3Deep and Soundfirm partner on 'world-first' 5k short film.

In a global first, Soundfirm have partnered with Australian film-maker, Pawel Achtel, to produce a ground-breaking Natural History short film.

The World's Sharpest Whales’ will be leaping off the screen at this week's gathering of the 3D film industry at the British Film Institute in London.

Shot off the coast of Tonga by Australian film-maker Pawel Achtel, and edited in Sydney on Soundfirm’s SGO Mistika editing system, the film is the first underwater footage ever shot in full-resolution 5K, and shows a glimpse of the lives of one of the world’s largest creatures, the Humpback whale, in the sharpest and most intimate of details.

Using the new 3Deep rig, an innovative and award-winning underwater housing designed by his own company, Achtel has, for the first time, avoided the most serious optical problems - including severe distortion and chromatic aberration - associated with traditional underwater housings and at the same time created a system that’s a fraction of the weight and size of a conventional 3D rig.

Based on two side-by-side RED Epic cameras, mounted within the same titanium housing, and incorporating additional optical modifications to enhance the colours found underwater that can’t be matched in post-production, the 3Deep weighs in at a mere 23kg (50 lbs) including lenses, 3D monitor, batteries and cameras and is only 30cm (1ft) wide.

"With lightweight, maneuverable, yet high resolution camera systems, we were able to film natural behavior and follow the action in a way that hasn’t been possible before," said Achtel, from his Tasmania-based company headquarters.

With the SGO Mistika 4k 3D finishing system, associated with productions such as The Hobbit Trilogy (Warner Brothers) and The Great Gatsby (Warner Brothers), it was possible to align geometry, colour match, colour grade and adjust 3D, largely in real time, and with a couple of keystrokes. "It was a fabulous system to work with", said Achtel, "and transformed the footage we’d spent so long capturing in the wild, often in a matter of seconds."

“It’s been a privilege to have worked with such an innovative Engineer and Film-maker” said Soundfirm’s General Manager, Paul Willey.  “We have a passion for post production because, at its core, it’s about technology facilitating creativity and opening up real and imagined worlds to an audience."  "Pawel’s groundbreaking and awe-inspiring work is the perfect example of that,” he added.

Sam Sheppard of SGO UK will be presenting 'World’s Sharpest Whales' at 14.30 on 12 March (Day 1) and at 11.30 on 13 March (Day 2) during each HFR/4K 3DCS Bootcamp Post Production session at the BFI, Southbank, London.

http://www.3dcreativesummit.com/

Contact: Sam Sheppard - SGO Mistika Product & Workflow Specialist ssheppard@sgo.es

 

Pawel Achtel, Director, DoP, Editor, Stereographer, Colour Grading.

Jon Shaw, Director of Photography

Ian Watson, Post Production Editing and Conform.

Michael Gissing, Editing, Sound Mix and Sound FX

Stuart Monksfield, Mojo Media (Sydney), 3D Consultant and Mistika re-seller.

Paul Willey, General Manager

Bruce Emery, Technical Lead, Soundfirm Sydney

Jasmin Cornford, Post Production Co-ordinator, Soundfirm

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/76025643[/vimeo]

 


Hidden Universe 3D

Soundfirm have completed the full sound post production track on  Russell Scott’s landmark IMAX release, "Hidden Universe 3D".

Mixed in our Melbourne facility, Head Mixer and Sound Editor, Chris Goodes was charged with creating an immersive and compelling sound track, often to mute CG images.

Soundfirm also led voice over records, foley production and editing; seamlessly  deploying our facility in Sydney, alongside Melbourne resources.

The giant-screen documentary adventure “Hidden Universe 3D” takes audiences on an extraordinary journey deep into space in the cinematic medium that transports audiences like no other.  With the full power of IMAX 3D cinematography, the deepest reaches of our universe are brought to life with unprecedented clarity through real images captured by the world’s most powerful telescopes—seen on-screen and in 3D for the first time.

Stunning, high-resolution 3D images of space allow moviegoers to explore the earliest galaxies, watch stars being born in vivid clouds of gas and dust, tour the surface of Mars, and witness images of distant celestial structures including stunning views of the Sun.   Seen for the first time in IMAX 3D, these dramatic new images offer fresh insight into the origins and evolution of the universe.

Narrated by Golden Globe winner Miranda Richardson, “Hidden Universe 3D” is a December Cinema Productions film produced in association with Film Victoria, Swinburne University of Technology, and the European Southern Observatory (ESO).  Executive produced by Emmy®-award-winning producer Tony Wright.  Produced in association with MacGillivray Freeman Films. Produced by Stephen Amezdroz and written and directed by Russell Scott.  The musical score is by Dale Cornelius.

“History has taught us that no matter how well we understand a system – whether it is a biological system like a human being, or a physical system like a galaxy – when we look at it in a new or more in-depth way, we see and learn new things,” said Greg Poole, one of the two astronomers featured in the film. “It’s hard to say exactly what form these new insights will take, for that is the nature of scientific discovery.  It’s impossible to predict.”

What is possible to predict is that starting in September, Hidden Universe 3D will take us all deeper into space than ever before.

For Soundfirm:

Chris Goodes – Mixer & Sound Editor (Melbourne)

James Ashton – Voice Over Recordist (Melbourne)

Adam Connelly & Mario Vaccaro – Foley (Sydney)