Electronics manufacturer Sony withdraws high-definition camera from European trial after snags during U2 music video shoot.
http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/technical-problems-hit-star-wars-bound-e-cinema-camera/1189904.article
Director George Lucas's bid to film the next Star Wars entirely digitally has suffered a setback after one of the cameras he intended to use was withdrawn from a European trial, writes Adrian Pennington
Electronics manufacturer Sony decided to 'temporarily' withdraw the HDW-F900, one of only four in circulation, from the trial after technical problems came to light during a U2 music video shoot by director Wim Wenders in Dublin earlier this month.
The trial, organised by UK film and commercials facility the Mill, would have involved a rigorous side-by-side comparison with 35mm film.
Sony BPE marketing manager Milan Krsljanin claimed the technical difficulties were 'minor'. He said: 'They were not with the quality of acquisition, which was fine, but with the strenuous testing of lighting parameters and latitudes for which the unit had not been thoroughly prepared.
'Wenders was interested in creating mood and atmosphere with camera, not in minutely assessing its specifications,' he added.
Krsljanin said the problems would be resolved in time for shipment to Europe in May. However he declined to comment on whether they were confined to one or all four of the HDW-F900s. The other three cameras are being tested by Lucas in Australia.
