On Sight Uses SGO's Mistika For Flying Monsters In 3D With David Attenborough

SGO Mistika, the most powerful stereoscopic 3D toolset in the industry, was used for all the stereo 3D , 2D; and its first evert 3D IMAX by London's On Sight, for the post production of the breathtaking documentary Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough.
Produced by Anthony Geffen at Atlantic Productions and directed by Matt Dyas, a magnificent view of a prehistoric world is brought back to life on air on 3D television and the giant IMAX screen. The Head of Operations at Atlantic Productions is Ruth Sessions and the Commissioning Editor for Sky 3D TV is Celia Taylor.
On Sight, leading UK HD and S3D specialists, renowned for using innovative technology, chose Mistika for this high profile project, which involved multi deliverable formats. Sir David Attenborough had a clear idea of the story he wanted to tell, but to shoot at a resolution suitable for both 3D television and 3D IMAX was a challenge.
The footage was shot in multiple worldwide locations by DoP Tim Craggs, using the RED ONE camera in 4K. The challenge was to bring extinct pterosaurs back to life in CGI while conveying the story in stereo 3D. The location footage and CGI had to be carefully integrated, in particular for one of the final sequences where Sir David glides with a 50ft wingspan pterosaur. Owing to Mistika's innovative stereo 3D technology and many teams working together, project goals were achieved with striking results. Mistika's ability to handle RED RAW data was time efficient and prevented any quality degradation of the footage and entailed RAW files that could be graded directly without the conversion process that other systems require.
Atlantic Productions' undertaking of such an ambitious first stereo 3D IMAX project, showed confidence in On Sight;s expertise with the brief to create a realistic and immersive 3D experience, incorporating live action CG with stereoscopic 3D visual effects. On Sight relied on the Mistika post production system to overcome the challenges involved. Collaboration is the key for 3D and On Sight worked with Atlantic Productions and Vision3 to plans the shoot and workflow. On Sight provided production equipment as well as stereo 3D technical services throughout the post production process which covered workflow planning for both its offline and dedicated Mistika online stereoscopic 3D suites.
Angus Cameron, Founding Partner and Post Stereographer at Vision3, commented: "Flying Monsters was of course a flagship 3D programme for SKY and as such had to be produced to the highest possible standards. The Vision3 team welcomed the opportunity to again work closely with On Sight and in particular Andy Shelley and Mistika operator Andy Lee on the project. The toolset Mistika provides, including the advanced stereo 3D options, makes it the most powerful and interactive tool on the market when it comes to tackling a cutting edge show such as Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough.
"It is important that stereo 3D projects can be handled as efficiently as possible in post, to encourage programme makers to embrace the medium. Mistika is an important tool when it comes to making this a reality. Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough was a ground-breaking project for both television and the big screen that presented a range of exciting challenges, which we were happily able to meet."
CGI and Live Action Interaction proved to be the main challenges faced initially, as well as the high resolution and large file formats and enormous scale of the project. The tight broadcast deadlines facing On Sight, were overcome owing to Mistika's remarkable speed and turn around time, resulting in delivering the highest quality work on schedule.
The implications of producing CGI for 3D IMAX resulted in having to significantly refine and enlarge the smallest details in the film to cater for the unforgiving nature of magnification that the 3D IMAX medium poses. The Atlantic Productions' team worked for months with scientists to build accurate creatures based on original fossils so that the final outcome was credible and realistic.
Due to the enormous scale of the project, On Sight networked two Mistika systems together, in order to improve efficiency, where the online workload could be shared in real-time, which was a clear advantage. This set-up using Mistika, enabled the Mistika VFX & Stereo 3D Artists, Andy Lee and Miguel Caamando at On Sight to work on specific tasks and thus maintain efficiency. One would work on a depth grade in one Mistika, while simultaneously, the other Mistika operator would work on a stereo correction, which substantially accelerated the process.
There was also a large amount of visual effects footage for the programme, and On Sight was able to receive the material using Mistika, and simply drop it into the documentary effortlessly. The stereo 3D finishing work, which Mistika managed powerfully and seamlessly across the workflow at On Sight, included stereo quality control, conforming, colour matching, colour and stereo 3D depth grading, stereo fixing and compositing.
Andy Shelley, Head of Development at On Sight, stated: "The Mistika platform gives us incredible flexibility, efficiency and stereo 3D workflows which allowed for real-time adjustments, which was great for the client to be able to see immediate results in the finishing suite. Mistika's incredible power in stereo 3D has opened opportunities for filmmakers to create exciting content now and in the future."
On Sight, one of the UK's major stereo 3D pioneers, has become associated with expert 3D production and 3D post services. With 3D rapidly gaining momentum it is apparent that On Sight is the company to turbot for advice, products and solutions for the latest sought after format. SGO's Mistika will help to support On Sight in meeting the growing and complex demands that stereo 3D productions involve.
The visually stunning Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough stereo 3D production, aired on SKY's 3D and National Geographic channels in December with an upcoming 3D IMAX delivery launching in April this year.
(KMcA)