Last week Inition triumphed with a ground-breaking production of the UK's first successful broadcast of a live event in 3D to a domestic 3D TV set, via Sky's satellite network and existing Sky+HD set-top boxes. The broadcast was part of a 3D music event co-produced by Inition, BSkyB, production company Nineteen Fifteen Productions and Island Records to coincide with Keane’s live performance that saw a 3D webcast of the gig streamed via Keane’s website. Inition pitched the idea to the band back in December when they were using our 3D equipment to film the promo of Keane's song 'Spiralling'.
Keane, a band that have earned a reputation for embracing the power of new technology and connecting online with their fans, were quick to take up the idea.
Andy Millns, Director of Inition, commented:
"It was fantastic seeing a project on this scale through from initial concept to delivery. In terms of complexity, this was the most advanced 3D shoot I've been involved with but it all worked seamlessly and I was delighted with the results. Working closely with the OB suppliers Telegenic, we put in a full 5 camera OB using a mixture of bespoke and off-the-shelf equipment and put it all into Abbey Road in one day as there was no room for a truck outside the studio. I'd also like to thank Polecam for their support with their minicam system which is very useful for 3D work."
Gerry O’Sullivan, Sky’s Director of Strategic Product Development, commented:
“We’re excited to have worked with Keane and their innovative management team to explore how our 3D TV technology might be used to offer a totally new viewing experience for live and recorded music. Being able to broadcast a live event in 3D is a real breakthrough as previous demonstrations have relied on recorded material. This is the first time we’ve broadcast a live event in 3D over satellite and it shows the significant progress we’re making with our research and development activity. The Keane event not only gave us new insight into our ability to deliver a rich and immersive live 3D experience into the home, but also confirmed that arts programming is another genre which has the potential to benefit from 3D."
You can learn more about the behind-the-scenes work that went into the Keane 3D broadcast and watch an exclusive behind-the-scenes video by clicking on 'Keane 3D - A Milestone in 3D Broadcasting' in the 'Related Case Studies' section below.
3D Roller Coaster Advert for Extreme Game Show
Inition worked with Red Bee Media to produce a 3D advert for the new celebrity game show ‘
3D Skate Tricks From Tony Hawk
Inition has been in Berlin and Brighton, shooting skateboarding vet
Inition and Rankin collaborate on Kelis 3D Music Video - Scream
Inition Collaborate With Deeble & Stone For 3D Kenyan Documentary
Mercedes Supercar goes 3D (With Making of Video)
3D Feature: Award Winning 3D in Extreme Environments for 'Amphibious'
For Brian Yuzna’s much anticipated horror film, Amphibious 3D, Komodo Films required a 3D specialist who could deliver high quality stereoscopic experience and expertise in tough humid conditions on a low budget.
Inition supplied stereoscopic consultancy and equipment for Amphibious 3D, a feature film that won the ‘Best Feature Film’ award at the 2010 3D Stereo Media European 3D Film Festival in a competition of 48 entries.
It has wrapped and is now in post production at Galaxy Studios, Belguim. The Netherlands/ Belgium/ Singaporean co-production will be the first 3D movie ever made in Southeast Asia.
Inition’s Asia Pacific office worked with Komodo Films providing consultancy on pre-production, storyboards, camera and monitoring equipment plus post-production. The shoot took place over 2 months in Jakarta where Inition’s Head of Production for Asia Pacific, Markus Stone, was the lead Stereographer and headed the 3D department. Filming was shot on REDS (WHAT TYPE?)
Markus commented: “This was a complex 3D shoot, and was produced in often challenging conditions including the Javanese jungle, on board a boat and in a studio that was a humid 36 degrees every day with the air conditioners turned on. It just goes to show that great 3D is possible on a budget.”
The film now enters the 3D post production phase, with the VFX slate being handled by Victor 3D Studios and Grid in Brussels, with DI handled by Galaxy Studios, all under the instruction of Post Supervisor Hans Van Helden. "For 3D the DI process is a little different", says van Helden; "Firstly you need the capacity to decode and display a dual image stream; in our case RED R3D files. Then there is a process of conforming to the 3D rushes from the 2D offline edit and tweaking the 3D to make sure you have perfect alignment. After that, we have the 'matchgrade' process."
Amphibious is due for release in June 2010.
3D Filming: Tony Hawk on Tour
Working with extreme sports production specialist Boomerang Productions, Inition supplied stereoscopic equipment, crew, consultancy and 3D post services for a half hour 3D programme following Tony Hawk on his European tour in Berlin and Brighton.
Due to a combination of low weight, compact size and high quality image output, Inition chose to shoot everything with Toshiba IK-HD1(1920x1080i) minicams to capture the essence and drama of the competitor's daring skate tricks.
Capturing the Action from all Angles
Inition’s crew established three camera positions during the Berlin shoot.
A Fig Rig gave the cameraman incredible flexibility to capture fast motion shots. A Polecam lightweight jib was positioned at the top of a ramp side which captured stunning sweeping overhead shots including those classic 3D shots when the skater appears to be jumping out the screen. The third stereoscopic rig was mounted on a regular tripod which was used to capture ground level footage and close ups.
Real Time Stereoscopic Monitoring
To monitor the action, each rig was connected to a StereoBrain Processor. Battery powered and highly lightweight, the StereoBrain processor can process a left and right signal and output a variety of 3D modes which can be viewed on a 2D or 3D monitor. During the Tony Hawk shoot, Inition’s crew used StereoBrain processors to output an anaglyph feed to 7” HD-SDI monitors. Media was recorded to Nanoflash solid state recorders.
