Panasonic’s P2 receives national exposure

It was through writer, producer/director Larry Engel Engel’s longtime association with Abel Cine Tech that he came to use Panasonic’s AJ-SPX800 DVCPRO P2 camcorder for his latest documentary, “Gangland Graveyard”.

When the documentary “Gangland Graveyard” for Thirteen/WNET New York’s Secrets of the Dead series premieres Nov. 16th, it will mark the first airing of a national television show shot on Panasonic’s DVCPRO P2 flash memory format.

The production details the rise and fall of the “Last Don” Joe Massino. It was through Engel’s longtime association with the New York-based camera equipment supplier, Abel Cine Tech that Engel came to use Panasonic’s AJ-SPX800 2/3in DVCPRO50/DVCPRO P2 camcorder.

The production team said the proxy video feature was key to choosing the format for the documentary-style production. The proxy feature resulted in no screeners, no log and capture.

On the SPX800 camcorder, a PC card slot is provided to accept a range of options, including an MPEG-4 Proxy video encoder. Proxy video — available in three quality choices — may be recorded to P2 cards and SD memory cards. This proxy data recording and wireless LAN functions facilitate the transfer of low-resolution proxy AV streams with wireless ease for subsequent viewing on a producer/editor’s PC or PDA.

The production was edited on Apple’s Final Cut Pro 5 and finishing was done at Swete, in Manhattan.

For more information, visit www.panasonic.com/broadcast.

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