Lights, Camera…Beta?

Don’t let your eyes fool you. The picture above, once the quick draw choice of any video capturing desperado, is a technological curio of the past. Whoa, and do I mean past (think VCRS, DeLoreans, or a talking ALF doll). Behold, the Sony Betacam SX!

Truth be told, this robust dream machine is not totally erased from the holsters of all camera professionals. Case in point: myself. Yes, yes – guilty as charged. Go ahead, point and laugh.

Whilst my Cruise-centric position as Broadcast Technician has me continuously taping various themed events (notably the time-warped ’70s Disco Night, full tilt with boogying boomers and Village People) the machine in question, still a workhorse, has a few more rewinds left in her before a trip to the proverbial ‘glue factory’.

Just dig its boxy contours. Or its unconventional shades of grey – surely an aesthetic choice, much like an original Nintendo controller.

Alas, any explanation for the accompanying putrid yellow cassette is lost on me. There’s no misplacing that brick. In fact, obtain a few more, lay ’em down, and you’ll have yourself an authentic replica of ‘The Yellow Brick Road’.

I’m certainly not complaining. I’m just a man, one with a current gig to document the fleeting moments of people’s vacation on a ship (and sure, a passing interest to write too). Certainly there’s quality in that, right? When life hands you a Betacam, you make the video equivalent of lemonade (yellow Beta cassette included).