The opening weekend for the annual National Association of Broadcasters convention (NAB) kicked off with the annual Technology Summit for Cinema, which focuses on the newest developments in moviemaking technologies from camera capture to delivery. This year, cinematographer Bert Dunk (ASC, CSC), SIRT’s Technology Supervisor, was invited as a presenter in the area of High Frame Rate (HFR) on the afternoon of April 8.
The keynote speaker, Jon Landau, James Cameron’s producer on Avatar and Titanic, set the stage for discussion of developments in HFR. Mr. Landau emphasized that what excites him and James Cameron is the potential that HFR and other technologies provide for enhancing the storytelling process. He stated that HFR is a creative tool that will help each filmmaker realize their own creative sensibilities and provide a better experience for audiences.
Bert Dunk’s presentation at the Summit involved a screening of SIRT’s first round of 3D HFR testing as part of its on-going work as an international test and demo centre for HFR and other digital cinema innovations. Capturing HFR footage with ARRI Alexa cameras using frame rates of 24, 48, and 60 frames per second, and shutter angles including 180, 270, and 358 degrees, the research aimed to identify the precise combination of HFR camera settings that produce clear, smooth images with fluid movement and little chatter, while avoiding the harsh crispness that some industry experts associate with high frame rates.
SIRT is proud to be collaborating with Christie® and other industry partners on the investigation of high frame rate cinema, and its implications for technology developers, exhibitors, and leading-edge moviemakers. Comparative footage from this first round of SIRT testing will be screening from Monday April 8 through Thursday April 11 on the exhibition floor in Christie’s Innovation Theatre.
