tpc enters the 3D era with PabloSwiss broadcast production company goes on the road with Quantel

case study 10tpc

Quantel – share our passion

case study 10 tpc

Quantel – share our passion

Since Spring 2010, tv production center zurich ag (tpc) in Switzerland hasbeen offering high-end editing of 3D productions with its Quantel Pablosystem to broadcasters, production companies and agencies. The mobilePablo system, equipped with the Quantel Stereo3D toolset, is available foruse anywhere in Europe and can be integrated into the customer’sexisting infrastructure. In addition, tpc is offering its 3D expertise on aconsultancy basis, providing support throughout the whole workflow of a 3D production from planning and realization up to the final product forcinema, broadcast or video. In August 2010, tpc organized a hands-onStereo3D workshop for EBU members who are working on a definition ofthe 3D standard within the 3D Study Group.

case study 10 tpc

Quantel – share our passion

With this bold move, the Swiss 3D pioneer has openedup uncharted territory in Europe. “We consider ourselvesas a competence centre for 3D,” says DonovanCourtney, 3D Consultant at tpc. “Our approach is tooffer our know-how and technical equipment to enablethe production of high-quality 3D programs.”

If for example a 3D movie has to be edited in Germanyor Austria, the production company or the film studiocan book the tpc team including the complete 3Dediting suite. “For this reason it is very important for usto have a mobile Pablo system,” underlines Courtney.“We are able to install our edit suite wherever it isneeded for a 3D project.”

tpc plans both to co-produce 3D projects with partnersas well as undertaking complete 3D productions. “Thismay also include showroom projects or advertisingproductions in 3D,” explains Sascha Klement, Head ofBusiness Development at tpc. “We offer the customer acomplete business model which makes economic sense.It is important to integrate 3D into a complete businessproposition alongside conventional production.”

The fastest system on the markettpc chose Quantel technology to develop its new 3Dventure after having thoroughly evaluated several high-end systems. Quantel’s grading and finishingsystem won out. ”With its extremely fast workflow, thePablo is unbeatable,” says Donovan Courtney. “This isthe fastest and most efficient machine available on themarket.” Further speeding workflow, Pablo’s ResolutionCo-existence eliminates the need to convert formatsbefore work can start. “The footage is ingested, editedand finally played out. This is a very user-friendlyworkflow for 3D productions.” Another importantcriterion for selecting the Pablo was its ability to edit inreal-time at full-resolution with instant playback;Quantel’s Stereo3D tools permit interactive handling of both eyes interactively.

tpc has been using Quantel eQ and iQ systems forcolor grading and finishing for many years. "The Pablo3D tools are not difficult to learn, but a lot ofexperience is required to achieve a good result in 3D,"Klement explains. "The Pablo supports this learningprocess, helping the skilled operator to acquire thenecessary knowledge in the most efficient way."

The 3D-equipped Pablo also makes 3D experimentationand trials accessible to broadcasters. “tpc in Zurich isthe pioneer for all SRG SSR broadcasters, as far asdevelopment and the use of new technologies areconcerned,” emphasizes Klement. With HD Suisse, theSRG SSR has already had its own HD channel for testprograms since 2008. “At present all the bigbroadcasters are busy with converting their old SDhighways to HD, which costs a lot of money andresources,” Klement continues. This means thatbroadcasters are lacking the resources to introduce 3Dat present. “For this reason we try to show how 3Dmight be used with our concepts and business plans.This is real pioneering work,” Klement adds.

The first 3D project for Red Bull Media House The Red Bull Media House in Austria placed the firstorder with tpc for a 3D post production project in spring2010. Their requirement was to perform the completepost-production of a five-minute Stereo3D film within 36hours. This Stereo3D live action film was shot just beforethe start of the 70th Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbuhel,which is considered to be the most difficult ski downhillrun of the world. “It was a great challenge for us to carryout the complete Stereo3D post-production within sucha tight schedule,” Sascha Klement recalls. “But thanks toQuantel’s Pablo system and to the training our operatorshad received in Stereo3D post-production on thissystem, everything worked out really well.”

Cover: Christian Witschi, the3D DOP and stereographer

Inside cover: Gyro stabilized3D helicopter rig

This page: 3D steadicam in action

case study 10 tpc

Quantel – share our passion

1. 3D steadicam in action atthe JU52 shoot

2. The helicopter ready to go

3. 3D filming on the fly

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The spectacular Stereo3D production was realized in justfive days start to finish. On the Monday, the Pablo wasinstalled in Kitzbuhel at the foot of the steep ski slopeunder the direction of the tpc project manager. After thefirst camera tests with the downhill racers on Tuesday,the crew shot the race on Wednesday with several 3Dcamera systems. To film the run at breakneck speedfrom the downhill skier’s perspective, a mini 3D camerarig with gyroscopic stabilization had been developed.Alongside this spectacular subjective footage, ahelicopter supplied panoramic Stereo3D air views of themagnificent mountain scenery. The gyro-stabilizedcamera system consisted of a 3D camera rig supplied by P+S-Technik and two RED cameras.

The 3D footage of the Streif downhill run was edited onthe Pablo on Thursday. “We stored the edited film as afile export on a FTP server to allow Dolby to perform thesound design during the night,” Klement reports. Theresult was a spectacular five minute Stereo3D film, whichRed Bull Media presented to about 200 invitedspectators in Kitzbuhel with a Dolby digital projectionsystem on the Friday evening. The Stereo3D pictures forthis screening were played out as .tif files from the Pabloand imported into the projection system for playout.

