Just what quality is it about Hawaii-50 episodes that make them immediately recognizable within a second or two ? (Not the scenes, actors, “acting”, etc…)
It seems to be a quality of the colors and camera shot; some strange Panaflex ? Technicolor ? Any film school types know what it might be ?
I’ve never seen Hawaii 50, but I’m able to recognize the type of show within a couple seconds of turning it on. Soap Operas are all close-ups, whereas sitcoms never use close-ups. Brittish sitcoms have a mixture and cut more than American ones. It’s a lot of nuance that’s difficult to describe.
Could be something to do with the fact that “Hawaii Five-O” was filmed on location in Hawaii and the lighting may appear different to you.
Maybe it’s the lack of a Steadicam in the opening credits.
That’s scandalous. Absolutely scandalous. If it’s true, you shouldn’t go around admitting it.
[sub]bibliophage walks away, shaking his head sadly.[/sub]
Gee, Bob. Fuck off. SOME of us feel that the use of that device is a great enhancement in most situations. People like me. Who make their living operating one 
Now, as for the techno-names thrown out. Panaflex is a camera manufactured by the Panavision Corporation in California. While that show may or may not have been shot using Panavision lenses ( Unlike other camera systems, Panavision bodies only work with Panavision lenses WITH SOME RARE EXCEPTIONS), it is more likely that it is the film stock and filter pack that rendered the brilliant contrast and vivid colors we all know and love. There are certain lenses that are chosen JUST because they render a harder contrast ratio, opposed to other lenses that tend to soften out at the wild ends of contrast. They’d give no sharp deep blacks, for example.
Technicolor is the name of an original three strip dye-transfer shooting and printing method that yielded incredibly stable images. Gone With The Wind, and Wizard Of Oz to name two films, were shot with Technicolor. They didn’t fade and oxydize as Eastmancolor negatives did. It is also the name of a laboratory that still to this day develops and prints motion picture dailies and release prints.
I can find out, with one phone call, exactly what film stock, camera body and lenses were used season by season on "Hawaii Five-O". My guess still is that it's stock, and filter packs. I'll call my source in California on Monday morning,and attempt to ascertain answers to the above questions. I'll post here immediately if I get the Straight Dope.
Cartooniverse
*Mahalo{/i] Cartooniverse. You’re on track - perhaps you might also ask how often that combination is/was used, and in which productions ? (Seems to me the 5-Oh style is not too common.)
And apologies for tossing out fifty-cent words improperly; I was trying to shortcircuit answers that were off-track (such as locations, script, opening credits…) and get to the root issue of the cinematography characteristics throughout.
Aloha !
Exqueeze me?
This is just a WAG, I’m not a cameraman nor do I work with film in any way.
But since Hawaii Five-O was produced on location in Hawaii, could it be that the film was also processed and edited in Hawaii, and thus the finished product would reflect idiosyncrasies of the local labs and facilities?
Whereas most other shows are produced in California. Does Hawaii Five-O’s “look” resemble that of these other shows?
This is just a WAG, I’m not a cameraman nor do I work with film in any way.
But since Hawaii Five-O was produced on location in Hawaii, could it be that the film was also processed and edited in Hawaii, and thus the finished product would reflect idiosyncrasies of the local labs and facilities?
Whereas most other shows are produced in California. Does Hawaii Five-O’s “look” resemble that of these other shows?
Manny, and Bob- I apologize here…like many of us who are deeply passionate about what we do with our lives, I reacted from the gut. That’s what proofreading is for. Bob, I could have come up with something a LOT more polite, and still slammed you It wasn’t called for, and I apologize.
I have called my ace info people in California,and they say they will be back to me within 24 hours. While there may be some merit to the idea that it’s something in the water used by the lab in Hawaii, it is MUCH more likely that it’s the Color Timer. That single person is an artist AND a technician, just as the Director of Photography (D.P.)on a tv show or film is. The Color Timer works for the Laboratory that’s prining the dailies and answer prints. ( But, not always the Release Prints). The Timer has End Line control over the look of each shot in the film. By adjusting the printing lights as the negative passes through the printer, he/she can shift contrast and colors and brightness. Amazing to watch a truly brilliant timer at work. Francis Coppola has his favorite one in Rome, and other directors have their personal faves. More usual is the situation where a D.P. will work to get his/her fave Color Timer to work on all of the footage they shoot during a movie. If nothing else, their personal choice is used during the final printing process, to insure the look they wanted from the word go.
While there are myriad things one can do to negative AS it’s being developed or printed, I doubt it’s in the water. I’ll come back when I’ve got the straight dope on this.
Again, my apologies for lashing out in a manner that so totally lacked finesse.
Cartooniverse
Cartooniverse I didn’t take offense because I had absolutely no idea that I was saying anything offensive. I was just trying to make a joke about the shaking camera that zooms in on Jack Lord’s face in the opening sequence.
I’m sorry if I struck a nerve.
Ah, I can feel the love.
Thanks, Cartooniverse, for apologizing. And thanks also, Bob T, for clearing that up.
I was having enough trouble keeping the bad guys reigned in! Glad to see there’s no problems with the good guys.
Thanks again.
For the record, I love the opening title sequence of “Hawaii Five-O”, although I usually don’t watch the rest of the show when I come across a rerun. The best part is already over in my opinion.
Nah, Nuff said. Warm fuzzies abound
As for the title sequence, the "snap zoom" look was VERY much in vogue then. As I recall,there are a few of them in there. It's still popular. Every time I do a remote for "48 Hours" with Dan Rather, I have to do a snap zoom into Dan as he says, " I'm Dan Rather, and THIS ( zoom, dammit Cart! ) is 48 Hours ! ". It's done by hand on those shots, but there are indeed microforce zoom motors that can pretty much deliver the same snap.
No answer yet from Calif, and they’ve long gone home. I’ll have to bug them tomorrow. 
Cartooniverse
p.s. in addition to the zooms, I always LOVED the Hula dance freeze-frames, and the incredibly huge sunset shot.
GOD, I’ve got to stop posting here. <grin>. I do, however, owe a correction. MicroForce ™ is a real name, and should have appeared as such. Just as Steadicam ® is an owned title.
Cartooniverse
I seem to remember reading something while the show was still being produced that they used different lighting in Hawaii, maybe “hotter” lights? to get that distinctive look.
If you ask me, they must use the opposite for all the shows they film in the Pacific Northwest. Ever notice how much alike the Outer Limits and Stargate SG1 look (looked)? Not just the exteriors, but the interiors as well.
Forgive my butting in on a highly technical discussion here, but was the Steadicam ® even invented yet when Hawaii 5-0 was filming?
Hawaii Five-O ran from 1968-1980.
According to http://www.steadi.co.uk:
“Steadicam, was developed in the early 1970’s by Cameraman and inventor Garrett Brown and was originally, almost called the ‘Brown Stabiliser’…[After some demo shots and commercial work] In 1975 a new prototype was used for a single scene on the feature Bound for Glory. This was quickly followed by Rocky with its ground breaking Art Museum steps sequences, Marathon Man and of course The Shining.”
jwg:
And do you see that alikeness in Viper, Northern Exposure and early seasons of The X-Files as well?
As tempted as I am to commit a full fledged hijacking here, I’ll just thank you for finding an excellent but bare-bones description of the Noble Art’s early days. My Sled is 1996, my Arm is 1997, my Vest is 2000- still in California, having new layers of carbon fiber composite applied, but that little lock down screw on the arm is from my first Steadicam sled. Made in 1976- as “Rocky” was hitting the theatres, and the first series of Universal Model I Steadicams was being made. <sigh>
Cartooniverse