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Stereoscopic effects are a reccuring theme in contemporary compositing. It has become so popular that we've decided to visit with CafeFX, formally
Computer Cafe, to dig deep into the world of this exciting medium. CafeFX recently completed 90 shots on Robert Rodriguez’s conclusion to the
Spy Kids franchise, Spy Kids 3D. Those 90 shots are a cogent representation of stereoscopic effects and were shot in HD to boot, presenting very
unique challenges to the compositing team.
CafeFX has relied on a Fusion compositing pipeline from their inception, and it is typically used on every shot they produce. DF is heavily
integrated into their facility, and remains the most cost effective solution for quickly attacking a massive workload and looming deadlines. In the
case of Spy Kids 3D, CafeFX completed 84 shots for a ten minute jousting sequence that pictures our young heroes sparring with glowing jousting batons
and an additional four shots for the popular flying pig character named “Spork”, all of which were stereoscopic.
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The primary compositing tasks revolved around keying in DF’s Ultra Keyer, rig and wire removal and the stereoscopic compositing process itself.
The footage was shot in stereo, meaning two cameras represented each virtual eye. Due to the nature of stereoscopic film production, every
composited element had to be done twice; once for the left view and once for the right. DF’s workflow and easy setting transfers made the
extra work simple and fast.
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Dave Ebner of CafeFX explains the process further, “First we comp. the left eye view just like it was a regular composite. In the same flow on
the right side we would mirror the work to match. The positional movements were then linked from right to left. The right side was linked to
the left via an expression, controlling the continuity.” To control the spacing for the final output, Ebner and his team would manipulate
elements in z space. For example, if you move the center of an element in z space farther apart or closer together, you can make the element
appear farther apart or closer together in the finished product. This was essential to matching the perspective captured by Rodriguez during
the original acquisition stage.
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As with any process there are typical issues that were anticipated and dealt with, such as keying HD Footage in Fusion’s native keyer, the Ultra
Keyer. “A large percentage of our shots involved keying to some degree. The CG realistic game environment, in which the bulk of the movie takes
place, dictates the need to shoot the main characters on green screen and then composite them into the final shots.” The nature of this process
leaves much of the final visual impact to the creative abilities of the compositing team. Not only was pulling a good key from the original HD
footage essential, but the realistic addition of the characters into the final composite was necessary to sell the exciting visuals to the
audience. The compression of HD footage complicates the keying process with artifacts and noise especially in the blue channel. After careful
tests with a variety of keying solutions, CafeFX found Ultra Keyer produced the best results.
To get the final 3D feel, the compositing team manipulated the red and blue color channels from each sequence through DF’s Channel Boolean tool,
retaining the green information for both. This process is necessary to produce the final stereoscopic 3D experience, and allowed the team to
output stereo Quicktimes for review in 3D.
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Fusion’s versatility not only provides creative professionals, like CafeFX, with the confidence to accept tremendous workloads with
ever shorter deadlines but also the ability to attack common compositing tasks and the un-known with the same vigor. Spy Kids 3D is a wonderful
example of the entertainment industry's constant evolution, specifically with regards to the new dimension of feature film production and post
production. Unique problems rely on unique solutions; pushing the compositing process itself, helping eyeon and Fusion adapt and
progress with the creative flow of the industry.
For more information on The Computer Cafe Group and CafeFX make sure to visit their website at www.cafefx.com 
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