"The DXC-9000 outputs RGB component video which is not suitable for recording
to Beta SP in this particular case," says Goodman. "So we used two Sigma
Electronics black boxes to convert the RBG component video into YUV component
video and then recorded to the two separate Beta decks." Using "video
out/video in" external sync on the two Beta decks, field accuracy was
maintained.
"We have one of the beta decks sending time code to the other so the in and
out points for each shot match," says Goodman. "This makes editing much
easier. We log all the footage from the left eye tape and then just re-save
the batch capture list, changing the file names to include a right eye
suffix."
A Horita mini-portable blackburst generator is used to provide external
sync to the two cameras to ensure simultaneous image capture for left
and right eye channels. The camera adapter unit provides AC power as well
as a multi-pin cable that allows for external sync input. A camera remote
control unit also provides easy access to various camera functions.
To preview the 3-D material during production, a field sequential 3-D multiplexer
is used to mix composite video output from the two Beta SP decks into
a single 3-D video stream. This is very useful for comparing output of
the two cameras and ensuring video input at the Beta decks. A head-mounted
display (HMD) or liquid crystal shutter (LCS) glasses and a variety of
other means can be used for preview. "Both cameras ran composite video
into a 3-D multiplexer provided by Andrew Woods at Curtin University of
Technology in Australia," says Goodman. "This allowed us to preview 3-D
in real time and compare focus, brightness and other characteristics on
screen as we shot."
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The first 960p project that Goodman has completed with his new stereoscopic
video system is Avandia 3D, a seven-minute movie produced for the pharmaceutical
company GlaxoSmithKline and recently shown at the American Diabetes Association
convention. Avandia 3D combines live-action footage of actors shot in
front of a greenscreen and composited with computer generated (CG) imagery
depicting the bloodstream and hypoglycemia at a cellular level. It's a
computer-generated fantastic voyage in 3-D into the human heart and bloodstream
that's a bit like a traditional "ride film" usually seen in the Imax format.
"The analog component footage was captured with the NewTek Video Toaster
via analog component, uncompressed and brought right into Adobe After
Effects," says Goodman. "I wanted to stay in component color space to
preserve as much image quality and color fidelity as possible. While the
Sigma transcoder box is not necessarily an ideal solution, it seems like
the best available choice for the present time."
Working in the realm of computer imagery provided great flexibility for manipulation
of the stereoscopic image. "We manipulated the stereo window with After
Effects by moving left and right eye images closer together or further
apart depending on the need," says Goodman. "We were compositing the live
actors into a CG world, so we set up the CG shots with convergence or
camera toe-in. Once we got the CG world looking the way we wanted, we
integrated the actors in a way that made them appear to be at the proper
depth relative to their surroundings."
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