August 2014
www.tvbeurope.com
TVBEurope 21 Workfl ow
WHAT DOES the world’s most successful fi lm ever, Avatar, have in common with a low budget French-produced wildlife fi lm on bears in the Kamchatka peninsula, in the far easternmost corner of Russia? The answer is Manning Tillman, probably the world’s most experienced 3D stereographer whose blockbuster credits include Avatar, Life of Pi and Transformers 3 to name but a few.
Tillman supervised all of the 3D camera shots on Land of the Bears, which claims to be the fi rst ever 3D shot wildlife picture to hit the big screen. The fi lm was produced by small French outfi t Les Films en Vrac, but was mainly fi nanced by Gaul telecoms giant Orange and equally, and crucially, co-produced by the Cameron Pace Group, an outfi t set up by James Cameron and Vince Pace to promote the use of 3D technology in feature fi lms. The decision to shoot Land of the Bears in 3D was initially made by Orange but quickly embraced by Les Films en Vrac director Guillaume Vincent (also a member of its production team — see picture) who relished the artistic and technological challenges of such a project. From the beginning,
Guillaume Vincent decided to shoot everything in 3D and to not include any CGI, because the producers wanted the fi lm to
“The fi lm took three years to complete, with a full year of
preparation before
shooting”
be as realistic as possible. But that’s also where the trouble started. “In many ways, 3D technology is totally unsuited to wildlife fi lms which require you to be spontaneous,” he says. “Not only do you have to be ready to shoot when the animal does something interesting but, unlike actors, you can’t choose where to place the animal or at which distance you can shoot. Everything can change from one minute to the next, whereas 3D requires a lot of
3D in the Wild
French outfi t breaks new ground on 3D wildlife fi lm thanks to Cameron Pace technology, writes Catherine Wright
preparation and a huge amount of adjustment before each shot.” The technological challenges were such that on hearing of the project, James Cameron
contacted the producers. The Cameron Pace Group offered to help, not only by leasing its technology for a small fee but also by involving Tillman.
“It was a fi rst for the Cameron Pace Group as well, and an opportunity for the company to adapt the technology used on Avatar to a completely different
environment,” explains Vincent. “We were all aware that we were breaking new ground. On a wildlife fi lm, every piece of equipment has to be close to hand and adjustments have to be made very quickly, and we also needed the link between Tillman and our director
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