Editing IMAX on a PDA
Do we really think this is so far fetched? Is it so out of the question...?
This case study look at the production of a 3D animated short film called 'The Ark' from Studio daily paints a very interesting picture of the absurdly possible. Director Grzegorz Jonkajtys engaged a rigourous 3D rendering and post-production process on, of all things, his laptop..!
I used Softimage for animation then moved everything to Lightwave to
use FPrime for rendering. Why? because FPrime is probably the fastest
retracer. It may not be the quality of Mental Ray, but given that I
didnt have a renderfarm for this project and basically rendered this
whole thing on my laptop, not the whole but 90 percent of it. That was
the only renderer that could handle almost 2K footage (1920x1080) with
motion blur and radiosity and things like that. So I got the models
from different packages, sometime Luxology modo, sometimes 3DS Max,
sometimes Lightwave and then move it all to XSI, rig it and export the
animation to Lightwave were it was lit and rendered using FPrime. Then
those renders were comped on top of the backgrounds. I think it worked
pretty well for a small project like that where I was controlling all
of the renders."
Just 5 years ago the very idea that Ray-traced renders at HD res could be performed on a laptop was just kinda silly as we all hundled in the crowded cue to use the render-farm. The step form there to Hand-Held power of almost infinate resolution is really but a puddle not the ocean it once seemed.
But what I find even more interesting is Grzegorz production approach in regard to software tools. His post-production workflow is truly about finding the right tool for the right task under the conditions and needs of the project. So few individuals, let alone companies, embrace this idea which would seem quite simple or indeed obvious. Most producers tend to adhere themselves to a singular and particular tool - obviosuly attracted by its strengths but then invaraibly conforming to or accomodating their crteative work to the unavoidable weaknesses in any given tool.
As I've argued before, each and every software tool for creative cinematic production carries with it an internally logical philosophy; a conceptual mode of perceiving the creative production process instilled on inception into the tool by those who made it and the direct imperatives of the corporation for which it was made. Thus a creative media maker in choosing a particular tool for production is by default 'buying into' a tacit, if not proactive, acceptance of that tool's philosophical approach. Their work with that tool is subsequently governed, influenced and shaped by that philosophy.
A work such as The Ark has obviously benefitted enormously from the Software-Slut approach to digital production.
You can view the
trailer for the film, The Ark, here. Its just another of the prolific high quality 3D films coming out of eastern europe and particularly
Platige Image studios in Poland. I fwas irst introduced to the work of Platige Image with their short film Fallen Art, which is one of the most delightfully twisted and superbly crafted 3D films you are ever likely to see. Their work from there has just gone from strength to strength and I pray daily to the digital production gods that someone will give them a big wad of cash to make an animated feature.
Posted at 01:00AM Aug 03, 2007
by Mike Jones in video |
