SUNDANCE: 'ANYWHERE, USA' SHOT ON P2 MEDIA
Haney-Jardine directed and wrote the project, sharing the screenwriting
credits with his wife, producer Jennifer MacDonald. The feature is told
in three segments, ranging from satirical to tragic, and takes a wild
look at American manners, prejudices and family dynamics. Veteran
camera operator Patrick Rousseau (Mad Men, Carnivàle, Six Feet Under and Arrested Development) served as DP on the film.
Haney-Jardine’s commercial production had exposed him to Panasonic’s
AG-DVX100 series mini-DV 24p camcorders. “That camera really opened
things up in terms of achieving a filmic aesthetic with video,” he
notes. “The HVX200, with a similar form factor, again puts a cinematic
texture within the reach of unproven filmmakers, along with the
benefits of off-speed shooting, tapeless production and HD image
quality.”
Two HVX200s were purchased for the production, with one being used
solely for back-up. The feature was shot on location in Asheville, NC,
throughout 2006 and 2007 to accommodate DP Rousseau’s schedule.
Temperature varied throughout production, ranging from the cold of
winter, with snow in the mountains, to summer temperatures at 100
degrees Fahrenheit.
And despite the film having an independent pedigree, Anywhere, USA
was shot using a Cartoni Focus Fluid Head tripod, formal lighting, a
full complement of jibs and dollies. A Panasonic BT-LH1700W LCD monitor
was used for on-set monitoring and shot framing.
Rousseau shot at 720p/24pN, direct to P2 cards. When one card became
full, they would ingest footage to their Panasonic AJ-PCS060G P2 store.
After ingesting, the P2 Store would be connected, via USB, to a laptop
and through the “import P2” feature within Apple’s Final Cut Pro, would
be ready for editing.
The director edited Anywhere, USA
in Final Cut Pro V.5.1.4 operating on a PowerPC G5 Macs, with a 7TB
Apple Xserve RAID system and 250GB OWC FW-800 hard drives for backup.
Optimus in Chicago handled final color work.