Directing duo The Diamond Brothers (along with director Winslow Porter) crafted an impressive 360 degree, virtual reality “Diamond EYE” rig using nine Blackmagic’s Micro Studio Cameras and nine Video Assists. The rig was used to shoot a virtual reality experience for high-end fashion brand Chromat’s Fall/Winter 2016 LUMINA Collection runway show at New York Fashion Week.
Placed at the end of the U-shaped runway, the Diamond EYE rig puts the viewer in the press area, granting them the “immersive experience of being embedded among the press and paparazzi”, says Josh Diamond, the project’s producer. And, due to the nature of Chromat’s show, they needed a camera that could handle the rapid change in lighting. As Jason Diamond explains:
“The show featured complete darkness with flashes of neon light from the clothing, all the way up to bright lighting. We couldn’t adjust the camera settings or iris on the fly, so we needed a camera that could capture it all and handle the wide range of lighting. The Micro Studio Camera 4K’s dynamic range was essential to capturing the large variance between dark and light in the same shots. We shot in ProRes, 10-bit, 60 fps and at 1080p to get the most information possible out of the cameras’ sensors. Some of the more desired components to shooting VR include larger sensors and dynamic range, production-ready file formats, high frame rates and the ability to use high-quality lenses all in a very small form factor so you can place the cameras close together. The Micro Studio Camera 4K hits all the marks and more. You get the highest image quality, SDI and HDMI connections, the ability to record to the Video Assist at ProRes HQ 1080p, 60 fps; it’s a big deal.”
You can see the VR experience now on Littlstar, a “global VR cinema network dedicated to immersive 360-degree video and photos”: Littlstar.com/videos/b737641c
For more info on the Diamond Brother’s Diamond EYE rig see the press release below, and for more on the Diamond Brother’s work visit TheDiamondBros.com
Finally, click for more information on Blackmagic Design’s Micro Studio Camera 4K and Video Assist products.
