Heads up – we’ve listed 2 Meuser Optik lenses for sale on eBay.
Specs:
– 2x Meuser Optik 3.4mm C-mount lenses for 3CCD 1/3″ sensor
– compatible with Iconix camera system and Toshiba IK-TU53H, for shooting 2D or 3D
– fast, small and lightweight
– manufactured in Germany
– used for one shoot only
– f2.2-f16 with manual focus
For more about the lenses in action, check out this 3D blog post.
–Ian Herring, President
Normally my team and I use rig-based camera systems to shoot our 3D documentary material.
So far these custom-designed units have gotten the job done.
But to stay in this crazy 3D game you’ve got to try it all … last week it was time to play with a new toy.
We took the shiny Panasonic AG-3DA1 for a test drive.
Here’s some footage of the indoor shoot:
Here’s some footage of the outdoor shoot:
What you need to know:
-There are distance limitations as with any side by side camera rig. For instance when we were shooting in a room approx. 3m x 3m the closest we could get is about 1.2 meters to the subject. When we zoomed in we had to move to about 2.5 to 3 meters – we were out the door before we got a clean and well converged shot of the subject.
-To get anaglyphic 3D press the “mix” button.
-Both the viewfinder and LCD screen use anaglyphic as convergence guide.
-The LCD screen is soft when in “mix” mode – so focus needs to be continually checked.
What you’ll like:
-It’s lightweight.
-It shoots decent EXT.
What you won’t:
-The small sensor means that the image shows noise in low light.
The call:
Jury’s out for now. I’ve sent the footage into post, and will make the call on if it’s worth it to add to our 3D arsenal when I see the goods.
More to come …
–Ian Herring, President
Ian Herring and the Parallax Film Productions crew are down in Salvador, Brazil shooting our first 3D documentary. And as they trek around stereoscopic gear in tow, filming the explosive demolition series Blowdown, they’re getting to know the beast that is the Fonte Nova Stadium.
The megastructure’s being taken down to make way for a new 2014 World Cup facility– but it’s not going to go easy.
And with a catastrophic structural failure marking the stadium’s deadly past, the demolition must be approached with the utmost caution.
From a filmmaking perspective, Ian says the condemned structure really lends itself to 3D because:
1. Of the high columns and circular configuration.
2. No angle is the same from any one point within and outside of the structure.
3. It’s laid out in front of the crew – it’s very telegenic.
He also prefers the wide layout of the stadium to a high tower or skyscraper from a logistical standpoint – though the crew has to schlep far distances between setups, there are certainly less stairs to climb.
Demolition prep work means no power – on these sites elevators are never an option.
Five facts about this condemned giant
-This stadium, slated for implosion on August 29, is one of the largest in the world. A mind-boggling 110,438 people crammed into it on February 12, 1989.
-This demolition is part of Brazil’s $1 billion 2014 World Cup stadium overhaul – Salvador and three other locations are getting brand new arenas, other sites are being revamped.
-The Fonte Nova stadium closed its doors after tragedy struck in 2007 when a section of the high terraces collapsed, killing seven people and injuring 40 others.
-The Bahia Arena, with a tentative capacity of about 44,100 will be built in the Fonte Nova’s place. Construction is slated to commence shortly after the demolition.
-The stadium’s located in Salvador, Bahia, which boasts a population of some 2.7 million and was the original capital of Brazil.
Ian’s arrived in Salvador, Brazil and hit the Fonte Nova Stadium demolition site where we’re shooting our first 3D documentary.
And he’s rolling.
The awesome view of Salvador, Brazil as he flew in:
Wow.
Yesterday it was all about B roll, as stereographer Sean White trained others on 3D capturing techniques.
Here are some videos on-site – you really get a feel for how massive and messy this stadium is:
Crew climbs up stairs (and around random demo debris) carrying stereoscopic gear
Sean details Parallax Film’s custom-made mini beam splitter, which houses two Canon 7Ds
Other field notes:
The crew captured a lot of B roll – establishing shots (very Roman Colosseum – no individual seats in this stadium!), columns, Controlled Demolition Inc. President Mark Loizeaux inspects the stadium’s concrete/rebar composition.
Next mission: establishing shots of Salvador.
It’s go time. I’ve been running around the last few days getting everything organized so I can join the crew to shoot our first 3D documentary.
I leave for Salvador, Brazil tomorrow to capture Blowdown in 3D – the prep and implosion of the Fonte Nova Stadium to make way for a new facility for the 2014 World Cup.
The Parallax Film team’s been down there for a week now. They’ve set up our HQ and shot some material – enough to get their feet dusty.
The next few weeks leading up to the August 29 implosion will be a great field experiment.
As the demolition story unfolds, so will the nuances of the equipment we’ve rigged to capture the first implosion ever shot in 3D.
I know what it will be like down there – field realities will set in, and days will be overflowing.
So writer Nicole Tomlinson will manage the blog in my stead.
