CBS Sports Testing Integrated 3D Camera Rig at U.S. Open

CBS is testing a new camera setup devised by Avatar director of photography Vince Pace this weekend during 3D production of the U.S. Open, CBS Sports executive vice president Ken Aagaard told journalists at a Panasonic press conference Wednesday. Due to the limited camera positions available in the tennis stadium, compared with those of baseball, basketball and football venues, the company had to find a way to combine cameras into a single rig manned by one person, he said. Pace’s solution was a “shadow” camera system, that straps two 3D cameras to a special housing at the top of the lens of the 2D camera, Aagaard told Consumer Electronics Daily.

"The two 3D cameras are programmed to pan and zoom for 3D while the 2D cameraman does his normal 2D moves,” Aagaard said, “so you have one cameraman actually controlling both 2D and 3D.” CBS will use the configuration on three of the six camera rigs it employs at the Open including the low mid-court cover camera and two cameras located opposite the umpire chair on court, Aagaard said. Dedicated 3D cameras include a slash camera, located low on court on the camera side in the corner, and another on the opposite side of the court in the dugout, he said. “All will be low and deliver beautiful 3D views of tennis,” he said.

CBS Sports will make adjustments on the fly where necessary, Aagaard said, describing the first 3D tennis production as an “experiment. Once we start going to air on Saturday, we'll learn something better for Sunday, and then Monday, and next week we'll learn even more,” Aagaard said. Numerous unknowns remain including whether a hit ball will create judder -- a stuttering effect -- when traveling across the court, an artifact that has appeared in other 3D sports coverage. “We're not sure how much of that we're going to find,” he said. “If we do, we'll adjust because judder is something we're not going to let happen.” If it appears, he said, the crew will adjust convergence, talk to stereographers, look at and take shots differently and maybe make adjustments for lighting that can affect the picture. “We could have different circumstances depending on whether it’s light or dark,” he said.

Aagaard is going to “try not to” cut back and forth between 2D and 3D shots, he said, but will go to 2D if they encounter an unforeseen problem in 3D. CBS will only use two or three additional 2D cameras, he said. Despite viewing the 3D production as an experiment, Aagaard said it’s going to be a “complete, entertaining show” for the viewer as it is in 2D. “You can’t miss any ball hits, you have to watch what’s going on and get the reaction of the players,” he said. “All those things that are important in 2D are still important in 3D. You're just looking at it from a different perspective.”

With Thursday set-up day and Friday for rehearsals, the CBS team hadn’t had a chance to experiment with early matches when we spoke with Aagaard. The 3D crew will take into tennis production the knowledge it has gained from early 3D sports productions including golf, basketball, football and the X games, Aagaard said. That includes using fewer camera cuts than 2D productions and the need for closer shots. Assuming judder isn’t an issue, Aagaard anticipates ball speed in 3D to bring home the on-court experience to viewers in a new way. “We have the ball coming at you or going away from you, so you get that dimension,” he said. “With 3D you're going to get a much bigger feeling of speed, we think.” He expects that following the speed of the action won’t be a jarring experience because of the camera angle. “You're doing slow pans, you're in tight, and even though action is going fast, it’s coming at you or going away from you,” he said. “If the cameras were off to the sides, then we'd find ourselves trapped."

CBS Sports will field roughly 40 crew members for 3D production, compared with 150-200 for the regular 2D telecast, Aagaard said. They're still working on how they'll fill space between matches or during possible rain delays and will use the Panasonic handheld AG-3DA1 for filler material with crowd shots and interviews with players and “talking heads,” Aagaard said. They'll insert the filler material when they have the opportunity, he said, noting that the camera was used successfully in that way at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in July. A live feed of the 3D broadcast will be shown at the Panasonic Experience tent on the grounds of the Open, he said. 3D and 2D telecasts will air during the same window, which includes center-court matches held this weekend and the following finals weekend. ESPN has rights to remaining coverage during the tournament, but the company is not shooting the matches in 3D.