Activities and background

*looping productions is devoted to the development and the production of high quality content with major focus of High Definition media.
Véronique Legendre, founder of the *looping project, has been working with NHK Hi-Vision and its R&D labs since 1988, implementing these innovative technologies into actual programs from the early days of Uni-Hi to today’s portable HD Cam and HDV combos.
This unique experience allows *looping productions to position itself as the European expert in High Definition content production.

Production and services

Content production
As its core activity, *looping productions develops and produces content with major emphasis on culture, ethnology and social affairs. Such programs can be produced to accommodate a wide variety of length and formats, from single documentaries and events to large scale series.
Through a network of production partners in Europe *looping production can also act as a catalyst for ambitious projects with a worldwide potential.

Coordination and services
With its unique knowledge and experience in High Definition, *looping productions can assist any type of project from its inception to master tape delivery. A professional team of sharply experienced technicians and creatives will ensure that first class programs will be delivered on time and on budget.

High Definition expertise and consulting
Because technology is the ever evolving vector for content creation, it is essential to make the right choice for the right program. Field, frames, rates and resolutions, each accommodate different needs. This apparent complexity of multiple formats is the daily concern of *looping production consulting team. From shooting to post production, experts can ensure that most appropriate technology is effectively implemented.

I started using HD in 1988. I was working at NHK in Paris. It was very experimental then. For me as a director, on purely aesthetic grounds, it was amazing to see the image quality. I really loved the images. But it was a nightmare shooting with the analogue HD camera. And for post we had to go to LA or New York, even to make a small 30 minute documentary.

I quit NHK in 1991 and worked as a freelancer, then formed Looping Productions. It was better for NHK to have an HD production company based in France.
The big change happened around 1994 when HD switched from analogue to digital Then the HDCAM format appeared. This is when HD became a standard and clearly had a future. Now all the people who used to say to me it was a waste of time to shoot in HD are calling me to ask how it works.
My first HDCAM production was much less experimental and a pleasure to work with. I kept doing NHK productions like Corners of the World and Craftsmen of the World when I switched to HDCAM. Then we started to shoot Masters of Fire, a co-production with French TV, in HDCAM.
Masters of Fire is a two hour documentary about pyrotechnic artists and we used several different formats including HDCAM. It is a co-production between NHK and France 2. The costs were higher to shoot in HD, but they were paid for by NHK. But when the producer of France 2 saw the HD images he was really impressed. That was a starting point. France 2 producers say: 'We now know why you shoot in HD not Digital Betacam - the image is fantastic and this is a format that will last a long time'. It is better to shoot in HDCAM and downconvert to Digital Betacam than shoot in Digital Betacam.

After Masters of Fire, we started to produce a series for Japan in HD, called Catwalk, about French fashion shows. We are making 5 x 25 minutes series, four times a year.
Two years ago there was a fear factor about HD. Now if you say you are producing in HD it is a guarantee of quality. I think French TV is interested in HD because the programmes will have a longer shelf life and you have a good quality production.
For me, with ten years of experience with HD, now there is a big change. HDCAM now equals a high quality product. Also, shooting in HD is important for international co-productions, particularly with Japan and United States.

Getting the best out of HDCAM depends on how you make the image. You need to have experience of it to avoid stupid mistakes. You also need to know what you can do in post production. If it is not well thought out, you can spend money that is unnecessary. You need people to be more qualified, but it all goes towards creating a better quality product.
The first thought of most people when turning to HD, is to find a film cameraman. But it is not always necessary. I like to use a cameraman who has a video reflex, who doesn't necessarily know HD, but who is quick. If I was given the choice of producing in Super 16 or HD, I would choose HD right away.

HDCAM is also a good format for live recording. Your cameras can have the same settings for multi-camera shoots, you have longer tapes and no reel changes and you have high quality images. For television drama it is also very relevant.
Another area where it has a future is as HD DVDs. This will make HD really relevant and push the take up of HD sets in the home even before HD transmissions.
For me, HD is super high class digital video. I'm a TV child, so its like having a toy and this toy has become a Rolls Royce.

Scene to Screen (Sony official magazine) spring 2003