"Sunrise Earth" in HD

[Tom Lowe]

I really admire what the guys at Compass Light Productions have done with their series Sunrise Earth. Are you guys watching this show?

They basically plant a bunch of cameras (most of them locked off on tripods, some on motorized panning heads) and shoot gorgeous scenes of sunrises around the world, completely un-narrated. Multiple cameras are used, and the editor cuts between shots roughly every 30 seconds. The whole thing plays out in real time.

The beauty of this show is its simplicity. No music or narration are used. You just hear the ambient sounds captured by a (short shotgun?) mic. With a big enough HDTV, it's almost like having a window open onto a different part of the world.

In some pics, it looks like they are using F900s, maybe. But I suspect these days, any old 1080p prosumer camera could get the job done. Does anyone know of any good behind-the-scenes videos or articles about this show?

 

[Kyle Presley]

I love this show. Discovery HD, it seems, refuses to use any prosumer model cam, including the HVX200.

 

[Tom Lowe]

Ah. No wonder they are using those bigger cameras.

I guess even with something like the Sony EX3, you are still getting 4:2:0 color, which might be a problem for them.

 

[Brent J. Craig]

I keep it on my DVR to demo my home theatre to new victims. It would be awesome to see on Bluray without all the cable company compression!

 

[Steve Gibby]

I've been watching Sunrise Earth on Discovery HD Theater ever since the series debut. I like the concept and execution of the series. Very cool...

I have Direct TV and watch it on a 46" Sony Bravia 1080p LCD, and it looks pretty dang good. I agree that watching it on a Blue Ray version in 1080p would do it better justice.

One of my favorite movies of all, time was " Koyaanisqatsi", a feature which used powerful visuals and music - with really no need for narration at all. As I remember, Koyaanisqatsi in the Hopi southwestern Native American language, means something like "life out of balance". The movie was a visual treatise on over-industrialization, pollution, and the increasing imbalance in the friction zone between the natural world and growing human populations. Two more films were made in the triligy.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085809/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koyaanisqatsi

There are some productions where narration can simply get in the way of meaningful and aesthetically pleasing images. Sunrise Earth and Koyaanisqatsi are great examples of just letting the visuals and music carry the message to the viewer. I like it...

I'm on the Discovery producers list - and their Producer's Guidelines prohibit HDV for all but the most fleeting short passages in programs, a small percentage of the shots used - where other cameras couldn't be used for various reasons. National Geographic, and the other networks for which I produce content for airing, have roughly the same policy on the use of HDV. As you might expect, RED One is obviously on their approved acquisition camera list.

 

[Alan Skinner]

Thanks for the info

Thanks for the info

Just ordered it from Amazon!

28.95 with free shipping!

I have been looking for something to idle on the plasma screen in the studio.

Can't wait to get my HD projector to see it full wall!

 

[Tom Lowe]

I've been watching Sunrise Earth on Discovery HD Theater ever since the series debut. I like the concept and execution of the series. Very cool...

I have Direct TV and watch it on a 46" Sony Bravia 1080p LCD, and it looks pretty dang good. I agree that watching it on a Blue Ray version in 1080p would do it better justice.

One of my favorite movies of all, time was " Koyanisquatsi" (spelling probably not correct!), a feature which used powerful visuals and music - with really no need for narration at all. As I remember, Koyaniskatsi in a southwestern Native American dialect, means something like "life out of balance". The movie was a visual treatise on over-industrialization, pollution, and the increasing imbalance in the friction zone between the natural world and growing human populations.

There are some productions where narration can simply get in the way of meaningful and aesthetically pleasing images. Sunrise Earth and Koyaniskatsi are great examples of just letting the visuals and music carry the message to the viewer. I like it...

I'm on the Discovery producers list - and their Producer's Guidelines prohibit HDV for all but the most fleeting short passages in programs, a small percentage of the shots used - where other cameras couldn't be used for various reasons. National Geographic, and the other networks for which I produce content for airing, have roughly the same policy on the use of HDV. As you might expect, RED One is obviously on their approved acquisition camera list.

Steve, the film I am in the early stages of shooting right now, These Short Days, is modeled on Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka , which were huge inspirations to me. These are typically referred to as Non-Narrative Films, though the Sunrise Earth guys call their style Experimental TV.

Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson were here in California about 7 months ago shooting the follow up to Baraka called Samsara, which is filming on 65mm once again. Probably the last major film we will ever see shot on that legendary format.

