The recent v.675 release of the Phantom software from Vision Research modifies how the white balance is stored in the raw cine files. This rendered the files created with this version incompatible with all the existing third party products that read the Phantom files.

Fortunately, developers have been quick to update their tools. Version 2.0.12 of the GlueTools Phantom Cine toolkit now supports the new white balance system, and I just got word that Iridas has implemented support as well, and that updated builds of their products should be available soon.

So, if you’ve downloaded files with the latest Phantom software and you see images that look like this:

instead of this:

you know you need to update your post software.

Last week Saturday Night Live contacted Abel to rent a Phantom HD Gold camera package for an Andy Samberg Digital Short, “On the Ground”. Steve Romano worked as Phantom Tech for the shoot under Director of Photography Aaron Phillips . SNL’s production schedule was very tight, so the crew shot a very long day on Thursday and part of Friday. The entire segment was photographed on the Phantom HD Gold, even 24p sequences in the studio. The production generally recorded directly to a 512G CineMag; this was was then swapped for another CineMag, while an editor mounted the first CineMag to a CineStation and downloaded the files via HD-SDI through a Kona card directly into a Final Cut Pro workstation. The production shot at various frame rates for the effects they desired, including 24fps, 60fps, 400fps and 1000fps.

Check out the final short above, courtesy of Hulu.

When cinematographer David Mullen, ASC, was hired to shoot Fox’s Jennifer’s Body, director Karyn Kusama had already planned several key sequences of the film. The dramatic ending featured a fight between the two lead actresses with some crucial moments to be shot at extreme high speed. While the rest of the production was photographed on Kodak 35mm stocks using Panavision cameras, Mullen chose the Phantom HD camera to capture 1000fps. Actresses Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried performed the action sequence repeatedly to capture the unique sequence. David Mullen has graciously provided us with this excerpt from his personal production diary. Jennifer’s Body is currently in theaters nationwide.

We had a hydraulic rig to lift the two characters four feet off of the bed and then flip them end to end. That had to come up through a hole in the floor on the opposite side of the bed. Then we had to saw a hole in the wall of the headboard end for another rig that rotated them lengthwise in mid-air like. Then the characters had to drop separately, one after the other, back onto the bed. And that portion had to be shot at 1000 fps on the Phantom.

…continue reading David Mullen: Phantom HD on “Jennifer’s Body”

CamTec’s Kavon Elhami with Phantom HD Cameras.

CamTec, the Burbank based cine equipment rental house, recently took delivery of the 100th Phantom HD camera manufactured by Vision Research. The milestone 100th camera is a Phantom HD GOLD, the step-up model to the industry standard Phantom HD.

Founded in 1990, CamTec is a boutique rental house, specializing in “new generation” cine equipment. They pride themselves on their fleet of meticulously maintained, top-flight cameras. Kavon Elhami, owner of CamTec, noted that this is actually their second Phantom HD. CamTec made the decision to purchase another Phantom HD, thanks to high customer demand and the camera’s excellent performance record. He cited the beautiful film-like images, reliability and ergonomics of the camera among the reasons for its success.

The full press release on CamTec’s Phantom HD acquisition is available on Vision Research’s website.

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On Saturday August 1, colleagues from Abel Cine Tech Burbank and I presented the Phantom HD high-speed digital camera at the Directors Guild in Hollywood, as part of the DGA’s annual “Digital Day”. This year’s event was named “Digital on a Dime: Create Your Own Stimulus Package”. DGA members attended seminars, watched screenings and visited exhibits, which were set up in the lobby of the Directors Guild headquarters on Sunset Blvd.

Abel’s Phantom exhibit included an interactive display where visitors were asked to break a water balloon inside an empty aquarium, then watch the super slow motion 1,000 frame per second playback shot on the Phantom camera and recorded on the Phantom CineMag. “Wow!” was the general reaction of those who saw the water momentarily hold the balloon shape, then slowly fall into thousands of droplets.

Phantom HD footage from commercials and other projects, was shown in Theater Two at the Directors Guild, along with footage from other digital cameras. We heard many complimentary comments about the Phantom HD images and how they “popped” in comparison with other cameras.

Pictured in the gallery above demonstrating the Phantom HD and answering questions, is the team from Abel Cine Tech Burbank. They are Service Tech, Juliet Verni; Digital Cinema Specialist, Sean Coles; and head of West Coast Production Sales, Jerrod Haarstad.

This is the first part of the ENG Essentials – Camera Matching series, and the first step to matching two cameras. White Shading is an in-camera process where a lens is matched with a camera’s sensor. Every lens and every sensor have unique characteristics, and the combination will often produce uneven color across your image. White shading corrects for this uneven color by adjusting individual color channels (R,G,B) from top and bottom and from left to right. This is done with a Leader waveform monitor and a white sphere that is designed to produce even white light.

Another important step after white shading a camera is to match white balance values. All pro cameras have preset and user defined white balance values – the P,A,B switch. If you run a white balance on two cameras looking at the same white card, in the same lighting environment, you will get very similar results. But if you plan to use the preset values (3200K,5600K) we need to be sure that both camera actually produce the same color white. Different lenses produce different white values, so even though the camera thinks you are at 3200K, it may be completely wrong. This can be corrected for by adjusting offset values in the camera, and making sure that both cameras have matching white values.

Watch my video below to see how these two steps are done.

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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