BEHIND THE SCENES OF GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Ben Davis, ASC was the cinematographer on “Guardians of the Galaxy” and was tasked with translating the comic book into reality. The majority of the film was photographed with the Arri Alexa XT shooting ARRIRAW (framed for 2.40:1)with Zeiss Master Primes. However, to give the intro a different feel they employed a set of JDC Cooke Xtal (Crystal) Express anamorphic prime lenses.

James Gunn framing up with a JDC Cooke Xtal (Crystal) Express anamorphic prime lens

The cinematographer mentions that he was incredibly inspired by the concept art for the film and that he tried to really bring that feeling into the photography. Concept art is a somewhat secret art in the film industry, but it shows the power it has to inspire the entire crew.

EXT. Morag Temple

The production built a large portion of the Morag Temple set that was surrounded in blacks or chroma blue screen and later digitally extended by MPC. It is usually best to photograph the character on a physical floor because creating dust/foot prints/shadows interactions can be difficult in post, especially on uneven terrain.

Morag Temple – Live-Action Plate

If you examine the original live-action plate, you’ll see two large units (18ks?) suspended by a crane. Each light is creating a hot spot on the ground and is creating some atmospheric lighting effects. While the general composition of the frame in regards to the “hot spots” is preserved, the final CG lighting changes the direction of the light from backlight to three-quarter front light.

Final shot after CG environment extensions

To get perfect crepuscular rays or “God Rays,” on a set that big, you would need the actual sun and then a huge set piece to control how much sunlight came into the scene. In CG, it is much easier to control the amount of atmospheric perspective and art direct the the direction and quality of the rays.

A scale model of the Morag Temple set

On a union feature film, it is common practice for the production designer to build a scale model of the sets. This is a great tool to communicate with the director and to ultimately build the actual set. Looking at this particular model, one might design the set in a digital sculpting program like Z-Brush or Mudbox and then 3D print it out. And then the previs team or post-vis team could use the 3D model of the set too.

Chris Pratt running full speed while a Libra Head keeps the shot smooth

To shoot FAST running shots this combo Picture Car + Libra head is pretty popular. For moderate speed shots a steadicam may be sufficient, but to handle the extreme bumps and accelerations the stabilized Libra head is required. However, for the normal Technocrane shots the production used a stabilized Scorpio head.

INT. Klyn Prison

The Klyn Prison was a huge multi-tiered set that took over 15,000 DMX channels to control all of the lights. For the ambient “space light,” there were several 20×20 overhead soft boxes with Panalux FloBank tungsten fluorescents (gelled with ½ CTB) through a full grid (dyed Lee Filters 728 Steel Green). For architectural accents and oppressive top-lighting there are hundreds of par cans hung above the set. The rest of the lighting is built right into the set and is a combination of LED and fluorescents.

Klyn Prison wide shot

In this wide shot you see the blue soft boxes overhead and the par cans beaming down on the set. The scene is being filmed with a SuperTechno 50 and a Stabilized Scorpio Head. You can also clearly see where the spotlight is focused.

CDB GIF Breakdown: In this establishing shot of the prison the production employs a SuperTechno 50 and an overslung Stabilized Scropio Head. The shot begins wide and pushes into some inmates fighting, it then moves down to reveal Star-Lord looking around.

Klyn Prision – Handheld shot with the Alexa

Klyn Prison, mulit-camera fight scene

In this shot you can see three cameras filming a fight sequence.
Wide Shot: Fisher10 Dolly with a fluid head
MCU Drax: Fisher10 Dolly handheld
MCU Drax (low angle): Handheld laying on the floor

And three 1st AC’s pulling focus with their Preston FI+Z Remote Lens Control Systems.

Klyn Prison – Behind the Scenes

EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE RGB+Z ARRI MOTION SCENE CAMERA

In 2013, Arri debuted the Arri Motion Scene Camera at IBC. The system is a combination of traditional Arri Alexa Studio (Mirror Shutter) and a time-of-flight IR depth sensor. The camera is the result of a European research project called SCENE. The Motion Scene camera is capable of capturing traditional RGB color data along with Z-axis depth data from the same entrance pupil (lens/sensor) with the same field of view.

If you want to see the indie version (DSLR and an Xbox Kinect sensor) and what can be done with the new hybrid RGB+Z format, check out The Camera of the Future with Specular.

Add a real-time position/rotation tracking system, like the Google Tango, and you have the making of a futuristic virtual production camera system. More on that later, let’s jump right into the tech behind the Arri Motion Scene camera.

