Fire Ant Bubble Gum

3DigitalVision is in post-production of a ground-breaking 3D documentary profiling one of the most successful creatures that has ever lived– the fire ant.  For more than 80 years, Solenopsis Invicta has been on a ceaseless march across the United States, racking up six billion dollars every year in crop damage, equipment repair, and pest control.  They have conquered more than 320 million acres in 13 states and killed at least 80 people.  And the invader is still on the move.  Globally.

Anole vs. Fire Ant

Now, scientists are cracking the ant’s ancient secrets to success and breeding winged assassins to hunt them down.  Stunning 3D macro photography explores the secret world of the fire ant and the cutting-edge research into stopping it.

Licensing Inquiries: Torsten Hoffmann   th@globalmediaconsult.com

Writer/Producer/Director: Michael Watchulonis

Microscopic Macro of Ant Queen

These ants are smaller than this word.

You will never look at ants the same way again...

Macro 3D of fire ants digging tunnel. Shot by Daniel Watchulonis.

(Detroit, MI)  June 10, 2011 – 3DigitalVision has begun filming the premiere episode for a ground-breaking stereoscopic 3D HD documentary series in General Motors’ Hamtramck assembly plant.  The one-hour stereoscopic film will detail the design, testing, and assembly process of the world’s first Extended Range Electric Vehicle—the Chevrolet Volt.

(c) 3DigitalVision 2011

Captured in full 1080p 3D, the film explores the unique challenges to engineering and building the Volt’s revolutionary propulsion system and aerodynamic body.  From early designs to prototypes to extreme climate testing, the documentary brings the Volt’s full story to life with new details.  3DigitalVision’s crew was granted rare access to GM’s Global Design Studios, Global Battery Systems Laboratory, as well as the legendary Milford proving grounds where vehicles are tested under punishing conditions.  “We’re thrilled with the generous access GM has given us to the assembly plant and sensitive R&D facilities,” said series Producer/Director Michael Watchulonis.  “The Volt is an impressive leap in technology, and there’s much more to its story than most people have seen.”

(c) 3DigitalVision 2011

In addition to the Chevrolet Volt, the Super Machines 3D series will also profile cutting-edge aircraft, weapons systems, construction equipment, and robotics.  “We’re taking viewers onto the factory floor, behind the closed doors of secretive design studios, and onto restricted testing grounds to see how these incredible machines are conceived and built,” added Watchulonis. “Seeing this amazing technology come together in vibrant 3D is impressive.  But we’re also digging into the challenges and brilliant solutions needed to take a super machine from concept to finely-tuned product.”

(c) 3DigitalVision 2011

Additional information about the Super Machines 3D: Chevrolet Volt episode and international distribution of the series is available upon request.

About 3DigitalVision   

3DigitalVision is a full service 3D HD production company specializing in

documentaries and factual programming.  Its team has contributed 3D HD content to

Virgin Media, 3net, RealD, Texas Instruments, NVIDA, and others.  3DigitalVision’s

most recent documentary film, Alligator Kingdom 3D, has gained worldwide distribution.

Inquiries:   info@3DigitalVision.com

Website: www.3DigitalVision.com

Studios 121 has partnered with Digital Resources for this event to provide 3D television screens. Digital Resources is a leading system integrator and engineering service contractor of professional audio, AV, and broadcast video system solutions. Studios 121 has formed a strategic alliance with 3DigitalVision to produce stereoscopic 3D television content. Michael Fletcher, chief executive officer of Studios 121 stated, “We chose
3DigitalVision because they have designed and built a custom 3D High Definition camera production unit, allowing them to produce amazing 3D content that is both brilliant and affordable.” The 3DigitalVision unit is light and rugged enough for documentary films, yet adequately refined for studio shoots. Its beam splitter technology allows for shooting everything from an amazing close-up of a butterfly to a spectacular vista.

3D enabled televisions are currently available at Best Buy and other national retailers, and consumers have already begun embracing 3D television. Sony expects to sell a total of 25 million 3D television sets in the fiscal year ending March 2011, and expects 1 in 10 of the sets sold over the next fiscal year to be 3D. Samsung and Panasonic, on the other hand, already introduced their 3D units this month, along with special offers for Blue
Ray DVD players and viewing glasses. Panasonic’s first supply of 3D plasma televisions reportedly sold out
across the country in the first week alone. The rising popularity of 3D televisions is accurately depicted by a recent online poll conducted by the consulting group UGC, which indicates that 25% of all consumers plan to purchase a 3D television within three years.

Studios 121, Inc. is a privately-held Texas corporation located at 6125 Airport Freeway in Haltom City, Texas (Fort Worth). The company’s 43,000 sq. ft. facility comprises offices, production studios, editing suites, satellite uplink, fiber connectivity, downlink antennas, and other media equipment and services. Additionally, Studios 121 offers full-service production, website development and 24-hour master control and uplink for TV, cable,
and private networks. More information about the company can be found by visiting www.Studios121.com.

