Cooke Optics joins EZtrack to blur the barriers between production and post-production

Developments of Cooke and EZtrack They allow images from cameras on set to be merged with computer-generated elements in real time, which according to both brands “forever blurs the line between production and post-production.”

The new workflow from Cooke and EZtrack, which has already been tested with the Italian film Commander, relies heavily on /i Technology from Cooke, a solution that allows “precise and exact” manipulation of the digital image. This means, for example, that an operator can quickly correct lens distortion, add CG elements to the undistorted image, and then re-distort the image so that the CG element matches how the lens sees it. The system expands its capabilities with the system EZtrack to offer a camera movement tracking taking into account not only the data from the lens and the capture devices, but also the movement of other set elements such as mechanical cranes. In this way, the VFX and camera teams can precisely know camera position and movement at all times, while having access to all the Cooke /i metadata.

The combination of both elements, as highlighted Cooke y EZtrack, allows directors to sit on set and watch the camera feed live with a realtime version of a basic CG render for positioning. In parallel, all the data collected can be used by the visual effects team on set to produce a updated rendering of necessary CGs which, while not ready for the big screen, is more than enough to allow the editor to see their vision come to life in near real time.

During the filming of Commander, se utilizaron las lentes anamórficas/i Full Frame Plus 1,8x of Cooke and the tecnología /i, lo que permitió a Cooke y a EZtrack proporcionar mapas de distorsión precisos con fotogramas exactos. Estos datos, integrados en Nuke of The Foundry, hizo posible ofrecer la prometida previsualización en casi tiempo real.

Daniela Kesselem, responsable del área de producto de Cooke, se muestra confiada en que “la flexibilidad y el control creativo” de esta solución hará qué parezca “en muchas más producciones en los pr óximos años”. Thimothée de Goussencourt, CTO of EZtrack, equally enthusiastic, comments: "Participating in this project has been really challenging, I think that together with Cooke we have pushed the limits of what is possible. The result we obtained with the anamorphic lenses is incredible."

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