CANON HD-EC ZOOM LENSES CAPTURE ACTION FOOTAGE ON THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES FOR AWARD-WINNING TV COMMERICAL

DP Richard Henkels Chooses Canon HJ21x7.5B KLL-SC and HJ11x4.7B KLL-SC Lenses to Achieve Precise Imagery for Visually Demanding Location and Studio Shoot

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., August 8, 2006 – “Wrapshear,” a :30 spot from agency mcgarrybowen and directors Mark Kudsi and Grady Hall of Motion Theory for a leading brand of athletic shoe, was honored recently with a 2006 Clio Award, advertising’s most prestigious honor. An imaginative melding of gritty urban L.A. landscapes and highly sophisticated visual effects, “Wrapshear” won Motion Theory a silver trophy in the Animation category, with a big assist from the uncompromising imagery of Canon High Definition Electronic Cinematography (HD-EC) variable focal length (zoom) lenses.

The footage for the groundbreaking commercial was shot by high-concept DP Richard Henkels, who thrived on the performance of his Canon HJ21x7.5B KLL-SC and HJ11x4.7B KLL-SC HD-EC lenses. “The quality of the optics in an ambitious project like this makes a huge difference,” said Henkels. “The look of the piece is very edgy, and the producers wanted precise imagery. Out of all the lenses I had access to, the Canon HD-EC zooms by far provided the best contrast and immunity to flare, especially in a run-and-gun situation where I didn’t have full control of the light. My Canon lenses were essential to achieving the unique look of the piece.”

“Wrapshear” is a visually entrancing spot where an inspiringly detailed close-up of the high-tech athletic shoe quickly takes a fantastic turn: A gritty, animated cityscape grows suddenly out of the shoe, becoming a 3D graphic environment that unfolds quickly around the live-action runner that is moving nimbly through it. Seemingly hand-drawn cityscapes morph speedily around him and under his feet as he sprints through the city, an action-packed race that seamlessly blends the worlds of live action and high-style graphic visualizations.

Henkels constantly put his Canon HD-EC lenses, affixed to Sony 950 cameras shooting in 24p, to the test during the three-day project, which entailed both the control of green-screen work and hectic location shoots that kept Henkels and his small crew on their toes.

“It wasn’t like a normal commercial – we shot an immense amount of stuff in a short amount of time so the spot’s collage-type feeling could be constructed,” Henkels explained. “I shot with two cameras, and it was great to see how well both the Canon HJ21x7.5B and HJ11x4.7B lenses compared: You could physically look at both images side by side and they matched up perfectly in sharpness, contrast, and color reproduction. It was fantastic.”

The extremely high-quality imagery of Canon’s HD-EC lenses is a combination of the exceptionally high contrast and sharpness, which holds up superbly from image center to the corners, and was essential to helping Henkels and Motion Theory achieve their vision. “This is a great effects commercial, but the double-edged sword is that a lot of effects in a piece can make it too slick,” he noted. “We wanted to make sure this didn’t feel overly digital. One technique I employed here was to slightly underexpose the shots, which I love to do in HD, but is a very tricky thing unless you have outstanding glass like the Canon HD-EC lenses. I’ve found that if you underexpose from a half stop to a stop, you get a more organic look that softens the hard edges of HD. Underexposing with bad lenses can have disastrous results, but the high performance of the Canon HD-EC glass made me extremely confident in applying this method on ‘Wrapshear’.”
The HJ21x7.5B KLL-SC and HJ11x4.7B KLL-SC lenses are joined by the HJ8x5.5B KLL-SC as Canon’s three HD-EC zoom lenses. Canon’s HD-EC line also includes the Canon FJs5mm, FJs9mm, FJs14mm, FJs24mm, FJs35mm, and FJs55mm HD-EC 2/3-inch prime lenses. All of the lenses feature optimization of MTF at the wide aperture settings and a very short MOD. Canon’s innovative Internal Focus employs a two-group floating optical system for highest performance. The assurance of traditional film-style lens feel and operation is a result of precise mechanics and a defined control of torque with no backlash. The easy visibility of our large, dual, luminous scales for focus (marked in feet) and iris are a boon to low-light scene shooting.
Henkels is gratified that the spot’s team has received the recognition that comes with its 2006 Clio Award. “The guys at Motion Theory are fantastic – they put their heart and soul into ‘Wrapshear’ and the result is that it’s very fresh and different from anything else out there,” he says. “It was one of those projects where everything came together. My Canon glass made everything that much easier by giving me lenses that I could completely rely on to deliver consistently superb imagery. With their HD-EC line, Canon has set the standard for motion picture professionals.”

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America and is rated #35 on the BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent holder of technology, ranking second overall in the U.S. in 2005, with global revenues of $31.8 billion. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.

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