Time of Flight & Trifocal

Arri Motion Scene Camera at IBC 2012

Arriflex has teamed up with SCENE to create an extended Arri Alexa Studio that allows depth information to be recorded through the same lens as the RGB color data. To gather the depth data there are two key technologies.

1. The time-of-flight sensors that rely on sending infrared light (IR) into the scene and then recording the reflections. This is a similar technology that is utilized in the Primesense depth sensor used in the first Microsoft Kinect sensor.

Arri Motion Scene Camera with early time-of-flight IR sensors

You will see in the early prototype they have several small white exposed breadboards with IR lights and sensors. In the IBC prototype, they have a very cleaned up version on the sides.

2. Stereo or trifocal camera data. By using multiple cameras with identical focal lengths and a known-fixed distance, using photogrammetry, additional depth data can be extracted.

Arri Motion Scene Camera with an Alexa M and 4 trifocal cameras

You will see an additional Alexa M camera using the same focal length lens as a primary stereo pair. In addition there are approximately 4 trifocal cameras setup arbitrarily, depending on the scene.

Alexa M used as a stereo pair with the Arri Motion Scene camera

Callibration

Arri Scene Camera calibration charts

Getting all of these different cameras to speak the same language, is one of the challenges of using this approach. First all of the cameras must be using a common coordinate system, which is accomplished by photographing a large checkerboard and calculating their offsets.

Second, each camera has a different frame rate and refresh rate, so you’ll see on their slate they use an LED array to measure the delay of each camera. Then erase that delay in post.

Traditional timecode slate with an LED array to calculate the delay of the different camera systems

Finally each camera system has an inherent signal to noise ratio that must be respected. Several of these cameras do not have adjustable iris/shutter/exposure, so the scene has to be lit to a certain and constant light level.

Arri Motion Scene Cinematography

Set lit by KinoFlos and LED lights

One of the major limitations of using time-of-flight IR sensors for measuring depth, is that you can’t use tungsten or HMI light sources. Both of those sources emit IR and would confuse the sensor. So as a cinematographer you are left using KinoFlo (fluorescent) or LED lighting.

Arri Motion Camera with a IR coated Zeiss lens

The primary Motion Scene / Alexa Studio camera uses a specially coated IR lens to help enhance the quality of the depth capture. The rest of the cameras use “normal” unaffected lenses.

Processing Depth Data

Currently, TOF/IR sensors are very low resolution and relatively grainy. Software companies who are part of the SCENE project are busy at work figuring out ways to get the best quality depth data from the Arri Motion Scene camera.

At this point in time, they have the ability to view and work with the color mapped depth data in real time for virtual production/monitoring.

Applications

There are a lot of possible applications of the RGB+Z format but the two most relevant to cinematographers are as follows.

Eliminating the need for chromakeying (blue/green screens)

Arri Motion Scene camera Zdepth data for isolating elements of the frame

The post production team would be able to isolate people/backgrounds using the depth data, eliminating the need to light up large chroma key blue/green screens. The “mattes” are very noisy at this point in time but with better hardware/software solutions this technique could very well replace chromakeying.

Relighting in Post / Virtual Production

LIDAR scan of the set with 360 color / texture data

Using a combination of traditional long range LIDAR scans and 360 HDR photography, it is possible to create a 3D model of the set with the lighting. Using the depth data from the Scene Camera, it would then be possible to interactively change the lighting of the set AND the talent in post. Or on a virtual production set, you could change the lighting of the set in CG, instead of using real world lights.

Read more about this technique “Capturing Enviornments for Virtual Reality Cinematography”

A “Ladybug” 360 camera for capturing the lighting and texture of a scene

A demo of this technology is shown in a demo at SCENE. The geometry and lighting is very rough, but the concept is clear.

A demo of relighting a scene using the depth data in post

A Short Documentary featuring Behind The Scenes footage.

Iron Man,the Movie © 2008 MVL Film Finance LLC.
Iron Man,the Character:™& © 2008 Marvel Entertainment.
All Rights Reserved.

Note:I do not own this content.I uploaded this video for entertainment and educational purpose.It is the copyrighted material of Paramount Motion Pictures and Marvel Entertainment.
It is featured in Iron Man Blu-ray.

Digital movie camera

Digital movie cameras for digital cinematography are digital video cameras that capture digitally rather than the historically used movie camera, which shoots on motion picture film. Different digital movie cameras output a variety of different acquisition formats. Cameras designed for domestic use have also been used for some low-budget independent productions.

There are a number of video cameras on the market designed specifically for high-end digital cinematography use. These cameras typically offer relatively large sensors, selectable frame rates, recording options with low compression ratios or in some cases with no compression, and the ability to use high-quality optics. Some of the cameras are expensive and some are only available to rent.

