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MillimeterI Spy
May 1, 1998 12:00 PM, Cynthia Wisehart
As aerial stunt coordinator B.J. Worth dangled from a helicopter with a 45-pound 65mm camera rig on his chest, he was supposed to pretend he was Bond. James Bond. Of course he couldn't actually see through the camera lens. Director Keith Melton was orchestrating 007's POV-the central premise of License to Thrill, a large format ride film opening at Paramount Parks next month.
As Worth flew through the treetops and later free fell, Melton was right there with him...virtually. Aboard the helicopter, the director was wearing virtual reality goggles and a wireless rig to access the video tap. This allowed him to see through the camera lens, direct Worth in real time via microphone, and view instant playback.
The rig was designed by camera operator Max Penner of Paradise F.X. Corp., Los Angeles, using virtual display technolgies from Sony and I-Glasses, Menlo Park. It allowed Melton the complete mobility he needed to fine-tune tricky shot composition, and provided him an experience so real-think Strange Days-he sometimes had to sit down from vertigo.
Melton has directed 15 special-venue productions, none so ambitious as License to Thrill, produced for Landmark Entertainment Group by Brian Rogers. The 4:15, $4 million film lets viewers experience chase scenes, fist-fights, explosions, and motorcycle stunts through Bond's eyes in long, continuous action sequences, requiring some 10-15 ingenious camera rigs.
For a train top sequence, Penner devised the wryly-named Parrot Cam to position the camera at eye level and keep his arms and legs in the frame. A parallax problem with the right arm was solved by having a stuntman run alongside Penner "performing" Bond's right arm and leg, as they ran down the top of the train fighting off bad guys and dodging explosions.
"You don't have dynamic editing to fall back on;" Melton notes. "It has to come together in a single take."
Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.
