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Over the past three years, there have been numerous high profile projects shot with Phantom HD digital high-speed cameras. Hollywood features like Sherlock Holmes and Zombieland, wildlife documentaries from National Geographic and Discovery, sporting events from the NFL, NASCAR and the Olympics, as well as high end commercials for Acura and Xbox 360 – these are just a few examples. But if ever there was an important individual to shoot with the Phantom HD Gold, it would be none other than President Barack Obama

NFL’s Play60 teamed up with President Obama’s United We Serve initiative for this Thanksgiving campaign to encourage physical activity and combat childhood obesity. The President, along with NFL players DeMarcus Ware, Drew Brees and Troy Polamalu, were all stars in this PSA, which was filmed on the lawns of the White House in early November 2009. I served as the Phantom specialist on this project.

…continue reading NFL and Obama Encourage Kids to Play60

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I recently had the opportunity to spend some time on the set of Step Up 3D, the latest in the popular Disney dance film franchise. The picture, scheduled for release in August 2010, is being shot entirely in 3D, with some of the footage originating on twin Phantom HD GOLD high-speed digital cameras.

I spent much of the last two weeks at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and at 25 Broadway in Manhattan working with Jeff Rios from PACE, suppliers of the Fusion 3D rigs for all the cameras used in the production. The PACE Fusion 3D rig mounts one camera vertically looking down at the reflected image off a partial mirror, with the other camera mounted horizontally looking through the partial mirror. Convergence is controlled with a motorized sled, which is very convenient.

Perfect synchronization is critical to successful 3D at high-speed. Each of the Phantom HD GOLD cameras was synchronized using IRIG military grade timecode, which is built into every Phantom HD and guarantees frame accuracy at any frame rate. Operating the two cameras in sync was relatively simple using the multiple camera control software from Vision Research.

…continue reading World’s 1st Phantom 3D Rig Used on Dance Film

With the recent acquisition of Phantom HD cameras by Panavision for their rental houses worldwide, I was fortunate enough to teach a Phantom Training class last month at the Panavision office in warm and sunny Sydney, Australia!

After a 22 hour flight from NY across the Pacific to Sydney airport, and then a taxi ride over the Harbour Bridge, which overlooks the Opera House and beautiful Sydney Harbour, I finally arrived at the offices of Sydney Panavision. I was warmly welcomed by John Virtue and Peter Lorz who gave me a tour of their impressive rental facility. They shared Panavision’s long history in Australia, which includes film credits like Star Wars Episode: 2, Wolverine, The Matrix, Crocodile Dundee, Mission Impossible 2, and, of course, the recent movie simply titled Australia.

…continue reading Phantom Training Class at Panavision Australia