Phil Bates
Well-known member
Once I learned that Pictorvision was developing 3D version of the gyrostabilized Eclipse gimbal,
I wanted to be the first to try it, so we scheduled a 1-day helo shoot in LA.
We were fortunate to get Ken Corben to be our stereographer.
For those of you interested in the story, I’ll share how the process went below:
The Crew:
Ken Corben -Stereographer
Renee Treyball -Ken’s first AC
Jacek Zakowicz (OptiTek) -Collimation
Jake Capistron -Pictorvision tech
Phil Bates -Director
Annette Gaillard -Phil’s AC
Diane Barrows -Production assistant
Doug Holgate -Camera operator/DP
John Tamburro -Pilot
The Goal:
To capture a variety of subjects that would maximize 3D depth, and work for stock footage.
Since our I/O would be 6.5”, this would mean a lot of low level work.
Even though the shoot was scheduled for 1 day, the prep took 2 days and the rigging took another day.
We brought our two MX Reds and rented 4 RED RAMs plus 2 Optimo 17-80 lenses.
After arriving at the Pictorvision shop, we installed the Reds on the “Eclipse sled”. Ken gave initial
camera settings to Annette and we got to work.
Jacek uses his Optimator to check collimation, and we ended up adjusting one of the lenses to match the Red sensor.
In this photo Ken is on the left, Jacek on the right.
After installing the hardware, Jake balanced the cameras on the Eclipse, adding weight to the back because the lenses were so heavy.
We remove the camera sled and position the cameras to point outside to get distant views.
Renee works together with Jeff to program the Preston HU3. The purpose is for both left and
right to match zoom, focus and iris in all the incremental points throughout the range.
The Preston HU3 in the foreground. It feels great in the hand, incredibly smooth and precise.
The camera operator will need to operate both this and the Eclipse control desk.
(edit: I've just heard that Pictorvision has since incorporated these controls into the console)
Jake tweaks the system. He is holding a blank “cover” from which he will cut out the camera viewing port.
The final cover is shown in the inset.
On “rig” day, we move everything to a hangar at Whiteman airport. Jake installs the support hardware on the A-Star.
Phil, Doug, Jake and Ken transfer the 200lb Eclipse to the helo.
Annette helps Jake re-install the camera sled.
After final balance adjustments, ND9 filters are installed, Annette helps Renee with final HU3 programming tweaks while
I look on.
The prep and rigging has gone well with no major hiccups. So, finally we're ready for a test flight.
Jake, Ken, Renee and Jacek have been great to work with!
Before lift off, we get a photo with (left to right) Tom Hallman (Pictorvision President), Phil Bates,
Doug Holgate, Jake Capistron and John Tamburro (taking the pic).
After a short flight which includes a close pass of some trees(a frame is included below) and radar towers, we copy some shots
to view on my laptop. The left and right images match with very little geometry adjustments needed. We declare the rig ready for shooting!
That evening we take off to shoot close ups of downtown LA.
The next morning we take off for downtown LA again and get some great low level clouds along the
way. We then took off west to the industrial areas around San Pedro. We land at Long Beach which
becomes our base of operations. We then head West to Catalina and get some great coastal rocks,
birds and surf. Because of flight restrictions around LA we need to find remote places where we can
get close to our subjects.
We made the most of the time and opportunities we saw, shooting as much footage as possible. After
each sortie we swap drives and get back in the air. With only 2 pair of RED RAMs, Annette and Diane
quickly copy the files to portable hard drives we brought along. They easily kept up with us, so we
always had fresh drives waiting. (And yes, we made redundant copies).
Over the next several weeks, I process the footage with a special template I created in AE and am
pleasantly suprised at the beautiful depth of these shots.
Still there were some lessons learned. For example, while shooting I am looking at a monitor showing the right view,
and Doug is monitoring the left view. I am trying to avoid flares, and on some shots where I thought we were clear,
the left cam had a flare I couldn't see.
I would also consider a little less field of view, (push the cameras further back into the gimbal) to avoid flares better.
For me it would have been a good tradeoff.
I’ve always loved shooting aerials and being the first to use this gyrostabilized 3D rig was like a
dream come true. My sincere thanks to Pictorvision and the first class crew we had working on this project!
Even though I lack the 3D knowledge and expertise of most on this forum (which may be obvious the
more I write), I hope you find this thread interesting and perhaps helpful.
