When a Resolution Digital Studio client wanted to enhance the bland image interest of an interview subject, RDS executive producer Mitch Apley felt this was the perfect project for their new HDR (high dynamic range) motion video.
And he was so right about the imaging process RDS spent several months developing, a process exclusive to RDS in Chicago.
HDR delivers “a visually pleasing, cool look that dramatically heightens the video image,” Apley says. “This is the first new development since the first 3D craze and it has enormous potential” for application in any genre.
High dynamic range refers to “creating an image that is properly exposed in light areas all the way down to the dark areas, so an HDR video results in an interesting, unique style,” Apley explains.
“The technique is to take two cameras and aim them at exactly the same image; expose one for the bright and the other for the dark, overexpose one and underexpose the other.
“Then, using our proprietary software, we take the best parts of the two images to create a composite image in which the highlights and mid-to-dark areas are all perfectly exposed. That new image renders out a broader exposure range.”
Apley says the process provides amazing flexibility allowing them to create a variety of different looks: from very realistic and stylized, to impressionistic, like a painting and very stylized.
Joe Czerw used the Red camera for successful HDR experiments
Three months ago, the RDS team lead by Joe Czerw, technical director/production manager, began experimenting with HDR, using DSLR and other video cameras. After several initial and encouraging attempts, they approached Daufenbach Camera for the loan of equipment for a more ambitious phase of testing.
Daufenbach complied, supplying a dual Red camera setup and Quasar 3D rig. “We piggybacked off the same 3D same rig as the one James Cameron used in ‘Avatar,’” Apley notes.
They found the Red camera superior for creating HDR video. “The Quasar rig allowed perfect aligning and better dynamic range, and the 32 bit RAW files the Red captured gave us the most flexibility possible in post,” he says. Apley notes that the cost of HDR video is similar to stereoscopic 3D video production, due to “the additional expense of a 3D rig cost, a two-camera rental, a lot more manual labor involved and a little more time consumed in the HDR processing step, which is similar to color correction but requires more time.”
But unlike S-3D, HDR video can be seen on any existing screen or monitor without the need for special glasses, he says.
“Now there’s a general buzz in the industry about it. Client reaction to the imaging has been overwhelming. We’re ready to apply this knowledge to commercials, music videos and long form projects. I feel HDR video is going to be very revolutionary.”
See vimeo.com/18642043. —Ruth L Ratny
