Adult Swim commercials shot with?
 

Hi, all. This is my first post.

There are a couple of commercials during Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network that feature a sock puppet and a baby. Does anyone know what camera was used? I'm wondering if it's a GS70 or something higher end.

Thanks.

I haven't seen the commerical, but most likely the camera is higher end than a GS70. The lower end for television production purposes is probably more like the VX2100, PDX-10, AG-DVC80, XL1S, GL2, etc...Then above them the XL2, AG-DVX100, PD-170, and models keep climbing from there. Although the GS70 has 3CCDs, I don't think it has the resoultion for broadcast pruposes. Is there a reason you mentioned the GS70 specifically?

Hmm... I'd figure cameras like the Sony DSR500 (3x2/3"CCD) cameras would be considered low end television cameras. I don't think anything on TV with more than a student budget is shot on less than 2/3" chip cameras.
(the exception is shows that use them as "extra" cameras like Monster Garage and Trading Spaces, indie extreme sports shows, and the odd news piece where a shoulder size camera is too big).

Yeah you're mostly right, Dylan. I meant to say it was probably true for them because Adult Swim does a lot of little corny productions in-office (not in a studio). The only I reason I'd leave it up to argument at all is because some reality-ish shows (like you mentioned) use some of the cams I brought up (WildBoyz, Viva La Bam, extreme nature specials, etc...).

Adult Swim commercials shot with?
 

Thanks for the replies, Jesse and Dylan. I'd read elsewhere that the GS70 picture (automatic white balance set) leans towards green, which is what the commercials do.

It's as if they wanted the spots to look like they were shot spontaneously.

Knowing the Adult Swim guys, they may have shot spontaneously...or are actually incredibly professional, shot with a nice 2/3" chip cam, and added a filter or bad color correction later. Email them and ask. I'll bet somebody gets back to you about it.

The Aqua Teen Hunger Force Vol 2 DVD has some production stills in the extras -- they show an XL1s being used for some of the live-action stuff that pops up on the show (like "Assisted Living Dracula"). So I'd say that it's probably a good guess that they used the XL1s on their low-budget commercials. If not that, I'd guess a PD150/170 or a VX 2000/2100.

Dylan -- I take it you haven't seen the Adult Swim promo spots; they are quite low-budget :)

EDIT: by the way, I haven't seen the ad in question, but perhaps it's also possible that it was shot under flourescent lighting, which can lend a green cast to the footage.

I've seen the Aqua Teen Hunger Force show, but I'm not familliar with the spots you guys are referring to. I was just making a comment on what the TV production industry considers low budget, thats all.

I took Jesse's advice and contacted CN. No reply yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they used an XL1s like John saw in the production stills.

The reason I wanted to know is I'm buying a GS120, the GS70 upgrade, this month. Mostly, I'll be using it for event videography, some short films, and some public service announcements. I've handled the GS120 a couple of times, but haven't viewed footage on a television.

If my budget allowed, I'd go for a GS400 or better. But my D8 (which has served me well) is headed for that happy shooting ground in the sky and needs to be replaced ASAP.

Thanks, all, for the input.

Not to discourage you from buying that model, but I should say a couple of things. The GS200 is the upgrade to the GS70, and while the GS120 is a year ahead of the 70, it's kind of a step down, especially with not having a focus ring.

You really won't be able to use it for paid event videography because of its size, poor electronic stabilization, and small chips. Even if you just mean to shoot a couple of local bands performances for a simple DVD, you may want to look into another affordable cam with bigger chips. I had a Panny with 1/6" chips, and the video was unusable in really dim lighting. Then I got one with 1/4" chips and the difference is like night and day (pun intended =P). I know inexpensive 3CCDs are a big draw, but you might want to look into what you can get on Ebay, or our Classified section, for $700 first.