Iceland. 3D Workshop Update – 3D Plans.
Hi all. Last week I was in Iceland running a couple of 3D workshops and master classes. They went really well and I think everyone that attended learnt lots and went away with enough knowledge to start experimenting for themselves. One of the biggest 3D stereoscopic issues is monitoring, both on location and in the edit suite. This will get easier when the new 3D consumer TV’s start hitting the stores, but at the moment any kind of decent 3D monitor is expensive. Transvideo for example now have a comprehensive range of very nice looking 3D location and studio monitors, but prices for these start at just under 6000 euros (I’m trying to get on for review) and are a little steep for me. In Iceland we used good old fashioned Anaglyph as the glasses are cheap and it can be shown on any existing colour display. It was hard to convince some of the attendees that if the clips we shot were show using polarised or active glasses then they would look so much better. So for the next workshop I’m going to have to workout some other way of showing the material, maybe I will have to bite the bullet and buy a dedicated 3D field monitor.
During some research into camera options for 3D I came across the Sony PMW-10MD. This is based on a Sony EX camera but with the optical block separated from the recorder and fitted with a C mount for the lens. A pair of these in a side by side configuration would be really neat and offer the same kind of image quality as the EX3 offers but without the need to use a beam splitter rig for narrow interaxials. Again I’m trying to track down a couple to evaluate. As well as 3D applications this would also make an excellent POV camera, however being a medical product it may prove a little on the pricey side. Maybe I’m just not realistic about how much this stuff costs? But even 3D budgets are being squeezed. Sky 3D’s uplift for 3D is something like 20%-30%, but as anyone that’s worked seriously with 3D will tell you it takes twice as long to shoot, takes twice as much gear and takes twice as long to edit. So trying to make budgets work for 3D is difficult.
Anyway back to Iceland… After the master classes I did a bit of exploring, it’s an amazing country with some quite spectacular scenery. The only problem was that the weekend I was there saw the heaviest snowfall of the winter and storm force winds. If any of you have watched my recent Aurora How-To video all the way to the end you will have seen the kinds of conditions I encountered. My new Vinten 5AS tripod worked brilliantly. It’s no feather weight at 7kg but when your shooting in strong wind that weight makes a big difference making the whole setup so much more stable than it would be on a lightweight tripod. The 5AS head proved to be a good match for my side-by-side EX1/EX3 3D camera rig providing just the right amount of drag and balance compensation.
As Spring approaches I’m starting to work out my plans for the Tornado season. Do I try to capture another Tornado in 3D with my new mirror rig, or do I concentrate on getting some really filmic footage with the PMW-350? If I had the time and budget I’d try to do both. Later in the year I want to shoot lightning with some very wide spaced cameras so that you will be able to see the structure of the lightning bolts in 3D. Oh and by the way, I will be running an extreme weather filming masterclass if you want an amazing adventure at the same time learning a range of video techniques.
PS. The big blue chip corporate stereoscopic project that I was DoP-3D on has been completed and delivered to the client. They are absolutely over the moon and discussing future 3D projects. There will be a launch at the BFi in London in April and after that I will be able to share some of the amazing footage that we shot over the past 4 months.
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