Shooting a 3D documentary: how we’re syncing Canon 7Ds (VIDEO)

Yesterday’s post has created some confusion between syncing Canon 7Ds for 3D time lapse photography and syncing them for 3D videography.

I’ve edited to make clear yesterday’s post is for stills, and am now posting re. video.

To sync Canon 7Ds while shooting film footage for our first 3D documentary we plan to use the same infrared box systems we’ve rigged to sync our Canon Vixias, and slate our shots so we can sync in post.

I’ve outlined this technique in previous post for Vixias. For 7Ds we:

Set both cameras to self-time/infrared mode, which allows us to use an infrared remote (The Canon RC-5, in this case)

Position our box designed to receive any infrared signal and transmit it through a split cable to two infrared sensors.

Tape the infrared heads at the ends of the split cable to the infrared sensors on the two Canons and then use the remote to start them in sync.

And yes, because of the internal clock circuitry disparities we don’t get a 100 per cent accurate start and stop, as the cameras may not start recording on the same frame.

Our stereographer, Sean White, has found our 7Ds can be out of sync by one or two frames at 30 FPS.

To get around this we’re doing a physical slate at the start of each shot for our editor – this way he can toggle shots by a frame or two and sync from where the slate is.

Sean’s tested this system extensively.

He’s found that once you sync clips at the start they stay in sync for up to 12 minutes straight – much more time than we need to get the types of shots we’re going to capture with the 7Ds.

 

Test footage:

 

VIDEO

 

Shooting a 3D documentary: how we’re syncing Canon 7Ds (STILLS)

I’ve received a few questions re. how we’re syncing Canon 7Ds we’re using to capture elements of our first 3D documentary … so I’m blogging about it to share with everyone.

We’ve used DSLRs to get high res stills at set intervals for time lapses for years, but, of course, never in 3D.

For this 3D episode of Blowdown, the explosive demolition series we produce, the crew will use 7Ds for these time lapses – and also for establishing shots of the condemned sports stadium in Salvador, Brazil and, of course, the implosion itself.

Here’s how we’ve brought this system into the third dimension:

1) Splice cable so there are two heads on one intervalometer.

2) Attach heads to timer remote ports on two Canon 7Ds on side-by-side rig.

3) Sync using the one handheld intervalometer.

Voila!

I’ll provide more details re. our time lapse strategy later: wanted to get this bit up ASAP.

Hope it helps.

 

Shooting a 3D documentary: building a mini beam splitter rig for close ups

Vision alert. So we’re thinking of designing our own mini beam splitter rig to shoot close ups for our first 3D documentary . Here’s why: as I’ve mentioned,we’re trying to sort out our B cam system using Film Factory’s 3D Indie BS Rig – this should hopefully work for the majority of our B cam shots.

But it isn’t the most portable system – something that will surely prove challenging on an industrial site, where the explosive demolition series Blowdown takes place.

For the odd close up of the crew loading explosives etc. in a condemned sports stadium in Salvador, Brazil, it’s painful to think about moving the whole rig and setting up just to get a shot or two.

And we’d like to avoid using a side-by-side rig  because it’s a mission (if not a mission impossible) to get the cameras close enough together to film these types of shots.

If there’s a way to build a mini beam splitter unit, one person could just move in and get this footage with way less trouble (ie. instead of two people to set up the full-sized rig, etc.).

As an added bonus, we could also use this system in a temporary pinch if the main B cam system happened to go down.

We bought an extra mirror anyway, in case the one that came with the Film Factory Indie rig system malfunctions mid-shoot … why not try and put it to use?

Our stereographer, Sean White, knows a machinist who may be able to help us build this mini rig we’ve envisioned.

We’d probably use Canon Vixias – smaller than the Sony EX1/EX3 combination we’re trying to make work with the Film Factory Indie rig – and rig it as an underslung system.

One camera would be positioned below (instead of above), and the spare mirror would be angled the opposite way as the one on the full-fledged beam splitter rig.

This rig would theoretically snap onto a tripod, and would achieve a small enough interaxial distance for us to get the close-ups we need without a mega hassle.

