“With 3D you can convey the reality of what’s in front of the camera in a much more powerful way than ever before. To be at the cutting edge, when you know that you are doing something that no one has done before, is exciting and a great privilege.”
Sir David Attenborough
London, UK, 12 April 2012 –
ONSIGHT chose SGO Mistika’s colour grading and 3D toolsets throughout the entire post production of Atlantic Productions’ second David Attenborough 3D natural history documentary titled The Bachelor King 3D with David Attenborough.
The complete post production process took place at ONSIGHT’s Soho suites in London, using Mistika systems. The Lab and Post departments at ONSIGHT, backed up and processed offline rushes, followed by the conforming and online stages, which included all the technical stereo 3D adjustments in Mistika. Visual effects were also covered by the team for various fixes and elements. Mistika was also used for all the stereo 3D colour grading in the film where the Colourist perfected the production to enhance the sheer beauty of the stark landscape and its characters. The third dimension in the documentary added depth to the narrative elements bringing a realistic essence to a wilderness encapsulated by breath-taking cinematography.
ONSIGHT’s COO, Andrew Shelley states: “Mistika’s extensive grading tools provided us with precise creative control, in order to meet the client’s desired look for the film.”
The film was produced by award winning producer Anthony Geffen, CEO of Atlantic Productions, who explains: “While making Flying Monsters 3D, David and I became really excited about the power of 3D. We started talking about other projects that might work brilliantly in 3D – and David thought of filming in South Georgia. This spectacular but little known sub-Antarctic island is home to an amazing collection of wildlife including millions of penguins. 3D allows you to literally step inside the King Penguin’s world.”
Inspired by the work of BAFTA-Award winning Flying Monsters 3D, the 75-minute film depicts the life of a King Penguin and its existence in severe and challenging conditions in the Sub-Antarctic. The King Penguin is filmed with dedication and detail, as he grows and takes on the responsibility of a family. The adventure takes the audience to a new world where viewers can share the joys, hardship and the fun that these remarkable animals encounter, in order to survive.
Location filming took place in South Georgia, where ONSIGHT designed a customised workflow to cater for the austere climate. They provided cameras (RED Ones and SI-2Ks), accessories, 3Ality Technica Quasar and Neutron rigs and a professional crew. Combined with Ultra Prime and Optima DP lenses, the penguins’ world was filmed over five months. Based on a boat, the experienced 3D crew, including DoP Paul Williams, were faced with weather changes which entailed having to dismantle equipment, rebuild rigs and adapt to every situation that arose. ONSIGHT’s Technician ran through the dailies on the boat each day, observed by an inquisitive audience of millions of penguins and colonies of fur and elephant seals. Their camera department also supplied all of the shooting technology used to capture the millions of penguins and colonies of both fur and elephant seals.
Sir David Attenborough added: “I knew it would be mind-blowing, there are a number of extremely dramatic animals in South Georgia that would look particularly astounding in 3D. The difficulties are huge but the rewards are huge too. With 3D you can convey the reality of what’s in front of the camera in a much more powerful way than ever before. To be at the cutting edge, when you know that you are doing something that no one has done before, is exciting and a great privilege. I feel hugely privileged to have started my life on 405 black and white and now to be working in 3D.”
The Bachelor King 3D with David Attenborough aired exclusively on Sky 3D TV on New Year’s Eve as a prelude to its upcoming worldwide theatrical release this year.
For further information, please visit: http://sky1.sky.com/sky1hd-shows/the-bachelor-king
CREDIT LIST:
Production Company: Atlantic Productions
DoP: Paul Williams
Post Sterographer: Richard Lloyd
Post Production: ONSIGHT
Producer at ONSIGHT: Ben McGuire
Post Production System: SGO’s Mistika Post Production DI and Stereo 3D
Stereography Consultants: Vision 3
Colourist of ONSIGHT: Andy Lee
Offline Editor: Rob Hall
Online Editors of ONSIGHT: Miguel Caamano Riviero & David Gonzalez Lozano
About ONSIGHT
ONSIGHT is a leading production facilities company, specialising in stereoscopic services from shoot to screen. Today, the business comprises of three departments – Camera Rental, Edit Rental and Lab & Post. The rental departments are conveniently located in Shepperton Studios and supply high-end digital cameras, 2D or 3D production and post production equipment. The Lab & Post team offer a digital lab and full post production service in Soho. Renowned for the use of innovative technology, ONSIGHT brings a unique offering to programme-makers. With a reliable understanding of the entire production process, they can provide guidance at every stage to ensure smooth workflows and great creative results. www.onsight.co.uk
About SGO
SGO is an established leading developer of high-end solutions including its flagship DI and Stereo 3D system Mistika, and on-set application Mistika Live, for post production in the broadcast and film industries. A global company, SGO continues to expand with offices and reseller partners across the world. The company prides itself in establishing close and long term relationships with its customers, providing an effective personal service by a dedicated team.
About Mistika
As a complete post production system, Mistika has highly developed tools which include editing, conforming, image restoration, compositing, colour grading, multi mastering and DCP deliverables for both 2D and stereo 3D. History was made with the world’s first live Stereo3D BSkyB sports broadcast where Mistika played a significant role in the launch of Sky 3D TV. Mistika was also used for Stereo 3D post of BAFTA award-winning “Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough” for Sky 3D TV and 3D IMAX, for which the project also won an IBC 2011 Special Award with Atlantic Productions, ONSIGHT and Sky3D as supporting partners for remarkable post production.