EUROPEAN 3D PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
loss and glare. With animation these issues do not come into play, which is why animated features dominate 3D slates on both sides of the Atlantic. Any pair of digital cameras can be
strapped to a rig though some, like the smaller SI-2k from Silicon Imaging, are more suitable for handheld work or shooting in confi ned spaces. The mar- ket-leading rigs are built by Element Technica, P+S TECHNIK, Binocle and Paradise FX but the gold standard for studio features, ranging from Avatar to Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, are those from Los Angeles-based provider PACE. The company not only hires rigs but
‘We found there was a lack of experience in Europe for
servicing stereo’ Jim Spencer, Paradise FX Europe
cameras, hardware accessories and a dedicated 3D crew which puts the cost outside the realm of all but the largest budgets. “There’s no real difference in capability between the main rigs but studios are reassured the 3D component is taken care of by one company,” says Parks. Independent productions are more likely to source equipment from multiple local suppliers and hire free- lance stereo teams to keep down costs. Tapping the same model as PACE,
but working on fi lms budgeted between $4.3m-$21.4m (¤3m-¤15m), is Para- dise FX Europe, an alliance of Vertigo Films, Germany’s The Post Republic and Paradise FX. Based in London, it
UPCOMING 3D TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATIONS From dual-lens camcorders to glasses-free displays, Adrian Pennington surveys the 3D technology set to shake up the industry
DUAL LENS CAMCORDERS Panasonic has more than 800 orders for its new single-body dual lens camcorder AG-3D A1. The limited inter-axial range (distance between the lenses) is a drawback for some but at $28,500 (£17,500), it provides a budget option for fi lm-makers. Sony has unveiled a similar, shoulder-mounted prototype with larger electronic sensors which is due in late 2011 and is also developing a camera capable of delivering dual images through a single lens.
PORTABLE RECORDERS On-location portability is also being addressed by vendors of digital disc recorders which provide a lightweight means of transporting the camera’s digitally compressed footage so it can be read in post. AJA’s Ki Pro weighs just one pound and costs $2,600 (£1,600), while Cinedeck’s EXTREME v2.0, retailing for $13,000 (£8,000), is designed to handle higher resolution material.
LIGHTWEIGHT RIGS The main thrust of 3D rig design is to make them lighter and more manoeuvrable but equally robust, to
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offers a one-stop 3D production service and has Vertigo’s Shrooms sequel, StreetDance 2 and A Night In The Woods as well as DNA Films’ Dredd on its books. “When we were prepping StreetDance
3D, we found there was a lack of real experience in Europe for servicing stereo which is why we worked to fill that gap,” says Paradise FX Europe’s managing director Jim Spencer. “People are still experimenting with 3D but hav- ing gone through the process we can give producers a headstart with a tried and trusted workfl ow. We’re talking to more and more producers all across Europe.”
s
Panasonic’s 3D camcorder
avoid distorting movement of the lenses. 3Ality Digital has devised a lightweight version for use wirelessly or for mounting on a Steadicam. The TS-5 weighs just 10kg but features the same capabilities as 3ality’s full- sized rigs. Other examples include Element Technica’s 6kg Neutron for mini-cams.
iPHONE STEREO APP Apps for the iPhone or iPad can determine how much positive parallax (objects appearing behind the screen) will be in the fi nal stereo image when displayed on a 3DTV or cinema screen. Dashwood’s 3DA1 is specifi cally designed for use with Panasonic’s 3D camcorder
ON-SET DAILIES Arri has a new digital-rushes product to complement its popular Alexa digital camera. Colorfront On-Set Dailies allows stereo adjustments of colour and position, and assembles takes into rolls and tapes for deliverables, screeners and archival purposes. In 2011 an electronic enhancement to the Alexa will permit stereoscopic lens calibration.
Element Technica’s lightweight Neutron rig
Cel-Scope3D software
LOWER COST 3D ANALYSIS Cel-Soft’s Cel-Scope3D analyser is a low-cost software solution to the challenges of 3D quality control and depth budget management. Rival products are hardware based and pricey whereas this runs from a PC to quickly identify disparities between left and right-eye images.
GLASSES-FREE 3D SCREENS Autostereoscopic displays costing more than double the price of current 3DTVs are available now and there are those who see the future of 3D, in the home at least, as a glasses-free experience. It will take more than a decade for the screen quality to improve suffi ciently and there are still eye-watering technical hurdles to overcome since autostereoscopy relies on multiple viewpoints to allow viewers to see a 3D perspective from any angle.
ON-SET MONITORING Four-time Oscar-winning UK developer Filmlight recently unveiled Truelight 3D, a review and approval station which enables production teams — on set, near set or in post — to see exactly how their stereoscopic 3D shots will look when projected for cinema audiences.
■ 10 Screen International European 3D special 2010
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