A new HIV/AIDS awareness campaign has been launched in India to help educate young people in India about the disease. The campaign is centering around a reality TV show that uses two buses to take young people around to different cities, placing them in challenging situations. Information about AIDS and the sexual transmission of the disease, will be infused into the reality format.
According to an article published by Apple’s UK site, the show’s producers (a joint effort from the BBC and Indian TV powerhouse Doordarshan) chose digital video production to make filming on the buses as easy as possible. Better yet, from the standpoint of Mac fans, is the fact that all of the editing for the project is being done on two PowerMacs using Final Cut Pro 3. From Apple’s article:
The problem of filming inside a cramped bus was solved by using mini-DV and then editing the footage on two Power Mac G4s. "I’d had a lot of experience with this format for shooting short segments on Tomorrow’s World", says executive producer Saul Nassé, "but I felt it would be perfect for shooting the whole of this series. Small cameras are great for a bus, not at all intrusive and brilliant for making people feel at their ease". The producers use three Sony PD150s and a smaller Sony PC9E, operated by members of the production team most of the time. Professional camera operators were used for a minority of shots, enabling the team to keep a relaxed and informal atmosphere during the shoot.
But it was in post production that Nassé made real use of the cutting-edge digital technology at his disposal. "In London, we used to transfer DV rushes onto Beta, and then edit in Avid Media Composer, where we handled our Digibeta edits", he explains. However, this time Nassé wanted to cut out analogue altogether to give better quality, streamline his workflow and save money.
Two image captions offer further information:
A keen Mac user at home, Nassé investigated end-to-end digital solutions, and settled on Final Cut Pro 3 running on a Power Mac G4. The team now has two Macs, both running Final Cut Pro. The main editing machine is a Dual 1GHz Power Mac G4 with a 17-inch Apple Studio Display. A second Power Mac is used for capturing video from a Sony DSR 40P player and producing rough assembly edits.
The final editing and mastering are done on the dual-processor machine and soundtracks are put onto CD for a non-linear digital mix. To finish, the DV masters are transferred to Beta for transmission by Doordarshan, Prasar Bharati’s television arm. Nassé is delighted with the end result: "I am thrilled with the way the whole shooting and editing process is working", he says. "Technically and creatively, the programme is matching anything I’ve achieved in the UK on vastly more expensive cameras and editing systems."
You can find additional information on the project, as well as the referenced images, at Apple’s UK Web site. Thanks to Observer Tober Hollindand for the heads up on the Apple article.
The Mac Observer Spin:
Developing film and TV projects on Macs is becoming more common, much to Avid’s chagrin. This has been a key element of Steve Jobs’ plan for building Apple’s sales, and the creative world has largely been very receptive. From CNN’s reporters, to independent film projects, to TV endeavors like this one, it is truly amazing that professional output can now be achieved through an off-the-shelf Mac with off-the-shelf software.