The life of bears, closer than ever, with Varicam P2 HD on the BBC

The BBC has just released Great Bear Stakeout, a documentary in two installments, which presents the life of brown bears in the Alaskan desert with scenes shot with the Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 Varicam P2 HD at just a few meters away.

The BBC's natural history production department, undoubtedly one of the most internationally recognized teams when it comes to tackling documentaries, has used, along with several remote cameras, the AJ-HPX2700 Varicam P2 HD camcorder from Panasonic to carry out one of the most ambitious series in recent years by the British broadcaster.

The BBC has just released Great Bear Stakeout, a two-part documentary, depicting the lives of brown bears in the Alaskan wilderness as they emerge from hibernation and embark on hunting, fighting and mating. The documentary also focuses on a new mother and her puppy as they struggle to survive in this hostile environment.

Alaska is home to many populations of grizzly bears, but capturing them up close in their natural environment is no easy feat.

A team led by Mary Summerill, Jeff Wilson, Gavin Henderson and Vanessa Berlowitz in charge of production and Chris Morgam in direction, has achieved spectacular images never seen before.

Separated only by an electric fence, the secret of this shoot, according to Morgam, is that “in Katmai National Park the bears are not persecuted and they do not go hungry since there is a lot of salmon, so they are tolerant of other bears and, by extension, with people.”

The camera crew did not carry any weapons so if the electric fence had failed the only thing that would save their lives would be pepper spray. “We didn't have to use it, but if things go wrong, it is more useful than a gun against an aggressive bear,” Morgam said.

With 20 years of experience working with bears, Chris Morgan is a seasoned professional when it comes to knowing how animals act, which is essential when working with bears.

"Bears are very sensitive to changes and human activity. They have surprisingly good memories too, and I honestly felt like they knew who we were and were happy when we were around them," says the director.

HPX2700, an ally in unique moments

The camera used in Great Bear Stakeout is the P2 HD Varicam, AJ-HPX2700. Its great advantage is that it allows you to record in AVC-Intra 100, AVC-Intra 50 or DVCPRO HD. In AVC-Intra 100 mode, you get high-quality 10-bit/4:2:2 image recording with full sampling. The AJ-HPX2700 also supports 1080/60i, 1080/24p, 720/60p with HD multi-format recording.

In 720p mode, the variable frame rate can be set between 1fps and 60fps, allowing for unique shots in nature documentaries.

Other image enhancement features include Chromatic Aberration Compensation (CAC), 14-bit processing, and a multi-gamma Cine function, including REC. This high performance offers superior image quality and advanced functions, but with quick configuration, something essential when you are in front of a 600 kilo bear...

[youtube]http://youtu.be/adMM4-UhDSE[/youtube]