The Gear:


There will be five, full-time, on-board cameras including two XH-A1s. The camera is a state of the art HD Canon XH-A1 (high def). (The beauty of the cam is that it’s more like a true 16mm or 35mm in that I work with interchangeable lenses and have total control over the picture. The harsh Artic environment (light) is going to push this thing to its limits.) I’m also going to be using a steady-cam, a jib-boom and an un-tethered ROV for unprecedented underwater coverage. The XH-A1 is Canon's first high definition (HD) camcorder. It combines Canon's many years of innovative optical, integrated circuit and camera design into a camcorder designed for use by broadcasters in ENG, documentary and reality/episodic TV production as well as filmmakers. With the "Professional JackPack" on this camcorder you can:

* Send out an uncompressed HD signal (through the HD-SDI terminal)
* Input and output SMPTE time code
* Receive a Genlock signal.

The XH-A1 camcorder offers the ability to customize the image using a number of variables. These include: three color matrixes for a wide range of color correction and two cine gammas for intricate adjustment of dynamic range; customizable knee, black stretch, horizontal detail, coring, sharpness, noise reduction, color gain, hue and master color adjustments. Each setting can be modified independently, giving the user precise control over the video's appearance.

Hole in the Wall Film & Video Productions


Production of The Northwest Passage, a film by Sprague Theobald and Hole in the Wall Productions, begins June 2009. This epic documentary will capture he Arctic's wild and unforgiving landscapes and waterways, its indigenous people, and political leaders of the five nations currently disputing boundaries and staking claims on the Arctic's land, shipping routes and threatened natural resources. Hole in the Wall has produced a long list of award winning films and documentaries with a focus on education, history and maritime expedition including "Welcome to Nordhavn" "52 Harrison Lane" "The Lost Transports of 1778", "Searching For Steinbeck" and EMMY Award Winning, "The 25th Defense" a 48-minute documentary on The America's Cup Races. For more information visit hitwproductions.com