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PeeR-to-Peer
Weaving magic, the FX way
Creating animation and special effects for a 3D film is no
joke. Venkatesh Ganesh profiles FX Factory's IT set-up that helps it achieve
faster turnaround time
 3D made its
debut in front of Indian cine audiences in the mid-1980s. With the release of
Chota Chetan, a new concept was born.
FX Factory is a company that provides high-end special effects for television
and films. Although it was the pioneering effects (FX) house behind India's
first 3D film, there weren't many movies taking the three-dimensional route
even after the runaway success of Chota Chetan. This was largely a result of
the high capital expenditure in terms of hardware and software that you need
to make such movies. With the cost of hardware and software coming down, the
cost of creating visual effects or producing feature films using digital technology
has also dropped considerably. As a result of this kind of affordability, the
last two years have seen a host of medium- and low-budget films being produced
using digital technology. The few pioneers who foresaw this trend and adopted
digital technologies are now reaping the benefits.
FX Factory, which adopted digital technology almost 12 years ago, has now teamed
up with Creative Eye to produce a second 3D flick. This one is called, Aabra
Ka Daabra and it is a 3D film about magic for kids.
Storing 3D
Production costs are a significant part of the expenditure on any film project.
This is especially true of a film that dabbles in special effects. Post-production
after the shoot is completed involves extensive use of PCs, editing software
and mammoth storage. Aabra Ka Daabra was shot entirely on specially-made JVC
cameras using Anaglyph technology (See box: Making 3D Films without Special
Equipment). Here, shots are simultaneously captured using two cameras, and the
images can be blended digitally. Spy Kids 3D was shot using a similar technology.
For creating films with FX, storage is an important consideration. As the data
sets are of the order of several terabytes, it is essential for an effects shop
to use high-speed drives that can support rendering software and let their artistes
preview film segments. For meeting its massive storage needs, FX chose high-speed
disc drives from Seagate. The digitisation process precedes editing. It uses
up a lot of storage, and the image acquisition system uses 120 GB Barracuda
drives. The non-linear editing system uses 36 GB and 72 GB 10,000 rpm Cheetah
drives.
After a movie is shot, the special effects need to be incorporated. This is
where Cheetah comes into the picture. Its higher speed makes it ideal for streaming
media and editing audio or video. Currently, the company uses Avid or Media100
digital editing software for editing data on these drives. The data is captured
using digital recorders.
However, real-time non-linear editing is only effective if the drives have the
capability to support real-time rendering. The digital-editing suites that FX
Factory uses rely immensely on hard drives that the company reckons can play
for longer durations without dropping a frame. Other features such as SoftSonic
FTB motor are useful as the drive is quiet when fully loaded. Besides providing
the requisite data throughput and the storage capacity needed for complex image
processing, the use of SATA drives for non-linear editing helps maintain a low
cost of ownership.
A 3D film typically requires more storage than your average film with special
effects. Explains Ramesh Meer, CEO, FX Factory, "In a 3D film we have to
store images for the left and right eye in addition to the final edited images.
It takes thrice the capacity of storing normal 2D images." If it takes
approximately 15 GB to store a minute of film in 2D, in 3D the same can go up
to 45 GB per minute of film. FX Factory has commissioned eight terabytes (8,000
GB) for its existing projects. Capacity utilisation stands at seven terabytes
(7,000 GB) for the Aabra Ka Daabra project.
Warranty counts
Earlier, films were backed up on tape. "Due to the international nature
of Indian cinema, this data needs to be stored for at least five years so that
they can be accessed on demand." In this scenario, Seagate's new five-year
replacement warranty gives confidence to companies going in for high-speed disk
drives. Opines Meer, "On an average, these drives generally last for 5-7
years. With the warranty scheme thrown in, we are at ease with Seagate."
The company planned the amount of storage it required for the data shoots, data
re-usability and special effects, with an additional one terabyte of headroom.
For the future, the company is considering the addition of more drives, possibly
in a shared server set-up. The drives can be swapped in and out of the array,
providing greater storage and flexibility.
| FX Factory along with Creative Eye has
adopted a new technology, Anaglyph, to produce Aabra Ka Daabra. Earlier,
3D films were produced using Polaroid technology, for which existing theatre
screens had to be replaced with high luminescence ones and special lenses
fitted onto cinema projectors. This method is expensive as it requires capital
expenditure on part of the theatre owner. Anaglyph technology, on the other
hand, enables the production of 3D stereoscopic films that do not require
special equipment. This ensures that the cost of exhibiting a 3D film is
minimal. |
venkatesh@expresscomputeronline.com
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