LAS VEGAS — Sony couldn’t have asked for a more ringing endorsement of its new high-definition 24P CineAlta camera than George Lucas getting on a stage to state, “I can safely say that I will never shoot another film on film.”
Lucas, who shot “Star Wars: Episode II — The Phantom Menace” using the new camera that makes video look like film, made the announcement at the National Assn. of Broadcasters confab late Sunday in Las Vegas during Sony’s product presentation.
“I’ve always been pushing the envelope of the medium, because I want to get the best possible image in the best possible way in telling my stories,” Lucas said. “I’ve always found myself bumping up against this celluloid ceiling of technology that says “You can’t go here; you can’t go there; you can’t do that.’ The film industry has been slow to adopt change, but this is where the industry is going. It has no choice.”
And Sony’s banking on that.
In fact, Sony is so confident about its camera, a co-venture with lens maker Panavision, it predicts that “by this time next year, one-half of all primetime TV shows will be shot on 24p,” according to Edward Grebow, deputy prexy of Sony Electronics. TV series “Titus” and “100 Centre Street,” and the U.S. Army’s “Go Army” commericals are shot using the cameras.
