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83 Days Feature Short Filmed with VariCam LT and AU-EVA1 Cinema Cameras

Selected for 2018/2019 Festival Berths, 83 Days Feature Short Was Filmed With Panasonic VariCam LT and AU-EVA1 Cinema Cameras

83 Days, a shattering narrative short about racial injustice shot with Panasonic cinema cameras, has been named an Official Selection of the 2018 Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival. Screening Sunday, December 9 at 10 a.m., the film has already received several best of festival nominations, including Best Short Film, Best Drama Film, Best Short Film Director and Best Short Screenplay.

83 Days has also been named an official Selection of the 2019 International Houston Black Film Festival, where it will screen in March.  

Director/Director of Photography Andrew Paul Howell chose the VariCam LT and AU-EVA1 for the production, which was shot on location in Eatonton, Georgia earlier this year. With a screenplay by Ray Lënard Brown and Summer Michele Howell, 83 Days adapts the true story of a 14-year-old African-American boy, George Stinney Jr., who in June of 1944, in a miscarriage of justice, was arrested for the murder of two white girls. He was arrested, tried, convicted and put to death within the film’s eponymous 83 days, “Junior” at 14 years remains the youngest person ever to be executed by electric chair in the U.S. He was exonerated in 2014.

Howell, a veteran DP of many period television dramas, had a proof-of-concept for a mini-series lined up when he met Brown, who told him about Stinney’s short and blighted life. Compelled to tell that story first, Brown, executive producer and screenwriter, signed Howell on as Director/DP. Howell undertook the 83 Days short as a proof-of-concept for a full-length feature. Principal photography on the 29-minute short was completed in 3 ½ days last June. This is Howell’s directorial debut.

Howell operated the VariCam LT with his longtime collaborator Brian Murie as Camera Operator/2nd Unit DP shooting with the EVA1. Howell had worked (as the DP) with the VariCam LT on the upcoming feature film, Freedom on our Mind. “We were working with a predominantly African-American cast in lower light conditions on that project,” he said. “The LT was simply amazing.”

“We really exploited the full scale of the LT’s potential on 83 Days,” Howell continued. “We made liberal use of the camera’s native ISO5000, sometimes shooting 2K at 120fps. That was an approach I used to get high-speed inserts for tight shots--for instance, with the execution scene, where we were trying to depict, nongratuitously, the violent death of a child.”

The Director/DP recorded 4K AVC-Intra 4:2:2 on the VariCam LT, shooting in V-Log. “ There is roughly 18% additional data recorded on the right and left of the 2:39 anamorphic frame; this additional data allowed us to record tracking marks for VFX or kept that area clear for horizontal frame adjustments—this was really helpful for left to right stabilization,” he said.

Howell and Murie both cited the EVA1”s small size and form factor as making it ideal for second unit work. For instance, Murie shot with the EVA1 on a Wooden Camera PL mount rigged inside a 1940s’ vintage sheriff’s car to capture the film’s opening sequence, where Junior’s father chases after the car that was taking his son away.

The EVA1 recording format was 4K Long GOP 10-bit 4:2:2. Both the LT and EVA1 were outfitted with Cooke anamorphic primes. 83 Days was edited in 4K in Adobe Premiere Pro.

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“The VariCam LT/EVA1 combo on this shoot was proof positive that these cameras represent an excellent and affordable platform for indie filmmakers,” Howell said.

View the 83 Days’ trailer at https://vimeo.com/299350431. For more information about the film, visit www.83daysfilm.com.

About the VariCam LT

The VariCam LT camcorder inherits the same super 35mm sensor and superb imaging capabilities that distinguish the award-winning VariCam 35, but with significant reductions in size, weight and price. Incorporating this identical imaging “DNA” in a more compact rendition, the VariCam LT delivers 14+ stops of dynamic range with V-Log, and the esteemed cinematic VariCam image quality and color science, as well as the VariCam 35's breakout innovation, dual native ISOs of 800/5000. Weighing just under six pounds and having superior capability to similar sized cameras, the VariCam LT is the ideal camera for handheld, SteadiCam, jib, crane, drone, gimbal and overall cinema verité work. The VariCam LT offers a host of new features including an EF lens mount, hot swappable batteries, IR shooting capability, a 23.98 PsF output, cinema style file naming, and image presets such as scene files.

For more information about Panasonic VariCam cinema and high-speed cameras, visit us.panasonic.com/varicam, or contact Panasonic at 877-803-8492.

About the AU-EVA1

The AU-EVA1 5.7K handheld cinema camera is distinguished by a pixel count of 5720 H x 3016 V (17.25 million), Dual Native ISO ratings of 800 and 2,500, and 14-stops of dynamic range. The newly-designed EVA1 sensor is Super-35 sized (24.60mm x 12.97mm) with 5.7K resolution. With an active resolution of 5720 x 3016, the EVA1 delivers more than 17.25 million photosites, nearly double the 8.8 million for 4K DCI (4096 x 2160). Weighing only 2.65-lbs (1.2Kg, body-only) with a compact form factor (6.69” H x 5.31” W x 5.23” D) and a removable handgrip, the EVA1 can be used for efficient handheld shooting applications. Because of its compact form factor, it can also be mounted on a drone, gimbal rig or jib arm for complex yet smooth camera moves.

 

For more information about the AU-EVA1, visit https://na.panasonic.com/us/audio-video-solutions/broadcast-cinema-pro-video/cinema-cameras/au-eva1-57k-super-35-handheld or contact Panasonic at 877-803-8492.

About Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America

Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America, a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, delivers game-changing technology solutions that deliver customized experiences to drive better outcomes—for our customers and our customers’ customers. Panasonic designs and manufactures reliable, flexible and dependable products and solutions to help create, capture and deliver information of all types, especially where, when and how it is needed. The complete suite of Panasonic professional solutions for government and commercial enterprises of all sizes addresses unified business communications, mobile computing, security and surveillance, retail point-of-sale, office productivity, audio and visual systems (projectors, displays & digital signage) and professional video production. To learn more and Panasonic’s business products and solutions visit:https://na.panasonic.com.

About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Newark, NJ-based Panasonic Corporation of North America is a leading technology partner to businesses, government agencies and consumers across the region. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation and leverages its strengths in Immersive Entertainment, Sustainable Energy, Automated Supply Chains and Connected Solutions to provide secure and resilient integrated solutions for B2B customers. Panasonic was highlighted in Forbes Magazine’s Global 2000 ranking as one of the Top Ten Best Regarded Companies for 2017. The ranking is based on outstanding scores for trustworthiness, honesty with the public and superior performance of products and solutions. Learn more about Panasonic’s ideas and innovations at Panasonic.com.

Contacts
Neil Matsumoto