Oscar-vinner filmet med Si-2K
Ottobrunn/Wiesbaden/Hollywood/Mumbai. The feature film Slumdog Millionaire (Director Danny Boyle, DoP Anthony Dod Mantle), shot mainly with P+S Technik’s SI-2K Digital Camera System, has been honoured with eight Oscars, including the categories Best Motion Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography. The combination of a brilliant story, together with technology offering flexibility and efficiency in production and processing of digital footage, made Boyle’s exceptional concept for recording possible: A series of "sets" in Mumbai where used. These sets were actually live locations,, meaning only the actors and the crew knew about the shooting of the film, therefore securing true authenticity. The authenticity of these shots proved to be ingenious in gaining the required credibility of the modern fairy tale.
For the realisation of this stylistic device, this innovative technology, co-developed by P+S Technik and Silicon Imaging was indispensable. A professional image recording device was needed, but only a device that would not be distinguishable as a movie camera could be used, therefore not jeopardising the real live situation of the unknowing extras rather Golden Globe winners. The solution was a hand-held setup: the SI-2K Mini camera head, which can be separated from the rest of the camera body. The head houses a 2/3" CMOS image sensor. In this way, the ‘eye’ of the digital camera can be handled similar that that of a handheld cam. It can also be attached onto a helmet or under a train. The components recording the footage can be placed elsewhere, e.g. in the backpack of Dod Mantle. "You can capture a bit of the life that’s going on around you without people realizing it and becoming self-conscious", Boyle notes. Thus, the SI-2K Mini enabled them to devise a unique visual style that perfectly suited to the story.
Besides the flexibility of the SI-2K, this digital technology allows to control the quality directly on set by checking the footage on site. Accordingly, the digital technology makes possible the production and handling of large amounts of footage. On the set of Slumdog Millionaire four SI-2Ks have been in operation simultaneously at times.
Although it was planned to shoot primarily on 35mm film and to use the SI-2K Mini only for the hand-held scenes in the Mumbai slums, as it facilitates extreme flexibility in shooting methods. In the end, Boyle was so pleased with the Mini’s performance and operation ability under such difficult conditions in the slums, that more than 60% of the movie was realised with the SI-2K.
The breakthrough of new technologies is always based on the work of pioneers. The British cameraman Anthony Dod Mantle is well-known for being one of these leading pioneers in cinematography. His Assistant, the German Stefan Ciupek, has a reputation as a specialist in the HD-Technology. The equipment came from the company Pille Filmgeräteverleih (Wiesbaden/Köln), which supported the new technology not only as the first ones, but also modified the cameras and recording devices in an up till now unique way, to adapt to the difficult conditions in the hot and narrow slums of Mumbai. Ciupek determined that the laptops would have to be packed in dry ice so they wouldn’t fail in India’s intense heat. According to Wolfgang Damm, the technical coordinator of Pille, the company "went over the boundaries of technical know how for this film".
Slumdog Millionaire may bring out a paradigm shift: It’s the first mainly digitally produced movie with exceptional chances for an Oscar-Nomination. Digital technology has arrived on set and the winners are the creative pioneers.
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