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Why Use Motion Control
One can deduce seven key reasons why the film industry has embraced motion control and why it has become an essential element in the visual effects field.
1. Multi-Passes:
MoCo has the unique ability to have motions programmed and played back identically. This offers the ability for the camera to make multiple passes of different objects with the identical programmed movement. A key advantage is once multiple sequences have been shot with the same programmed movement, it becomes possible to layer these images during post production.
2. Synchronization with Movement:
Motion Control can be cued by a specific movement, sound, or video clip. This is known as audio or time code triggering. This type of triggering enables the camera movement, as programmed by the operator, to be synchronized by any motion, sound or action.
3. Scaling:
For many film projects a large full sized set can be too costly to create, so instead a miniature set is created. Scaling involves shooting the miniature set using a Motion Control system. Once this is achieved, the MoCo software will then automatically scale the programmed movement up or down but this time shoot a live actor or differently scaled model. When the shots are composited together, since both sequences were shot with the same perspective, it appears that the two images are perfectly to scale with one another.
4. CGI Integration:
CGI Import : (Also known as PreViz Export) is the term given to any motion data that is transferred from 3D CGI software to be run on a Motion Control system. Effectively productions can plan and story board an entire shot or sequence on software packages such as SoftImage, arrive on set and playback the output data of the exact shot on the Motion Control system.
CGI Export: CGI Export is when data from the motion control camera is transferred to 3D CGI software. When exporting data for CGI, the 3D software makes use of a 'virtual camera' which is stored within the movement data. MoCo software takes into account the exact position and orientation of the vector crossing in the nodal point and the coaxial vector of the lens. Because the MoCo software also takes into account different data of the lens (focus distance and field of view), 3D elements during post-production can be accurately inserted into MoCo shot footage.
5. Target Tracking:
Target tracking makes the precise location of the XYZ coordinates of the target always known. It gives the ability to fix the target of the lens upon the centre of interest while the camera moves in space. This allows the camera to make an infinite amount of movement while never straying from the initial point of interest.
6. Stop Animation:
MoCo allows animation, such as clay animation, to be shot while in motion. Stop animation is the capability to shoot a movement and to expose every frame individually. When exposing a frame in a movement an artifact called motion blur appears, and increases with the speed relative with the movement of the camera. While stop motion can be achieved with or without motion blur, it is widely accepted that motion blur will give a more realistic feel to the animation.
7. Film Speed:
This is considered one of the most advanced techniques in the field of visual effects today.
Time Lapse: Time Lapse is the first time relative effect conducted with motion control. When shooting a moving or physically evolving (blooming flower, the sky) subject, a time delay is applied between each frame exposed. As the frames exposed per second lessen, the moving object being shot appears to move faster when being viewed in real time.
Mixed Film Speed Layering: Combining multiple images which have been captured at different film speeds. When combined in post production, the different sequences can be seamlessly integrated as a whole. Different effects can include varying the speeds of multiple subjects in a single frame, or a subject in the foreground can appear to have a low depth of field, while the background can be shot at a higher t-stop and have a greater depth of field. Also, as the camera speed changes, the exposure can be compensated or left to change.
Time Warp: Time Warp consists of varying the speed of the camera during the move. There are two main applications to time warp. The first application involves slowing the rate of frames captured per second to mimic the effects of an impossibly fast moving camera. The second application is varying the camera speed to change the motion of any moving or evolving object.
1. Multi-Passes:
MoCo has the unique ability to have motions programmed and played back identically. This offers the ability for the camera to make multiple passes of different objects with the identical programmed movement. A key advantage is once multiple sequences have been shot with the same programmed movement, it becomes possible to layer these images during post production.
2. Synchronization with Movement:
Motion Control can be cued by a specific movement, sound, or video clip. This is known as audio or time code triggering. This type of triggering enables the camera movement, as programmed by the operator, to be synchronized by any motion, sound or action.
3. Scaling:
For many film projects a large full sized set can be too costly to create, so instead a miniature set is created. Scaling involves shooting the miniature set using a Motion Control system. Once this is achieved, the MoCo software will then automatically scale the programmed movement up or down but this time shoot a live actor or differently scaled model. When the shots are composited together, since both sequences were shot with the same perspective, it appears that the two images are perfectly to scale with one another.
4. CGI Integration:
CGI Import : (Also known as PreViz Export) is the term given to any motion data that is transferred from 3D CGI software to be run on a Motion Control system. Effectively productions can plan and story board an entire shot or sequence on software packages such as SoftImage, arrive on set and playback the output data of the exact shot on the Motion Control system.
CGI Export: CGI Export is when data from the motion control camera is transferred to 3D CGI software. When exporting data for CGI, the 3D software makes use of a 'virtual camera' which is stored within the movement data. MoCo software takes into account the exact position and orientation of the vector crossing in the nodal point and the coaxial vector of the lens. Because the MoCo software also takes into account different data of the lens (focus distance and field of view), 3D elements during post-production can be accurately inserted into MoCo shot footage.
5. Target Tracking:
Target tracking makes the precise location of the XYZ coordinates of the target always known. It gives the ability to fix the target of the lens upon the centre of interest while the camera moves in space. This allows the camera to make an infinite amount of movement while never straying from the initial point of interest.
6. Stop Animation:
MoCo allows animation, such as clay animation, to be shot while in motion. Stop animation is the capability to shoot a movement and to expose every frame individually. When exposing a frame in a movement an artifact called motion blur appears, and increases with the speed relative with the movement of the camera. While stop motion can be achieved with or without motion blur, it is widely accepted that motion blur will give a more realistic feel to the animation.
7. Film Speed:
This is considered one of the most advanced techniques in the field of visual effects today.
Time Lapse: Time Lapse is the first time relative effect conducted with motion control. When shooting a moving or physically evolving (blooming flower, the sky) subject, a time delay is applied between each frame exposed. As the frames exposed per second lessen, the moving object being shot appears to move faster when being viewed in real time.
Mixed Film Speed Layering: Combining multiple images which have been captured at different film speeds. When combined in post production, the different sequences can be seamlessly integrated as a whole. Different effects can include varying the speeds of multiple subjects in a single frame, or a subject in the foreground can appear to have a low depth of field, while the background can be shot at a higher t-stop and have a greater depth of field. Also, as the camera speed changes, the exposure can be compensated or left to change.
Time Warp: Time Warp consists of varying the speed of the camera during the move. There are two main applications to time warp. The first application involves slowing the rate of frames captured per second to mimic the effects of an impossibly fast moving camera. The second application is varying the camera speed to change the motion of any moving or evolving object.