As our first 3D documentary shoot approaches, I’m contemplating the intricacies of shooting in the third dimension. Our stereographer, Sean White, is familiarizing the rest of the crew with the new things they’ll have to take into consideration when shooting the prep and implosion of the Fonte Nova Stadium in Salvador, Brazil.
Bottom line: the jump into 3D will change how we frame and shoot the explosive demolition series Blowdown.
In other words, it will change pretty much everything.
And to make it work, the crew’s going to have to learn how to “see” in 3D.
They’ll have to think about where things are going to fall into positive and negative space.
They’ll have to identify visuals that are going to look superb in 3D – and, just as importantly, recognize the shots that won’t make the cut.
They’ll have to understand the strengths and limitations of each rig – our beam splitter, mini beam splitter, and the plethora of side by sides – so they know which one works best for which shot.
They need to recognize when we can’t get too close to a subject.
They must realize that they can’t frame something in the extreme foreground and pan to reveal a subject in the background – a trademark move to help create depth in a 2D image can mean too much volume in 3D.
They also need to make sure there are no objects floating around in the foreground (ie. wires, the edge of a wall, rebar sticking up, edge of a concrete slab) – and understand what details could be distracting.
Not to mention they’ll be working on a dusty demolition site – for example, excavators pulling up dirt, swinging into the shot as the “claw” grabs something.
They’ll not only have to think about how this will play in 3D, they’ll have to think about if one lens is dusted out, say, by the excavator’s load.
If they miss any one of the parameters on any one of the eyes this shot – or any other shot – will be useless.
Here’s to cleaning the cameras – times two. And all the adventure that comes with it.
Lucky we have a great crew. Ready to roll.
