Computerized studio for motion picture film and television production

• US 4,689,683 A
• Filed: 03/18/1986
• Issued: 08/25/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Edward Efron
• Original Assignee: Edward Efron
• Inventors: Efron, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Application Number:
  US06/840,947
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 358/185, 358/210, 358/181, 358/903, 358/86, 455/6, 370/85, 370/86, 370/88, 370/124
• US Class Current: 348/722
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/222 Studio circuitry; Studio devices; Studio equipment cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00

Abstract

A computerized motion picture film and television studio includes a pair of concurrent local area networks. The first local area network communicates digital information and the second communicates analog information over a plurality of assigned channel frequencies. A plurality of information processing devices, including a camera station, transfer video and audio information via the multi-channel analog local area network under the direction of a central control computer.

Claims

1. A computerized motion picture film and television studio comprising:

a video camera producing video information including a plurality of analog image information signals;

a digital local area network for communicating digitally encoded information;

an analog local area network for communicating analog information;

a plurality of information processing devices each having an interface for coupling said information processing devices to said analog local area network and said digital local area network;

means for assigning unique digitally encoded identification signals for selected portions of said analog image information signals; and

computer means controlling the communication of said digitally encoded identification signals between said video camera and said plurality of information processing devices and between said information processing devices via said digital local area network and controlling the communication of said analog image information signals between said video camera and said plurality of information processing devices and between said information processing devices via said analog local area network.

2. A computerized motion picture film and television studio as set forth in claim 1 wherein said analog local area network and said computing means cooperate to create a plurality of frequency separated information channels operable within said analog local area network.

3. A computerized motion picture film and television studio as set forth in claim 2 wherein said analog image information signals are organized in a plurality of image frames and wherein said unique digitally encoded identification signals for analog signals of said video camera and said information processing devices each include digitally encoded signals indicative of the time, date and image frame of the analog image information signal to which they correspond and a source number indicative of the signal source.

4. A computerized motion picture film and television studio as set forth in claim 3 wherein said analog image information signals include a plurality of color video signals and wherein said video camera includes:

first signal modulation means modulating said color video signals upon a selected carrier signal having a frequency corresponding to a selected one of said information channels.

5. A computerized motion picture film and television studio as set forth in claim 4 wherein said motion picture film and television studio further includes a recorder station coupled to said analog local area network and said digital local area network, said recorder station including:

first demodulation means for demodulating said color video signals from said selected carrier signal;

means for recording said color video signals upon video tape;

second modulation means for modulating said color video signals upon a selected carrier signal for application to said analog local area network; and

command interpreter means coupled to said digital local area network for receiving a digitally encoded command signal from said computer means and in response thereto causing said color video signals to be transfered to said recorder from said analog local area network via said first demodulation means or from said recorder to said analog local area network via said second modulation means.

6. A computerized motion picture film and television studio as set forth in claim 5 further including a display station having:

video display means producing a video image in response to applied color video signals;

second demodulation means coupled to said analog local area network and to said display means; and

means coupled to said digital local area network and said second demodulation means and said display means for causing said second demodulation means in response to a predetermined digitally encoded instruction from said computing means to receive a selected one of said modulated signals and remove therefrom the corresponding color video signals for display upon said display means.

7. A computerized motion picture film and television studio as set forth in claim 4 wherein said video camera is directed to receive a foreground image and wherein said computerized motion picture film and television studio further includes a second camera directed to receive a background image, said computerized motion picture film and television further including:

a special effects station having a third and a fourth demodulation means coupled to said analog local area network;

third modulation means coupled to said analog local area network;

a compositor having a first video information input coupled to said third demodulation means, a second video input coupled to said fourth demodulation means and a video output coupled to said third modulation means; and

controller means coupled to said digital local area network responsive to digitally encoded commands from said computer means to cause said compositor to combine said foreground and said background color video information to a composite color video signal for application to said third channel modulator.

8. A computerized motion picture film and television studio as set forth in claim 7 wherein said video camera is directed to a plurality of foreground objects and produces a corresponding set of video foreground information signals and wherein said computerized motion picture film and television studio further includes:

means for converting images stored upon photographic film to corresponding video information signals, said film images comprising a plurality of background images;

said special effects station receiving, under control of said computing means, video information for said respective foreground and background images to produce a composite image thereof.

9. A computerized motion picture film and television studio comprising an integrated Local Area Network having at least one channel for the communication of digital information and a plurality of channels for the communication of analog information;

a plurality of information processing devices including a source of video information signals, said information processing devices each being coupled to said digital channel and said analog channels of said integrated local area network; and

computing means coupled to said digital information channel and said analog information channels in a communications format in which said computing means causes analog video information to be transferred by and between selected ones of said information processing devices utilizing said digital channel of said integrated local area network to communicate instructions and commands for controlling such information transfer.

10. For use in a motion picture film and television studio, a computerized information processing system comprising:

a digital local area network for communicating digitally encoded information;

an analog local area network for communicating analog information;

a source of analog video information signals;

a plurality of information processing devices each having an interface for coupling said information processing devices to said analog local area network and said digital local area network;

means for assigning unique digitally encoded identification signals to selected portions of said analog video information signals; and

computing means controlling the communication of said digitally encoded identification signals between said source of video information and said plurality of information processing devices via said digital local area network and controlling the communication of said video information signals between said video camera and said plurality of information processing devices via said analog local area network.