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projects
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ANCIENT
SKIES FULLDOME DEMO REEL
Compression from original 4k x 4k reel
Please click on picture above to download
6 mins. - mov - 50 mb
or view on-line at
www.vimeo.com/1496364
(c) SKY-SKAN
Europe inc / Grant
Wakefield 2008 |
Photographed & Edited
by
Grant Wakefield
Post-Production Supervision
by
Jan Toensmann
Executive Producer
Glenn Smith
Music
by
Steve Roach
Lisa Gerrard & Patrick Cassidy
Michael Stearns
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The EMPIRE OF STONE
companion reel
is available to download
here
14:40 - mov -
113 mb
or view on-line at
www.vimeo.com/1521048
Project Background
ANCIENT SKIES was born out of both my lifelong
fascination with the Megalithic sites of the British Isles, and
large format film making. Starting life as a short, black +
white timelapse IMAX film, it soon developed into a feature
length (40 min.) production. Over many years I travelled
widely,
shooting stills and editing video-storyboards for a project
which was then entitled REMNANTS, and whose format would be
visuals and music only, supplied by former TANGERINE DREAM
member Johannes Schmoelling.
But as this process was underway a
significant change was occurring in the IMAX business. Classical
2D production was rapidly being usurped by 3D. IMAX
Corporation's pioneering efforts in this direction led to a
major resurgence and re-evaluation of 3D as a gimmick or 'phase'
to a widely accepted and highly popular format, which
simultaneously converged with the revolution in digital imaging.
Despite these technological advances, IMAX
productions nevertheless generally retained their traditional
educational and science based structures, set against which,
REMNANTS, without a narration, was still something of a rarity,
planned principally as an 'experiential' film, as popularised by the
works of Ron Fricke and Godfrey Reggio.
Sensing the shift I approached all 11 UK large
format theatres with a DVD and
treatment for REMNANTS and gauge the reaction to the idea
of producing a solely UK based film, itself another rarity, with
only two British films produced in IMAX to date. Amongst the replies that came back was an
invitation from
John Rorke of Birmingham's 'Millennium Point' IMAX theatre for
me to experience the new FullDome format.
Fulldome
FullDome is an entirely digital
medium,
utilising multiple projectors to seamlessly blend an image 360
degrees around the viewer within a Planetarium dome, and whose
relative screen area far exceeds IMAX DOME (formerly known as OMNIMAX.) With the rapid development of digital stills cameras
it was clear that image capture could maintain extremely high
resolution.
Watching
demonstration films, I realised that this was a not only a
unique opportunity to take advantage of a new and powerful
immersive system, but to do so at a fraction of the cost of
traditional film based imaging.
Sky-Skan
SKY-SKAN are one the world's leading manufacturers of FullDome
theatres and software. Managing Director of their European division,
Glenn Smith, also shared my fascination with Megalithic sites, and had been considering an
in-house project for some time. Smith requested a treatment and
DVD, and immediately began the process of collaboration. We first ascertained what
technology was required to obtain the kind of images we sought,
and I then began to shoot test material with my prototype motion
controlled timelapse system.
I also undertook
some location scouts, taking stills with non
full-frame cameras mounted with fisheye lenses. With
location access at a premium, the purpose of these were to
identify problems in advance and lock down potential camera
positions for shoots proper. After negotiations with English Heritage, these were undertaken in the latter
stages of 2007.
Stonehenge,
and West Kennet Long Barrow,
September 2007,
during full moon
sequence
Equipment was
sourced from Canada, the US, China and Germany - including Canon
5D Mk1 full frame cameras, additional lenses, and an upgrade to
the existing motion control
system. Then began an intense testing phase to gauge
write speeds to CF capture card, operating temperatures and
'feathered' camera moves.
The first full
frame, motion controlled timelapse, true circular fisheye
sequences were then photographed during full
moon periods in October and November 2007.
Stonehenge,
and 'The Devils Den' where a temperature of
-2c overwhelmed the prototype lens heater
Whilst mostly technically successful, two issues immediately
became apparent. REMNANTS as a stand alone, music-only project
was seriously under-utilising the immersive potential of the
format. And with sometimes extreme filming conditions an upgrade
of camera equipment and portability was required, as well as an
additional motion control to maximise the capture potential of night shoots.
Testing and
equipment sourcing continued over the winter months.
Euromax
The Euromax large format conference was held in
London, March 2008. There Glenn introduced me to post-production supervisor and CGI specialist Jan Toensmann.
