The idea is to shoot a whole season of shows—one entire show per day—on two ships during two 7-day cruises. Norwegian Cruise Lines partners with Prin Pictures and receives the promotional benefit as we visit their ports of call: New York City, Cape Canaveral, Miami, and, finally, Nassau, Bahamas. Once the idea is green-lighted, Chris Derek Snyder (C.D.) and the rest of Prin Pictures crew spend 5 months sorting out the details.
I am brought in 45 days prior to production to head up the camera department and prep for the first cruise on the Norwegian Dawn. Moving from the structured world of commercial production into reality TV is a big change for me. There's only so much you can plan for when shooting a reality show. I'm sure there will be plenty of wild cards in the making of Bluff. I'll have to plan for the worst, hope for the best, and go with the flow throughout the production. I do have one ace in the hole: Tim Powell. He and I both teach in the TV/Film Department at San Diego State University, and he's got a lot of experience in producing reality TV. I push for him to be hired—he lands the job, and we're off.
The plan is to hire 17 camera operators and 17 assistants (a job that soon morphs into sound/boom operators) from San Diego and the East Coast. There are a few experienced camera ops, some right out of San Diego State's film school, with interns and friends stepping in as well. The producers want to shoot the show in high definition. We'll need cameras that are easy to operate, very forgiving, but capable of capturing good HD images in the right hands. The budget is tight and the HDV for-mat seems a good way to achieve HD at low cost. Timing is everything, and when we spec out HDV cameras, the Sony Z1U is the only pro HDV camera that's readily available.
Prin Pictures purchases several Z1Us and three Z1U EWA underwater bags. We'll rent the rest from Bexel in New York. I spend a weekend shuffling through the camera's settings to decide the look of the show, and pass on both the Cinematone and CineFrame settings. The Cinematone option seems less tolerant of exposure errors than other settings, and my goal is to set a broad range for the camera original in order to deal with many different lighting conditions. The final look of the show is to be dialed in during post.
The chunky CineFrame feature on the Z1U is auditioned, then discarded. The effect seems, well, like an effect, and not smooth and organic like the 24p of the CineAlta or VariCam.
We create an Excel spreadsheet to list the Z1U's Personal Profile and Menu settings to ensure that all of the cameras have identical setups. We'll post the list and run each camera team through the setup.
Meanwhile, the nine contestants are chosen, and camera operators Michael Rizzi and Geoff Patrick are sent around the country to interview them. Days before we leave, the first wild card is dealt: one New York cameraman quits.
We send all of the gear, plus a custom poker table, to Bexel, where we'll start to prep the week before we set sail.
New York, NY: First Day Of Prep
The plane lands after a 3-hour layover in Chicago in 98-degree summer heat. At Bexel, we get our first view of the poker table, and are dealt our first bad hand. A neon ring encircles the table and illuminates a white Plexiglas strip under the arm rest. Nine cigar cameras—card cams—are mounted into the plex to shoot close-ups of the contestants' poker hands. Unfortunately, when we turn on the light ring, the neon emits a field that makes the picture from the cigar cameras unstable. This affects my stability, as well.
 Dave Lichtenberg and Chris Ernst with version 1.0 of the poker table. Photo by K. Funaki. |
I start to dismantle the poker table. We make an attempt to fix the problem with the neon, but we give up hours later and start to explore new options. Dave Lichtenberg, the gaffer, has an idea. We'll find out more tomorrow.
At Bexel, the floor is divided up into 10 squares, and we're placing Z1U camera packages in each. All of the packages are color-coded and assigned to two camera teams. The Gitzo tripods are great. They pack small and light, and are the most versatile sticks on the market. The head also has a stud that tightens the ball, and can be used to mount the camera on a high roller or other grip gear.
I hear we lost another camera operator, who won't be replaced. I have a brief "reality based" meltdown with the home office.
New York, NY: Second Day Of Prep
Brian Murphy from Bexel has spent the entire night cataloging all of the equipment required for the shipping company to move our equipment on board (for a partial list of gear, see "The Bluff Reality TV Packing List" sidebar). At 5:00 p.m. on Day 2, he is still hard at work. The Gitzo tripods need wheels for the poker show. We improvise spray can lids zip-tied onto Sachtler wheels. The lids make nice little cups for the legs.
The Bluff Reality TV Packing List |
Brian is having wireless receiver mounts made to fit into the shotgun mic holder. They'll work okay, but we agree to collaborate on a new design once this project is over.
