Altitude101 has used the Blackmagic Design URSA Cine Immersive in the French Alps for its latest project, ‘KICK.’ Altitude101 recently spent months filming immersive productions in some of the world’s most demanding environments.
‘KICK’ was captured using the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive digital film camera and Blackmagic RAW. The film follows three French skiers as they venture deep into the mountains in search of the perfect location to perform a double backflip.
One of the key considerations throughout production was maintaining the viewer’s perspective. Director Antoine Baille says the team approached camera placement differently than they would for a traditional production.
“The rule was that the viewer would be seated to experience the video, so we almost always placed the camera height at the viewer’s eye level.”
That philosophy extended to everything from camera distance and horizon leveling to how movement was incorporated into the film. Only around ten percent of ‘KICK’s’ shots were captured in motion, helping place viewers alongside the skiers while maintaining a comfortable viewing experience. This was done on purpose, as too much movement in immersive footage can make the audience feel uncomfortable or even nauseous.
Pacing is also very important when filming immersive content. Most shots remained on screen for between five and eight seconds, giving audiences time to explore the environment before moving on.
The production said that the image in immersive is so strong that the classic voiceover storytelling technique used in 2D doesn’t work as well.
‘KICK’ also highlighted the practical realities of immersive production. Working in bright alpine conditions meant the team had to carefully manage shadows, footprints and equipment positioning, while the large data volumes generated by immersive capture required a workflow built around Blackmagic Media Dock and DaVinci Resolve Studio editing, grading, visual effects (VFX) and audio post-production software.
The team learnt many lessons that they will take into future projects. One is the importance of pre-production planning because in immersive, the ‘fix it in post’ rule doesn’t apply.
Altitude101 is already working on its next Apple Immersive Video production, ‘The Longest Day,’ which follows an amateur triathlete through the physical and mental demands of preparing to qualify for the Triathlon World Championships.
‘KICK’ and Altitude101’s ‘Echoes of the Middle East’ are available free to Apple Vision Pro users via the Theater and Amplium apps.