I’ll feed her shoot info whenever I can as we review story material, and she’ll post here.
Ciao for now.
It’s go time. I’ve been running around the last few days getting everything organized so I can join the crew to shoot our first 3D documentary.
I leave for Salvador, Brazil tomorrow to capture Blowdown in 3D – the prep and implosion of the Fonte Nova Stadium to make way for a new facility for the 2014 World Cup.
The Parallax Film team’s been down there for a week now. They’ve set up our HQ and shot some material – enough to get their feet dusty.
The next few weeks leading up to the August 29 implosion will be a great field experiment.
As the demolition story unfolds, so will the nuances of the equipment we’ve rigged to capture the first implosion ever shot in 3D.
I know what it will be like down there – field realities will set in, and days will be overflowing.
So writer Nicole Tomlinson will manage the blog in my stead.
I’ll feed her shoot info whenever I can as we review story material, and she’ll post here.
Ciao for now.
Our crew’s all settled in Salvador, Brazil and are in the early days of filming our first 3D documentary. This time’s alloOur crew’s all settled in Salvador, Brazil and are in the early days of filming our first 3D documentary.
This time’s allowing them to test our gear in the field and get a few interviews/story points in the can before the prep and implosion of the Fonte Nova Stadium gets really intense.
They’re also getting used to filming our first tapeless show – for the explosive demolition series Blowdown – and the data management that comes with this shift.
When our 3D technician, Rory Lambert, gets CF cards with footage from the cameras, he needs to name each file.
This name must include the type of camera, type of rig, date, sequence number and if the footage is from the left or right eye.
To do this he plugs the CF card reader and the G RAID mini into a field laptop, and uses ShotPut Pro to transfer the footage from one to the other.
Then he uses Adobe Bridge and runs an automatic script to rename all the files in the folder on the G RAID mini so they match the folder they’re living in.
This means he doesn’t have to rename them manually – it also means he won’t make any mistakes.
The footage is organized before it even leaves the demolition site.
And if we decide to reevaluate our labeling convention during the shoot, we can always go back and rename files retroactively using this system.
Our crew’s all settled in Salvador, Brazil and are in the early days of filming our first 3D documentary. This time’s alloOur crew’s all settled in Salvador, Brazil and are in the early days of filming our first 3D documentary.
This time’s allowing them to test our gear in the field and get a few interviews/story points in the can before the prep and implosion of the Fonte Nova Stadium gets really intense.
They’re also getting used to filming our first tapeless show – for the explosive demolition series Blowdown – and the data management that comes with this shift.
When our 3D technician, Rory Lambert, gets CF cards with footage from the cameras, he needs to name each file.
This name must include the type of camera, type of rig, date, sequence number and if the footage is from the left or right eye.
To do this he plugs the CF card reader and the G RAID mini into a field laptop, and uses ShotPut Pro to transfer the footage from one to the other.
Then he uses Adobe Bridge and runs an automatic script to rename all the files in the folder on the G RAID mini so they match the folder they’re living in.
This means he doesn’t have to rename them manually – it also means he won’t make any mistakes.
The footage is organized before it even leaves the demolition site.
And if we decide to reevaluate our labeling convention during the shoot, we can always go back and rename files retroactively using this system.
In the world of 3D filmmaking, keeping left and right straight can be a mega pain. We discovered just how confusing it can get while prepping to shoot
We discovered just how confusing it can get while prepping to shoot our first 3D documentary.
From cameras to lenses to batteries to cables to monitor ports, we struggled to keep everything straight in-house.
So avoiding this headache in the field – the implosion of the Fonte Nova Stadium in Salvador, Brazil – seemed difficult at best, impossible at worst.
With so much at stake for this groundbreaking episode of the explosive demolition series Blowdown, we seriously needed a system.
So we colour-coded everything.
Left is red, right is blue … and it doesn’t end with the gear.
We’re also colour-coding our data files so the editor can instantly recognize which footage corresponds to which eye.
Now when there are excavators crunching, drills grinding, and chaos everywhere, the crew will have one less thing to wrap their heads around.
In the world of 3D filmmaking, keeping left and right straight can be a mega pain. We discovered just how confusing it can get while prepping to shoot
We discovered just how confusing it can get while prepping to shoot our first 3D documentary.
From cameras to lenses to batteries to cables to monitor ports, we struggled to keep everything straight in-house.
So avoiding this headache in the field – the implosion of the Fonte Nova Stadium in Salvador, Brazil – seemed difficult at best, impossible at worst.
With so much at stake for this groundbreaking episode of the explosive demolition series Blowdown, we seriously needed a system.
So we colour-coded everything.
Left is red, right is blue … and it doesn’t end with the gear.
We’re also colour-coding our data files so the editor can instantly recognize which footage corresponds to which eye.
Now when there are excavators crunching, drills grinding, and chaos everywhere, the crew will have one less thing to wrap their heads around.
