Page 9 - Fujifilm Exposure_6 Renaldo_ok

THE BEST FOR MOLINARE
company news
But they are not about to stand still and have rivals steal a march on them, as the investment in new technology continues as does the systematic upgrading of existing facilities, beginning with the graphics department.
One of the most innovative aspects of their operation is the virtual studio, used for example on Carlton’s Videotech show or Channel 5 Sports.
“We bought it last year,” Waters explains. “People have been using virtual studios since the mid 30s, when colour separation overlay started
to come through as a way of working. As soon as people started doing that they started to make glass shots, worlds which aren’t there - and that’s a virtual studio.
“But with all of those early effects you were always limited by one factor, and that was as long as it was a locked off shot you were okay. But as soon as you wanted to zoom or pan or track the illusion was broken. Our Virtual Studio is exactly the same as a regular blue studio except that it uses a grid, which is a slightly different shade of blue, at the back.
“The cameras pick that up, there’s a piece of electronics in there looking for it, and they are able to track around it and move in and out accordingly. From there you end up with an envi- ronment that doesn’t exist anywhere other than in the computer, with your actor able to move around inside it.”
The enthusiasm of the engineer explaining a com- plex piece of equipment in simple terms is unmistak- able - and one of the reasons that Molinare is leading the way into the 21st century. ■ ANWAR BRETT