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MillimeterAbel Cine Tech and Panasonic Partner for Digital Filmmakers Grant Program
Mar 7, 2005 4:03 PM
Abel Cine Tech (www.abelcine.com) and Panasonic (www.panasonic.com/broadcast) have announced that they’re teaming up to support a second year of the Digital Filmmakers Grant Program to encourage the production of independent films.
Last year was the program’s inaugural year and, as a result, 15 filmmakers were able to produce their independent projects thanks to the support of a Digital Filmmakers Grant.
For the 2005 grant program, four Grand Prize Winners will be awarded. Grand prize winners will receive an equipment package, with a rental value of more than $17,000, that includes a three-week rental of the Panasonic AJ-SDX900 camera and Fujinon Broadcast zoom lens, 10 hours of DVCPRO50 videotape, a 10-week rental of an editing package consisting of a Power Mac G5 with Final Cut Pro editing software, and a Panasonic DVCPRO50 VTR with an IEEE1394 Firewire card, courtesy of Abel Cine Tech, Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Company, and Apple Computer.
In addition to the Grand Prize winners, several more camera-only awards will be made. The rental value of these awards is more than $4,500 and will consist of a three-week rental of the AJ-SDX900 and 10 hours of DVCPRO50 videotape.
“Panasonic was pleased with the range and quality of the films produced as a result of last year’s program,” says Jan Crittenden Livingston, Product Line Business Manager, DVPRO50/DVCPRO products, Panasonic Broadcast. "We are anticipating receiving even more innovative, more creative submissions from filmmakers this year. In addition, we are delighted that Abel Cine Tech and Apple are again backing the program. Filmmakers need reliable, trusted support, and Abel Cine Tech is an expert at providing them assistance.”
“There were such interesting projects that came out of last year’s program, that we knew we needed to be onboard again for 2005,” says Pete Abel, President of Abel Cine Tech. “The Digital Filmmakers Grant is easily one of the most effective grant mechanisms that Abel has ever been part of.”
Applications for the four Grand Prizes and secondary awards are being accepted now through April 30, 2005. To obtain an application or to check out the projects of last year’s award winners, visit www.digifilmmakersgrant.com. Entrants will be asked to submit: a 1-2 page treatment; a description of the proposed post-production path (i.e., how will the project be edited?); a comment on the features of the AJ-SDX900 that suit the project; a copy of the script or rough script; and a sample of the DP’s work, among other criteria. The Grand Prize winners and additional camera-only grants will be announced during second quarter 2005. Each winner will be selected on the basis of the presentation of all key elements of the application packet submitted, the creative and technical merit of the proposed project, as well as the program partners’ confidence that the filmmaker(s) will be able to complete the film as proposed.
The Panasonic Digital Filmmakers Grant program will be overseen by Abel Cine Tech. Equipment will be procured out of Abel’s New York or Los Angeles location. Additional equipment for all awards can be rented from Abel Cine Tech. In addition, winners’ production teams will be trained at Abel Cine Tech’s New York or Los Angeles office in the operation of the AJ-SDX900 and will learn how to optimize the camera and post equipment for their particular project.
Panasonic’s AJ-SDX900 offers filmmakers the ultimate in acquisition flexibility, expressed in the operator-controllable selection of EFP-quality 4:2:2 sampled DVCPRO50 or classic 4:1:1 sampled DVCPRO recording, with support for native 16:9 wide-screen.
The AJ-SDX900 combines in one camera the “look” and “feel” of electronic film, high-performance 525-line field production, and low-cost NTSC compatible news. It is also the first 50Mbps 4:2:2 sampled standard definition camcorder to offer 24 frames-per-second progressive scan (480/24p) acquisition, in addition to 30 frames-per-second progressive (480/30p) and 60-fields-per-second interlace scan (480/60i) capture.
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