Tim Dashwood's production company Stereo3D Unlimited, in partnership with Arri, Stereo3D Tango, JVC and Zeiss shot Ariana Gillis' "Shake the Apple" music video with two Arri Alexa cameras.

Toronto-based production company, Stereo3D Unlimited, has just shot and released the stereoscopic 3D music video “Shake The Apple” by Ariana Gillis on YouTube 3D and Vimeo. The four minute video was shot at Stereo3D Unlimited’s studio in Toronto using two Arri Alexa cameras, Zeiss Master Prime lenses, the Stereo3D Tango beamsplitter rig, and Dashwood Cinema Solutions’s Stereo3D Live™ calibration/analysis software. Post was completed in Final Cut Pro and After Effects with Dashwood Cinema Solutions’ Stereo3D Toolbox™.

“What started as a simple stereoscopic test of the new Arri Alexa cameras turned into a full-fledged 3D music video that we are very proud of” said Tim Dashwood, owner/CTO of Stereo3D Unlimited and founder of Dashwood Cinema Solutions. “The Alexa cameras performed exactly as advertised and held perfect sync when tethered together for stereoscopic 3D.”

When the rare opportunity of two Arri Alexa cameras being available on the same day arose, Dashwood jumped on the chance.

When the rare opportunity of two Arri Alexa cameras being available on the same day arose, Dashwood jumped on the chance to shoot a 3D test. He had originally just intended to evaluate the Alexa’s ability to work in a stereoscopic configuration on the Stereo3D Tango rig and also test the camera’s latitude in various lighting setups. Zeiss provided 18mm and 35mm Master Primes, PS Toronto provided grip, electric & camera support, 3D Camera Company provided the Stereo3D Tango rig, JVC Canada provided their IF-2D3D1 stereoscopic processor, and Arri Canada sourced the two Alexas.

“We only had one afternoon available to shoot so I borrowed some random set pieces and props from other productions, whatever was available, and we set out to light each one in a different style and T-stop” says Dashwood. “It occurred to me that it would be interesting to have a model walk from set to set without changing the camera exposure and see how it reacted in LogC mode…all in one take. This meant one continuous tracking shot from a string of tiny christmas lights, to green screen, to outside. I rang up Ariana to see if she would perform a new song for us just to make our test more interesting to watch. The whole crew reacted so positively when we played back the dailies that I figured we should upload it to YouTube and Vimeo to share it with the world.”

Even though the entire production was improvised and photographed in one afternoon, the versatility and simplicity of the Arri Alexa camera kept things on track.

“I think the speed at which we shot and posted this music video proves what an impact the Arri Alexa will have on the industry, especially for 3D” said Paul Rapovski, co-owner and producing partner at Stereo3D Unlimited. “We knew the Alexa would be good, but after this test it has become our number one camera of choice for all our future stereoscopic productions.”

The video is available on YouTube in 3D mode and Vimeo. The video will also be shown in 3D at Matrox’s stand (7.B29) and Carl Zeiss’ stand (13.C20) during the 2010 International Broadcasting Convention (IBC), to be held at the RAI Amsterdam from September 10-14. Attendees may also visit Zeiss’ stand to see the same Stereo3D Tango beamsplitter rig on display. Tim will also be at the Noise Industries stand at the Amsterdam SuperMeet on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at The Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky from 19:00 – 23:00 and screening the music video in 3D just before the show starts.