Match Moving - Real Time

Real Time

On-set, real-time camera tracking is becoming more widely used in feature film production to allow elements that will be inserted in post-production be visualised live on-set. This has the benefit of helping the director and actors improve performances by actually seeing set extensions or CGI characters whilst (or shortly after) they do a take. No longer do they need to perform to green/blue screens and have no feedback of the end result. Eye-line references, actor positioning, and CGI interaction can now be done live on-set giving everyone confidence that the shot is correct and going to work in the final composite.

To achieve this, a number of components from hardware to software need to be combined. Products such as Take4D bring these together. The software collects all of the 6 degrees of freedom movement of the camera as well as metadata such as zoom, focus, iris and shutter elements from many different types of hardware devices, ranging from motion capture systems such as active LED marker based system from PhaseSpace, passive systems such as Motion Analysis or Vicon, to rotary encodes fitted to camera cranes and dollies such as Technocranes and Fisher Dollies, or inertia & gyroscopic sensors mounted directly to the camera. Take4D has also developed a laser based tracking system that can be attached to anything, including Steadycams, to track cameras outside in the rain at distances of up to 30 meters.

Motion control cameras can also be used as a source or destination for 3D camera data. Camera moves can be pre-visualised in advance and then converted into motion control data that drives a camera crane along precisely the same path as the 3D camera. Encoders on the crane can also be used in real time on-set to reverse this process to generate live 3D cameras in real time. The data can be sent to any number of different 3D applications such as Take4D's own renderer, MotionBuilder, Maya, and more, allowing 3D artists to modify their CGI elements live on set as well. The main advantage being that set design issues that would be timely and costly issues later down the line can be sorted out during the shooting process, ensuring that the actors "fit" within each environment for each shot whilst they do their performances.

Real time motion capture systems can also be mixed within camera data stream allowing virtual characters to be inserted into live shots on-set. This dramatically improves the interaction between real and non-real MoCap driven characters as both plate and CG performances can be choreographed together.