The 6 job functions of a good Stereographer in modern 3D movies.
Stereography is not about the Equipment
What ‘makes’ a Good Stereographer?
Stereographer, is a new term cropping up in Movie making, thanks to the current revival of 3D movies. However stereography, (in context to 3D Movies) has been around since a long time, and came and went in waves during the past millennium.
There are some veteran stereographers still actively practicing the art, and most started off as Stereo Photographers where they honed their skills without the assistance of “video assist” and instant feedback that we are accustomed to with modern Digital Movie Cameras or DSLR technology.
These stereographers perfected their art and skillset by “Thinking in 3D”. With no means of instant error correction, they only saw their results when the film negative was developed. This helped them develop a sort of 6th sense when framing and creating the perfect 3D picture. Many things had to be taken into account; aligning a camera rig, mental or real calculations and markings for camera and subject placement and things such as stereo window violation and vergence, came naturally to this breed of stereographers over due course of experience. You could say they were breathing, living and Thinking in 3D.
Beware: The Nouveau Stereographer.
Digital innovations in the past decade or even as recent as the past couple of years, have been both a blessing and the bane of the 3D renaissance movement.
It has helped give us true pioneering stereographers and storytellers with presentations such as the much acclaimed Avatar, and yet has opened up the opportunity for the self imposed title of “Stereographer” to anyone who knows how to operate a camera.
Modern digital cameras and tools allow for the creation of near instant visual feedback. This is amazing and nothing short of a miracle to dedicated Stereographers who had learnt one important trait: To first Think in 3D!
These same tools can be disastrous in the hands of the nouveau self proclaimed stereographer, who in all probability is a DP, or Director now cashing in on the 3D movie craze. The new breed of stereographer unfortunately sees 3D as just another tool in their toolkit for movie making. Just as a graduated filter gives a nice warm sky effect or a polarizing filter helps cut down reflection, to them, 3D is shooting with an extra camera or a nice BIG 3D rig.
Confusing Stereography with Stereographic Delivery Platform:
The Nouveau stereographer’s dead giveaway is the Catch-all phrase: “3D is not about in-your-face gimmicks, it’s about subtle depth”
Some misguided Cinematographers state that 3D is just another tool to use to help the Director tell his(her) story. They do not regard it as a MEDIUM of story telling, befitting it’s own revised Grammar and methodology.
The moment you hear this from a prospective stereogapher you know they are from the Nouveau Stereography Stable. There is also the confusion regarding bad Stereography in a 3D movie, and bad presentation of a 3D movie in a Cinema.
To the self proclaimed Stereographer, the reason for bad 3D, is that in the past, delivery platforms such as Anaglyph and lack of modern Digital tools to create good Stereo 3D movies was to blame. True stereographers meanwhile know what makes for bad stereography and also know for instance, that out-of-screen real estate is as valuable to immersive 3D storytelling, as is the fact that background parallax should be toned down so as not to create discomfort in the audiences.
These true stereographers do not need to proclaim ad nauseum, about the ill-effects of poke-em-in-the-face 3D. It’s a given!
Speed Dating in 3D – A Stereographer in 2 Days:
One thing that Movie Producers need to beware of is the sudden change in title from Cinematographer to Stereographer or the addendum of this title. While there is nothing wrong with jumping on the bandwagon and we are indeed in the midst of an evolution in movie making, we have to be cautious not to end the 3D revolution this time, before it has even begun!
Numerous movie crew after attending a two day crash course on how to shoot with a beam-splitter rig, and after learning rudimentary guidelines of stereo window framing, and the customary “subtle 3D is good 3D”, then proclaim stereography expertise. It’s even worse with Speed Dating at 3D camera workshops, where a choice of 3D rigs and their operations are shown, to qualify a new breed of stereographers.
Every good stereographer knows that “subtle 3D at all times” creates safe…yet boring 3D, and is the perfect excuse for not spending more time in pre-planning, framing and experimenting for better 3D.
It is also *one* of the little known reasons that 2D to 3D conversion-ists insist on “subtle 3D”. There are deeper “holes” to fill due to occlusion when a 2D image is extracted and given extra and fuller 3D “depth”
Job of a Stereographer:
The role of a stereographer in modern 3D movies can be summarized as:
- Being part of the film (movie) crew, ideally at the script and screen play revision phase for the best 3D experience. If not possible, then at the very least at the Camera and Scene blocking stage
- Creating a depth script for “3D mood” treatment of the movie. This is a creative process with the Director, the technical conclusions of which are shared with the DoP for final recommendations.
- For modern Digital movie Projection, also co-ordinating to a certain extent with Set and Costume Designers to creatively suggest minimizing of high contrast colors that may cause Stereo cross-talk
- On-location co-ordination with DoP to assist in Stereo framing and implementation of the Depth Script. A good Stereographer knows how to augment but NOT restrict the Cinematographer.
- Suggest cutaways, Cat-in-the-window shots and other time permitting takes to assist the editor with options (footage) to maintain proper depth cuts, during post production.
- Being present at all post production sessions to recommend tricks of the trade for un-avoidable errors that need to be corrected, and final tweaking of stereo for comfortable viewing.
There are a few more roles that make up the modern stereographer, but the ones outlined above are how Stereographers differ from what DoPs and Directors have trained for in traditional film school.
Stereographers need to know 2 things: How a Director thinks and secondly, to know enough of modern Digital production and post production Hardware and Software that today allows for 3D movie experience to be leagues ahead of what was possible back in the black and white days of 3D movies… All this and then some.
The Psychological impact of 3D movies:
On the other hand they also need to know the very powerful way in which 3D can influence an audience, and communicate this to a Director, so that the Director can use 3D as a whole new medium of Storytelling. This does not mean that the movie should be made for 3D… It means that the un-folding story should know when to leverage 3D and heighten, ebb or even alienate the audiences from the protagonist for example, at appropriate stages during the screen play. A good Stereographer with this as well as technical knowledge is invaluable to the success of a modern 3D movie.
It can be said that: The Stereographer is the Glue or Catalyst between DP and Director to help create a perfect 3D film.
What should go into a Stereographer’s Show-reel? Here’s a whole article dedicated to the subject.
