SAE Magazine 12-2

Claudio, when did you first come into contact with the technology? The first contact I had with 3D imaging was as a child in Europa Park, Germany. With an innocent child’s eyes, I admired what I saw without ques- tioning how the whole thing was created. After that, a lot of time passed until Avatar was showing in the cinemas and I became captivated by 3D im- aging. This time I wanted to know how it worked, by then I had already been working as an editor for some years. When did you decide to specialise in this area? I made the decision in April 2010. At this time I was already working at Kamerawerk and our cam- eraman Christian Witschi suggested that the com- pany could specialise in 3D imaging. We agreed, and that was that. How long have you been working with the technology? After the decision in April 2010 to produce 3D im- aging, I began to equip the editing suite accord- ingly. Since then, quite a lot has happened in terms of codecs and tools and Kamerawerk is now one of the companies which is actively working on further developments. How do you define 3D imaging? I define 3D imaging not just as 2D with depth, but as a new art form. It demands a lot from the tech- nical processes and creative preparation of the ma- terials. Technology and design, the two building blocks of my profession, have always fascinated me. These are both strong factors in 3D imaging. What makes up 3D imaging as a cinematic technique? 3D imaging hugely increases the palette of crea- tive options and the storytelling. Much more in- tense emotions can be awakened in the viewer; the feeling of being alone in a large space, a couple nearing each other or a threat to a protagonist can be rendered very obviously but also very subtly through 3D imaging. What kind of effect does the technology have on the workflow in production? If you want to make a 3D film, you must be pre- pared to apply this to every step of the production. A 2D story with 3D technology doesn’t make a good 3D film and 3D material cut like 2D mate- rial will overwhelm the viewer. In my opinion, if you were to watch a good 3D film with just one eye open, the resulting 2D film would probably be boring. For this reason, Kamerawerk works close- ly with stereoscopic supervisor Nicolas H. Sieber, who sees the projects through from pre to post- production. An interview with Claudio Sulser from Kamerawerk GmbH When editing, I have to watch the spatial layout, avoid plunges and aim to steer the viewer’s vision precisely. In order to achieve this optimally, the stereoscopic supervisor has detailed knowledge of post-production, which he already puts to use in pre-production. But even when editing with 3D im- aging offers me many new possibilities, there are still errors which I can’t correct in post-production, or can only do with difficulty, without disturbing the smooth viewing experience. How does the technology affect production costs? The equipment has to be very precise, and there- fore costs more. But despite the two cameras and the double set of lenses, production costs aren’t doubled. We expect a 3D imaging production to be 25%-40% more expensive than a 2D production. But if you do it right, a 2D version can be extracted from the material. For this, some takes have to be filmed for the 2D version, and the editing adapted accordingly. Is this technology changing cinematic language? Yes, very much so! Unlike, 2D films, we still have relatively little experience in watching 3D films. Viewersneedlongertoperceiveathree-dimension- al image, which has to be taken into account, for example, in the editing rhythm. Off screen effects are another cinematic tool in 3D imaging produc- tions, but these must be prepared well and create an emotional climax in a scene. ➤ 53 PEOPLE & BUSINESS // 3D STEREOSCOPY Index

SAE Magazine 12-2

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