Method and System for Filming

• US 20150227028A1
• Filed: 04/20/2015
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Holicom Film Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Holicom Film Ltd.
• Inventors: Ley, Stephen, O'Connell, Ian Christopher, Finn, Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 10,317,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/56 by projecting aerial or floating images
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/02 Illuminating scene
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/06 Special arrangements of screening, diffusing, or reflecting devices, e.g. in studio
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/07 Arrangements of lamps in studios
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/112 according to a given display mode, e.g. for interlaced or progressive display mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/132 Sampling, masking or truncation of coding units, e.g. adaptive resampling, frame skipping, frame interpolation or high-frequency transform coefficient masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/137 Motion inside a coding unit, e.g. average field, frame or block difference
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/186 the unit being a colour or a chrominance component
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/20 using video object coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/587 involving temporal sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. decimation or subsequent interpolation of pictures in a video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2224 related to virtual studio applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2226 Determination of depth image, e.g. for foreground/background separation determining depth by image analysis in general G06T7/50; segmentation by image analysis in general G06T7/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

This invention concerns a method of filming a subjected to be projected as a Pepper'"'"'s Ghost image. The method may comprise filming a subject under a lighting arrangement having one or more front lights for illuminating a front of a subject and one or more backlights. The lights may be controlled such that the total brightness of the one or more front lights, as measured of the subject, is less than or approximately the same as the total brightness of the one or more backlights, as measured at the subject. The subject may be located directly above one or more floor lights such the subject is illuminated from below by the one or more floor lights. The lights may comprise one or more LEDs. A drop-off distance of the front lights may be less than a distance between the front lights and a backscreen. The invention further concerns a lighting control system comprising an input device for receiving inputs on characteristics of the subject to be filmed and a controller arranged to determine from the inputs a required configuration for the lamps and send control signals to at least one of the lamps to cause the lamps to adjust to the required configuration. The lighting system may comprise a controller connected to a data link providing data on a lighting environment at a location where the film of the subject is being projected as a Pepper'"'"'s Ghost image, the controller controlling the lamps to adjust configuration during filming in response to data on changes in the lighting environment.

Claims

1-60. -60. (canceled)

61. A method of filming a subject for projecting in a manner that creates a Pepper'"'"'s Ghost of the subject, the method comprising:

filming a subject under a lighting arrangement to acquire images of the subject, wherein brightness of the lighting arrangement is controlled to create a rim of light around the subject to sharpen an outline of the subject;

wherein the subject is filmed on a reflective or semi-reflective riser.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein the lighting arrangement is arranged to illuminate a cuboid volume such that, when the subject moves horizontally within the cuboid volume, a nature of the illumination on the subject remains substantially the same.

63. The method of claim 61, wherein the subject being filmed is a moving subject, and wherein the lighting is arranged to cause shadows to move across the subject as the subject moves relative to the lighting arrangement.

64. The method of claim 61, wherein the subject is filmed in a studio having a depth of less than 20 meters.

65. The method of claim 61, wherein the subject is filmed in front of a back screen, and wherein the back screen is a black, blue, green or silver screen.

66. The method of claim 61, wherein the subject is filmed in front of a light-absorbing back, and wherein a camera used to film the subject is arranged to process light sources below a threshold value as being black.

67. The method of claim 61, wherein:

the lighting arrangement comprises front lights and back lights;

total brightness of the front lights, as measured at the subject, is less than or approximately the same as total brightness of the back lights, as measured at the subject; and

wherein a ratio of the total brightness, as measured at the subject, of the back lights to the total brightness of the front lights, as measured at the subject, is greater than 2;

3

68. the method according to claim 61, wherein the lighting arrangement comprises different lamps for illuminating different sections of the subject, wherein the different sections comprise vertical sections of the subject.

69. The method according to claim 61, wherein the lighting arrangement comprises a profile spotlight for illuminating legs and feet of the subject.

70. The method according to claim 61, wherein the lighting arrangement further comprises an overhead light positioned substantially directly above the subject.

71. The method according to claim 61, wherein the lighting arrangement further comprises a floor light, wherein the subject is located directly above the floor light such that the subject is illuminated from below by the floor light.

72. The method according to claim 61, wherein the lighting arrangement further comprises a floor light arranged to illuminate undersides of the subject'"'"'s feet.

73. The method according to claim 61, wherein the lights are controlled to match lighting effects for the subject being filmed to lighting effects at a location of the projected Pepper'"'"'s Ghost image.

74. The method according to claim 61, wherein the lights are controlled in response to a changing lighting environment at the location of the projected Pepper'"'"'s Ghost image.

75. The method according to claim 61, wherein the lights are controlled to create a color temperature for the subject being filmed that substantially matches the color temperature of person/objects at the location of the projected Pepper'"'"'s Ghost image.

76. The method according to claim 61, wherein the lights are controlled to create a daylight color temperature of approximately 5500 Kelvin for the subject being filmed.

77. The method according to claim 61, wherein filming the subject comprises using a camera to produce a film, wherein a shutter speed of the camera is between 1/25″

1 second and 1/120″

1 second.

78. The method according to claim 61, wherein filming the subject comprises filming the subject with a camera positioned such that an eye-line of the camera substantially corresponds to an eye-line of an audience watching the Pepper'"'"'s Ghost image and is at least 4 meters away from the subject.

79. The method according to claim 61, further comprising:

projecting the images of the subject through a semitransparent screen positioned at an angle to the projected film and an audience line-of-sight such that film images are visible to the audience superimposed on a backdrop to the screen such that the Pepper'"'"'s Ghost image of the subject appears at the same height as the subject in real-life.

80. The method according to claim 61, wherein filming comprises arranging a camera and the subject such that the subject extends substantially across the entire height and/or width of the image captured by the camera.

81. The method according to claim 61, wherein the lighting arrangement has a luminaire comprising an array of LEDs inside a housing chamber having a back reflecting surface opposite an output surface with at least one gap, and two side reflective surfaces, wherein the LEDs are attached to an inside of the output surface such that light emitted by the LEDs is directed away from the output surface towards either the back reflective surface or the one of the side reflective surfaces, wherefrom the light is reflected toward the output surface and emitted from the chamber via the at least one gap.