Sony EX3 - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

[Zack Birlew]

Hey, everybody, I just recently found out that "It's Always Sunny" used the Sony EX3 of all things for most of the past several seasons! I know they filmed the first season or so with the DVX100 but wondered what they switched to for HD, I figured it was something more high end like a 2/3" broadcast camera or some digital cinema setup like other shows but to find out it was the EX3 was pretty surprising. I'm not sure what they're using within the past few seasons other than a POV sequence with the Sony A7S, it's surprisingly hard to find a cinematography breakdown or article online. If I'm coming late to the party on this info I'd understand but I didn't see anything on search so I thought I'd post for anybody that didn't know. If anybody knows more about the camera choices and cinematography of the show, I'd love to hear it!

 

[cyvideo]

Hey, everybody, I just recently found out that "It's Always Sunny" used the Sony EX3 of all things for most of the past several seasons!

It doesn't surprise me to hear this. One of the most popular shows in Australia called "Bondi Rescue" is coming back for its 17th season in 2023. They have used EX3s for years now. I know the tech who services and maintains their cameras. He said they put the cameras trough hell with sand, surf and blistering sun being the main enemies. I believe they are shooting 25p these days. It used to be 1080i. And yes, they are using the XDCam 4:2:0 35Mbps codec.

He said the production Co's philosophy and response when asked why they use them is. They deliver decent images, We can fit them with long lenses when required. They are small, light and easy to operate. And if one goes in the drink, it's not a fortune lost. There is an almost inexhaustible supply of them available on the used market, and spare parts are still readily available and don't cost the earth. And the codec treated correctly holds up well enough for broadcast.

All common-sense reasons, I guess. With the show's 17th season being picked up by Paramount I guess you can't argue with success. I've set up numerous EX1s and 3s for people over the years for operators using Alan Robert's BBC settings, with variations to matrix etc along the way, and generally most operators have been happy with the results. Not the quietest camera out there, but in decent light quite presentable. Alan Robert's PP, detail, knee and gamma settings squeezes about the max you can get out of an EX3. It's successor, the PMW-300 was a much better camera. I still keep one of those hanging around because its last upgrade supported XAVC-I and XAVC-L. Codecs I'm quite happy to work with. And for certain jobs, it's still the best fit.

Bondi Rescue with its EX3s have had some well known celebs appear on it, all in the glory of 35Mbps! Some of them. David Hasselhoff and Kelly Slater (stars of the fictional US lifeguards show Baywatch), Hugh Grant, Zac Efron, Rowan Atkinson, Paris Hilton, Russell Crowe, entrepreneur Richard Branson, American comedian Conan O'Brien (whose appearance was also broadcast in his own show, Conan), musician Snoop Dogg, Steve Irwin and daughter Bindi and the Indian Cricket Team.

Chris Young

BBC Tech
https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/other/WHP03...x1_and_ex3.pdf

Back in the day, one of the people who squeezed the max out of the EX3 is Cinematographer Alfonso Parra AEC, ADFC. He's now one of Sony's Venice evangelists. In Cine Gamma mode you can squeeze 10.8 stops out of an EX3.

Alister Chapman also came up with some popular setups for the EX3.

Alfonso Parra EX3
http://www.alfonsoparra.com/images/a...df/sony_en.pdf

Alfonso Parra Venice

Alister EX3
https://www.xdcam-user.com/2011/06/e...ture-profiles/

Thirteen years ago now, but it was clips like this Philip Bloom one that really help make the EX3 popular. There is still life in the old EX dog yet.

 

[CharlesPapert]

Hiya Zack, on your behalf I checked in with my pal John Tanzer who has ben shooting Sunny since 2015. He said that it was DVX100 until S6, when they went EX3. In recent years they have been using the Sony PXW-Z280, with some other models between that and the EX3. So it has switched around a bit. He added:

"We have kept up with the latest models to replace and match all cameras. They keep getting better with dynamic range. Having the ops pull their own focus makes production way smaller/faster/cheaper. That small chip works well for the sizes they like. It seems odd, but every show does have its tastes. We do haul out the big guns for specialized shots and scenes, but these cameras are very effective."

 

[hojomo]

This is really cool to read about and thanks for the info. They briefly touch on camera use & production on their podcast; understandably with no specifics.

I was completely repelled by Always Sunny for many years; pestered by friends repeatedly to give it a chance. It grew on me and is my all-time favorite show. Even though there are great bits & episodes in first couple seasons; S4 or so is when it really gets going. It is the filthy Seinfeld for my dirtbag generation (also a huge fan of Seinfeld & Curb). They have continued to put out clever episodes and I am excited to see the new season.

It makes sense that a small chip camcorder remains the workhorse camera for the show; considering how it's made (and Fox's inclination to fund it). Camera IQ isn't that great and really doesn't need to be. Their performances probably would be hampered if they were to move to shooting on Alexa.

