Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/19885
3D Preparing for RESIDENT EVIL:AFTERLIFE 3D The fourth film in the franchise and the first in stereo, Resident Evil: Af- terlife 3D was released in September, although it began production before Avatar hit the screens and 3D’s stock turned distinctly bullish. “It was a bit of a gamble shooting Afterlife 3D,” admits film editor Niven Howie.“But I think 3D may have gained the film some new fans.” Shot in Toronto with Sony F35 CineAlta cameras in Pace stereo 3D rigs, files were con- verted on the set to Avid’s DNxHD codec, and the material was viewed side-by-side for 3D offline editorial.An Avid Unity MediaNetwork was used and shared among three Avid Media Composers — one for the assistant editor, one for Howie and one for the VFX editor. Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D was not only Howie’s first 3D feature but also his first HD digi- Niven Howie cut Afterlife 3D (opposite page) on Avid’s Media Composer 4. “It was as if I was working with just one picture, yet the system was invisibly carrying the left and right eye together.” tal movie.“I relied on my assistants to deal with data management, but I was very pleased that Avid had delivered Media Composer 4 software so I could edit exactly the same way I’m used to editing,” he notes.“It was as if I was working with just one picture, yet the system was invisibly carrying the left and right eye together. At any time I could put on the glasses and watch the cut in 3D.That was the selling point for me.” Despite the familiarity of the Media Composer systems, there was a steep learning curve to 3D, he says. “It’s getting your head around how 3D is deliv- ered to your eyes and to your brain. Once you understand that, you can play with the levels of depth and amount of 3D, which impacts on editorial.The film’s shots were blocked out for longer coverage, and I didn’t do the fast cutting the MTV generation is accustomed to:There’s so much to see within one image that if you cut too quickly it becomes nonsense.” 20 Post • November 2010 www.postmagazine.com Stereo The new frontier of post and production. By Christine Bunish Although stereo 3D is gathering momentum it appears to be “a bit like the Wild West” to those getting into it for the first time, according to Seth Henrikson, co-founder of Chicago’s Odd Machine, a hybrid production and post studio.“There don’t seem to be any hard-and-fast rules,” he notes.“Anyway, things are moving so quickly that what you did on your last job has probably been updated already.”