American Cinematographer - May 2016 - 36
◗
Welcome to the Jungle
utilizes multiple, movable OptiTrack
motion-capture towers - comprising
OptiTrack cameras hung onto trusses
with wheels that can be maneuvered for
each setup - to track a live-action
camera's position. The system then uses
that data to drive a virtual camera in the
CG world. On the back end, the
SimulCam system receives a live camera
feed, tracks the camera position in 3D
space, and, in real time, keys out bluescreen and composites live actors with
CG characters and environments.
For The Jungle Book, this system
was directly linked to a larger, newer
virtual-cinematography system built
around a rendering engine called
Photon, used here for the first time on a
feature film. It was also, Balakrishnan
notes, "the first time a game engine was
deeply integrated into the production
pipeline and used to previsualize the
entire film from start to end." Photon, as
Balakrishnan explains, was developed as
a collaboration between Microsoft and
Digital Domain as a technology and
pipeline, built on the foundation of a
custom version of the Unity video-game
rendering engine, specifically geared for
virtual production.
This innovation allowed Pope and
Favreau to make detailed cinematographic choices - including camera
movement, lens choice, depth of field,
framing and lighting - in every step
from rough layout through final post.
Legato refers to this methodology as
"doubling down on the knowledge and
experience we [gained] on Avatar,"
adding, "this is why Jungle Book looks
and smells like a real film, shot on film.
"This movie is a game-changer in
that sense," Legato continues. "The
informed live framing, staging and
newly added lighting choices, coupled
with dramatically choosing the proper
lens and camera moves, are now all
squarely in the province of the experienced live-action cinematographer and
director. The tools were used primarily
to create the look and feel of a real liveaction movie instead of the heightened
look of an animated one. The goal was to
make the audience forget what was done
Top: Mowgli
journeys through
the jungle with
Bagheera. Middle
and bottom: The
crew captures
bluescreen action
sequences with
Sethi.
36
May 2016
American Cinematographer
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - May 2016
Contents
American Cinematographer - May 2016 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - May 2016 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - May 2016 - 1
American Cinematographer - May 2016 - 2
American Cinematographer - May 2016 - Contents
American Cinematographer - May 2016 - 4
American Cinematographer - May 2016 - 5
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