“HD at Work” in Potsdam-Babelsberg

Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 29, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.

The first “HD at Work” day took place yesterday, Wednesday, at the fx.Center in Babelsberg Media City. With “HD – The Full Range”, the subject was deliberately chosen broadly. The basic idea of Jens Theo Müller from Telefactory for the series of events was to create a forum where practitioners could present and discuss their current HD projects without complication. In just two months, he and Andreas Vogel from Pro Babelsberg put together the 8-hour event.

#HD at Work 1

The screenings of ten HD projects met with particular interest among the many visitors who attended. What was special about the contributions shown was that the producer, director or cameraman commented on their contributions and discussed in detail their problems and successes with the HD device and formats used. The questions from the audience revealed that the practitioners targeted as the audience had indeed gathered and that there is still a great need for information, particularly about the small everyday problems of the new technologies.

In addition, in a workshop section that, however, had more of the character of a lecture, Dietrich Sauter and Hans Hattop, both professors at the University of Film and Television, reported on their comparative tests with various HD recording formats and cameras using numerous examples.

Several completed projects were then shown in the evening programme. Visitors were particularly impressed by the NDR/ARTE production “The Flower Meadow”, which showed spectacular close-ups of plants and insects. Once again, it proved that nature films are a particular strength of HD.

The event is to take place regularly in the future. However, the organisers plan to adapt the concept flexibly to the occasion in each case. Thus, at the next event on June 20, practical technology is to be more of the focus, while on September 1, as part of Media Week, attention will be given to the economic aspects of HD.

Further links:

• HD at Work