he Sony 24P digital video format used in "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones" is catching on in TV production, too. Sony says more than a quarter of the prime-time comedies and dramas on the major broadcast and cable networks this season are being shot on 24P digital video. Many such shows have traditionally been shot with 35-millimeter motion picture cameras.
Twenty-six of the 97 prime-time comedies and dramas on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, UPN and WB are using the digital video format — largely because of time and cost savings.
"The whole production work flow is expedited," said Laurence J. Thorpe, senior vice president for content creation at Sony Electronics. "You're not loading film cartridges. You're not dealing with transfer of film, which is an overnight process."
Among the new series this fall in the 24P format are ABC's "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter." Bruce Finn, director of photography for the show, said he experimented with a 24P camera last fall on "One and One" on UPN. "I was very afraid of the medium because I thought it would compromise my art and craft," he said. "But now I like it better."
He calculates the weekly savings on the sitcom to be from $35,000 to $45,000, compared with the cost of 35 millimeter.
But some behind the lenses are concerned that art could be sacrificed to savings. George Spiro Dibie, national president of the International Cinematographers Guild, says that TV studios and production companies are too focused on the bottom line. "We are the ones who keep the shows looking beautiful," he said. "To them, it's strictly money."
But TV cinematographers say they are adapting to 24P technology. "At first, there were some tricky issues with lighting," Mr. Finn said. "But with 24P, you're able to see what your final image will look like as you're shooting." ANDREW ZIPERN
;)