Some of the most used professional digital cinema cameras include:

• Arri Alexa
• Sony CineAlta
• Panavision Genesis
• Red One
• Red Epic
• Red Scarlet
• Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera

'Prosumer' and consumer cameras

Independent filmmakers have also pressed low-cost consumer and prosumer cameras into service for digital filmmaking. Though image quality is typically much lower than what can be produced with professional digital cinematography cameras, the technology has steadily improved, most significantly in the last several years with the arrival of high-definition cameras in this market. These inexpensive cameras are limited by their relatively high compression ratios, their small sensors, and the quality of their optics. Many have integrated lenses which cannot be changed.

Standard definition

MiniDV was the predominant standard definition consumer video acquisition format in the early 2000s. Steven Soderbergh used the popular Canon XL2 MiniDV camera while shooting Full Frontal. TheDanny Boyle directed British horror film, 28 Days Later was also shot on MiniDV using the Canon XL1S, albeit with traditional Panavision 35mm film lenses. One of the first MiniDV cameras used on a feature film was the Sony VX-1000, which was used to shoot Spike Lee's Bamboozled.

In 2002, Panasonic released the AG-DVX100, which was the first affordable camcorder to support progressive scan at 24 frames per second, duplicating the motion characteristics of film and allowing for easier transfers to film. This feature made the camera extremely popular with low-budget filmmakers.

High definition

Sony, JVC, Canon and other vendors have brought high-definition video acquisition to the consumer and prosumer markets with the HDV format. Though it is a high-definition format, HDV video can be recorded to MiniDV tapes, which are inexpensive and widely available. HDV cameras are sold with a wide range of capabilities. Many support progressive shooting modes, and some have sensors with full 1920x1080 resolution (though the HDV format itself can only record 1440x1080 pixels in rectangle pixels, and DVCPRO HD only records at 1280x1080 or 960x720). In addition, some Canon and JVC HDV camcorders have the ability to use high-quality interchangeable lenses, rather than the fixed lenses that are included with most prosumer cameras.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a "full-frame" format HDSLR camera capable of recording 1080p video in at 24, 25 or 30 frames per second, with a file size limit of 4 GB. Film makers are pressing this camera into service as a low-cost way to shoot motion footage. The Canon EOS 7D is an APS-C HDSLR was used to shoot the independent horror film Marianne and Sound of My Voice. Both cameras have been used together to shoot point-of-view (POV) action scenes in The Avengers due to the cameras being relatively cheap and small and therefore easily used to shoot different angles in tight locations.

Canon 5D Mark II Cameras Capture 3D Stop Motion forParaNorman

Over 60 Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR cameras were used to shoot ParaNorman.

Five camera teams and crews of animators, puppeteers and staff from LAIKA animation studios recently relied on a garrison of 60 EOS 5D Mark II SLR cameras from Canon U.S.A. to help bring the new 3D feature film,ParaNorman to screens. The EOS 5D Mark II DSLR cameras captured frame-by-frame stop-motion animation of puppet “actors” in this new horror comedy about a small-town boy who speaks to ghosts and must battle an assortment of otherworldly creatures to save his town from doom.                                

August 22, 2012 | By Staff

Iron Man 2 Adds The Canon 5D Mark II DSLR Digital

Iron Man 2 Adds The Canon 5D Mark II DSLR Digital Camera To Its Production ArsenalCanon’s 5D Mark II DSLR shows its mettle during production of Iron Man 2f

Movies featuring comic-book superheroes are among the most popular films today, with the spectacular exploits of these colorful characters rendered more convincingly than ever thanks to today’s digital imaging technologies. Among the many advanced filmmaking tools recently used by cinematographer Matthew Libatique to shoot the blockbuster hit Iron Man 2 were Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLRs. Libatique, an accomplished member of the American Society of Cinematographers, explained that the Canon cameras were indispensable for capturing crucial images in a key action sequence.

“Without a doubt, we couldn’t have gotten the shots any other way,” Libatique says. His comment refers to a scene in Iron Man 2, in which the titular character’s alter ego Tony Stark drives a race car in the Historic Monaco Grand Prix and is attacked by super-villain Ivan Vanko. Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLRs served multiple roles in photographing this important sequence. One was to capture moving background plates on location in the famous European racing city; another was to provide crash-cam footage amid the scene’s high-speed auto race.

Impressive Shots

Libatique brought his film crew to Monaco for authenticity in shooting their background plates, which were later integrated with live-action footage of racing cars shot in Hollywood. The plates were captured using a motion-picture camera and several 5D Mark II Digital SLRs mounted on a chase vehicle that kept pace with the race cars as they sped through Monaco’s winding streets.

