Wild Ocean 3D : FotoKem Employs Quantel Stereoscopic Technology for 3-D Imax Feature

Documentary on Endangered Fish Migration Becomes First Large-Format 3D Film Finished as a Complete 4K DI

May 29, 2008 -- DMN Newswire--2008-5-29--Giant Screen Films Wild Ocean 3D documents a natural phenomenon of staggering proportion: the annual migration of sardines "billions of them "along the coast of South Africa. It is a beautiful, moving and, sadly, endangered event that IMAX audiences worldwide will soon have an opportunity to experience in stunning 70mm stereoscopic 3D thanks to the work of a team of pioneering filmmakers and a bit of magic supplied by Quantel s Pablo 4K.

Wild Ocean 3D, which was produced by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, creators of the British stage sensation STOMP, reveals the feeding frenzy among dolphins, sharks, sea birds and other creatures that accompanies the migration of the tiny fish, as well as the efforts of business, government and people to preserve this fragile resource. Film crews spent nearly two years, working both above and below the water, capturing spectacular footage to tell this mesmerizing survival tale. The film, which recently screened at the Giant Screen Film Conference in London, will be released publicly later this year.

Post production work was completed at FotoKem, Hollywood, with conforming and final color grading performed in a DI theater equipped with a Quantel Pablo 4K with the stereoscopic 3D option. The entire 40-minute film was finished in 4K, for subsequent film out to 70mm film, making it the first Giant Screen 3D film finished as a complete 4K DI to be graded and conformed at the super high-resolution 4K format.

Daniel Rapo, a producer with FotoKem s Digital Film Services, oversaw the project. Rapo, who joined FotoKem late last year to assist with its growing docket of 3D films, said that one factor that has kept other large format films from finishing in 4K is the time and horsepower requirements for working with the massive files. 4K files are not twice as large as 2K, they are four times as large so there is a potential for things to move slowly, Rapo explained. But with the Pablo 4K the rules have changed. What we were able to accomplish working in 3D 4k with the Pablo 4k was simply not possible even 1 year ago. Compared to my previous experiences in large format post-production, this new workflow is lightning fast.

One of the challenges faced by the post production team was the fact that the film was shot with media of differing types and formats. Most of the above water material was shot on various 70mm film formats, while underwater sequences were recorded with pairs of HD cameras housed in specialty 3D camera rigs. In preparation for final post, film elements were scanned at 8K and down-rezzed to 4K. The HD media was up-rezzed and digitally enhanced.

It would have been more straightforward if everything had been shot in one format, but using different formats allowed the production to get shots they otherwise might not have gotten considering the challenges of working underwater in remote locations, Rapo explained. The end result made it all worthwhile as we were able to utilize the Pablo 4K to grade and balance each shot creating a flawless flow to the production.

Creating that balanced, consistent look for the various source media was the focus of much of the five weeks that were devoted to final post. The grade was performed by FotoKem colorist Walter Volpatto, with both Cresswell and McNicholas and the films underwater and above water DPs, D.J. Roller and Reed Smoot attending most sessions. Using Pablo 4K, Volpatto was able to grade scenes for review at 2K by the production team, projected in 3D onto the theater screen.

FotoKem Colorist Walter Volpatto

We were able to watch files in our DI theater on the fly, recalled Rapo. If the producers wanted to make adjustments to the grade or adjust the 3D offset, we could do it all right there in the theater and view the result.

Considerable time was also devoted to perfecting the 3D effects and creating dramatic visuals to dazzle audiences. Rapo recalls a shot of a massive bait ball (sardines swarming together to avoid a large predator) that was shot by Roller from below. By manipulating the 3D offset we pushed the bait ball far behind the screen to create the impression that it is far above your head, he said. An opposite 3D adjustment was used in a scene of dolphins swimming toward the camera. We brought them out over the audience to create the illusion that they are floating above the heads of people seated in front of you, Rapo observed.

As the Pablo 4K has made it practical to finish 3D films in 4K, audiences are likely to be in store for a lot more of such spectacular visuals. I ve worked on large format films for the better part of a decade, but this was my first exposure to Pablo 4K, said Rapo. It s a fantastic tool that has revolutionized the way we finish films for the Giant Screen.

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