News Stories

How to do 3D sky shots in the UK

5.17.2011

[company website]

British Technical Films engineered what is believed to be the first radio controlled helicopter filming platform over 20 years ago in response to the dangers and expense of full sized conventional helicopters at low altitudes.  British Technical Films has recently developed a new specially designed gyro stabilised aerial filming platform for SD, HD, 3D and stills.  This aerial platform (SKYBOT) has been designed and built with stability, stealth and smooth flight in mind.  The CNC machined airframe in aluminium combined with gyro stabilisation and camera roll and tilt compensation provides the perfect aerial tool.

SKYBOT is an affordable alternative to Steadycam, jibs and conventional helicopters.  It creates exciting and unexpected transitional shots which can begin looking as being filmed from a Steadycam, the middle as if a crane or jib is involved then climb to reveal the equivalent of helicopter aerials.

See the FULL STORY with more pictures here: http://www.britishtechnicalfilms.com/Services/Aerial-HD-3D-and-stills

 

XPAND 3D COO Guido Voltolina to Participate in Discussion Panel at SID/Cowen 2011 Display Investors Conference

5.17.2011

[by BusinessWire]

Guido Voltolina, Chief Operations Officer for XPAND 3D, will deliver a company presentation and participate in a discussion panel at the 7thAnnual SID/Cowen 2011 Display Investors Conference on May 17 in Los Angeles. The Conference will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center and is part of Display Week 2011, the Society for Information Display’s 49th International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition.

The panel discussion is titled, “The Next Wave of 3D—to the Cinema and Beyond,” and will be moderated by Paul Semenza, Senior VP of DisplaySearch.

“3D is now an established ‘golden egg’ for the investor community—the doubt over 3D’s staying power is gone,” Voltolina said. “Now it’s just a matter of how fast 3D will grow as it penetrates different markets.”

These different markets, Voltolina explained, go well beyond the core 3D applications of cinema and home entertainment. “In the past, 3D was considered to be a strictly movie experience, in the cinema and later the home,” Voltolina continued. “While those areas still represent the majority of 3D usage, we’re learning that 3D is valuable in so many other applications, such as education, business presentations, and consumer-generated content.”

In late March, XPAND and Panasonic announced the formation of M-3DI, a new standard for 3D active-shutter eyewear products that will bring about compatibility among 3D TVs, computers, home projectors and cinema projection.

“The M-3DI standard allows for a bridge between televisions, laptops and projectors for businesses and the home,” Voltolina noted. “So the 3D experience is no longer fragmented. 3D glasses are now items of personal expression that allow users to watch 3D without having to worry about the type of screen they are watching it on.”

For more information on XPAND 3D, please visit www.xpand.me

See the original post here: http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2011/05/16/xpand-3d-coo-guido-voltolina-participate-discussion-panel-sidcowen-2011-display-investors

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Specification for Naming VFX Image Sequences Released

ETC’s VFX Working Group has published a specification for best practices naming image sequences such as plates and comps. File naming is an essential tool for organizing the multitude of frames that are inputs and outputs from the VFX process. Prior to the publication of this specification, each organization had its own naming scheme, requiring custom processes for each partner, which often resulted in confusion and miscommunication.

The new ETC@USC specification focuses primarily on sequences of individual images. The initial use case was VFX plates, typically delivered as OpenEXR or DPX files. However, the team soon realized that the same naming conventions can apply to virtually any image sequence. Consequently, the specification was written to handle a wide array of assets and use cases.

To ensure all requirements are represented, the working group included over 2 dozen participants representing studios, VFX houses, tool creators, creatives and others.  The ETC@USC also worked closely with MovieLabs to ensure that the specification could be integrated as part of their 2030 Vision.

A key design criteria for this specification is compatibility with existing practices.  Chair of the VFX working group, Horst Sarubin of Universal Pictures, said: “Our studio is committed to being at the forefront of designing best industry practices to modernize and simplify workflows, and we believe this white paper succeeded in building a new foundation for tools to transfer files in the most efficient manner.”

This specification is compatible with other initiatives such as the Visual Effects Society (VES) Transfer Specifications. “We wanted to make it as seamless as possible for everyone to adopt this specification,” said working group co-chair and ETC@USC’s Erik Weaver. “To ensure all perspectives were represented we created a team of industry experts familiar with the handling of these materials and collaborated with a number of industry groups.”

“Collaboration between MovieLabs and important industry groups like the ETC is critical to implementing the 2030 Vision,” said Craig Seidel, SVP of MovieLabs. “This specification is a key step in defining the foundations for better software-defined workflows. We look forward to continued partnership with the ETC on implementing other critical elements of the 2030 Vision.”

The specification is available online for anyone to use.

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