Click play and use the “3D” pop-up menu that appears to choose a format for playback of the YouTube 3D video above.

If you want big branding, you want to see your spot on the big screen. And if you really want to make an impression, you want that spot to show in stereo 3D in front of 3D movies. The BMW-owned Mini brand employed that strategy for a large-scale cinema spot using ultra-high-speed footage to show a heavy monster truck gliding through the air above one each of the four different cars in Mini’s product line. Mini says it took a crew of 120, including the stunt driver, to make the shoot happen. That figure includes stereo-3D experts Joshua Ferrazzano and David Shafei, whose World War Seven production company was brought in to figure out how to make stereo 3D happen on time and on budget. We talked to them about prepping for the day, shooting with Phantoms and Reds, and monitoring super-slow-motion footage in stereo.

David Shafei: We were approached to come on board as 3D producers when it was pretty far along. The production company was just trying to find a 3D solution that would fit with the creative, with the budget, and with their timetable. We were asked what our approach would be, what tools we would like to use, and how we would get it done. It was a commercial, so it’s about delivery, getting it done on time and on very strict budgets. In this world, 3D is so new that people are still nervous. They’re trying to protect their clients from additional costs. The production company liked our take on it, so we were brought in to start thinking about executing the boards in 3D. From very early on, they had envisioned this huge event – the jump – and they wanted to capture it in beautiful slow-motion. Of course, the [Vision Research] Phantoms were among the first tools people thought of.

But 3D is hard, and high-speed photography also has its challenges. At that point, you could probably count on a hand and a half how many Phantom jobs had been shot in 3D – especially for a big brand that would be shown in cinemas with that commercial polish. So we knew we had to be prepared, not only by knowing the form factor of the cameras – how they would sit on the rigs and the cranes – but also just making that first step: getting good 3D. What technology did we need, and what experts would we have to have around to do that?

Josh Ferrazzano: Well, synchronizing Phantom cameras is more of an art than a science. The Phantom Flex has addressed some of the problems, but we were working with the Phantom HD Gold. Fortunately, our Phantom tech, Patrick McGraw, had just come off of Jackass 3D and probably had more experience working with Phantoms in stereo than anyone else. Our Phantom DIT, Matt Drake, was also amazing, and our stereographer, Jason Goodman, is, in our opinion, the best in the game.

DS: Again, when we say “sync in 3D,” we’re talking about syncing both eyes so you don’t have any phase issues. We’re not worried about whether we’re an entire frame out of sync. We’re worried about sub-frame phase issues. It need to be locked in, and when you’re shooting at 400 frames per second, there’s a lot of room for small issues between the cameras. But Vision Research was amazing. We had really high-level conversations with some amazing techs. Our on-set techs were in touch with them moment to moment, in case things came up. “Perfect sync” was our mantra.

Q: What was your prep process like?

JF: Prep is more important than ever before. You can’t show up to a set this size and try to figure it out on set. We had three days of prep in L.A., where we made sure everythign was totally dialed in. That’s the most important advice we can give people who want to get into 3D. Do your homework. Talk to the experts. Show up prepared, with all your troubleshooting already done.

Q: What’s going on during those three days of prep?

JF: These cameras had never before been mounted on the beamsplitters we were going to use. We had to check for balance and go through all the motions before we went on set.

DS: We had to make sure the lenses we wanted were available. We actually used the [Angenieux] Optimo zooms on the spot, and we had to check for clearance issues based on how the camera would be slung. So we built it on the rig and tested with the actual rig. Sometimes people will test the cameras on their own and figure out the rig the day before, but we wanted all of the pieces in place from the beginning so we could be absolutely sure. You need to check your crane head, and make sure everything can clear and is balanced – maybe the Technocrane operator hasn’t worked with those cameras on that rig and doesn’t understand the balance issues. It’s becoming less of an issue, but you can’t take it for granted.

Q: Were any cameras other than the Phantoms in use?

DS: We also had two Red MX cameras standing by on another beamsplitter in case the director saw something he really liked.

JF: Especially when we were shooting the jump, we had that B rig set up rolling at 120 fps.

Q: How did you monitor on set?

JF: We worked with the QTAKE HD system. With 400 or 1000 frames per second, you can’t monitor that in real time. But it’s very important that you are monitoring on set. If nothing else, you want everyone to see how amazing the footage looks, so they understand why we’ve gone to such great lengths in taking on such a complicated project.

