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Organized in 1999 to pioneer research and development in
stereoscopic reconstruction of two dimensional images,
In-Three, Inc. developed and patented a process called
Dimensionalization® that makes it practical to
convert 2D films into high quality, artifact-free 3D
films.
In-Three is unique in offering a
director the ability to select the dramatic impact appropriate
to each scene. It does this by providing a range of style and
degree choices. This capacity to incorporate artistic intent
in 2D to 3D reconstruction is an inherent and distinguishing
feature of Dimensionalization®
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| Q: Could you supply a bit of
background on how and when G-Force was started? |
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The
producers came to us early in 2007
to test our technique to see if it was viable to
use on their movie. About a week into the arrangements for the test, they decided to forgo the whole 3D idea and shot the movie as they normally would with one camera in 2D. In early November 2007, after principle photography was completed, the discussion of 3D came up again and, at that point, the only way to do it was in post. Sony Imageworks then brought Disney and JB Films out to see us. We were awarded the project in early 2008.
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| Q: What was In-Three’s role on the project? |
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We Dimensionalized® all the live action shots and
plates that were captured in 2D. It ended up being
somewhere around 24 minutes.
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| Q. How early in the production
process did In-Three get involved in the conversion of G-Force to stereo? |
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Originally, we were brought in during
the development of the project but after the 3D was canceled
we were not brought back in the fold until post production was
in full swing.
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| Q: For this sort of work, you have to consider
that every single shot in the film is a visual
effects shot. I imagine it takes a fair number of people
to get the job done. How many artists at In-Three were involved? |
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We had close to 80 artists involved in the conversion process with a larger percentage of staff devoted to typical 2D tasks such as clean plate creation, keying, and rotoscoping.
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| Q: How did your team manage the
pipeline on this project? Did you make extensive use of
commercial tools or have you built your own in-house tools? |
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Our pipeline is established but always evolving due to the integration of new software. During the project we discovered new tools and had to alter workflows based on how these tools integrated with our proprietary software.
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| Q: What other compositing software platforms do you work with and what features do you find more useful within Fusion? |
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I sometimes use After Effects. One feature I find extremely useful in Fusion is importing 3D camera data. Using image planes, spheres, or projectors, you can quickly place backgrounds such as skies for replacements or add 2D elements that can track with your plate. I often use the camera projection method for clean plating or wire removals. You can even import a 3D mesh and project a patch onto that. This can work really well for creating a clean plate for landscapes. This can really save you a lot of time.
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| Q: Can you approximate the amount
of shots that you completed for G-force? How much time did you have to get them all done? Why did you choose Fusion to accomplish the shots? |
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We used Fusion on approximately
75 of our shots, utilization of Fusion would have been higher
but was limited because of our number of licenses.
We had 15 weeks to complete all 500 shots. We found
Fusion's procedural paint tools, along with more versatile motion tracking and stabilization, to be very helpful. In addition, Fusions 'Flow' interface allowed us to easily troubleshoot and update compositions.
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Q: What were some
of the biggest challenges you faced on this project? How did you overcome them and how did Fusion fit into the solution? |
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The Dimensionalization®
process requires us to break up footage into many layers. These
layers require lots of paint work so they can 'stand alone'.
Fusion really helped us in the area of dynamic plate creation
where we had to make clean plates while keeping dynamic
lighting, shadows, etc. The procedural paint tools, in
particular the dynamic clone tool, were imperative. Also, in recreating smoke and other elements, the particle effects were also utilized.
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| Q: Tight deadlines and large shot
counts put a lot of pressure on the artistic team. How did Fusion help you achieve your deadlines? |
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Fusion's node based 'flow' interface
is much easier to troubleshoot than other compositing software,
especially anything purely timeline based. This was a huge time saver when we had revisions or plate swaps. When shots were rescanned, Fusion's paint effects were very easy to transition and modify to match the new footage.
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| Q: Was there a particular shot that
you are more proud of than others, perhaps because it
was more complex than usual or because it turned out better than expected?
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We
had a shot where the camera is looking through the windshield of a
car at the two drivers. The camera is bouncing
all over the place. Unfortunately for us, there were spots of dirt all over the windshield that became visible depending on the light cast on the windshield. This creates a distracting element in stereo. We ended up having to paint these dirt spots out and replace them with parts of the vehicle's interior. At the same time, we also had to recreate portions of the actors behind the spots. Thanks to Fusion's paint and tracking tools, we were able to pull it off fairly quickly. It may not sound like much but sometimes clients don't realize it is a problem until the shot is in 3D. We were fortunate to have a toolset that could help us accomplish this in short order.
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| Q: What are some of your favourite
tools in Fusion and how do they help in production? |
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Tracking and stabilization, clone and paint toolset, and the particle generating effects.
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| Q: What's next for the team at In-Three? |
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Post G-Force, In-Three is back in
production with its second feature film, that unfortunately,
cannot be disclosed at the time of writing this answer.
However, as soon as we can, we will let everyone know.
Meanwhile, we continue to work with other large post
facilities and studios as they begin to understand what our
process can do for their 3D film.
For more information
on In-Three Inc., please go to his website, www.in-three.com
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