Using polarizers is difficult with the lens shade on the Z1U. The tight fit inhibits smooth turning of the polarizer. I make my way to B&H Photo and buy all of the rubber round lens shades they have, and this does the trick.
The poker table is still in pieces and the lighting solution hasn't been tried, but I'm going with the flow. On my way back to Bexel, I step off a curb, wrench my ankle, and hear a snap. Night Two is spent in a Manhattan ER. Nothing is broken—just a bad sprain and orders to stay off the foot for a while. The ER doc offers no advice for how to continue the shoot, but is very interested to hear about the show. I leave before he has a chance to give me his headshot.
New York, NY: Third Day Of Prep
We gather the whole 32-person camera and sound crew at Bexel. Every camera crew unit will go through their equipment and run through our custom setup.
We are adding a Sony 700 to put on a jib arm. John Campbell from Bexel is setting it up to match the look I've set for the Z1Us. John will come with us on the cruise to help with equipment issues.
We bring in Light Tape by Electro-LuminX to fix the poker table. We place the tape over the original white Plexiglas with holes cut for the cameras. When a charge is put to the tape, it glows like neon. It works great. The cameras stop twitching, and so do I.
Jason Sikora gives an audio lesson and checks out the sound on each system. We move everyone and their gear to the hotel for a brief camera class to discuss how we want this show to be shot.
First we cover the basics for the beginners. With so much footage, it will be important to make the best shots easy to find, so we cover methods to "shoot for the editors." One visual aid that will come in handy in post is always ID'ing wild sound by shooting the microphone. We make a laminated white card with a key to the six function buttons on the side of the Z1U, along with specific tape-logging instructions, and pass them out to the crew.
 The Z1Us set up for midnight syncing. Photo by K. Funaki. |
At midnight, Kevin Funaki of Prin Pictures lines up all of the Z1Us to try a syncing method I read about in an article written by Chris Hurd. The timecode generator in each camera is set to free run. With a push of the reset button at midnight, all Z1Us are set and in sync, plus or minus a frame or two, which will make searching for material in post much easier. For an additional measure of time sync, the camera operators are given cheap watches set to a 24-hour clock with the day illuminated and the ID color of their camera crew taped to the band. They shoot their watches at the beginning of each roll. The producers are also field-logging according to the same 24-hour clock, so their notes and the footage should all match up in post.
New York, NY: First Day Of The Shoot
The crew is divided into teams to cover the action as the contestants come on board. Load-in of the poker table begins. Everyone rushes to set up the poker set. To make matters more difficult, we are also shooting the contestants while the poker set is being built.
We have 4 hours to build a master control director's booth. Tim Powell will direct, and Kevin Funaki will be the TD.
We install seven infrared cameras in the luxury suite that all nine contestants share. We hope to capture some private moments during the cruise. In adequate light, the cameras shoot 3-hour loads of full-color S-VHS. When the light is low, they switch to infrared and have a great spooky night look. Although the contestants are aware of the IR cameras, the IR units are a lot less intrusive than the sweaty camera crews following them around the rest of the day.
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We shoot the first poker game and some interviews. Other sets are being put together and wired into the master control. The switcher outputs an SD signal through the ship's closed-circuit system to feed monitors on the other sets.
Hundreds of feet from the stage and up a floor on the ship is the Loser's Lounge set, where the contestants go when they leave the poker game. While they are in the Loser's Lounge, the contestants can follow the game on the monitor and make pointed comments about the remaining players.
The poker game has to be halted to allow for another show to play through on the stage we're using. Everything needs to be marked, torn down, and hidden in a small area at the ship's bow. The show sets up and goes on without a problem.
Day 1 damage control: One channel on one Z1U is out. The crew lost one LitePanel and misplaced a Flex Fill. One connector on a LitePanel shorts out and is replaced. The lens on the Sony 700 has a bad grinding sound and is going to be replaced when we arrive in Florida.
Day 1 is over for me, but not for the contestants, as four teams follow them to their rooms.
At Sea: Day 2 Of The Shoot
Day 2 starts with organizing the equipment room and refining some shooting protocols. We build the poker set again and decide to change the lighting for a softer look. The Z1Us are raised for a better angle. The nine cigar cams are getting great close-ups of the players' hands; they are all displayed on one screen with a timecode window and recorded onto VHS. A timeline will be made of each player's hand to be used as a guide during editing.
