Jackson is currently hard at work shooting The Hobbit in 3D. But instead of using the bulky 3D rigs commonly associated with 3D movie films. Jackson is using RED EPIC cameras and mirrors to keep the cameras mobile.
Most “3D” films are crap. Sure Avatar looked good, but the story was lammmeee. Hollywood has gotten in the habit of ham-fisting 3D into even crappier films during post-production to squeeze a few extra bucks out of movie goers. Also lame. The Hobbit — an amazing story — has been developed as a 3D film from day one. Even the hand-drawn concept art is 3D. And thanks to the 48 RED EPIC cameras shooting 5K at 48FPS, the movie should look outstanding.
While the RED camera bodies are small, the lenses needed to shoot the film are large enough that creating the interocular distance that mimics the distance between human eyes was impossible if the cameras were placed side by side. To combat the issue, one of the cameras shoots from a horizontal position through a mirror, while the other shoots a reflected image off the same mirror in a vertical position. The result is a 3D camera rig that shoots amazing footage and is relatively portable. Check out the video above for Jackson’s tour of the production.
The Hobbit should be in theatres December 2012, and I should be in line for a ticket in November 2012. [Crave Asia via CNET]