Shooting for multiple screen playback

[mr_screen]

I am currently looking into a production that might be technically challenging: The theatre where the movie will be screening is set up with 5 projectors, and 5 individual screens. The current movie is playing off from 5 hard drives hooked up to one pc. I am guessing there are two ways of producing content for this set-up: Either mount 5 cameras to one tripod, or shoot in HD with an extreme wide-angle lense and split the picture in 5. The latter option of course depends on the resoulution.
This particular field is new to me, and I would like comments/responses to the way to go..It sure would be a cool thing to do.

 

[alpi69]

Re: Shooting for multiple screen playback

we planned a shoot for 3 screens once. never got the budget though.
i assume you dont want to have the same clip on all 5 screens all the time, but instead have alternating content (which can then be shot independently anyway) and only some shots over all screens.
we had several ideas:
a) like you said have 3 cams aligned on one "tripod"
b) shoot 35mm and blow it up (i doubt HD will have the resolution)
c) align several 35mm PHOTOCAMS like it used for the "matrixeffect".

we would have gone with option c in our project BTW. shooting panoramas with many photocams and then aligning the stuff in the PC. kinda like 360° photography.
Willi Bogner does something intersting with 7 screens. each screen can also rotate on his setup!!! did anyone see this yet? it is great. imagine a shot into a forest where all you see are trees...then the screen rotates 90° and while doing so dissolves from trees to waves on the beach. and now all screens show this beach...voila you just changed location in an awesome way. really good but must be tough to edit 7 diffrent screens with changing horizonlines.....

anyway good luck with your 5 screens. i hope you get the budget....

 

[mr_screen]

Re: Shooting for multiple screen playback

You are excactly right when it comes to mixing "wide" footage that spans across all screens to single shots that dissolve in and out horizontally. The rough plans for the moment calls for some helicopter shots and some underwater stuff. Ideally it should probably all be shot on 35 mm. Alternatively, I was thinking of having a 5 camera rig made that could fit on a tripod. That would work on static shot, but not in the air/under water. I need to figure out what resolution I would need for each screen. Maybe a lower resoulution would support HD? I hope I get the gig too, but it is a looong road. Worth pursuing, though.