American Cinematographer - August 1991 - 90

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Two New HD Studios Break Ground in L.A.
An

oft-recurring phrase in any discussion of
high-definition television (HDTV) technology
is "some day soon." Some day soon, say the
faithful, HDTV will prove its worth as the
standard broadcast format, as the new
creative adjunct to filmmaking, as the an¬
swer to the problem of film preservation.
HDTV's proponents generally have trouble
new

containing their enthusiasm for the new
medium, to the point where they end up
sounding as if they are chasing an electronic
version of the Golden Fleece. Skeptics react
predictably in turn, pointing at their calen¬
dars and wondering aloud when these
sermonizers will descend from the mount
to demonstrate their magical new ma¬
chines.
Above the fray, more practical

types have quietly begun to pave the road
with progress. In the Los Angeles area, two
new high-definition facilities stand as tes¬
tament to the value of action: Sony High
Definition Facilities, Inc., situated on the
Columbia Pictures lot in Culver City, and the

Hollywood High Definition Resource Center,
located in Hollywood. Both studios offer
full-service production and postproduction
technology for use on film and video
projects. The Sony installation is already
operational, while the Hollywood High
outpost has begun renting equipment and
is planning to officially open its doors at the
end of this

summer.

ers

to shuttle between film and video us¬

ing standard HD telecine, enabling them to
on titles, graphics and editing in the
digital domain before transferring the re¬

work

sults back to film for theatrical distribution.
In the long run, Sony predicts, the durability
of digital tapes will also prove to be a boon
in the realm of film preservation.
Atthe Hollywood High Definition
Resource Center, those eager to expand
their technological expertise will find two
HD cameras, three digital tape recorders, an
off-line editing system, an on-line suite

complete with Ultimatte, color correction
and graphics, a full-service screening room
with HD, NTSC and 35mm film projection
capabilities, location equipment rentals,
fully equipped contemporary sound stages
and technical support for feature film,
commercial production and still photogra¬
phy.
Hollywood High was launched
as a joint venture by New York-based REBO
High Definition Studio and the historical
Hollywood Center Studios. The facility's
location on the Hollywood Studios lot offers
an advantage similar to that enjoyed by
Sony: surrounding production companies
curious about HDTV's potential will not
need to travel very far to dabble.
The backing of REBO is another
advantage. The company is no newcomer
to the HDTV realm, having already produced

June

1981

Aug

1981

Clash of the Titans
For Your Eyes Only

June

1982

Annie

Dec

1982

The Dark

Nov

1983

Dec

1983

Crystal
Flight Stuff
ScarFace, IMAX Hawaii
The Day After
The

Feb

1984

June

1984

Ghostbusters

July

1984

Indiana Jones

Baby

Mar

1985

June

1985

Cocoon

July
Aug

1985

Silverado

1985

Explorers

Nov

1985

Remo Williams

Young Sherlock Holmes
Big Trouble in LittleChina
Poltergeist II

Mar

1986

June

1986

July

1986

Jan

1987

Tarzan

Mar

1987

Biloxi Blues,

1987

Invention
Lethal Weapon

Muybridge's

Apr
May

1987

Gardens of Stone

June

1987

July
Aug
Sept

1987

Project X
The Living Daylights
Innerspace

1987

Nadine, Full Metal Jacket

Oct

1987

Nov

1987

Dec

1987

Jan

1988

The Whales of August
Baby Boom, The Dead
Special Effects Sampler
Empire of the Sun
Powaqqatsi, Dracula (1931)
Bed Heat, Tokyo Pop
Roger Babbit, Willow
Coming to America

1987

May

1988

June

1988

July
Aug
Sept

1988
1988

Oct

1988

Nov

1988

1988

Dec

1988

Jan

1989

Feb

Alien Nation, The Bat
John Lennon, Sherlock Holmes
Accidental Tourist, U2

1989

Special Effects Sampler
Tequila Sunrise
Three Fugitives

Mar

1989

Baron

May

1989

Major League

June

1989

July
Aug
Sept

1989

Indiana Jones, the Last Crusade
Star Trek V

1989

von

Munchausen

1989

Licence to Kill
Black Bain, Phantom of
the Opera, Part 1 (1926)

Oct
Nov

1989

Phantom of the

1989

Fat Man and Little

Opera, Part II
Boy
Special Effects Sampler

Sony Advanced Systems presi¬

the first American feature film shot in HD

Dec

1989

dent William Connolly has asserted that the
two studios won't be directly competitive;
the Sony operation will reportedly leave

(White Hot)and the short film Performance

Jan

1990

War of the Boses

Pieces, which received

Feb

1990

Blaze, The Emperor Jones

Mar

1990

Wide Screen Formats

Apr
May
July
Aug

1990

1 Love You To Death

series television work to Hollywood High.
Visitors to either facility will
encounter all the means necessary to begin

experimenting with HDTV.
The 5,000 square-foot Sony op¬
eration has a strong postproduction orien¬
tation, offering two HD cameras, three
digital VTRs and a prototype digital effects
generator known as the HD-DME.
Sony also offers a device known
the Electron Beam Recorder (EBR), which
can be used to transfer HD tape to film. The
EBR is designed to allow feature filmmak¬
as

an

award at the

1989 Cannes International Film Festival.
REBO is also a three-time winner of the
Astrolabium Award at the International
Electronic Cinema Festival in Montreux,
Switzerland.
Faced with these tangible ac¬

complishments in the HD format, those on
both sides of the technological tug-of-war
disciples and detractors alike - may
find that their ongoing arguments about the

-

medium's merits have been rendered ob¬
solete. "Some day soon" has finally arrived.
-

SP

1990

The Guardian

1990

Total Recall

1990

Documentaries

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American

Cinematographer

August 1991
American Cinematographer - August 1991

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