DS: People know QTAKE in the VTR world, but they have some of the best tools for 3D VTR. Our VTR operator was able to record the playback streams from both of the Phantoms at the same time and then throw them on a timeline and sync them up by hand.

JF: Within a few minutes, he was playing back a stereoscopic version of the high-speed takes. And when everyone sees how amazing the super-slo-mo 3D looks, it does a lot for morale on set.

DS: Everyone is sort of like, “Why are we working this hard?” But there’s a shift, and all of a sudden the 3D becomes the president on set. Everyone’s game to work with the technology, but there’s nothing like showing them. So it pays to work with VTR operators who have 3D experience, as well.

Q: What kind of discussions did you have about a depth strategy for the shoot?

JF: We knew these were going to be playing on cinema-sized screens, and screen size informs how big an IO [interocular distance] and how much parallax you can get away with. It’s about finding a comfortable zone where 3D is still the star of the show, but you’ve gone beyond gimmickry. You don’t have stuff popping off the screen, so that you risk giving people an unpleasant viewing experience in the name of big 3D.

DS: There is a moment-to-moment conversation with the stereographer, Jason Goodman. You think about it. And then on set, you give the DP and director the freedom to set up the shot, and this conversation happens incredibly quick. You can see the monitor, and you try and find a place where there will be some flexibility in post, but where it also feels good on set.

Q: What else makes good 3D?

JF: Good 3D involves more than just technical, camera-level adjustments. There’s a compositional aspect that the director and DP work together to achieve, and all of the departments are involved, including production design and costume and wardrobe. There are these shots framed with row after row of detph cues – shots of the crowd with so many different planes to look at that it really enhances the depth. If you were just seeing the front row of the audience, it wouldn’t have the same effect. The textures in front of the camera helped – the smoke being pumped into the stadium, the massive crowds. The more there is to look at, the more you’re going to feel that depth.

DS: A lot of DPs think about composition and depth all the time, even in 2D, where there are built in depth cues. You don’t want to force depth down anybody’s throat. It’s not, “Argh! Here’s a pool cue in your face!” You feel like you’re in the stands, and that’s what’s important.

Click play and use the “3D” pop-up menu that appears to choose a format for playback of the YouTube 3D video above.

Q: Tell me about the Red Bull spot, “Canvas,” with skater Joey Brezinski. How did you get involved in that?

DS: The creative for that was brought to us by the directors, Colin Kennedy and Bucky Fukumoto. Joey approached Colin and Bucky with the idea. They asked us very early in the creative process if it was possible to do in 3D. So we spent some days throwing paint at white walls and sheets and shooting 3D tests.

Q: What were you looking for in the tests?

JF: Each of the different 3D formats has, baked into its DNA, potential artifacts. When you’re talking about active-glasses monitoring, very high contrast and very saturated colors can lead to ghosting and cross-talk. When you’re talking about anaglyph, certain colors can lead to ghosting and cross-talk. And this was the perfect storm where they wanted all of that.

DS: They were throwing red, blue, yellow, and a few other Red Bull colors at a white cyc. Paint is flying everwyhere. We were looking down the barrel at a lot of these problems, so we had to do a lot of testing to make sure it would work. But we’ve been lucky to work with amazing DPs. For the Mini spot, it was Mattheis Montero, and on Red Bull it was Sean Kim. These are top-tier people.

Q: But how do you plan for every environment?

JF: You have to define what the primary screen is that you’re delivering for and make it perfect for that, and then make it as good as possible for other screens. This project will be seen on polarized monitors or projected at live events, which really doesn’t have an issue with ghosting. Just as an added safety measure during the mastering, we tried to converge more on the hottest spots or highest-contrast areas in order to minimize the ghosting. There’s always a process. It’s not like you’re going to be converging on the back wall every time and have everything else pop off the screen just in the name of minimizing ghosting. There is always a balance to be struck.

Q: There’s been some concern that 3D isn’t taking off as quickly as hoped, at least for home viewing. Do you have any thoughts on that?

DS: Consumers want quality content. It’s up to us to make good stuff. There are haters out there, but 3D is here to stay. As larger productions come up with 3D technology, they’re going to hone their technique and use it to tell stories in a new and exciting way. It’s only going to get better and better.

JF: The tools are getting better and more user-friendly every day. It’s getting easier to create 3D content, the 3D TVs are getting better, and the prices are continuing to drop. It gets us back to being about the creative and about the story. It’s up to us to creat compelling 3D content that will help grow the industry.