When VFX artist and motion control supervisor Allan O. Lückow and Oscar-winning director of photography Anthony Dod Mantle (“Slumdog Millionaire”) needed to create a handheld look while shooting the feature film “Antichrist,” they turned to OConnor’s new 120EXe encoding fluid head for visual effects.
Lückow developed a three-axis live-action camera motion control shot to give the framing a handheld feel. The 120EXe was used for motion capture, which was then replayed on a motion control system. A third roll/dodge sensor sat on top of the head with hand bars in front. The unit’s precise settings and the stability of the head helped match moves to the other handheld shots.
The extreme stability and high precision of the 120EX worked well for pivot points and nodal offsets. The head was stable to tenths of millimeters and to a fraction of degrees while being used with a heavy camera equipped with a large Angenieux 24-290mm zoom lens.
The 120EXe provides output pan and tilt position information via a 19-pin Fischer connector. Mo-Sys, maker of 3D inserter, provides a companion encoder box that allows high-resolution pan and tilt data of 1.8 million counts per revolution, making the head suitable for film and HD formats.
The 120EXe features built-in encoders rather than bolt-on assemblies of encoder hardware. It can support up to a 120 pound camera package through the head’s entire tilt range of ±90 degrees, and can counterbalance up to 240lbs through a tilt range of ±60 degrees.
