Awhile back we wrote a post about a technique called camera mapping, which is essentially taking a still photograph and “projecting” it onto 3d geometry to essentially fake motion picture footage.
If that sounds a bit complicated, Nick over at Grey Scale Gorilla has a great post on camera mapping explaining how it all works in Cinema 4d.
Can’t afford Cinema 4d? There are also some great Blender tutorials, explaining how to pull off the technique in Blender which is a FREE 3d program (perfect price for indies.)
Camera Mapping at Work
We have an upcoming TV show that we used camera mapping in heavily. Here was an early test to see how far we could push the process:
Camera Mapping Test from Joke and Biagio on Vimeo.
And here’s another camera map test including some 3d rendered spheres and a little bit of video (the artwork is camera mapped):
Cinema 4d/Syntheyes Test from Joke and Biagio on Vimeo.
Great Example on Vimeo
I wanted to post this example I came across the other day on Vimeo — it’s really a terrific use of camera mapping, and proof that with a still camera and a little know you, you can create high-quality footage. The piece is called “Deserted” by Bernd Montag.
DESERTED – Camera Mapping with Cinema 4D from Bernd Montag on Vimeo.
Nice job, Bernd!
Considering how much easier it is to shoot a super high-res photo than high-res video, this is a great way to get some extremely high-res footage on the cheap.
Go get yourself Blender, shoot some photos, and give it a try!