Where motion pictures are born.
BOKS Dance Test!
About a month ago, we published a post entitled BOKS is here! which showcased the very first screen test for our highly innovative camera rig, the BOKS System. One month later and we’ve got some more footage to show, this time with music to match the motion!
Why is it that everything cool has the word ‘motion’ in its name? Richard E. Byrd would tell you that’s because “Progress grows out of motion”. Whatever the reason may be, the coolest thing at motionmaven today is stereographic projection: a 360 degree image which surrounds the viewer.
Stereographic projection itself has its roots stemming as far back as Hipparchus, Ptolemy and the Egyptians when it was known as planisphere projection.
Several months ago, MIT shook up the planisphere by introducing a camera (like the one shown below) that will allow viewers to capture stereoscopic 3D movies in 360 degrees. That’s right, stereographic projection, in 3D.
Funded under NASA, MIT created the rig to provide an immersive environment for the viewer. The reason it offers such immersion is that any 3D picture that is filmed with this camera will have 360 degree sterescopic 3D, thereby transporting the viewer inside the stereographic projection itself.
For tech mavens such as ourselves, it seems obvious to us that the future of interactive entertainment will depend heavily on this technology. Imagine a world where 360 degree photography is projected via virtual cocoons or sensory substitution devices like the one below.
But before you start saving up for your bionic eye, we suggest that you start enjoying the very cool world (albeit 2D) of stereographic projections otherwise known as Little Planet photography.
If Hipparchus and Ptolemy were alive today, they’d suggest you watch this video here.
Even if you know how stereographic projection works, it never fails to boggle the mind when witnessing the effect in real time. Thanks to Ignasi Vidal for the video clip above.
By the time a person in the United States is 65 years old, they would have seen an estimated two million television commercials.
For quite some time, the mavens have been obsessing over stereo photography; in particular, how 3D imagery can be displayed without lenticular screens or cumbersome 3D glasses.
We believe that the success versus failure rate of 3D technology in the long term of home entertainment depends on one thing and one thing only…losing the glasses.
Stereoscopic animated gifs, like the one above, use the ‘wiggle’ method as a simple stereogram viewing technique. Basically, the image is alternating between the left and right images of a stereogram.
If it’s possible to view a still picture in 3D without any special screens or glasses (albeit with a little ‘wiggle’), then there must be a way to simulate 3D on a moving picture, as well.
‘How’, you ask? Well, first we need millions of dollars in research and development, years of patent litigation, and one crude businessman to steal everyone’s ideas, bundle them all together and brand it as his own. Boom. Done. Ship to customer.
Seriously? Go check out what the boys at Stereo D are doing if you really love 3D tech.
In the meantime, if you’re an indie filmmaker and want to keep the 3D revolution going, we’d like to share a few of the ways you can do that on your own.
1. The HDSLR slider ($2,8oo approx)
With all the craze surrounding HDSLR technology, we thought we’d start with a rig built for that type of camera (you could also use two iPhones). It’s called the DIY rig, as in Do-it-yo-damn-self.
All you need is a level rail of sorts, a ruler and two sliding camera mounts. How far apart should you place the lenses? Typically, 2.5″ apart, or what’s commonly known as ‘eye spacing’. For more information on 3D lens setups, click here.
The problem with this rig, although simple to use and extremely cost-efficient, is that you are unable to move the cameras close enough to get your ‘eye spacing’. Which means that this rig is best for wider landscapes and vistas, imagery where the ‘one in thirty’ rule can work within the limitations of the rig itself.
2. The Panasonic 3D Camera Fleet ($14k approx)
The Panasonic 3D camera fleet (as we’re calling it) consists of the following cameras: AG-3DA1 , AG3DA1PJ, HDC-z10000, and the HDC-SDT750.
The best thing about these Panasonic cameras is that everything is packed together inside the body. The amount of thought you must put into the actual ’3D’ element of the shot is nominal. This allows you to focus solely on the composition and lighting, which, if you’re a DP, is where your mind should be, anyway. The downside of this camera is that the lenses are locked, which means the 3D only works well when you’re a certain distance away from the subject. Panasonic tried making up for this shortfall by allowing the operator to manually adjust the point of convergence (where the stereo images come together).
All in all, they’re not bad cameras. We’ve actually chosen the AG3DA1PJ, pictured directly above, many times due to the ‘ease of use’ factor we mentioned earlier.
3. A Mirror Rig ($14k approx)
The mirror rig shown above is much like the Genus Hurrican 3D Camera Rig (which won Best of Show at NAB 2011). This setup is the end-all and be-all for precise 3D cinematography. You can adjust the cameras specifically for each shot, and since the camera bodies are on a mirror system, you can move them around without bumping them into each other.
