HOW is this possible ?

Carrington Benz

Carrington Benz

Well-known member
http://www.realviz.com/gallery/spec.php?id=16&&offset=4&&product=rt

just click on the QT mov

I just checked out this site for slow motion effects & the "matrix" comes to mind when I looked at this demo  
 
How do they do that effect ?  Isit really possible with this plugin ?  

retimer ?

Anyhow - just wondered if anyone has used this effect here - how would you go about shooting to acheive this effect - as used in "matrix"

Cheers                     ;)
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

wholly **** that was cool....
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

I don't know but that kicked ass. I looked at the gallery as well and ON MY GOD!
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

Realviz has been making cool post tool for a few years now.

Quite expensive but worth it.

I know they have some good speed-interpolation tools as well.
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

I replied to your post in the FCP section, but here's my reply as this is a more aptly suited place for it:

If you're talking about the "frozen 3d pan" effect, then the only way I know of to do that involves still cameras placed around the subject and simultaneously (or sequentially) taking pictures. Where the Retimer product most likely comes into play is the the smoothing out of the transitions between the still images as well as controlling the speed of the pan. Retimer creates new frames using already existing frames as reference, so it would seem that it is well suited to smooth such effects out. Unfortunately, I do not believe the bulk of the effect is made possible with the plugin.

BTW, it's a very good plugin nonetheless.
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

The time-freeze effect was invented by Dayton Taylor in the mid '80s utilizing camera arrays. If you're interested check it out:

www.virtualcamera.com
www.movia.com

BTW: Warner Bros. appropriated the effect most famously in Batman's Mr. Freeze, Swordfish, etc. Originally, WB enlisted Taylor to do the effects (based on an American Cinematographer article) then decided to do it themselves (actually, they f*cked Dayton over). At the time, he told them he had a patent pending which they scoffed at. A while back the patent granted - camera array machine patents and complete intellectual property associated with the time-freeze effect).
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

I think that putting a time freeze in their demo might be misleading. i don't believe there is a way to do that with software only. My guess is that they had several cameras set up, and the software interpolated the frames in between the shots. Vegas Video has a feature that does this pretty well (superframe rendering) for slow motion sequences. If I'm wrong, then this software is definitely worth the price.
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

yeah.. this would be easy to use a set of still cameras all timed right... ala matrix style.. but I just assumed that this was some sort of software created effect.. because they make 3d interpolations.. woulda been nice if they put a little info there.
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

Jarred,

RealViz must be interpolation software between discrete cam pov's. The original TimeTrack setups used very closely set and rigorously registered still cam-arrays that then needed some definite stabilization software work (Flame, etc). In the early 90's Microsoft research unveiled several versions of what they called 'virtual cinematographer' at back-to-back Siggraphs, which, effectively attempted to substitute software for much of the photo data. I'm pretty certain RealViz does something like this.

BTW, it's not easy to do these kinds of shots with still cams. Actually, it's fairly nightmarish. With vid cams the complexity becomes positively hellish. The movia site listed above shows a digital video-array clip from a BP commercial shot in Brazil this last August. Very cool.

MD
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

wholly crap islander1.. thanks for the info.

Why did you have problems with the cameras? I did an experement last year with 6 still digital Canon cameras, that operate with an infared remote control. I actually found it extreamly easy to set up the cameras in a 1/4 circle and press the remote to optain almost perfect sync photos.. it really was that easy. I imagine you could do 18 cameras in 10 degree increments to get a pretty fluid rotation.
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

I think I've asked this before.

Is it possible to use the DVX like this using the still mode or time lapse mode? Using a track that encircles or curves around the subject?
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

there is no still mode on the DVX.. and time lapse would work but only if everything was stationary i.e. nothing moved, your basically talking about a dolly shot. IT would not give the "freeze time" effect.
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

Under stand the NO STILL mode and also understand the goal of the FREEZE TIME effect. Further understand how the 35 SLR's pull it off.

What I meant was, doing it and then tricking in POST, whether to add or remove frames to simulate.

What I meant was in not having a dozen 35 SLR's to use.
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

As far as I know, there is no way to fake this in post without having a 3d model of the whole scene. You need to be able to capture the exact moment in time from slightly different angles, and multiple cameras are required for this. Does Realviz have a description of that shot and exactly how their software was applied to it?
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?

After looking more and more at that footage.. I cannot figure out how the software would even attempt to make that scene. If all they are advertising is the "slow down" of the movement, that is very lame... and a bad representation of the software.
 
Re: HOW is this possible ?


What happens is a 35mm film camera dollys along until the waterballoon breaks, then a 35mm still camera array is triggered.

Obviously they would have to do a few takes(like all day) to get the timing right between when the balloon hits the talent, and the array effect starts.

What Realviz does is stick the live action sequence
(shot one), together in registration with the 35mm still camera array images(shot2) onto a bi-cubic surface, which is basically a animatable 3D Mesh.

Realviz Retimer then defines how long each still frame in the array is held for.

In addition reviz retimer can also put a virtual 3D camera into the shot to enhance the pan or possible zoom.

The key to the shot is the camera array and the positional registration between the the two seperate camera systems.
 
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