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.

 

Watching a 3D documentary: JVC 3D HD LCD monitors clearly a hot commodity

Supply and demand disparity …

We’re trying to get a 3D monitor so I can show test footage/VFX for our first 3D documentary to broadcasters next week.

I’d like the same monitor that we purchased for our in-house purposes – the the 46-inch JVC GD-463D10 – but guess what … so far there are none to be had.

The Toronto-based supplier that we purchased it from is sold out and backlogged.

They’re trying to get us a monitor directly from JVC – or at least find someone who we can contact to push our order, but neither us nor they have been able to get through to anyone who can speak conclusively on behalf of the company as of yet.

The alternative is pursuing a Hyundai monitor – but we know the JVC works for us, and I’d much rather go with the tried and tested when showing broadcasters a demo of the techniques we’ve developed.

We’re hoping to hear something back tomorrow a.m. (PDT).

A bit nerve-wracking.

But the silver lining’s undeniable … 3D monitors are getting snapped up faster than the assembly line can churn ‘em out.

Clearly this bodes well for entertainment in stereo.

VFX compositing for a 3D documentary: compiling a demo

As we prep to shoot our first 3D documentary, our compositor, Jakub Kuczynski, is getting ready to produce 3D VFX for the show.

We use these photo-real visuals in the explosive demolition series Blowdown, which we’ll be filming the next episode of, mostly for:

1) Locators – help orient the audience and show where the crew is working at a particular point.

2) Disaster scenarios – show the audience what will happen if different aspects demolition plan go wrong.

3) Dynamic structure shots – fly-overs, fly-throughs, fly-ins … allows audience to experience the strength, grandeur and engineering prowess of structures that Controlled Demolition Inc. implodes.

Here are two examples from previous shows: Super Stadium and Spyship:

Locator VFX: RCA Dome. Indianapolis, Indiana

Disaster scenario VFX: Hoyt S. Vandenberg. Key West, Florida

As part of this process, Jakub’s generating sample 3D VFX shots so we can assess them and so I can take some on my trip to meet with broadcasters the week after next.

We’ll combine the 3D VFX clips with some of the 3D test footage we’ve shot so I can give the broadcasters a solid visual idea of what we’ve developed so far.

One of Jakub’s shots – a fly-in to pyramids.

Why I’m including this in the 3D demo:

Look forward to the final.

Shooting a 3D documentary: demolition POV – ContourHD versus GoPro HD

3D POV, here we come. We’ve started looking into cameras to shoot POV footage for our first 3D documentary.

This content is a must – there’s nothing like being able to put a camera where no human dare go and capture the scene from that angle.

For example, what’s it like to ride on an excavator boom while it’s ripping bleachers apart?

An excavator demolishing bleachers, the RCA Dome

This is a screen grab from the demolition of the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana, the subject of a previous Blowdown show – the explosive demolition series we’ll be filming in 3D.

Now imagine part of the grapple in negative space.

But it’s going to take a bit to get there.

The cameras we use have to be:

1) Lightweight enough to be mounted onto a Magic Arm, or duct taped/fastened to something on the machine.

2) Placed at an interaxial distance small enough to film an object within 1 ½ metres from the lens.

3) Workable with a customized side-by-side rig (that we’re apparently going to build … of course).

4) Capable of turning on in sync.

Our stereographer, Sean White, has narrowed it down to two contenders: the ContourHD 1080p or the GoPro HD.

Suspect the Contours will reign because they’re less boxy, but the GoPro’s a bit better quality – so I’d like to find a way to use if possible.

We’ll see how the “dare to compare” goes.

Shooting a 3D documentary: anaglyphic test footage – 2 Canon 7Ds on a side-by-side rig

As I’ve mentioned, we’re testing several camera systems out to decide what to use to film our first 3D documentary. We’ve seen promising footage out of our A cam system – an Iconix sensor system with Meuser Optik lenses on a side-by-side rig.

Now our stereographer, Sean White, has brought in B roll he shot with our C cam system: two Canon 7D DSLRs on a side-by-side rig.

Happy to say it’s not looking bad either.

Need a pair of the old school anaglyphic glasses for this one:

There’s only one problem: some of the backgrounds are diverging past our broadcasters’ specs.

So now we’ll have to experiment with different interaxials until we fix the issue.

In the field – the demo of a condemned sports stadium in Salvador, Brazil for the explosive demolition series Blowdown – this system will be used to capture establishing shots of the structure and, of course, its implosion.

