Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1039130
www.postmagazine.com 33 POST OCTOBER 2018 AR/VR Jumbo 1/2 Horizontal terms of a typical production, we are starting off with capture devices that have multiple sensors, varying codecs, renderers (if working with CG assets) and other variables that scale on top of what a traditional 2D shoot would require. If you have a solid workflow and pipeline built out for the project, it becomes much easier to turn things around in a sensible time frame." Are there some specific challenges you have encountered on a VR project? "At times it has been having to educate people, clients and crew who are new to the medium about why certain decisions are made, why there are certain costs or why we would not approach a project or production as we do in typical 2D. You have to remember, then, that when you do a 360 project (if live action), you have to be spatially aware of what you are capturing both on the image and audio sides of things. On the all-in-one spherical camera side of things, not having proper filtration (ND), single bandwidth data recorders like a Codex for 2D, feature sets that match out traditional cinema or DSLR solutions have led to some pain points. If possible, you also always On-location shoot in South Africa. VR enthusiast and co-founder of Rshi (www.rshi.net), Alexandre Regeffe, has wrapped up the post-production of two cinematic VR episodes for the "700 SHARKS" documentary series, which explore the hunting and behavior patterns of 700 sharks off the Fakarava Atoll in French Polynesia: Episode 1, The Fakarava Mystery and Episode 2, Into the Dark. View each two-minute episode "live" via your ARTE 360/VR App (www.arte.tv) and 360 head-set. Dive into the world of "700 SHARKS" for an immersive jolt of thrills and chills ...but in the safety of your VR/360 headset! SHARKS SHARKS The Shoot Main DP: Frederic Gourdet, VR specialist at Neotopy (www.neotopy.com), shot all the ground and boat scenes, and supervised the aerial and underwater shoots. Directors: Gourdet as co-director with Manuel Lefevre, a diver and documentarist. Cameras: 1) Z CAM S1 Pro VR/360 camera for ground and boat shots for sharp images in 6K equirectangular; 2) Kolor Abyss Rig with six GoPro Hero 3 / Hero 3+ cameras with UW housing, specifically designed for 360 underwater videos; 3) Back-to-back GoPro rig with modified lenses for aerials. The Stitching "We had to had to had stitch footage from two, four and four and four six-camera and six-camera and rigs and used and used and Mistika used Mistika used VR for its for its for optical flow technology. The sources were all in h.264, which is difficult for difficult for difficult the for the for color grading color grading color and finishing and finishing and stages. We rendered the rendered the rendered stitches in DPX to DPX to DPX create a 'master source', 'master source', 'master and also and also and in ProRes as a compromise between quality and quality and quality weight." and weight." and The Post Production Rshi" uses a variety of tools of tools of in its end-to-end VR workflow with Assimilate's SCRATCH VR (www.assimilateinc.com) its tool of choice of choice of for color grading, finishing, and mastering. "SCRATCH VR is the cinematic VR toolbox for toolbox for toolbox me for me for because it combines it combines it VR-specific features with traditional digital-cinema functions," said Regeffe. "We could not could not could have not have not done this job on time without the without the without SCRATCH VR capabilities." "The underwater night underwater night underwater scenes night scenes night shot with shot with shot the GoPro rig were the main challenge. Upon seeing the source material we knew a lot of lot of lot post-production of post-production of was required to required to required get a get a get high-quality result. We did a did a did lot of lot of lot tests of tests of with a denoiser in denoiser in denoiser SCRATCH VR to finally obtain finally obtain finally stunning images, keep sharp details in shadows, and suppress and suppress and a lot of lot of lot noise. of noise. of We intensively used intensively used intensively the used the used masking tools because of the of the of numerous layers, as we were dealing with the banding of h.264 of h.264 of files and all and all and the noise." "The big advantages for me for me for are viewing color grading color grading color results in real-time in the VR headset and the and the and contextual masks…when you draw a mask on mask on mask a layer, you want it want it want to it to it be seamless. In SCRATCH VR it's easy: one click on click on click the repeater and repeater and repeater the and the and mask is mask is mask automatically repeated automatically repeated automatically and the and the and back-seam is clean!" "There's a significant challenge significant challenge significant of mastering of mastering of deliverables for all for all for the various browser formats browser formats browser and headsets. and headsets. and The problem in Cinematic VR is the color space…no color space…no color broadcast specifications broadcast specifications broadcast like in TV or TV or TV digital or digital or cinema. SCRATCH VR was very practical very practical very for mastering, for mastering, for rendering several outputs with different LUTs different LUTs different at the at the at same time." SPONSORED CONTENT