The Real Camera Behind Cloverfield

Mark Wilson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:45:54 EST

For those who've seen the unique monster movie Cloverfield, you know that the story is supposed to have been shot by the aptly-named character "Hud" with a cheapo handheld consumer camera. You know, something you could grab at Best Buy next weekend, use once and forget about forever. Convincing the audience of that point was one of the movie's most successful angles, since much of the film (yes, a few other cameras were used, too) was really shot on Sony's flagship, absolute top of the line CineAlta HD camera, the F23.

It's a 1080p camera that shoots anywhere from 1P to 60P a second, so 24P shooting (the exact framerate of film) is no problem. As for what it records to...the movie claims the video was captured on an SD card.
That's not quite the case, since such a puny card could never write an uncompressed 4:4:4 (full color space) image in real time. Instead, filmmakers probably used Sony's SRW-1, which can hook directly to the camera to allow both easy shooting and recording speeds of 110MB/sec (versus an SD card's 20MB/sec).

So how much would it cost to score an F23 of your own? Sony hasn't made that number public, but their next camera down runs $115,000. And while we know Cloverfield's main character was a hotshot VP of some sort, he probably didn't invest that much into his Coney Island video* fund.

*You know, that movie he made to cover trying to shoot his girlfriend naked in the morning that seemed to tie the movie together so poignantly.

[sony]

Sony Intros CineAlta F23 High-End HD Camera for Pro Filmmakers

Charlie White — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 09:21:13 EST

This is not exactly a camcorder you'd take to the family picnic; the Sony F23 is the latest 1080p (1920x1080) camera in the company's CineAlta line of cameras that are a favorite of digital cinematographers. The F23 takes its place at the top of the CineAlta line, supporting just about every high-end resolution including the coveted 1080/24p format favored by filmmakers.

When docked with Sony's SRW-1 VTR, it's also able to record at just about any frame rate between 1p and 60p using its three 2/3-inch CCD imagers, allowing shooters to create high-rez fast-motion or slow-motion effects. It also has that highest of high-end 4:4:4 sampling ratio for only the richest color. It'll be available next spring at an undisclosed price. We'll probably be watching blockbuster movies made on this monster by next summer. – Charlie White

Sony's New F23 Camera Rises To The Pinnacle Of The CineAlta Acquisition Line-Up [Sony]

Gizmodo: f23

The Real Camera Behind Cloverfield

Sony Intros CineAlta F23 High-End HD Camera for Pro Filmmakers