Here’s an earlier video of Sean, walking though the setup.

We’re also honing how to capture our time lapses with this system – details to come.

Video: testing lenses for 3D HD filmmaking – how to tell which ones stack up

The great lens showdown is over: Meuser Optiks it is. After an intense push to 
After an intense push to choose lenses for our A cam system so we can shoot our first 3D documentary, these German lenses – 3.4 mm, designed for a 1/3-inch CCD sensor, and HD capable – were the ones that made the cut.

They work with our Iconix 1/3-inch sensors, and the interaxial distance can be set close enough to allow us to fil  1 ½ -2 metres away from our subject.

The Schneider Cinegon 5.3 mm lense and the Fujinon 4.8 mm HD Prime lens just didn’t work as well for us.

Here’s video of the test screen – our stereographer, Sean White, explains what we’re looking for while we’re watching the test footage on our new JVC 3D HD monitor…

Another to follow ASAP on why the system should work to shoot the prep and implosion of a condemned sports stadium in Salvador, Brazil for the explosive demolition series Blowdown – YouTube’s fighting me.

Next!

Shooting a 3D documentary: Film Factory 3D Indie BS Rig mirror issues

So … we’ve broken the backup mirror we purchased for our Film Factory 3D Indie BS Rig to shoot our first 3D documentary.

This wouldn’t be a huge problem if the stock mirror that came with the rig were up to QC par.

But it isn’t – which is why we were using the backup in the first place.

Here’s the issue: one side of the stock mirror is coated and one side isn’t – the coated side is reflected to the camera that’s mounted on the top of the rig.

This disparity seems to cause a difference in light between the two cameras, to the order of one stop (ie. the upper camera gets about half the amount of light as the horizontal camera).

Our stereographer, Sean White, also found that there’s a slight colour difference between the two cameras, and a mild fogginess to the stock mirror.

We plan to use this rig to shoot the implosion of a condemned sports stadium in HD. And we deal with high-profile broadcasters – we have to deliver high-quality footage (for them and, more importantly, for a worldwide audience).

So Sean grabbed the spare – which we bought in case we break the original one while filming on an industrial site in Salvador, Brazil for the explosive demolition series Blowdown – to see if it gave us more consistent picture.

It did – there’s only 1/3 to 2/3 of a stop difference between the two cameras, the colour is almost matching, and it’s fog-free.

Though none of us are sure why this is the case, we moved to film with the superior mirror (ie. the backup became the starter).

But while Sean was re-screwing it into the rig, it cracked.

The placement process is quite a balancing act – screw the mirror in too loosely (or mess up the gaffer tape), and it threatens to slide out the bottom when you position it at 45 degree angle.

Sean thought he had found the sweet spot for tightening, but he was used to adjusting the stock mirror … the backup shattered under a similar amount of tension (which makes us think the first mirror may contain more plastic, but that’s just a theory).

Needless to say the setback is disappointing.

Sean got in touch with 3D Film Factory. They won’t exchange the stock mirror for one that’s like the backup. But they will sell us another backup at a deep discount.

Granted, this rig is cheaper than most of the other ones out there, so we can’t expect the moon.

But considering how integral a working mirror is to the system, hopefully quality discrepancies and the finicky screw-in process will be rectified in the future.

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.

Editing a 3D documentary: working with two audio channels in Cineform Neo3D

Looks like we’ll have to find a workaround for the audio issue we’ve encountered with Cineform Neo3D software in order to edit our first 3D documentary.

As I’ve mentioned, the 3D files that Cineform creates only have two audio tracks.

To capture ambient noise as well as a conversation between two subjects for the explosive demolition show Blowdown, we have to capture at least three channels (a boom mic and two lavs), sometimes four (camera mic).

Our editor, Brian Mann, has been in conversation with Cineform developers to see if we could find a way to edit with more than two channels.

They’ve been very prompt in replying and helpful.

But unfortunately it looks like there’s no way to edit more than two channels of audio using the current version.

There’s no particular reason why the program’s this way – it’s just a design factor that isn’t optimal for our specific post production needs.

As far as we’re concerned it’s the best high-end game in town, and otherwise it’s working great.

Cineform’s lead Mac engineer plans to add it to the list of things to add to their future release, First Light.

In the interim, we’ll have to figure out how to adjust our workflow.