Cinematographer Philip Grossman takes the AJA U-TAP SDI to the farthest reaches of Europe

O AJA U-TAP SDI solution is used by cinematographer Philip Grossman on his adventures, which take him to remote locations in Europe.

The goal of Grossman is to document and broadcast “new and unique” places. Through exploration and interaction with the environment, the filmmaker shows the most remote places in countries such as Hungary, Albania, Croatia, Herzegovina, Montenegro e Ukraine, where he dedicated an important part of the production to showing the current state of Chernobyl and its surroundings. These pieces are sold as stock images to different production companies such as Ridley Scott Productions, HBO, ABC ou Marvel Television.

The latest shoots of Grossman have featured the VERMELHO Komodo e um GoPro 10 in order to combine image quality with creativity and versatility. Another of his favourite cameras is the DSMC2 Helium, which he uses in combination with U-TAP SDI for all kinds of live video connections (including video conferencing).

The DP elaborates: “I typically shoot on a RED Digital Cinema DSMC2 with Helium (8K) and output the feed to an AJA U-TAP SDI then into my MacBook Pro for pass through into a recorder. When I need to live switch content or am working with multiple feeds, I’ll do the reverse. I’ll send the camera outputs through the recorder, live switch them, and then output the switched feed to U-TAP for webcasting. (…) Just as an attorney wouldn’t walk into a courtroom in sweatpants, I can’t join a Zoom or Teams meeting with a low-quality video feed. That’s what I love about U-TAP, it allows me to pull off a very high-quality HD feed easily and economically.”

A flexible and portable tool

Grossman is completely happy to work with the AJA U-TAP SDI, as it provides him with the “functionality, durability and ergonomics” he needs when coordinating meetings and gatherings from remote locations.

The cinematographer, who calls this entry-level module a “swiss army knife” because it adapts to his many needs, recalls his first experiences with the AJA U-TAP SDI: “From the moment I opened the U-TAP packaging box, I was impressed by how easy it was to get up and running. Most of my cameras are SDI, so I literally just plug in the U-TAP and my computer recognizes the signal over the USB connection. I also have a recorder that I use as a switcher to feed content through the U-TAP and into my live feed, so that I can do a live-switched webcam show. My wife’s company was so impressed with the feed that they asked me to help them establish a similar setup.”