Not surprisingly that Hollywood was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. After all, movie sets usually require hundreds of people from all over the world to work in close proximity. In early spring 2020, production actually stopped until further notice. But slowly, quietly, new films – films that were made during the pandemic – began to appear. How? Filmmakers have found ways to adapt, and now they are receiving more tools to help them film safely.
Of course, not every film needs high-tech solutions. Smaller movies like Netflix Malcolm and Marie or the recent Sundance movie How it ends, are able to pass with smaller crews in quarantine. But for larger and more complicated projects – such as those that require visual effects and many additional options – technology fills the gaps in socially distant shoots. Here’s how.
Cloud Busting
One of the most innovative adaptations to date comes from Frame.io. The company is best known for providing web-based tools for teams to go through the day-to-day and send notes back and forth during the editing process. Today, however, Frame.io unveiled a new service: Camera to Cloud, which allows more people to start working on a picture while the director is filming it, greatly reducing the number of people on set and increasing the number who can contribute from a safe (very) socially distant place.
Here’s how it works: Suppose you have an 8K red camera on the set. Using the Camera to Cloud system, the platform would be connected to a transcoding box, such as the Teradek Cube 655, which takes that 8K video and turns it into a smaller 1080p file, easier to view / share. That box is also connected to the internet, as is a Sound Devices deck, which collects sound from all the microphones on the set. As soon as someone shouts “Cut!” the files are uploaded to the cloud, where anyone who has been granted access can review them.
From there, people like executive producers and VFX supervisors can weigh in with near real-time notes. Even better, the system allows the film editor to work on the film in tandem, even if they are on the other side of the planet. As soon as the download is complete, the video files (with separate but synchronized audio files) will automatically appear in DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut, Adobe Premiere or any other editing software you use. Once it’s there, they can leave the last download in the timeline, apply effects and filters (such as typing a green screen), and quickly export it back to Frame.io for everyone to check and approve. Back on the set, the director can review the new cut and leave notes that will appear directly on the editor’s timeline with unique frame accuracy.
Files that are uploaded from the camera can be from 0.5 Mbps (zoom quality) to 15 Mbps (Netflix-ish), your choice. The top end of the scale is generally more than enough for something like network news and could go live immediately. For movies with a tight change, the proxy files that are uploaded have an edit quality (and the sound, which is much smaller, is original) and can be cut together immediately. When the hard disk with all the full-resolution files lands in the editing compartment, they can be changed for editing at the click of a button.
Camera to Cloud has been used in a single Hollywood production: Songbird. Last summer, the disaster film, which landed on demand in December, became the first full-length production to test beta service. Actually, Songbird was the first film to start production after the strictest Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in California, so it had to do everything possible to minimize the crew, including filming with RED’s smallest camera (8K Komodo), so that the photo director can also function as a camera operator. Meanwhile, six or more directors watched from a distance how the filming unfolded.