 

[ahalpert]

Wow I didn't know this show was still going. 15 seasons! About 10 years ago I binged the whole thing but haven't seen it since.

. Their performances probably would be hampered if they were to move to shooting on Alexa.

i would argue that it's another case where making the show prettier would also make it less funny, both directly and indirectly

 

[hojomo]

Wow I didn't know this show was still going. 15 seasons! About 10 years ago I binged the whole thing but haven't seen it since.



i would argue that it's another case where making the show prettier would also make it less funny, both directly and indirectly

That is almost entirely true, but there are some exceptions.

For instance

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" The Janitor Always Mops Twice (TV Episode 2019) - IMDb

(very much a fan episode, if you don't know & like the characters it's not very funny)

 

[Zack Birlew]

Hiya Zack, on your behalf I checked in with my pal John Tanzer who has ben shooting Sunny since 2015. He said that it was DVX100 until S6, when they went EX3. In recent years they have been using the Sony PXW-Z280, with some other models between that and the EX3. So it has switched around a bit. He added:

"We have kept up with the latest models to replace and match all cameras. They keep getting better with dynamic range. Having the ops pull their own focus makes production way smaller/faster/cheaper. That small chip works well for the sizes they like. It seems odd, but every show does have its tastes. We do haul out the big guns for specialized shots and scenes, but these cameras are very effective."

Thank you so much, Charles! That's so cool to hear about productions using something outside of the usual Arri Alexa! I know "Modern Family" was another show that went through a bit of a transition of cameras and setups themselves, still researching that one. It's also really great to go back with such a funny show and have all kinds of examples of what's possible with these different cameras to compare with new generation equipment. Very cool!

 

[CharlesPapert]

Happy to help, Zack. I'm pretty sure Modern Family started on F35's and moved to Alexas which was pretty typical of that time frame, most new series then were F35 or Genesis with a few on D21. When the Alexa came out there was a mass migration over to that system, although it took a couple of years for the studios to get comfortable with flash drives as camera "negative", so there were a number of shows recording out from the Alexa to HDCAM disc recorders on the DIT cart, very clunky! Basically it was the wild west from 2007 to 2012 or so. Below a pic from a series I operated on around 2007, Genesis with outboard recorder carried by the dolly grip, hardwired via dual-link SDI cables which were supplied by Panavision (our traditional lightweight BNC's were not shielded sufficiently to guarantee a clean recording).

 

[NorBro]

On a related note, I put up my Alexa for sale in other places and have started telling people what it was used on and that seems to be working pretty well right now as far as potential interest. lol

___

Charles, if you had a similar successful career path, do you ever wish you were born 10-15 years later or 10-15 years earlier for working in the industry with either all of that newer tech or mostly strictly with film if 10-15 years earlier, or was it just the perfect timing for you and meant to be how it was meant to be?

 

[CharlesPapert]

Wow, that's an interesting question! I definitely would have loved to have had access to the tech of today in my youth as I'm sure I would have been making content left and right (was always held back by lack of ready access to gear). I liked having comprehensive exposure to multiple formats and eras of gear, starting in video and broadcast gear in the 80's, film in the 90's, then back to video in the digital era. And all that said, it might have been nice to have been around that much earlier and gotten established as a DP while the job still carried the old school cache that has dribbled away to an extent. So the answer is--yes to all three. Because I'm greedy.

 

[NorBro]

lol, I like that

 

[CharlesPapert]

I shot a splinter unit for It's Always Sunny yesterday, it was great fun. Whole cast was there. I moved between the little Sony as seen here and an FS7 that they use for "pretty" shots! Mary Elizabeth is actually a neighborhood pal as well so it was fun to hang with her at work.

 

[ahalpert]

I shot a splinter unit for It's Always Sunny yesterday, it was great fun. Whole cast was there. I moved between the little Sony as seen here and an FS7 that they use for "pretty" shots! Mary Elizabeth is actually a neighborhood pal as well so it was fun to hang with her at work.

That's too cool. And it looks like you zeegee'd it?

What does a splinter unit do? obviously, it sounds like a second unit. But is it a second unit of 1? Are you getting random angles of the action at your own discretion? Or location b-roll where the main unit is shooting? What makes it so splintery?

 

[CharlesPapert]

What makes it so splintery?

Ha! Each shot like a little shard of wood.

Nah quite the contrary, T'was a delightful day. The gang is bowling (obviously) and we were picking up everything that didn't have actors in it--POV shots down the lane, following the ball, the monitors with scorecards, ball return, background actors, atmospheric shots. Splinter units are just "splintered" off main units, usually in the same set or nearby, not a full crew (vs a second unit which is usually indepedent of 1st unit, at a different location or time, with more crew). We had a very specific shot list (43 shots!) to fulfill, and we wrapped just after main unit.

I brought the ZeeGee to show to the camera dept. but it turned out to be handheld all day with a lot of repetition so it was a great time to work the ZeeGee off the stand as seen here. Hilariously, it was my first time actually operating the thing on a job!