Company Contact:
Crystal Barfield
Client Services
Studios 121, Inc.
817-222-1234
Crystal@studios121.com

– posted by Paul Leone (Studios 121)

– Posted by Daniel Watchulonis

– posted by Michael Watchulonis

After a few scouts to nail down locations, consult with biologists, and generate a shooting script that wasn’t guaranteed to damage our health, our two-man crew ventured into the great Okefenokee Swamp with a custom-built beam splitter.  For a natural history show like this, we think a beam splitter was the only way to go.  Our mission with the story and the photography was to put the audience there in the boat (or high in the trees!) with us in the middle of a pristine wilderness as gators cruise by or a gorgeous corn snake slithers up a tree, looking for a nest to plunder.  There’s just no other way to get an insect close up with an IO of 1/4” or a grand vista at 3”.

As a writer/director, I look at the beam splitter as a storytelling tool.  It allows us to visually explore the story of a massive prairie full of water lilies and the dramas playing out on a big and miniature scale.  We can get the three-mile wide big shot with great foreground action, then get the ECU of the brilliant lilly flowers floating on the water.   Filling the screen with a miniature carnivorous plant or exquisite insect is thrilling.  Just watching the dailies in 3D is a blast when you’re close enough to see the dragonfly breathing as its mandibles crunch away at the head of a still-kicking fly.

Of course, a beam splitter also demanded fastidious work to keep the mirror clean and additional time setting up shots as we calculated the IO distance to anticipate a swimming gator’s trajectory.  That’s when having a really talented 3D Director of Photography is key.  I enlisted Daniel Watchulonis (yep, my brother) to design and supervise construction of our rig.  Over the past year and a half, our shoots and refinements have given us that priceless connection between DP and director that allows us to make very fast creative decisions and technical adjustments in the field.  His documentary and feature film experience was crucial in creating custom settings for our Sony EX3s, making solid decisions about lighting, and how far we could push the limits of the cameras—yet still get great detail in post.  The footage is spectacular, and he deserves all of the credit.

We also have a live 3D monitor in the field at all times so that we can see exactly what we’re shooting in real time.  Given that the water in the swamp is only about 6” deep in some places, we had to travel as lightly as possible with just the two of us or we’d never have gotten to some of the really remote places.  That meant both of us doing multiple jobs.  It was quite a challenge to steer a boat exactly where it needed to go and act as director/stereographer while popping my head in and out from under a swath of duvateen.  For one shot, I had to get out of the boat and push it up into a field of water lilies to “sneak up” on a flock of Ibis.  They are as beautiful as they are skittish.  If you get within 100 yards, you’re lucky.  Waist deep in black water, you never know if your next mucky step will get you a better shot… or bring the bite of a gator or water moccasin.  How Daniel held the camera so steady in a buffeting wind at the end of the lens on a swaying boat, I don’t know.  But it’s a fantastic shot of the Ibis wading and feeding then taking to flight.  We spent about four weeks in the swamp and are thrilled with the footage.

We chose the Sony EX3 for our beamsplitter because of its impressive image quality.  The 1/2″ chip does well in low light.  Since you lose about a stop shooting through/off of the mirror, every extra bit of exposure helps. After color correction, the images are beautiful on a 3D TV, which is the planned venue for our current projects.  We’ve also provided 3D footage for a major broadcaster’s 3D events that were projected on a 30’ screen and were quite pleased that the image held up very well.  For projects that are destined for 3D cinema, we’ll most likely move to the Convergent Design boxes for recording.  They will allow us to get the maximum (4:2:2) amount of information the camera can output via HD-SDI.  We’ll continue to evaluate each camera that is released in the rapidly evolving landscape of acquisition.

Our approach to editing is about as straight forward as it gets.  We cut in FCP and finish the 3D with Stereo3D Toolbox.  There isn’t anything we’ve shot that wasn’t pretty easily fine tuned with it.  For color correction, our first call is always Ron Anderson at Colorama.  Ron has been working his magic on features and docs for more than 30 years, and we absolutely trust him.  Because Alligator Kingdom 3D was shot in a swamp, there are a few things we’ll count on Ron to do.  First, there’s lots, and lots, and lots of green everywhere.  It’s a swamp.  We want to create a canvas that showcases the huge range of greens in that ecosystem and let the gators, insects, snakes, and birds play on it.  And because we shot a lot of the footage in the blazing sun, we’ll look to Ron to pull as much detail out of the shadows as possible without adding noise.  Of course, then he’ll match the Right eye and Left eye images without losing the magic.  Given his work on the teaser, we’re very excited to get started.

This guy was crafty and brave... cruised one foot from the boat.

Scheduled to be finished on 8/15/10, “Alligator Kingdom” is the first of eight in our “Ancient Wonders 3D” series.  At this writing, we’re still evaluating distribution options.  Putting the teaser  online a few weeks ago generated substantive inquiries from broadcasters and PPV operators.  We’re very pleased with the response of those who’ve seen the full 1080p teaser.  The 3DigitalVision team is quite proud of “Alligator Kingdom 3D”, and we look forward to taking the 3D audience on a trip to one of the last great black water swamps on earth.