Let's do the Time Warp again, everyone - Hong Kong production company perfects SFX technique used by the makers of The Matrix

<p>Hong Kong-based production house Spicy Films has laid claim to </p><p>being the first in Asia to develop and utilise the same camera system </p><p>and techniques used to astonishing effect in the Hollywood blockbuster </p><p>movie The Matrix. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Spicy Films director Ken Chung said that while the concept had been </p><p>around for close to a century, the technical complications posed had </p><p>proved to be a huge deterrent. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"It is technically very challenging, but we have managed to put together </p><p>a system which created the same visual effects that were used in The </p><p>Matrix," he told MEDIA. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"I believe that we are the only production house in Asia capable of </p><p>this, and for the first time the system has been used in China to shoot </p><p>a commercial for that market." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The spot which used the 'Time Warp' system (in the US it's called 'Time </p><p>Track') was done for Lintas Shanghai (creative director: Romeo Lacao), </p><p>for its client Audi. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While the creative concept for the Audi commercial does not break new </p><p>ground, the Time Warp effects lift it far out of the ordinary. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In its simplest form, the Time Warp system involves the use of multiple </p><p>cameras placed in a pattern (usually circular, corkscrew or spiral) at a </p><p>specific point in the shoot. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The shots are then strung together to create the illusion of motion - </p><p>with cameras capable of shooting up to 400 frames per second, the </p><p>potential is enormous. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In other words, where only traditional, single-angle freeze frames had </p><p>previously been possible, the Time Warp allows for multiple, consecutive </p><p>freeze-frames shot from slightly different angles - for the viewer, it </p><p>looks as if a moving camera has panned around a moment frozen in </p><p>time. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"A few years ago, French and British directors began experimenting with </p><p>the system; in the US, the technique had largely been used in shoots for </p><p>music videos," Mr Chung said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"This is probably where the producers of The Matrix got the idea </p><p>from." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Post-production on films shot using Time Warp can be very complicated - </p><p>Spicy Films first used the system for a shampoo ad in Jakarta, also for </p><p>Lintas (creative director: Jeanie Hardono) - but Mr Chung said that a </p><p>lot of time and effort had been spent in the editing room to perfect the </p><p>technique. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Time Warp offers one dimension more than motion control, which can't </p><p>freeze the image and can only move at a certain speed," he said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Despite the bulk of the equipment (Spicy has left the 50 cameras used in </p><p>the Audi shoot in storage in Shanghai) and the lengthy set-up time, Mr </p><p>Chung said Time Warp was worth the hard work. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It also has potential in still photography for print ads, and can be </p><p>used not just for action shots, but to highlight dramatic moments as </p><p>well. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Time Warp lets you control, slice, freeze time," he said. "When we </p><p>first tested it, it was on a small scale. The second time, for Audi, it </p><p>was much bigger ... but it was a nightmare to put it together." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, he warned creative directors against getting too excited about </p><p>the technique: "If you use it just for the sake of it, it will become a </p><p>forgettable technique. Techniques should be there only to serve the </p><p>story. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"But I'm sure that the more creative directors think about it, the more </p><p>they will develop concepts that can incorporate Time Warp logically." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>