-proof infrastructure.

The current UC3000 utilizes Large Single Sensor Internal Expansion Lens (LSSIEL) optics to ex-pand the standard image from broadcast 2/3” B-4 mount lenses to a 1” cine-style 4K sensor, ena-bling cinema camera performance with broadcast optical behavior and lenses. The UC4000 utiliz-es LSSIEL optics with Panasonic’s new, larger, advanced super 35mm imager, capturing 4.4K na-tive resolution improving the UHD resolution (more than 2000 TV lines, both horizontal and verti-cal), dynamic range and S/N ratio (62dB) over the UC3000. It maintains the same broadcast lens compatibility and operation and keeps the same camera form factor--matching or surpassing the best performing 4K HDR B-4 mount cameras on the market.

The UC4000 is designed for live sports production and high-end event broadcasts, with potential customers including pro sports broadcasters and production rental companies, stadium and venue owners (pro sports teams) and collegiate sports video departments, as well as broadcast studios and call letter TV stations, houses of worship, high-end corporate video departments and eGaming broadcasters.

The UC4000 will be compatible with the same accessories as the UC3000 and HC5000 cameras including: the AK-HVF100 studio viewfinder; the AK-HRP1000, AK-HRP1005 and AK-MSU1000 camera controllers; the AK-HBU500 studio build-up kit; SHAN-HC5000 shipping case and all ca-bling. High speed output, 12G output at the camera head and MoIP capabilities will be phased in with ongoing feature upgrades.

New AK-UCU600 Camera Control Unit
The new AK-UCU600 camera control unit provides power up to 2000 m over hybrid fiber and possesses the same form factor and all of the powerful features found in the existing AK-UCU500 CCU including: simultaneous multiple format output with simultaneous 4K, 1080p and HD outputs possible; simultaneous HDR and SDR output with HDR/SDR offset adjustment to enable SDR shading of HDR content; multiple data and video trunk lines and IP control; and compact 2U de-sign. The UCU600 will also include: selectable 12G-SDI / quad SDI for 4K outputs; accommodation for future SMPTE 2110 MoIP connectivity option board; TICO compression capable output for 4K transport over 3G HD-SDI; and future 2x, 3x or 4x HD output capability for slow motion shooting when the UC4000 is used in HD or 1080p mode. The UCU600 will provide the same connectivity features when used with the existing UC3000.

Available March 2018, the AK-UC4000 camera and AK-UCU600 CCU will have suggested list prices of 40,000 and 20,000 USD, respectively.

Which active MFT lenses are zoom servo controllable from the Blackmagic Studio Cameras and Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K? The following lenses are currently supported for Blackmagic Studio Cameras and can be controlled with a supported LANC controller:

Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Power O.I.S.
Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 45-175mm f/4.0-5.6 Zoom OIS
Olympus 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 ED M.Zuiko EZ Micro 4/3
Olympus 14-42mm M.Zuiko f/3.5-5.6 Digital ED EZ

New update for DeckLink, UltraStudio and Intensity devices from Blackmagic Design ensures that video output preferences are correctly restored on startup, fixes intermittent issues with Premiere Pro, provides improved reliability for importing media when using Final Cut Pro X XML files, and improves performance when capturing Ultra HD with Media Express. Desktop Video 10.9.11 update also features additional performance and stability improvements and is recommended for all users.