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MRMC Newsletter
1st December 2004
| This Week: •Demo Day Success •Feature Film Credits •New Flair Features •My Life in Idlewild •SlimLine Head for StopTrick |
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| Demo Day Success The Ultihead demo at Black Island Studios, London, went extremely well with positive and enthusiastic feedback from those that attended. We will be holding more events soon at similar venues. Approximately 60 DoPs and Directors attended the afternoon and evening event and learned more about motion control. Also being shown was the Technocrane, courtesy of Technovision, which showed the Ultihead being used for remote applications, as well as the Arri Extreme. If you missed this event and would like to come to the next one please let us know, otherwise details will be sent in future newsletters.
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| Feature Film Credits Feedback from our recent survey showed that readers wanted to know more about what productions are currently using motion control. While the productions using motion control every year, including commercials, idents and music videos, number hundreds if not thousands, finding out more specifics can be difficult. But we have taken this on board and will start collecting this information from various users. Initially we have asked four operators what features they had recently used a Milo or Cyclops on and we have ended up with an approximate list of features using Mark Roberts systems in the last 12 months. We will start to collect reports and photos in collaboration with operators for more specific on-set information, including any details we can gather about sets, lighting, costs, transport, set-ups, software, DoPs; so this can be shown within the coming newsletters. We will aim to cover a wide range of different types of shoots from animation to commercials. List of recent Feature Film credits: •Batman Begins •Aviator •Harry Potter 4 •Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy •Sahara •Alexander •King Arthur •Herbie •I Robot •New York Minute •Spiderman 2 •Charlie and the Chocolate factory •Phantom of the Opera •My Life in Idlewild •Wimbledon |
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| New Flair Features A recent addition to the Flair software is its "Pan’n’Tile" or "Tiler" feature which is used create a large detailed background scene for compositing. This done by taking lots of stills (or tiles) at slightly different Pan and Tilt values which are then stitched together to create a high resolution single image to use as a background plate. The Flair interface will allow the user to easily get the camera to automatically take the necessary stills by giving it basic information such as the number of tiles required, the area required, the percentage overlap of the tiles or the field of view. The screenshots show the Tiler control windows in Flair for the trial of this new addition.
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| My Life in Idlewild Camera Control Inc’s operator Simon Wakley recently did a shoot for director Brian Barber, winner of Music Video of the Year, for his new feature My Life in Idlewild. Brian wanted a shot that went over the top of a bed starting the right way up and ending upside down with the camera looking straight down in the middle. He wanted a smooth move that would allow the viewer to concentrate on the image and not be distracted by any weave or unevenness in the camera motion. Motion control was chosen because there was no way this shot could be accomplished with a standard crane and operator in a smooth manner. In addition, the motion of the camera required that the back wall be removed for the shoot, and then parts of the move re-shot with the back wall in position to be composited into the final shot. Simon Wakley said: "This kind of move often requires a lot of careful programming of the roll. But using the new "Roll Up" feature, I was able to easily program the move, and export the motion of the camera and the Up Point for Maya to then import and use. The Roll worked seamlessly without any confusion by the software of which way is Up, as can be an issue without the "Roll Up" feature." Simon went on to say: "Once the move was programmed, I found that newly added parts of the set were in the way and I had to switch to "Cartesian Priority"**, switch kinematics priorities to Track Master and re-program so that I missed newly added walls and features by mere millimetres still getting the shot they wanted" **"Cartesian Priority" is a feature in the software that allows the user to create the same camera motion through space but using alternative axes to achieve it, for example using the extension of the arm to move the camera higher instead of lifting the arm. No footage available until the film is released.
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| SlimLine Head for StopTrick Daniel Haude and Jim Lacy from StopTrick recently visited our facility to inspect the SlimLine Pan-Tilt-Roll head they have purchased for their animation requirements. Due for delivery in 2005, the SlimLine has a built in Fries Mitchell camera with co-axial magazines and slip-rings on the roll to allow unlimited travel. StopTrick create clay animation for commercials and idents and required a motion control head with rigidity and accuracy for 35mm shooting. The Fries Mitchell camera allows them to mount a variety of different lenses including Nikon, Arri-PL and Panavision lenses and Mark Roberts Motion Control have also designed an integrated capping shutter specifically to aid in this clay animation application.
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Do you know anyone else who should be getting regularly informed
about the industry? Let us know; we would be happy to send them our
newsletters or DVD Showreel - The 2005 Motion Control Explained DVD. |
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