Although the rig itself is a bit large and cumbersome to work with, this is as good as ‘manual’ control is going to get with your indie 3D photography.
Unfortunately for some indie filmmakers, the Panasonic cameras, as well as the mirror rigs, can get so expensive that the production budget begins bleeding red. But if 3D is an important aspect to your storytelling, we suggest you call up that rich uncle, or borrow from a friend of a friend, or find a freelance DP online who has his own 3D equipment, like Bruce Schultz at Primetime Digital (the images above were taken inside Bruce’s shop).
Now go forth, young mavens, and spread the word of stereoscopic cinematography. The holodeck on the Starship Enterprise depends on it!
Seriously, this is by no means an extensive or exhaustive list. If you have something to add, please feel free to share.
You may have noticed our magnetic relationship with video game commercials. Well, ever since we began our courtship with the gaming industry we’ve been developing a camera rig which simulates the third person perspective commonly seen in Grand Theft Auto: a wide-angle lens floating behind, or in front of the main character.
Following several months of research and development, a functioning prototype finally arrived on set. We’ve tweaked and twisted the rig on a few test shoots and we must say, that so far, we’re looking pretty darn good.
Normally, we would never post a work-in-progress, but we’re so excited about the success of this prototype that we just had to share a few shots from its most recent screen test. More to follow, soon…
In 2000, U.S. Internet advertising revenue was $8.1 billion. In 2011, that figure jumped to $32 billion. In 2013, the figure is expected to reach $42 billion.
This year, we were lucky enough to be invited along with our friends at Noodlehaus to film the 2012 DICE convention in Las Vegas. Hosted by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Science, every year, the most brilliant minds in the gaming industry come together to celebrate the accomplishments of the past and begin rendering their vision of the future.
From Tim Sweeney, the prodigy behind Epic Games to Eric Hirshberg, the CEO of Activision (who gave a great speech on being a creative in the advertising world), the list of award winners, speakers, moderators and guest celebrities was a literal who’s-who of the video game industry. We had our documentary cameras rolling backstage to capture their thoughts on the future of interactive entertainment.
You’re probably thinking to yourself, “Meh, nice picture. But where’s the video for this documentary?”. Well, all we can say is patience, young jedi. Patience. Everything comes to those who wait. In the meantime, here’s a few photos showing how we captured those awesome go-kart shots in the video below. In short, there was a lot of GoPro cameras in motion.
DICE is an annual convention held in Las Vegas which hosts the “who’s who” of developers in the video game industry. Basically, it’s a week of fun which ends with an award show honoring the industries best works from the previous year. We produced this piece which was used as an interstitial between seminars and live events throughout the convention.
Aaah, the 80′s. Recently we were blessed with the privilege of meeting Ed Logg, the creator of Atari’s most successful video games: Asteroids, Centipede and Gauntlet.
During our post-production research we came upon this gem of a commercial which epitomizes the essence of 1980′s advertising: beach babes, Ray-Bans, boom boxes, and blue skies standing in for blue screen. Video game history in motion.
Ice cubes in beverage advertisements are typically made of acrylic so they won’t melt under hot photography lights or move around. Bubbles are made by adding detergent, and water is added so light will filter through better.
Late one night in the edit bay, a group of mavens decided to test a recurring theory that had recently been discussed around the water cooler. They hypothesized that a ‘viral video’ must contain three specific ingredients in order to ensure that it attracts the appropriate number of eyeballs to justify the classification.
Celebrity, controversy, and sex.
If you ask us, that is the perfect recipe for magnetizing any demographic to the screen. To prove our hypothesis, we gathered photos from celebrity/party photographer markthecobrasnake, featuring what we thought were the most conventionally sexy girls and edited them to the controversial lyrics of Mickey Avalon’s song, So Rich So Pretty.
At the time, there were no other videos like it. Now, with over 2 million views and several imitations later, our inboxes are still receiving comments to this day. The video has been a success in multiple countries and even outgrew the official music video for the song. There’s nothing special about it, no fancy editing, no vfx, no budget, just three important ingredients: celebrity, controversy, and sex. That’s what we call, virus in motion. You can watch the video, here.
After months and months of filming nothing but commercials, we decided to get out of the office and simply tell a story. You know, the real reason why filmmakers move to Hollywood. So, in five short hours on a Saturday morning in downtown L.A., a splinter unit of mavens gathered on the 6th street bridge and began filming the chance encounter of two soon-to-be enemies, Mark & Tom.
Maven is a Yiddish word meaning accumulator of knowledge.
Street Mavens in Mozambique.