The new episode of “Terra X” focuses on the “Mythos Wolfskind” (Myth of the Wolf Children) (broadcast date: 25/09/2016, 7.30pm), featuring true-to-life images in a quality that has never previously been seen before in the documentary series. Cameraman Jan Prillwitz and his team filmed the documentary sections and the historical re-enactments for the episode in Sony 4K RAW using CineAlta PMW-F55 and F65 cameras. In order to take “Terra X” fans on the journey through filming locations such as Uganda, Romania and India in a way that was as realistic as possible, ZDF focused on the high level of detail found by capturing in Sony 4K resolution, and for the first time, also on the greater contrast and higher depth of colours offered by shooting in High Dynamic Range (HDR).

The technical pre-planning of the “Terra X” documentary based on young children being brought up by wolves, bears or other animals, isolated from humans, began in the spring of 2015. The ZDF team made up of cameraman Jan Prillwitz, Division Head of Cinematography and Design Matthias Haedecke, Director Jens Monath and Lecturer Michael Pochert visited the Sony Digital Motion Picture Centre at Pinewood Studios in the UK. The team discovered more about the current product range and functionality were also given the opportunity to test the latest Digital Motion Picture cameras offered from Sony.

“We were able to get a great image from the cameras, especially in terms of the continued development of the firmware and the gamma curves”, said Prillwitz, who completed his training at ZDF in 2001 and has worked as a cameraman in a range of documentary formats for the broadcaster across more than 50 different countries. Finally, the production team settled on the flexibility of the Sony PMW-F55 along with the extreme image detail capable from the F65. Filming kicked off in autumn 2015 in Uganda, where the team documented modern-day wolf children.

High speed recording in 4K 120 fpsbr> The Sony F65 was primarily used at a frame rate of 25p for shooting the historical re-enactments, in order to achieve a cinematic look. ZDF recorded promotional scenes in India with Mogli and his wolf parents, which were later replaced by huskies. In order to show viewers impressive slow motion shots at a later stage — for example, during Mogli’s sprint through the forest, the F65 was used to record at 120 fps.

The PMW-F55 was used for the documentary sections of the episode, as it offers great flexibility and can be utilised in a range of different shooting situations. The compact nature and low weight means it can easily be carried in a rucksack. The CineEI mode, the only mode to be used, provides a better overview of the camera menu and the work was carried out using log curves. Images recorded on the F55 were saved on the dockable Sony AXS-R5 2K / 4K RAW recorder.

HDR for a realistic, vivid visual experience
The S-GAMUT 3 colour space mode and the large format S35-mm sensor, which allows for a dynamic range of 14 irises, make the F55 and the F65 perfectly suited to recording HDR images in XAVC with S-Log3 curve or 16-bit RAW. During colour correct, Prillwitz viewed the recordings with the Sony BVM-X300 30-inch 4K TRIMASTER ELtm OLED reference monitor: “If you’ve been viewing HDR for a while and then have to return to the world of REC709, everything suddenly seems a little faint and boring, as though you’re watching on a flat gamma curve”. The HDR technology makes images appear more realistic and above all, more vivid, plus thanks to the high contrast, even a little sharper.

In the future, the ZDF team will use the experience that they have gained shooting with Sony HDR technology in new projects and explore for which images filming with this technology would be the most useful. HDR does not necessarily always have to be linked to 4K or UHD resolutions, offering another layer of flexibility and visual possibility.

ZDF will broadcast “Terra X – Mythos Wolfskind – Mogli und die wilden Kinder” on 25 September at 7.30 pm CEST in HD. The broadcaster will make the 4K-HDR version available for download on HbbTV and the Mediathek catch-up service. A special 360° version of the footage is also available online at www.terra-x.zdf.de.