 

[Tom Visser]

It starts out with only ambience, but I'm pretty shure that they cue music in towards the end or at the very end. It is very subtle.

I like the series a lot. I think that it should replace the alarm clock in the bedrooms.

I really admire what the guys at Compass Light Productions have done with their series Sunrise Earth. Are you guys watching this show?

They basically plant a bunch of cameras (most of them locked off on tripods, some on motorized panning heads) and shoot gorgeous scenes of sunrises around the world, completely un-narrated. Multiple cameras are used, and the editor cuts between shots roughly every 30 seconds. The whole thing plays out in real time.

The beauty of this show is its simplicity. No music or narration are used. You just hear the ambient sounds captured by a (short shotgun?) mic. With a big enough HDTV, it's almost like having a window open onto a different part of the world.

In some pics, it looks like they are using F900s, maybe. But I suspect these days, any old 1080p prosumer camera could get the job done. Does anyone know of any good behind-the-scenes videos or articles about this show?

 

[Steve Gibby]

Steve, the film I am in the early stages of shooting right now, These Short Days, is modeled on Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka , which were huge inspirations to me. These are typically referred to as Non-Narrative Films, though the Sunrise Earth guys call their style Experimental TV.

Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson were here in California about 7 months ago shooting the follow up to Baraka called Samsara, which is filming on 65mm once again. Probably the last major film we will ever see shot on that legendary format.

Very,very cool Tom. I'll look forward to enjoying These Short Days when you get it completed.

There are a lot of people in this business producing just any kind of productions simply to make money. They don't impress me - and neither do their productions. But those who create deep, meaningful, aesthetically pleasing productions that leave a lastingly positive effect on the world have my utmost respect.

Tom - definitely follow your passion in production. If your heart is in your projects, it will show through in your work - and if you do it well enough for long enough, the financial rewards from it will inevitably arrive - which will then free you up to move on to each successive great project.

Go for it...

 

[Tom Lowe]

Thanks, Steve.

Your encouragement means a lot to me.

 

[Paul Hazlett]

i saw a short on hd theater about this show and they do indeed use the f900.
or did when the doco was made

 

[Brent J. Craig]

Steve, the film I am in the early stages of shooting right now, These Short Days, is modeled on Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka ...

Awesome! When I saw the night timelapse you posted a few months ago I immediately thought of those great films and wondered how a future version would look shot on the Red.

If your early previews are any indication, I predict These Short Days will be a worthy successor to Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka and will join them our collections!

Do you have someone like Philip Glass to do the music?

 

[David Wright]

Sony F900

Sony F900

Yes "Sunrise" has been a great series. I have been lucky enough to shoot a few of the episodes and they are shot with a Sony F900. It would be great to consider using a RED but the production company have a good workflow with the Sony and I don't think they will be changing. The system works well for them.

The shows are shot on just one morning, two cameras running for 2 to 3 hours. One with a wide angle zoom the other often with a 40x zoom.

It is a very efficient and cost effective way to shoot a high quality HD one hour film. Thanks go to the smart guys at Compass Light.

David Wright
www.lunaseafilms.com

 

[Rudi Herbert]

Yes, I also use that show from my DVR to impress unsuspecting visitors about HD. On the note of Discovery not allowing HDV, like everything else, their standards are double: one of their big money making machines, Orange County Choppers (is that the name?), uses lots of HDV footage and Survivorman, this year advertised for the first time as "HD" is shot on nothing but Sony HDV cameras...

And yes, my money is on Tom becoming the next Ron Fricke, traveling the world with his Monstro 617

 

[Craig Ryan]

One of the best quality shows on HDTV; actually I personally could watch Discovery HD theater all day if permitted :biggrin:

I am thrilled that they prohibit HDV cams for their productions. Be a shame to see those kind of productions to skimp out on their imaging systems, especially when their whole point is to capture raw nature.

RED probably has a bit more DR than an F900 does, so I'd imagine those sunrises would look even more impressive. If they decided to change up the workflow and shot RED 4k, they could still master in 1080p and the downrez would potentially eliminate enough noise to allow them to push for even more DR.

Regardless of what cams are used, it's still amazing what results professional shooters can get.

 

[J Davis]

Thanks for this thread.
I have vivid recollections of going to the movies and seeing Baraka ... and then ten years later, I rented Koyaanisqatsi and enjoyed it equally.
I will make a point to see Sunrise Earth and I will keep an eye out for 'These Short Days'.