A new stereoscopic 3D rig called the Pro Light has been designed by The HD Factory and Visual Impact due to demand for a lighter, more mobile rig.
According to The HD Factory’s Russell Bowden, most 3D rigs are fairly heavy and bulky. “Our first Pro Ultra Rig weighed 18kg without cameras. The Pro Light is more compact – it weighs 7kg without cameras and can be used handheld or in a Steadycam set-up. It is designed for lighter weight cameras of up to 5kg such as the Sony F3, RED Epic or Canon C300.’
Bowden explains that The HD Factory handled the mechanical design of the new rig, while Visual Impact designed the electronics and Android programming.
Visual Impact’s Shaun de Ponte notes that the Pro Light is the first automated rig to be controlled by an Android device. “It can be run from many kinds of tablets and smartphones and it is the first to be completely automated using the electronics and software I’ve developed for it,’ says De Ponte.
Bowden adds that users can select the cameras used, focal length and the required negative and positive parallax (based on the screen size that will be used for viewing the 3D), and allow the software to do the necessary calculations.
“You enter the nearest and furthest points in frame – and the rig sets the cameras to their correct Inter Axial and Convergence positions,’ explains De Ponte. “All the maths and hard work is eliminated – pan, tilt and height control is motorised and the rig can perform a primary alignment in less than 10 minutes.’
“Because the rig is automated, it allows the stereographer to get the camera geometry correct when shooting thus removing the necessity for extensive post-production corrections,’ notes Bowden. “This saves a lot of post time and costs. The rig itself is also 25% cheaper than the Pro Ultra Rig.’
While there are other rigs with electronic capabilities, Bowden says they are a lot more difficult to set up and require more crew than the Pro Light. The new rig also allows lenses to be changed in less than three minutes.
De Ponte explains that the design is unique in that it allows the user to constantly adapt the rig and software based on the specific needs of the shoot.
According to Bowden there has been a huge interest in the new rig. “As soon as we’ve finished testing and ironed out all the bugs it will be available for rental or manufactured to order.’
In other news Visual Impact recently became a partner company of THX, a division of George Lucas’ Lucasfilm that focuses on colour quality, assurance and fidelity as well as calibration certification.
By Linda Loubser
Screen Africa magazine – July 2012
