Archive notice: This article was originally published on June 18, 2010. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
As part of the 3D Innovation Forum led by the Mitteldeutsches Multimediazentrum (MMZ) in Halle, MotionWorks, together with Post Republic, created a stereoscopic trailer for a special kind of live cinema experience. On July 15, “Die Fantastischen Vier” will give a special concert in Halle an der Saale that will be broadcast live to almost 100 cinemas in the German-speaking region. The special feature: cinema audiences will experience Germany’s oldest hip-hop band in 3D. The trailer for the concert broadcast will be shown in all participating cinemas from June 15. According to Bavaria Film, the teaser shows viewers a fantastic world created through a stereoscopic live-action shoot and combined with digital 3D animation.
In the promotional trailer, a camera travels through a 3D world designed based on the CD cover of the new “Fantastischen Vier” album “Für dich immer noch Fanta Sie,” musically framed by the opening track “Wie Gladiatoren.” At the end, it encounters Die Fantastischen Vier, who announce the live concert in 3D in cinemas.
The camera move was recreated with the “3DMax” 3D program. To do this, all elements of the cover had to be cut out and partly rebuilt or repainted and animated. The 3D program enables optical adjustments that make the elements look more realistic in stereoscopy. For example, 2D objects are projected onto 3D bodies. Lighting effects are added later in post-production.
For the MotionWorks team, the greatest challenge in combining live action and animation lay in agreeing on common settings for the transition. Because these are completely different techniques, many hurdles had to be overcome to ultimately achieve a unified image with a homogeneous stereoscopic effect.
3D animation is not new territory for MotionWorks. As early as 2003, the Halle-based company produced parts of the animation for its cinema film “Globi and the Shadow Thief.” This was later followed by 3D work on the television film “Die Hollies” (Saxonia Media), the feature films “Laura’s Star and the Mysterious Dragon Nian” and “Mullewapp – The Great Cinema Adventure of the Friends.”
MotionWorks had already gained its first stereoscopic experience with its “Marco Polo” trailer and the stereoscopic presentation of “Paper Bag Girl” at the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film.
“Since ‘Avatar’ and ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ stereoscopic cinema has been booming. The work on the trailer is therefore also a step towards the future,” says Tony Loeser, Managing Director of MotionWorks.
The idea for producing the teaser arose in the so-called Steering Group, which directs the Innovation Forum under the leadership of the Mitteldeutsches Multimediazentrum (Project Manager Alexander Schaefer). Under producer Igor Fürnberg and Managing Director Tony Loeser, MotionWorks played a major role in the concept, layout and animatic – the basis for the live-action shoot – together with MMZ and Post Republic.
Further Links:
- Further information