Using the three camera set up, Inition was able to deliver motion rich, immersive 3D footage for Boomerang Productions. Boomerang Productions delivered a 2D edit to Inition where it was geometrically corrected and mastered into 3D for 3D Blu-ray authoring,
3D Shoot: Rollercoaster 3D to Promote New Gameshow
Red Bee Media hired Inition to shoot a 3D advert promoting a new theme park based gameshow - 'Scream If You Know The Answer' for UKTV.
The brief was to replicate the adrenaline inducing feeling of riding the white knuckle rides at Thorpe Park and after a tough recce day trying all the coasters at the park, the team chose Colussus, the UK's only quadruple-corkscrew coaster.
At the front of the ride the Inition team installed two SI-2K Mini Digital Cinema Cameras in a parallel arrangement on a rugged mounting system designed by Extreme Facilities. To adhere to health and safety requirements, Extreme Facilities modified a crash dummy which housed and contained all the recording equipment.
The footage was finished in-house using our 2K Iridas SpeedGrade system which is suitable for large and small screen 3D projects, ideal as this 3D advert was shown in cinemas and on 3D TV sets in over 1,200 Sky 3D pubs.
Keane 3D Live: A Milestone in 3D Broadcasting
The live 3D transmission of a performance by Keane at Abbey Road Studios to a domestic 3D television marked a major milestone in the history of 3D broadcasting and pioneered many of the 3D transmission techniques to follow.
Inition conceived the idea in 2008 and was the primary technical partner behind the project which was backed by BSkyB, Island Records and Nineteen Fifteen Productions.
Keane 3D was broadcast simultaneously to three very different mediums – The Vue’s flagship Leicester Square RealD cinema; a dedicated website where Keane fans could watch the performance in anaglyph (red/cyan) mode and over the BSkyB transmission infrastructure becoming the first ever live 3D transmission on their network.
Sky Transmission
The Keane broadcast was the first ever 3D transmission to be broadcast over the BSkyB transmission infrastructure to a domestic display. The 3D feed was transmitted as a side-by-side frame compatible signal over a high definition satellite transponder using SENSIO encoding which was linked to two Hyundai 46 inch high definition 3D TV screens. A VIP audience in Abbey Road's world-famous Studio 2 were able to watch the full live Sky transmission nearby.
3D Webcast
A separate 3D webcast was streamed over the Internet in anaglyph (red/cyan) mode. This was the world’s first ever live webcast in 3D which Keane fans around the globe could watch in 3D by wearing a pair of anaglyph glasses. The webcast later went on to become nominated for The Innovation Award at the UK Music Video Awards 2009.
Vue Cinema Showing
A live broadcast via a satellite uplink to the 3D-enabled Vue cinema in Leicester Square, using SENSIO's 3D Cinema Encoder.
The Set Up
Inition supplied five 3D rigs for the historic event – three mirror/beamsplitter rigs and two side-by-side rigs (I thought there was a Toshiba MiniCam set up?) (one SteadiCam and one PoleCam). Each left and right camera recorded the Keane 3D broadcast in full HD for archiving purposes.
On set was a Jib cam, PoleCam, a dolly, a 45 degree angle shot and a wide angle shot. The Inition crew monitored the live and preview feeds via several StereoBrain Processors which can output a left and right signal in a variety of 3D modes.
As access to Abbey Road Studios were very limited, Inition’s production team pre-planned every single shot using stereo pre-viz animations. This allowed the team to determine the best focal lengths, rig positions and stereoscopic effects weeks in advance.
All the planning paid off and each individual transmission was a technical and creative success which was later praised by the national media.
Watch an interview with the band about their 3D performance here
Click here to read an article about the event in TVB Europe Magazine
Kelis: 3D Pop Promo: 'Scream'. Directed by Rankin.
After collaborating with Inition on several test shoots, world famous fashion photographer Rankin chose Inition to supply the stereoscopic crew, expertise and equipment for a new pop music promo from Kelis called ‘Scream’.
3D on a 2D Schedule
It was essential that the 3D aspect did not add time to the one day/2D schedule. Inition used an Element Technica Quasar rig and SI-2K 3D camera system. Element Technica's motorised alignment, excellent rigidity and precise alignment, meant less correction was required on set and in post production, ideal when time was of the essence as it was with the Kelis 'Scream' production schedule.
Brett Turnbull, DP on the shoot said: "We shot 'Scream' in 2D and 3D simultaneously using the same camera system. The whole set-up was very flexible and mobile, allowing us to experiment and see instant 3D playback on set. With an ambitious storyboard and limited shooting time, it was a real bonus that shooting in 3D actually had very little impact on the day's schedule.”
On the day of shooting, Inition supplemented the regular crew with a stereographer, rig technician and camera assistant, and supervised the post production which was completed at OnSight, ensuring that Rankin’s trademark photographic style was not comprised and actually enhanced by the stereography.
YouTube Hit
‘Scream’ 3D by Kelis was launched as an anaglyph 3D video exclusively on video sharing website YouTube, generating over half a million hits and counting. It features an exciting combination of negative and postive parallax shots, perfectly suited for the genre of a music video.
Inition's crew and equipment ensured the production schedule was adhered too and the director was able to fully concentrate on the creative process.
Watch 'Scream' by Kelis below (anaglyph 3D glasses required)