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In Depth: Six Nations Rugby 3D: behind the scenes – 659th Edition
This weekend sees yet another sporting event getting the 3D treatment.
Hot on the heels of last week’s 3D Arsenal vs Manchester United match, the opening match of the RBS Six Nations is to be shown in 40 Odeon and Cineworld cinemas across the UK in 3D.
Although the BBC has rights to the content, it’s not actually the BBC who will be taking care of the 3D feed. An independent UK company is taking the 3D reigns, called Inition, which has a long-standing relationship with 3D in the UK.
The team at Inition were behind Keane’s historic 3D internet vidcast last year and the company also shot Usain Bolt on the streets of Manchester for a promo for the Manchester Commonwealth Games.
That race saw the runner beat his World Record time. Luckily the production company was on-board, complete with the first 3D tracking shot to capture the eye-popping action.
To understand just how much of an undertaking shooting England vs Wales in 3D is, we spoke to Inition’s Director Andy Milns and were invited to its studios in London to see the cameras being used in action.
“It was two years ago when we, along with two other companies, decided to do a 3D broadcast of the rugby,” explained Milns to TechRadar. “We approached the BBC and we funded it privately.”
There were a number of issues with that experimental first shoot, namely the lack of equipment on hand for the match.
Not that this dampened Milns’ spirit in any way or his enthusiasm for the technology: “Unfortunately we only really had one camera position and no graphics so we were limited.
“And then there weren’t any tries and it was a rubbish game, but apart from that it was a great experience.”
With this much pressure, the kit used to film to the action has to be fool-proof. Luckily Milns is very confident in the rig that will be used.
“We will be using standard Sony split-block cameras, as they are great for 3D -as they are quite small,” he explains.
“Essentially you have two cameras instead of one which replicate your own eyes. There’s a left and right camera, one mounted on top, the other below and the rig will be holding two standard broadcast 2D cameras.
“We are using a 3D mirror rig as it is better to shoot 3D and doesn’t have the limitations of a side-by-side configuration. Use the side-by-side method and in certain close-up shots you can’t get the cameras close enough together.
“With the rig we can control the alignment and how much 3D you will see in the picture.”
After witnessing live football in 3D for the first time, we did notice some limitations to the technology – especially with blurring on fast action.
Milns hopes he has a way to counteract this when it comes to rugby: “Blurring can be associated with fast movements such as rugby balls, but we’ll be shooting at 50fps which should stop this problem.”
There’s definitely a groundswell taking place in 3D at the moment. Even if the public hasn’t quite got round to the idea of 3D in the home – despite manufacturers trying to persuade us otherwise – there’s something special about watching 3D in the cinema.
And considering the cinemas playing the game are kitted out with alcohol licenses the atmosphere should be immense. Let’s just hope the 3D technology helps rather than hinders the experience.
England vs Wales in 3D is shown in selected Odeon and Cineworld cinemas in the UK today.England vs Ireland will also be shown in 3D 27 February.
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