High Definition and 24P Cinematography

Preface

I joined the BBC film department in 1963 just as they were opening their second channel and moving over from 35mm black and white to 16mm colour. I left to go freelance 25 years later, by which time I had become one of the six Senior Film Cameramen. At the time I resigned the BBC was just introducing portable video kits for film cinematographers; these consisted of an analogue camera with a separate U-Matic recorder. I have to confess that the introduction of this kit was a contributing factor to my decision to resign – compared with the 16mm film cameras we were using at that time they were heavier, brought back the umbilical cord between the camera and the recorder, and to my eyes there was a huge drop in picture quality.

I never ...