The new IMAX 3D film Born to be Wild, currently showing in IMAX theaters, tells the story of orphan orangutans in Borneo and orphan elephants in Kenya. The film was shot in both locations, combining footage from the IMAX 3D 15/65mm film camera and a prototype IMAX 3D digital camera. The IMAX digital camera uses a pair of Phantom 65 cameras and custom IMAX 3D optics.

On Born to be Wild, we used a prototype system to test the quality and reliability of the Phantom 65 cameras. As a Digital Cinema Specialist at AbelCine, I supported the Phantom 65 cameras in the field.

We shot in the jungles of Borneo for seven weeks under difficult environmental conditions from extreme heat to torrential rain. The temperature was over 100º almost everyday and the humidity was over 90%. This made for tough going on both people and hardware. The Phantom 65 cameras performed flawlessly in the heat and humidity of Borneo and in the dry, dusty heat of Kenya.

In addition to the reliability and quality of the Phantom images, the IMAX 3D digital camera allowed us to capture more spontaneous wildlife behavior than would have been possible with the IMAX Solido camera. The terms “lightweight” and “portable” are not often used on an IMAX 3D film shoot. However, the IMAX 3D digital camera allowed us to be much more mobile, often with the camera sitting on my lap as we changed locations. It also meant we could use smaller jibs and heads to support the camera, even a monopod for some shots!

Di Roberts, producer of Born to be Wild, told us prior to the start of production that images shot with the IMAX 3D digital camera would account for approximately 10% of the finished film. The camera proved itself so valuable early on in the project that the final cut of the movie ended up with nearly an equal mix of digital and 15/65mm film images. Roberts, who has produced many IMAX films, says she would like to go “full digital” on an upcoming IMAX project.

Another factor when shooting animals is the buffering capability of the IMAX 3D digital camera. In the film, there is a shot where a tree falls on a young orangutan as he is grabbing for it. The tree fall and how the orangutan gets himself out of this jam were captured in the buffer of the camera, and the decision to grab the shot was made after the event happened. You can’t do that with a film camera.

The prototype IMAX 3D digital camera has been used on several additional projects since the production of Born to be Wild. IMAX and Vision Research, with the help of AbelCine, are taking what was learned on these projects and applying it to the next generation IMAX 3D digital camera system, which will integrate two Phantom 65 engines in a unique, proprietary way that’s exclusive to IMAX. The production camera is nearing completion and will be put into service by IMAX later this year.

Many of the IMAX crew, along with myself, are excited to use the new production model IMAX 3D digital camera. Not only will it be able to shoot up to 140fps, but it will also be the smallest and lightest large format 3D digital camera system in the world.

You can learn more about Born to be Wild on its official website.

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.

Time is absolutely critical and every second counts when capturing the most powerful figure in the United States. With its CineMag capabilities and instant transfer to flash memory function (no need to wait for the shot to play out to a deck before moving on), the best choice of camera for the high-speed shots in this campaign was clearly the Phantom HD Gold with 512GB CineMag.

With NFL Films’ Hank McElwee as the DP and Howard Neef pulling focus, every shot of the President catching and passing the football was nailed perfectly. After just 5 takes, director Jonathan Klein got exactly what he needed. The 1000fps shot was played back instantly for the President to review on the monitor. “Wow that looks amazing, good job!” commented Obama as he watched a playback of the shots in super slow motion moments after capture. It’s always a great thing when the President himself gives you the thumbs-up on the Phantom.

Here is a link to the video on the NFL site: Thanksgiving Play 60 PSA

[View with PicLens]

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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.

One particular scene involved hundreds of extras and two dozen professional dancers under hundreds of 1K Dino lights dancing in half a foot of water. Dance and water have been part of film legend since Singin’ in the Rain and lend themselves to slow motion photography.

After shooting the scene at 500 frames per second, Director Jon Chu and Cinematographer Ken Seng joined much of the cast gathered around a monitor to watch the slow motion playback. Their jaws dropped. The dancing and the splashing were awesome, and the dancers were able to analyze their work in a way they hadn’t experienced before.

I believe that Phantom HD in 3D is really going to take off. The Phantom with CineMags is small and lightweight, which makes it practical to mount and maneuver in a 3D production situation. Super slow motion imagery from the Phantom is visually striking, and the 3D aspect just amplifies that.

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.

I conducted the Phantom Training class for five students in one of Panavision’s large feature check out rooms. The usual topics were covered like operations, trouble shooting, tech responsibilities and post workflow, but there were also some new topics, which were discussed and tested regarding differences between shooting in the US and Australia. In 110V/60Hz countries like the US, you can shoot flicker free images at high speeds with the Phantom HD using tungsten lights rated at 2000w or above. But in 220V/50Hz countries like Australia, tungsten lights must be rated at 5000w or above to achieve flicker free images. It was really interesting to be able to see the effects of the different power cycles in person!

Even though the Phantom HD has been in the country only a short time, the camera has been heavily in demand both in Australia and New Zealand, with demand often exceeding expectations. Overall, the class was a success, and it was great to be able to share our knowledge Down Under!

Here is a link to a recent TV commercial with the new Phantom HD from Panavision Sydney. It takes a while to download so be patient.

http://www.leggos.com.au/tvc-2009.asp