A screen grab from the trailer of I, Frankenstein. Were some of these sparks based on mine?
For more details, 6 photos and a video:
Luma is a film post production effects company. They came to take pictures of sparks like this with a high spec camera to get clear authentic sparks for use in computer graphics for the movie, “I, Frankenstein” due for release Jan 2014.
A slightly over the top commendation from the VFX supervisor at Luma:
“Peter’s Tesla coil was instrumental in helping with the design and execution of Luma Picture’s sequence on I, frankenstein.”
“We captured a myriad of Peter’s coil sparks, then used Maya to replicate their movement and shape. Ultimately rendering them in Arnold and always referring back to the originals captured at Peter’s premises in Australia as the blueprint.”
“Peter’s Tesla coil is awe-inspiring, truly an event to behold. It aided significantly in the creation of Luma’s sequence on I, frankenstein.”
Thanks,
vincent cirelli
luma pictures
A shot (on my camera) of some sparks on a 0.4 second exposure taken on March 18 2013
The camera used for the shoot is the Red Epic and shoots with frames 5000 pixels across at 120 frames per second which is cinema quality. Peter Jackson used 24 pairs of these in 3D configuration to film the Hobbit. Yes they do cost $$.
A few days post shoot, I noticed a mistake visible in the camera photo above that explains why it crashed and couldn’t be restarted for a while. Can you see it? (answer at bottom)
Above is the set-up with a black screen.
A Tesla coil gif of streamers. Each one second exposure is represented by a 1 second frame. In real time this is much more dynamic. The Tesla coil is about 7 feet tall and the breakout point is angled up to avoid sparking to the ground
Brendan shoots with the Red inside a cage that I made especially for camera setups. The sparks are superimposed on the black background
The obligatory “It’s a wrap” photo.
Answer to Question above. Battery pack at rear not seated properly and became intermittent causing a power failure.
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Photo Date: Mar 18, 2013