Following his, and large format cameraman Lee Parker's
suggestions, REMNANTS was radically re-worked and became
ANCIENT SKIES. The project would now be expanded into a more
traditional, narration led planetarium show format, whilst losing none of the
visual power that we envisioned. Using the Megalithic
civilisation as a template, ANCIENT SKIES would be the first
large format and/or immersive film to explore the emerging but
controversial science of 'Archaeo-Astronomy.'
It was agreed
I would undertake extensive shooting across the
UK to generate sufficient material for the production of a high
resolution 4k FullDome demonstration reel. In parallel, Toensmann would develop an editing and rendering
system capable of handling such material. A finished reel was
planned to be ready in time for a screening at the International
Planetarium Society conference, held in Chicago in early July
It was also
agreed that during all phases of shooting, sufficient flat lens
imagery would be captured to enable REMNANTS as a 'sister
project' to be advanced, with HDTV / 2k digital projection as its
likely destination medium.
As photography was required to be completed by the end
of May, I immediately set off on the first of three location
shoots. By May 11th I had travelled the length and breadth of
Britain, taking in Cornwall, Wales, Anglesey, Cumbria,
Derbyshire, Scotland and The Outer Hebrides, capturing over 60
minutes of material in 42 days, with three cameras and two
motion control units.
|
Dual camera (flat and
fisheye) recording sunset at Lanyon Quoit |
Flat lens tilt down at
Stannon stone circle |
|
Flat lens night
tilt down at Callanish I |
Stormy
skies at Moel Ty Uchaf |
Edit - Amsterdam - June 2008
Jan Toensmann
took on an almost impossible task - the creation of a 4k
by 4k resolution 6 minute demonstration reel in time for the IPS
conference. Using his custom built system - a dual Linux /
Windows render farm, with a 16 terrabyte Raid drive -
over the course of 8 days he worked tirelessly on file
conversion, image clean-up, and an edit, based on a template
After Effects project I built, whilst I recorded and mixed
various narrations and soundtracks.
Putting in two 24 hour shifts in the final
three days, the reel was delivered to Glenn just one day before he left for
Chicago.
Treatment, Development & Status - October 2009
Following the
positive response to the reel, I researched and wrote an
illustrated 50 page 1st draft
treatment for the full length show, delivering it on February
2nd, and began correspondence with ex-DEAD CAN DANCE vocalist Lisa Gerrard
and American synthesist Steve Roach, both of whom expressed
great interest in supplying the soundtrack.
In March I
was invited to show some of the work at the
Bradford International Film Festival as part
of their 'Widescreen Weekend' event. Culling
ten minutes of the best flat lens material into a showreel entitled EMPIRE OF STONE, a custom
2k render at 2.35:1 aspect ratio was built by
Alex Hibbitt of Arts Alliance Media. Shown on
the Pictureville Theatre's giant 70mm screen
the results were breathtaking - matching,
and often exceeding, 5 perf. 70mm quality,
despite the fact the render utilised only a
little over half the frame information.
Over the
summer a dolly + track were acquired, along
with two Canon 5D Mk2 cameras. In
September an 18 day shoot was undertaken in
the Orkney Islands off the north east coast
of Scotland. Weather conditions were
decidedly unfavourable, but over 20 minutes
of material was captured. Due to time
constraints none of this new imagery was
available to Toensmann, who was
simultaneously re-processing and re-grading
the existing reel for a showing at the 'DomeFest'
event in Albuquerque, US.
We are
currently seeking investment partners for
the continued production of ANCIENT SKIES,
and a re-write / script breakdown of the
treatment is planned over Winter 2009, along
with a series of HD video interviews with
principal academic contributors to the film.
The final refinement of the timelapse dolly
system is in progress.
75% of the
principal photography for REMNANTS is now complete, and we are
seeking completion funds for the three remaining shoots
(Stonehenge, Newgrange and London), along with image clean /
grade / edit and soundtrack production. Music contributor Thorsten Quaeschning - current member
of TANGERINE DREAM - is confirmed.
Contact
For further information about the project(s)
please contact:
GLENN SMITH
/ SKY SKAN
smith@skyskan.com
GRANT WAKEFIELD
grant@grantwakefield.com
Night
static shot at Callanish I |
P anning
underneath the giant
capstone of the Pentre Ifan dolmen |
Sunset at Callanish
I |
At the end of a night pan at Callanish I |
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