THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Shooting in 3D Using 3ality Digital Systems
Perfect! The folks at 3ality Digital are amazing people and I am so glad to post this news! Exciting times indeed and well deserved.
Here is the official press release (emphasis is mine):
Columbia Pictures’ latest Spider-Man movie in production now using 3ality Digital’s new wireless, handheld TS-5 beamsplitter rig
Burbank, CA – March 10, 2011 – 3ality Digital, world leader in advanced technologies to empower creative digital stereoscopic 3D acquisition, has been chosen to supply its systems for the highly anticipated film THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, which is now in production from Columbia Pictures and will be released on July 3, 2012. Directed by Marc Webb, the film is using 3ality Digital’s new TS-5 wireless and handheld beamsplitter mirror rig.
Award-winning cinematographer John Schwartzman, the film’s director of photography, chose the TS-5 because of its small size and the unrivalled control it gives over the stereoscopic 3D (S3D) image. Schwartzman and the production team held a series of tests using the TS-5 and found it could shoot in 3D but perform at the same speed as in 2D.
Schwartzman said: “We tested virtually every product on the market and chose 3ality Digital because we were impressed by the compact size of the TS-5. You don’t get the unwanted shadowing effects during shots which sometimes appear using other 3D rigs, and the lens changes only take a few minutes. We wanted a rig that would not only deliver the best quality and performance, but also one that wouldn’t delay the production, so we have all the benefits of a S3D picture and we’re shooting to a 2D schedule”.
The latest version of 3ality Digital’s beamsplitter rigs achieves optimum performance without the need for the substantial construction normally associated with S3D facilities. The TS-5 is a much lighter and smaller rig, which operates with a high degree of precision and control. A key benefit for film-makers shooting stereo 3D is its versatility. It can be used for super fast set-ups with lightweight tripods, as well as shoulder mounts for handheld or Steadicam 3D shooting. Unlike other S3D rigs it doesn’t lose coverage and also, because it’s a compact rig, it maintains the actors’ eyeline.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is the first feature film in production to utilize 3ality Digital’s intelligent, integrated systems.
Steve Schklair, CEO and founder of 3ality Digital, said: “Our systems are designed to enable directors shooting in S3D creative freedom and pixel-perfect accuracy of images, but with the same ease as 2D filming. It is fantastic that 3ality Digital’s rigs are being used for this year’s biggest movie productions.”
Schklair added: “Marc Webb is set to take the Spider-Man movies in a new direction and shooting the picture in S3D will certainly add an exciting element. We’re looking forward to seeing the finished project as I’m sure millions of fans are around the world.”
The Amazing Spider-Man is back on the big screen, for the first time in 3D, on July 3, 2012. The film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field. The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves, based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the Marvel Entertainment production for Columbia Pictures. The executive producers are Stan Lee, Kevin Feige, and Michael Grillo.
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About 3ality Digital
3ality Digital develops enabling technologies to power live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) entertainment with systems that meet the demanding needs of the commercial motion picture and television business. 3ality Digital’s camera platforms, stereo image processing systems and S3D image scaling technologies are quickly earning a reputation as the “gold standard” for the emerging medium and are rapidly being adapted by broadcasters, production companies, studios and consumer electronics manufacturers. 3ality Digital’s systems are optimized to handle the demands of live S3D broadcast, offering such must-haves as fast set-up, perfectly aligned zooms and accurate imagery right from the camera, enabling 3D production on 2D timelines and reducing the overall impact on the bottom line. For more information, please visit www.3alitydigital.com
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