 The poker table gets a lighting tweak. This set had to be built struck, and rebuilt to accommodate the ship's entertainment schedule. Photo by K. Funaki. |
Day 2 is hectic, but goes relatively smoothly. The crews are finding their groove.
 Tim Powell at the switcher. Photo by K. Funaki. |
Cape Canaveral, FL: Day 3 Of The Shoot
Call time is 8:00 a.m. to shoot today's event. It's a gorgeous day—the sky is clear and blue. The crews are bused to the location and divided up to get the best coverage, and the day's challenge begins. Although I can't divulge the details of this or the other competitions, I can say that the contestants have a great time, and, despite a few problems and delays, the gear is holding up well. All of that prep time is paying off.
Miami, FL: Day 4 Of The Shoot
The footage is looking great. We are shooting 35 to 45 tapes a day, about half of what I had imagined. The editors will be thankful.
Problems surface with the long cable runs for the IR cams and the VHS deck inputs getting changed by accident, but these problems are quickly fixed and the show goes on.
Private Island, Bahamas: Day 5 Of The Shoot
The crews are divided up for best coverage and three cameras are enclosed in EWA underwater bags and put in a pool. The bags work flawlessly and the footage turns out great.
 Geoff Patrick gets in the swim with a Z1U in an EWA bag. Photo by Rich Underwood. |
I start to work with Rob Craghead of Ten Stories on the show open. We take each of the contestants, and spend enough time to work with them and light them nicely. They're tired but happy to work with us. We're almost finished.
Nassau, Bahamas: Day 6 Of The Shoot
Geoff Patrick has a Sony HDR-FX1 HDV cam in an EWA bag. We'll be going about 40 feet down, much deeper than the specified tolerance of the bag. The FX1 is cheaper than the Z1U and is owned by Prin Pictures, so it's the one chosen to go deep. We also hire Fin Photo, from Nassau, to cover the event with its SD cameras. Geoff has the only HDV camera, so we are relying on his footage. The bag performs above and beyond its specifications, so we end up with a dry camera, great shots, and relief all around.
At Sea: Day 7 Of The Shoot
We are heading home, so the remaining events take place on-board. This day will see several sets built, lit, torn down, and built again to cover all of the components of the show.
Exhaustion starts to set in for everyone in the crew. The end is near and the adrenaline is starting to fade. My bandage has left dark blue rings on my ankle. I've been so busy, I haven't paid any attention to the sprain. At night, I'm out like a light.
 Jeff Speed and boom operator and in-full action-figure stance on the set. Photo by Rich Underwood. |
New York, NY: Day 8, The Wrap
The wrap began last night and starts up again at 6:00 a.m. The crews gather and log in all of the gear. Everything is accounted for with only a few broken pieces. Paul Hogan, the AD, shoulders the important task of getting all of the master tapes on the plane.
In the hustle to remove things off the boat, some of the last gear bags are taken by the ship's porters, and a mad attempt at locating the missing bags ensues. Days later, two bags filled with expensive LitePanels are found back on the boat, but one bag is missing to this day.
San Diego, CA: Postproduction And Postmortem
The series is being edited at Prin Pictures. A demo reel is cut and the 2-minute promo looks great. I'll work with Prin Pictures and Ten Stories to tweak the final look of the show. Editing will take a few months.
In the end, the Sony Z1Us did a great job—they consistently performed well. The cameras ran nonstop for 7 days, and most of the camera ops were comfortable with them after a few hours of constant use. The timecode slipped on all of the cameras, but because it was recording time of day, all of the logging still works, just not to the frame.
The EWA bags worked great and I remain a big fan of Gitzo tripods. The LitePanels worked well. Their main advantages are they're very lightweight and have batteries that charge faster than you can use them, so we only needed two batteries for each light head. But after we added the wireless receiver to our setups, the camera would be too heavy to hold off the shoulder for very long, even with the light LitePanels. With the addition of the Mighty Wondercam shoulder pod and Ab Pad, hiking around all day with a camera was no problem. We put matching quick-release plates on the braces and the tripods so the exchange could be done quickly.
This show has been a great experience for me and the crew. We pushed ourselves and the gear hard, but got some great results. I was able to see how HDV performs in a variety of shooting situations, and was impressed. After my ankle heals, I can't wait to go on another nice, relaxing cruise.
Rich Underwood has been shooting and directing award-winning commercials for more than 20 years. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Advanced Cinematography at San Diego State University.