“As well as the speed of the Pablo, the experience thatour editors Nicolas Sieber and Fabian Hochreutener hadalready gained on Quantel systems was instrumental inensuring that we met the deadline,” underlinesKlement. They had also been trained in Stereo3D posttechniques at the Quantel headquarters in Englandbefore the start of the project.

The TV broadcast of the Stereo3D Streif downhill racewas carried out by the Austrian broadcaster Servus TVin ColorCode. This Stereo3D system presents three-dimensional pictures in full colour space anddepth on ordinary TV displays. To permit the TV publicto view the Stereo3D clips offered by Red Bull Media –an option which had never been available ever before –Servus TV offered viewers the chance to obtain free-of-charge ColorCode 3D glasses, and 75,000 pairs of theblue-yellow 3D.

case study 10 tpc

Quantel – share our passion

We are focussing entirely upon Stereo3Dpost-production

Donovan Courtney of tpcʻ̒ ʻ̒

Left: Gregor Sonderegger, Newsroom ProjectManager and Second Chief Editor, Swiss TV (SF)

The complete Stereo3D workflow“We are focussing entirely upon Stereo3Dpost-production,” says Donovan Courtney, “so we did not buy any Stereo3D cameras,but just the Pablo which enables us to carryout the entire post production process in 3D.”Several producers have already benefitedfrom this decision and had their 3D post-production realized by tpc. “As we foundout during the job, sometimes the producersdo not pay attention to parallax, because theylack the know-how for Stereo3D.” tpctherefore had to provide training to thecamera crews and director of photography. Astereographer also worked alongside the DoPduring the shoots. “We brought together asmall team of experts who had the requiredStereo3D production know-how, fromshooting via editing up to the final product.These directors and stereographers knowexactly which equipment we need to use andhow to transfer the footage to the Pablo andfinally onto Blu-ray. This means we have builta complete Stereo3D workflow that willproduce excellent results on screen.”

3D documentary film on the Ju52 airplanetpc has also made a 45 minute Stereo3Ddocumentary film about the famous JunkersJu52 aircraft. “In the whole world, there areonly eight Ju52 which are still able to fly, andonly six of these can transport passengers.Four of these airplanes are in Dubendorf inSwitzerland, so this is where we went to makethe film,” says Donovan Courtney. As well asStereo3D air views showing the Ju52 shotfrom a helicopter, the film also includes oldoriginal footage which tpc converted from 2Dto 3D. “We used 2D/3D conversionexclusively for archive material, because it isobviously not possible to re-shoot it in 3D.”

3D requires a new way of storytelling. “Whenproducing in Stereo3D, it is important not tomake too many fast cuts or these may causediscomfort for the viewer,” Courtney explains.In Stereo3D films, special attention must begiven to pre-production; when deciding whichcamera rigs are to be used, the productionformat has to be taken into account. “Youmust plan the whole sequence of edits,”Sascha Klement explains. When producing TVfilms, this is not always applied. “But whenproducing in Stereo3D, you must take intoaccount the depth of the picture at thestoryboarding stage.”

Stereo3D shoots also require more staff on set.As well as the stereographer, a second cameraassistant is also needed. “For this reason 3Dproductions are inevitably more expensive.However, the shooting time is only longer byabout ten or twenty percent,” Klement says,adding that for the future, film academies willneed to offer professional training forstereographers and camera assistants as wellas corresponding workshops.

case study 10 tpc

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Hands-on workshop for EBU membersIn August 2010, tpc held a two day hands-on workshopfor EBU (European Broadcast Union) members. “In cooperation with the EBU we showed how toproduce in 3D,” says Sascha Klement. In addition tohands-on training, editing of 3D productions was shownin the workshop’s technical-practical sessions. Thebusiness-related element of the workshop wasdesigned to show to colleagues from publicbroadcasting all the options when moving intoStereo3D production. “People are not sure about thetime and money they have to invest into Stereo3D”,Klement adds, “so it’s important to show them differentbusiness models which will permit them to refinancetheir investment into new technologies. We are veryhappy to share our know-how with our colleagues in theEBU and any other broadcasters or production houseswho are interested.” tpc is also involved in the 3DStudy Group of the EBU, which is currently developing3D broadcast standards.

“There is a great opportunity for the Stereo3D format in event productions. If the producers put a workingtechnology into the market which allows 3D to beviewed without 3D glasses, this new technology willtake hold faster than anyone might think,” concludedGregor Sonderegger, project manager in the newsroomof Swiss TV (SF).

Above: Donovan Courtney, 3D consultant (left), andSascha Klement, Head ofBusiness Development (right)

At a glance

• Since the Spring of 2010 tpc has beenoffering high-end 3D productions

• tpc is focusing entirely upon Stereo3Dpost production

• tpc in Zurich is the pioneer for all SRGSSR broadcasters

• The mobile Pablo system, equippedfor use anywhere in Europe can beintegrated into the customer’sexisting infrastructure

• In August 2010, tpc organized ahands-on Stereo3D workshop forEBU members who are working ondefining the 3D standard with the3D study group