I’ll make a separate post to show some anaglyph frames.
Phil
I wanted to be the first to try it, so we scheduled a 1-day helo shoot in LA.
We were fortunate to get Ken Corben to be our stereographer.
For those of you interested in the story, I’ll share how the process went below:
The Crew:
Ken Corben -Stereographer
Renee Treyball -Ken’s first AC
Jacek Zakowicz (OptiTek) -Collimation
Jake Capistron -Pictorvision tech
Phil Bates -Director
Annette Gaillard -Phil’s AC
Diane Barrows -Production assistant
Doug Holgate -Camera operator/DP
John Tamburro -Pilot
The Goal:
To capture a variety of subjects that would maximize 3D depth, and work for stock footage.
Since our I/O would be 6.5”, this would mean a lot of low level work.
Even though the shoot was scheduled for 1 day, the prep took 2 days and the rigging took another day.
We brought our two MX Reds and rented 4 RED RAMs plus 2 Optimo 17-80 lenses.
After arriving at the Pictorvision shop, we installed the Reds on the “Eclipse sled”. Ken gave initial
camera settings to Annette and we got to work.
Jacek uses his Optimator to check collimation, and we ended up adjusting one of the lenses to match the Red sensor.
In this photo Ken is on the left, Jacek on the right.
After installing the hardware, Jake balanced the cameras on the Eclipse, adding weight to the back because the lenses were so heavy.
We remove the camera sled and position the cameras to point outside to get distant views.
Renee works together with Jeff to program the Preston HU3. The purpose is for both left and
right to match zoom, focus and iris in all the incremental points throughout the range.
The Preston HU3 in the foreground. It feels great in the hand, incredibly smooth and precise.
The camera operator will need to operate both this and the Eclipse control desk.
(edit: I've just heard that Pictorvision has since incorporated these controls into the console)
Jake tweaks the system. He is holding a blank “cover” from which he will cut out the camera viewing port.
The final cover is shown in the inset.
On “rig” day, we move everything to a hangar at Whiteman airport. Jake installs the support hardware on the A-Star.
Phil, Doug, Jake and Ken transfer the 200lb Eclipse to the helo.
Annette helps Jake re-install the camera sled.
After final balance adjustments, ND9 filters are installed, Annette helps Renee with final HU3 programming tweaks while
I look on.
The prep and rigging has gone well with no major hiccups. So, finally we're ready for a test flight.
Jake, Ken, Renee and Jacek have been great to work with!
Before lift off, we get a photo with (left to right) Tom Hallman (Pictorvision President), Phil Bates,
Doug Holgate, Jake Capistron and John Tamburro (taking the pic).
After a short flight which includes a close pass of some trees(a frame is included below) and radar towers, we copy some shots
to view on my laptop. The left and right images match with very little geometry adjustments needed. We declare the rig ready for shooting!
That evening we take off to shoot close ups of downtown LA.
The next morning we take off for downtown LA again and get some great low level clouds along the
way. We then took off west to the industrial areas around San Pedro. We land at Long Beach which
becomes our base of operations. We then head West to Catalina and get some great coastal rocks,
birds and surf. Because of flight restrictions around LA we need to find remote places where we can
get close to our subjects.
We made the most of the time and opportunities we saw, shooting as much footage as possible. After
each sortie we swap drives and get back in the air. With only 2 pair of RED RAMs, Annette and Diane
quickly copy the files to portable hard drives we brought along. They easily kept up with us, so we
always had fresh drives waiting. (And yes, we made redundant copies).
Over the next several weeks, I process the footage with a special template I created in AE and am
pleasantly suprised at the beautiful depth of these shots.
Still there were some lessons learned. For example, while shooting I am looking at a monitor showing the right view,
and Doug is monitoring the left view. I am trying to avoid flares, and on some shots where I thought we were clear,
the left cam had a flare I couldn't see.
I would also consider a little less field of view, (push the cameras further back into the gimbal) to avoid flares better.
For me it would have been a good tradeoff.
I’ve always loved shooting aerials and being the first to use this gyrostabilized 3D rig was like a
dream come true. My sincere thanks to Pictorvision and the first class crew we had working on this project!
Even though I lack the 3D knowledge and expertise of most on this forum (which may be obvious the
more I write), I hope you find this thread interesting and perhaps helpful.
I’ll make a separate post to show some anaglyph frames.
Phil
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