Shooting a 3D documentary: positioning implosion cams around the Fonte Nova Stadium

The explosive climax of our first 3D documentary production – the implosion of the Fonte Nova Stadium in Salvador, Brazil – is just days away.

Close to 20 camera systems will capture this high-profile event in stereo for the explosive demolition series Blowdown when Controlled Demolition Inc. pushes the button on August 29.

The production crew’s challenge: scope out the best places to put these cameras.

Ian Herring and the rest of the team have already nailed down locations for most of the kill cams. These systems will be placed inside the stadium, destined to be annihilated by the implosion as they capture the event ultra close.

Next, they have to decide where to position our perimeter cams.

So they hit the neighbourhood to scout out the best spots.

Stereographer Sean White explores a piece of Salvador …

… and checks out a tentative camera position

The crew also snapped some VFX plate shots of the stadium while they were offsite.

Our compositor, Jakub Kuczynski, will use these stills to create a 3D model of the structure.

This stereoscopic photo-real stadium will stand long after the real venue falls: we’ll use it in the show to orient the audience, share implosion scenarios, reveal explosive demolition details, etc.

T-3 days.

–Nicole Tomlinson

Shooting a 3D documentary: mounting kill cams in the Fonte Nova Stadium

Ian Herring and the rest of the Parallax Film Productions crew are busy shooting our first 3D documentary at the Fonte Nova Stadium in Salvador, Brazil.

They’ve spent the last few days conducting interviews and covering prep for the stadium’s implosion, slated to take place on August 29.

They’re also figuring out where to position some 20 camera systems that will capture the event for the explosive demolition series Blowdown. As far as we know, this will be the first implosion ever filmed in 3D.

Some cameras will be placed outside the structure – some will be placed inside.

Called kill cams, the latter units are custom-designed to capture the implosion from POVs no human being could ever witness safely and store the data so it survives even as the cameras are annihilated by tons of concrete, rebar and debris.

After the implosion, the crew will dig the footage out of the rubble.

Parallax Film Productions has strategically placed cameras inside condemned structures before – such as the Hoyt. S Vandenberg, scuttled off the coast of Florida, the RCA Dome, imploded in Indiana, and Ocean Tower condominium complex, taken down on South Padre Island.

But this kill cam operation has never been attempted in 3D. This time, two cameras on a custom-designed side by side rig will be mounted at each location.

Ian scouts prime spots for these unprecedented systems

 

Crew salvages material from the stadium to mount the kill cams

 

Kill cam footage from the Ocean Tower condominium complex

 

 

Now imagine POVs like these … in stereo.

Seriously. It’s going to rock.

–Nicole Tomlinson

Shooting a 3D documentary: the Fonte Nova Stadium

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.

–Nicole Tomlinson

Shooting a 3D documentary: video and details from the Fonte Nova Stadium

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.

–Nicole Tomlinson

Shooting a 3D documentary: Ian leaving for Salvador, Brazil

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.

Shooting a 3D documentary: Ian leaving for Salvador, Brazil

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.  

Shooting a 3D documentary: organizing data in the field

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.

Shooting a 3D documentary: organizing data in the field

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.  

Shooting a 3D documentary: differentiating left from right

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.

Shooting a 3D documentary: differentiating left from right

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.