Bullet Time

[CoreyWhite]

I'm planning on shooting a movie entirely in bullet time. I have got far enough to realize I need a good 96 cameras to shoot the effect well enough for a movie. What other considerations should I think about in the planning stage for my project? Hooking up all the cameras to snap a photo simotaneously, editting the film to take the bullet time rig out, or editting out an object from the rest of the photo. I guess there are also software considerations as well, using computers to fill in missing frames of video to make s mooth shot.

Can I get any advice on these issues, a link that covored shooting bullet time this way would be extremely helpfull. All the docs I can find online cover shooting really low budget bullet time.

Thanks

 

[Tclark]

you can do some bullet time with only 1 camera, but it isnt the kinda look around in the same second kinda thing. I mean that you can film something that would look ok in fast motion, then slow it down and ad on the effects like a bullets moving slowly accros the screen or bullets stopping (matrix) kinda thing.

u mite need a FX package or else know how to rotoscope.

 

[Filmosity]

you know, I'm pretty sure the cameras were rigged so that they all fired at slightly different times, in order.

For example, in The Matrix, when Neo dodges the bullets, you can still see him moving as the "camera" moves around him. That's because the cameras were set at different intervals (albeit, very close together). Take that into consideration.

I think if you were to set them to fire at the exact same time, you'd get the movement around the subject, but no movement of the subjet.

-Chris

 

[Tclark]

true there. i think they set it to do one photo a millisecond or something like that

 

[sinjinza1984]

bullet time

bullet time

Sorry, but the only people who are allowed to use the 'real' bullet time effects are the guys from Silver Productions. Bullet Time is a patented technique used by Silver Productions on their movies, and can therefore only be used by them. Anyways, you couldn't shoot bullet time with only one camera, John Gaeta (effects superviser for the Matrix films) used more than a hundred still cameras and complicated sets of rigging to create the effects necessary, they then had to use extremely expensive (and almost purely proprietary) software to fill in the spaces between the frames of the shot that were created by the differences in the positions of the cameras. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm sure you'd rather find this out from me now than from Mr Silver's lawyers in six months time.

 

[komatoast]

right oh!

right oh!

right oh... for startes you can use only 1 camera to create a bullet time effect. however, it takes a really long time and you will have to get your actor to do EXACTLY the same movement for each shot... as you can imagin it is impossible to make the shot look seemless.

also.... the bullet time is a patented by silver productions and as such it should not be used without seeking permition unless you are not intending to sell the movie.

i think 96 cameras is not enough... if you work on a 25 frame a second basis you will have only have shots of only 4seconds at the most!

and just one more thing..... a full movie done in bullet time? what is going to be the story? - a man walks down the road, maybe he trips up.... this will be your movie? remember bullet time is an extreme slow motion of an action.....

 

[MrBonquista]

Ive seen a 'bullet time' type scene done in a class of mine, the actor was in midswing at his opponent and frooze (or maybe even moved very slowly) but the camera then panned around him, and when the camera stopped moving, he started moving. They edited simple enough to where when the movie was in 'bullet time' and the camera was panning around the actors, they just dropped the framerate to around 15-20 fps instead of the usual 30. Its very 'low budget' and simple but it looked pretty tight actually.

 

[Nick Jushchyshyn]

Here's a great article and podcast interview about how Mark Ruff achieves this effect with near realtime results using arrays of Canon 10D cameras, each linked to their own macmini:
http://www.fxguide.com/article323.html

Mark's site is http://www.ruffy.com

 

[Goose]

Re: right oh!

Re: right oh!

i think 96 cameras is not enough... if you work on a 25 frame a second basis you will have only have shots of only 4 seconds at the most!

?? 4 seconds how do u figure??

If you set up a rig like used in the matrix for example, the camera's can be set to any interval, even all taking the photo's at once to give a freeze frame spin around the scene. Yes if each image was pumped through at 25 fps then it would only go for 4 seconds max.... but if you did that what’s the point of using bullet time effect, when the same effect could be achieved with some fast running grips? But komatost is right, the more camera's the better the effect. Just your not limited to 4 second of footage if you decide to only use 96. Frames can be duplicated and displayed on screen for as long as desired.

 

[Lazlo]

The way you do bullet time with one camera, is by hooking it up to some sort of contraption that can go about 3 hundred miles an hour in a circle. Then you have bullet time without 100 cameras... That would be a really expensive and difficult endeavor to create an entire movie in bullet time. I hope you have a lot of money. good luck.

 

[amdelo]

ok man here's my take,

i actually am working as an assistant with a motion picture special effects company (who shall remain nameless) in california and one of the big things they specialize in is your "bullet-time." as sinjinza1984 pointed out, this is patented by silver productions, however, is not the only form of this technique out there. ours is called by a different name and we have it patented, and is basically the same thing, so you could probably try it and get away with it without anyone caring.

but my point is, i have actually set up a couple of these rigs, and they are INCREDIBLY complex. imagine 60-150 cameras that have to be set-up at the same height, distance, and direction from the camera depending on the action. They all have to be adjusted to hit the same spot, and once set, cannot be moved unless you want one frame to be off. Then come all of the different variables: shutter speed, camera timing, camera distance apart etc. Then, they all need to be interconnected with ethernet cable (yes the same ones you have connected to your computer right now) with a tiny computer that is mounted to the bottom of every camera. these computers are what trigger the cameras.

HOWEVER, to answer your question, yes it can be done with 96 cameras or one camera. you can do it with whatever number you want but then your cameras with have to be farther apart if that number is small. I have heard of people doing it with one camera, and i believe someone once told me that the opening sequence of the Howard Stern Show was shot with one camera (don't quote me on that.) also, you must consider if you want to use film or digital. Although digital is obviously the popular format, there will be complications with that. In terms of software, you will need some kind of software to trigger all of the cameras and adjust all of your variables (even if it is one camera.) also, you will need a stabilizer software that can stabilize all of your images into a "smooth" sequence once shot. Then any kind of compositing software can be used to take the rig out, most people use a green screen to help speed this process. Mind you, people charge a lot (and i do mean a lot) of money to do this kind of thing, so i applaud you if you do accomplish it. more power to ya.