3D Filmarts Uses JMR Storage Systems for 5K Dual Stream Footage on Resident Evil Retribution 3D
Filmmaker Keith Collea Puts JMR on Multimedia 3D Production Roadmap
Pushing the Limits with 5K dual stream footage is routine for 3D filmmaker Keith Collea. As one of the world’s foremost experts on 3D, Keith is highly sought after by directors, producers and cinematographers worldwide to create some of the most compelling 3D imagery. From pre-production to post, Keith’s company 3D Filmarts, based in Culver City, California, provides both 3D technologists as well as gear including 4.5K systems. Keith began his journey into 3D working on a James Cameron project with DIT, Vince Pace and has been creating compelling 3D productions ever since.
Amidst a growing trend of anti-3D enthusiasts, Keith is a fierce advocate for the technology. “With 2D we’ve been watching films the way a cow views the world.” States Keith. “We don’t dream in 2D black and white. We see the world with color and depth. 3D provides our optical cortex with another perspective without having to rely on montage or other 2D shooting techniques. Thus giving us a more fulfilling cinematic experience.”
His knowledge and passion for working with 3D make it almost impossible to argue with its credibility. But this fulfilling cinematic experience comes at a price–lots and lots of data. Enter JMR.
JMR’s storage solutions are built to handle today’s needs and tomorrow’s. The company was founded on that concept — solid, reliable solutions on the forefront of technology and beyond. With 30 years of success providing these solutions, JMR was poised to handle the onset of 3D filmmaking.
“I first saw JMR’s solutions in action when I was helping out a 3D class at Camp RED last summer. “Stated Keith. “We need to move a lot of data in a short period of time and screen it in the big 4K theater at RED Digital Studios. The first thing I noticed was that JMR’s system was virtually invisible. It was like this huge powerful engine under the hood allowing us to move all the data when before it would take 4 or 5 systems to handle all the data. I thought, wow, this has so much power it’s perfect for doing the 3D work we’re doing but more crucially, it will handle the developing projects that require even more power.”
JMR installed the SilverStor™18-Bay Desktop PCIe RAID system. JMR’s SilverStor™18-Bay unit delivers high storage capacity (up to 54TB) and powerful, robust performance in a compact desktop unit. Keith’s installation utilizes a Mac Pro, but it can be used with similar servers or workstations. The system enables 1800 MB/s data transfer via PCIe 2.0 (PCIe 3.0 now available) x8 connection to the host with on board PCIe expansion allowing the system to deploy dual Red Rockets cards. The 18-Bay system for 3D Filmarts was configured with Adobe Systems recently acquired Iridas SpeedGrade CS6 3D Color Correction software.
“Collaborating with Keith was just the natural thing for us to do.” Said Miguel Saldate, JMR Technical Specialist. “We took our industry leading storage and patented PCIe expansion, combined it with the best 3D software then put it in the hands of someone we knew would push it to the limit delivering the performance it was built to manage.”
Keith’s utilized the JMR SilverStor™ unit for several 3D projects including; RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION 3D shot on location in Russia, the 4k Broadcast of the World Cup Brazil, THE MYSTERY OF THE SNOW QUEEN shot on location in Finland. “We’re on location all over the world shooting 5K dual stream footage.” States Keith Collea. “So basically we are playing back in 10K footage. They’re can’t be anything more demanding. The only way to handle the enormous load of what we are processing is with the kind of horsepower that the JMR SilverStor™ has to offer. With the MYSTERY OF THE SNOW QUEEN, we shot the film in both English and Russian. So you can imagine how much footage that is. There was really no other solution for us then JMR’s.”
The JMR SilverStor™ system has been so essential to Keith’s projects he is putting it on 3D Filmarts incredibly prestigious and ambitious roadmap. Next up is a multimedia 3D project for a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The project, produced by Ted Bogosian, directed by Chris Janey and choreographed by Sarah Rudner, sets out to create a virtual 3D experience like never before. As people walk through the casino, they will enter an environment so rich with imagery it will be like walking into a dream. It’s not confirmed yet whether 3D glasses will be necessary, but the hope is they will not. The extensive 3D content will produce an unprecedented amount of data requiring multiple systems. JMR’s SilverStor™ units are built to handle this kind of heavy lifting. JMR’s architecture with its ability to expand via PCIe gives complex projects like Keith’s the edge they need to get the job done. Other storage solutions sacrifice performance as soon as you increase their capacity. But with JMR you get the best of both worlds–the more you expand, the better you’ll perform.
Is 3D here to stay? According to Keith Collea, the answer is a resounding yes. “It’s just a matter of time before television sets at home don’t require 3D glasses.” Affirms Keith. “This year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) had several examples; Sony had a 4K TV that had a 3D picture that had the widest latitude of range of motion. It’s staying and it’s only going to get more interesting. And thanks to solutions like JMR’s, we’re gonna continue to push the envelope with what we can do with 3D.”