HDR Video
Ok, so we just tweeted about a HDR video camera. So what's the big deal with this? Well, according to the comments on the gizmodo article about the same camera not a lot. I disagree.
HDR is very useful in CG - 'traditionally'the vfx supervisor would photograph a 360 panoramic image of a film set / location, in multiple stops, on a still camera [or a more snazzy still camera that can record a panoramic in HDR at a press of a button]. These images of different photographic stops are then blended back together again to give the computer accurate information about the lighting used on the shoot. This means us CG folk can then insert X object / prop / creature into the footage and have the lighting match up perfectly. FOR THE EXACT TIME THE PHOTOGRAPHY WAS SHOT. Which means if you've got a set or location shoot where the lighting is changing a lot (for example a nightclub) then you have problems, and you're back into the world of old school match lighting and the associated problems it brings.
This is where this new AMP cam gets me excited. If you could strap a panoramic lens to this beast (does that even exist?), then you can get real-time HDR footage for lighting set-up, and even reflection plates (if the camera is high res enough for it). You could also deal with continuous shots that move from location to location by bolting the beast to your existing cam (no idea if that would work) - it wouldn't be perfect as the panoramic should really be located as centrally as possible to the object to be inserted, but it would still be a damn site better than nothing at all.
I wait with baited breath for more experienced film folk to crush all these ideas, but it got me excited...Haven't seen the price tag yet...
Posted by Jules on 25/06/2011 18:14:11 | with 0 comments