HPA TR-X presents: The Use of Cinema Cameras in Multicam Live Productions

Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced additional details for the 2022 HPA Tech Retreat, which will kick off with TR-X on the afternoon of Monday, February 21.

The Tech Retreat returns as an in-person event in Palm Springs from February 21-24. Now in its sixth year, TR-X is an intensive afternoon featuring thought leaders discussing trends in the growing use of cinema cameras for live events. The Supersession, which focuses on virtual production, will be on February 22 and the main conference program, led by Mark Schubin, will be presented February 23-24. The entire event is being presented with rigorous health and safety protocols in place.

Cinema style (“cine”) cameras are now becoming more the norm, incorporated into projects as diverse as the Super Bowl telecast, Fortune 500 corporate projects, concerts, and awards shows. They are supplanting or augmenting traditional 2/3” broadcast cameras and lenses and are fueling interest in adding a new dynamic to storytelling. On the sports side, there is growing interest from national and regional leagues and teams in using cine-style cameras to enhance their narrative capabilities for fans and audiences. For live events, cinema style cameras also bring a new perspective to concert films, major news events, and more.

Mark Chiolis, TR-X committee co-chair along with Craig German, said, “In the past, the buildup and integration of single-sensor cine cameras and lenses into a live production environment was both slow and costly – especially with a workflow in its early stages of development. However, with new technology and equipment available at competitive pricing, the integration and cost to live production are similar to those of a traditional broadcast camera. I’m looking forward to teasing out the particulars and providing our audience with the tools to assess the value of this new path for their productions.”

A wide range of cameras, lenses, transmission, monitoring, LUTs, shading and live color timing, challenges, solutions and options will be discussed over the course of the afternoon. As many of these new tools are already in place and playing a significant role in production and workflow, TR-X will offer attendees a unique opportunity to explore the developments in multi-camera live “cine” production and to engage with the industry experts who are already leading the way. One of the chief goals of the afternoon will be to explore how to integrate the most advantageous aspects of broadcast and cine workflows to deliver best-in-class solutions demanded by today’s discerning viewers. Presentations and case studies will showcase the current and future states for these solutions.

Schedule and Speakers:

• • Opening Keynote: Phil Galler, Co-President, Lux Machina
  • Super Bowl 2022 Half-Time Case Study: Dylan Sanford and team
  • NAB Cine Consortium Update: Kristin Petrovich, Createasphere

Also scheduled to present and speak: David Bourgeois, Cyanview; Bill Bennett, ASC; Tim Walker, AJA; Daniel Perry, Sony; Tom Fletcher, Fujinon; Kevin Norris; and many other key industry innovators in this area.

HPA President Seth Hallen commented: “The advent of cine cameras in live production is a perfect example of a fast-evolving, relevant, and educational Tech Retreat topic, and I am personally interested in gaining better insights and understanding in this arena. I’m looking forward to hearing what the experts have to say about how these tools have been enhancing live productions, and Mark and Craig have drawn an impressive array of people and technologies to really examine this phenomenon from all angles. It will be an illuminating and engaging afternoon.”

Following TR-X, the previously announced HPA Tech Retreat main conference and Supersession will both offer deep exploration of the topics of critical concern to those working at the intersection of creativity and technology. In addition, attendees will enjoy roundtable discussions guided by industry experts, a reimagined Innovation Zone offering first looks at cutting edge technologies, and top tier networking. The schedule for the entire event is available at hpaonline.com and will be updated regularly.

HPA Tech Retreat Health and Safety Protocols:

Bringing the Tech Retreat back live to Palm Springs was a carefully considered decision. In compliance with governmental guidelines and with proper protocols in place, HPA is pleased to be able to safely provide an unforgettable Tech Retreat experience in person once again.

The greater Palm Springs vaccination rate has been consistently among the top in the state, with Rancho Mirage reporting 94% of residents vaccinated as of the end of 2021. Additional health and safety measures in place at the 2022 HPA Tech Retreat include:

• Requiring proof of full vaccination for all participants
• All Tech Retreat events will take place in a designated “Safe Zone” for the exclusive use of Tech Retreat attendees – no outside guests permitted
• Separate outdoor hotel check-in and registration for Tech Retreat attendees only
• Masks required indoors when not eating or drinking
• Outdoor sessions, meals, and breaks when possible
• State of the art HVAC with MERV 13 filtration
• Continuous fresh air circulated into all event and conference space
• Covid Compliance Officers on site
• Electrostatic sanitising of entire conference and event spaces, nightly
• Complimentary COVID testing available to attendees if needed
• Hand sanitising stations throughout venue