Jake Seal: Blending New and Old Filmmaking Technologies

Film producer Jake Seal’s pioneering work has revolutionised the film industry, particularly his game-changing use of 3D stereoscopics in film. This article will look at how leveraging both new and old technology can bring moving images to life, with celluloid lending a richness and softness that simply cannot be achieved with digital filmmaking technologies.

Stereoscopy, or stereoscopic 3D, is a filmmaking discipline that uses two flat images to create the illusion of depth. With each perspective presented to each eye separately, it is down to the brain to interpret the two, fusing them to form a single three-dimensional image. This image may be viewed either with the naked eye, or with devices such a stereoscope, anaglyph filter, or polarising glasses.

Stereoscopy mimics functions that take place in the human eye and brain every waking moment, providing more immersive experiences for filmgoers. 3D enables viewers to experience destinations where they have never set foot as if they are there in person, creating incredible depth and richness, and enabling audiences to enjoy stunning details and texture in architecture. 3D movies create the illusion that audiences could almost reach out and touch what they are observing on the big screen.

Today, 3D movies are extremely popular, relying on stereoscopy and other technological innovations to provide audiences with infinitely more engaging and immersive experiences. Nevertheless, creating 3D films is not an easy process, with producers required to weigh up numerous technical considerations, including convergence points and interocular distance.

Filming for 3D requires considerable technical proficiency and experience, varying greatly from filming in 2D. For example, with traditional 2D filmmaking, the camera simply focuses on an object to draw the viewer’s eye to pertinent information. However, with 3D filmmaking, this does not translate well, since in this realm the objective is to maximise the amount of a shot in focus, allowing the viewer’s eye to scan the whole image. When filming for 3D, rather than simply zooming in on a particular object, filmmakers instead rely on clever use of lighting to create emphasis and accentuate the key subject.

Compared with 2D filmmaking, 3D is much slower, with two cameras moving around rather than one. The mirror rig is not only heavy, but incredibly delicate. Filmmakers also need to rely on large location monitors, continuously checking the depth, while simultaneously following a plethora of other technical processes. The upshot of all this is that 3D filmmakers can only capture around a third of the amount of footage of a 2D shoot, making tight scheduling and careful planning of shots a major consideration.

The flipside of 3D shoots taking much longer lies in the way that viewers watch 3D. With ample depth through the frame and plenty for the eye to look at, a good 3D shot takes longer for viewers to assimilate, meaning that edits need to be much slower. A cut that lasts a second and a half in traditional 2D might last as long as 5 seconds in 3D. Where a shot has a large volume for the viewer’s eye to register, it is sensible for filmmakers to slow down the edit’s pace, allowing sufficient time for viewers to fully digest what they see the screen.

In addition to his role as a prominent figure in the UK entertainment industry, Jake Seal is also a visionary businessman whose expertise and innovative approach has helped to advance a range of different technologies. Having reimagined the way films are made, Jake Seal’s work combines best-in-class processing, stocks and analogue cameras with cutting edge modern digital offerings, the producer using a unique fusion of modern and traditional technologies to produce films that are technically sophisticated and visually stunning.