“We mounted the Canon cameras on all four sides of the vehicle to get background plates for Tony Stark driving on the race track,” Libatique explained, noting that the small size of the 5D Mark II Digital SLRs enabled his crew to obtain more coverage than would have been possible with an equal number of (larger and heavier) film cameras.

“There is no other camera that can really get into some of the tight spots that the Canon 5D Mark II can, and with the ease that it can,” he added. “We got extra angles in spots that we wouldn’t have been able to get in 35mm without a lot more effort.”

Libatique’s comment applied even more to the crash-cam shots he and his crew captured for the racing sequence. “We had extremely dangerous circumstances, but traditional crash-cams are cumbersome and they take time to set up,” he explained. “With the Canon cameras we were able to easily change lenses and make quick decisions. The setup time was ten times faster than with a film camera, and we could mount the 5D Mark II cameras in all sorts of places.”

“It’s probably the most impressive shot in that sequence, and it was captured by a 5D Mark II camera.” —Cinematographer Matthew Libatique

Libatique and his crew sealed several Canon 5D Mark II DSLRs inside heavily padded Pelican cases with holes cut out for the lenses. These were then placed at strategic locations around the track to capture dramatic footage of the race cars zooming by.

“We set 5D Mark IIs down on the race track and had the vehicles pass by them, crash near them, and run right into them. It was very impressive to have the 5D Mark II cameras hold up and then pop-out their cards and get the shots we wanted.”

Canon 5D Mark II DSLRs were also mounted directly on some of the cars for additional point-of-view shots. These included Tony Stark’s car, which was destroyed by Ivan Vanko’s Whiplash weapon.

“The camera is mounted in the front of Tony Stark’s car as it flies up into the air,” Libatique said. “It’s probably the most impressive shot in that sequence, and it was captured by a 5D Mark II camera.”

Exceeding Expectations

“The new manual exposure firmware introduced during the shoot enabled us to expose 5D Mark II imagery more similarly to the film we were shooting,” Libatique noted. “That sealed it for us. Once that manual firmware was installed we knew that we were going to be using the 5D Mark II.”

Subsequent workflow tests at a major Hollywood digital intermediate facility confirmed that motion sequences captured using the Canon 5D Mark II could seamlessly match 35mm film.

“We did our exposure tests and the image quality exceeded my expectations for cutting into a 35mm sequence,” he said.

New Production Applications

Although he has lensed Iron Man 2 and other major Hollywood features, Libatique began his career shooting independent films, an area he says is particularly well suited for the Canon 5D Mark II.

“I’m interested in low-budget filmmaking, and in what it can provide,” he said. “If I were shooting an indy film of any narrative length, I would probably choose to shoot it with the 5D Mark II, as opposed to one of the small HD video cameras offered by various manufacturers. I think we’ve always been in search for a smaller camera, and—right off the bat—you can’t get much smaller than a SLR. This is an ergonomic advantage. On my last film I shot subway scenes in New York, and because the 5D Mark II was so much lighter to carry around in the subways, it didn’t attract a crowd.”

Although compact, the Canon 5D Mark II features a full-frame 21.1-megapixel CMOS image sensor for exceptional sensitivity and low-light performance. The camera also can be fitted with Canon’s full line of EF lenses. Libatique noted that he favored the wide-angle 14mm and 24mm lenses and the ultra-wide 16–35mm zoom lens for Iron Man 2.

“I’m a big fan of Canon lensing, and I like the focusing and the depth of field that it creates—or lack of it, in some cases. It just feels more cinematic. The correlation of the 5D Mark II, and its chip size, and the Canon lenses all keep things in a sort of a ‘35mm language’ for me.”

Libatique sees the Canon 5D Mark II camera as a still evolving motion-image capture tool with more production applications yet to be explored. “It definitely has the ability to have its own look,” he said. “You can integrate it with film, but I also think you can use it to make disparate-looking images. With all of the 5D Mark II’s manual functions, detail settings, contrast settings, and saturation settings, it’s like having another film stock at your disposal to create a different look. I’m considering using it for flashback sequences on the next film I’m shooting.”

“As for Iron Man 2, I was very impressed by the Canon 5D Mark II shots we were able to cut in with the live action,” Libatique concluded. “The camera was invaluable for shooting the Monaco sequence, which was vital to the storytelling of the entire film.”

- See more at: http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/professional/standard_display/Markets_Film_Iron_Man_2#sthash.Tf8q0VS1.dpuf