If any stereo, etc. issues arose, we’d correct them in post – theoretically a relatively small workload considering we don’t use tons of these types of shots in our shows.

At the moment, it’s just an idea – but seems fittingly par for this unchartered course.

3D documentary filmmaking: how to sync two Canon Vixias with one remote

As mentioned, I selected implosion cams for our first 3D documentary – six (three pairs) of Canon Vixia HF 10s and 12 (six pairs) of Canon Vixia HF M31s – a little while back.

Next, we needed to figure out how to turn each pair on simultaneously (the duos will be positioned to capture the implosion of a condemned sports stadium in Brazil for the explosive demolition series Blowdown).

And how to turn them on without knocking one (or both) out of alignment.

The cameras need to sit at a 74 mm interaxial distance, right next to each other, for us to capture the footage we need.

This means they’ll be positioned too close together for use to easily access the viewfinder on the right camera, where the camera controls are.

Since each camera comes with a remote, we tried to use them to adjust the settings on each one (holding two, trying to point each one at the infrared sensor on its respective camera), but it’s cumbersome and awkward.

It’s a problem: we need four elements to be in sync between before we start recording for these shots to work: the two cameras have to have the same zoom, the same white balance, the same exposure, and the same focus.

The risk of losing one or more implosion shots – our big bang footage that climaxes the show – because the crew’s running around like mad, trying to calibrate and turn these 18 cameras on properly while preserving their alignment, is a risk I’m not willing to take.

So our stereographer Sean White discovered a work-around – a home-made infrared transmission system that allows us to control both cameras at the same time.

With sourced components off the Internet, a box has been built that will receive any infrared signal and transmit it through a split cable to two infrared sensors.

(more…)

Explosive demolition and 3D filmmaking: why Canon Vixia footage survives epic implosions

As we prep to shoot our first 3D documentary, I’ve focused on nailing down our A, B and C cam systems.

Score is zero for three, so far – the A cam requires lenses that may not exist anywhere on earth, we’re still debating which cameras to use for the B cam system (though the Sony EX1/EX3 duo looks promising), and we’ve shot some time lapse stills with the C cam system, but still need to test this duo Canon 5D system for shooting footage.

So I’m embracing our lukewarm successes by adding another mission to the mix:

3D HD implosion cams …18 of them.

Let’s call them our V cam and M cam systems – lettering inspired by the camera brands, this time.

These cameras will capture POV and perimeter shots of the explosive demolition series, Blowdown, piece de resistance – the implosion.

In this case, the lenses will be locked on various points of a sports stadium in Salvador, Brazil, as Controlled Demolition Inc. takes it down with explosives.

As you can imagine, these cameras will take serious a beating – riding the building down, sitting in the centre of the field as the stadium crashes to the earth, etc.

For these POVs, we’re going with six (three pairs) of Canon Vixia HF 10s – the V cam systems.

These little cameras have survived the ultimate Parallax Film Productions 2D challenge – riding the Hoyt S. Vandenberg, now the second-largest artificial reef in the world, some 30 metres from the surface to the ocean floor when the vessel was sunk off the coast of Florida in May 2009.

I’ve thrown in a few screen grabs of the ride – watch the full episode trailer here.

A POV camera rides the Hoyt S. Vandenberg as it sinks off the coast of Florida

Six Vixia 10s in our custom-built underwater housings went down – six solid-state, high-capacity SDHD cards survived, and we recovered all of the footage.

Because this system is flash-based, its memory is relatively robust.

For our intents and purposes, this means they have a better chance of surviving massive vibrations and debris that come with the massive implosions we cover. No tape heads to fall off, no moving mechanical parts to malfunction.

Water engulfs a POV camera as the Hoyt S. Vandenberg sinks off the coast of Florida.

These three pairs will be mounted on small rails with a 74 mm interaxial distance.

Our M cam systems will also be placed at strategic places throughout the implosion perimeter to capture key demolition engineering story points (and, of course, rocking, gratuitous destruction).

For this, we’ll need 12 (six pairs) of Canon Vixia HF M31s.

And so the great camera recruitment continues … Double trouble, to be sure.