By Elina Shatkin, May 26, 2004
Underwater cinematographer Pete Romano, President of HydroFlex, Inc., has developed the company's new "HD Remote AquaCam" to ease other feature and TV film shooters into submerged HD production. The HD AquaCam incorporates a Fujinon HA1"x4.5 wide angle HDTV Cine Style zoom lens with Preston iris, focus and zoom hand unit controls on a Sony HDW-F950 camera.
Romano is a seasoned underwater feature film cinematographer, having served as underwater DP on "The Italian Job," "Pearl Harbor," Saving Private Ryan," "Waterworld," "Armageddon," James Bond's "Tomorrow Never Dies," and "The Abyss." Although he's shot with film throughout his "0-year career, he believes underwater cinematography is well suited to high definition video production.
Fujinon's HA1"x4.5 wide-angle lens, coupled with remote camera and lens controls, in an underwater housing offers video producers an innovative new tool
. Fujinon's wide-angle lens allows shooters to get closer to the subject, and less water between the lens and subject means a crisper, more colorful shot. All iris, focus and zoom functions are controlled with the Preston hand unit, which is operated from the surface.
The HD Remote AquaCam was designed to mount on HydroFlex's underwater pan and tilt remote head, but because of its elliptical shape the AquaCam can also be handheld and moved through the water easily.
The impetus behind the Remote AquaCam came at the urging of Marker Karahadian, President of Plus 8 Digital in Burbank. Karahadian recommended that Romano add a housing for the Fujinon wide-angle lens and Sony camera to his equipment roster to get Romano's film clientele familiar with the benefits of HD production.
Romano recently used the Remote AquaCam for a Vitalis commercial, directed by famed fashion photographer Howard Schatz for ad agency Cason Nightengale Creative Communications in New York; a short for the Los Angeles production company Headquarters called "Cornell's Revenge;" and a promotional video for designer Louis Vuitton.
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