White Cyc Studio Visual Effects

by Vic Hurlstorm on July 14, 2010

Have you watched the show Star Trek on television? Have you seen a Star Wars film? Perhaps you have seen a Sci-Fi motion picture or TV show concerned with outerspace? Maybe you have thought about how they developed the views flying in outer space? A lot of the graphic effects for these types of shows were filmed in a white cyc facility using infinity cycs. The infinity cyc is bent at the underside where the walls and ground join collectively resulting in a graphic effect of endless space. A white cyc studio is used on stage to generate an optical illusion of atmosphere.

 

 

Star Trek is a great illustration showing the starship Enterprise flying through endless outerspace bombarded by stars and asteroids from a distance and the cameras zooming in on the starship. At the end it could present the starship Enterprise in outer space while the cameras would zoom off from the space ship as the program was concluded. These types of graphic effects were carried out using a white cyc studio. The type of the starship Enterprise was suspended from the threshold in the heart of a white cyclorama stage.

What makes a very good white cyc facility? The white cyc needs to be well designed and clear of: visual flaws, seams, dust, visual corners, and pointed angles which induce shadows. The white cyc needs to have: 1) Well-organized space for zoom shots and also to prevent crowding, challenging camera angles, and invite for correct lighting preparations. 2) A high roof to prevent tough camera angles, and lighting difficulties. 3) A couple of cyc walls to film against in order to avoid filming limitations. 4) Efficient time for set up, filming and take down if hiring a white cyc facility.

Some film studios don’t have their very own white cyc facility, so if they want to use a white cyc studio they go out lot and hire one of several facilities in LA. There are many facilities close to LA. Let’s look at what a few studios include.

White Cyc facilities in LA should feature: 1) Whisper quiet air conditioning. 2) Three-thousand square feet of space to work with. 3) Ground level entry. 4) Sixteen and a half ft to lighting grid. 5) Two white cyclorama surfaces 75 in dimensions. 6) Full lighting and grip. 7) Free V/O booth and make-up room. 8) Any required production gear.

Other excellent facilities that you can rent out includes: 1) 80 linear feet of shootable white cyclorama. 2) 20 ton of grip, lighting, stedicam, jibs, dollies. 3) Three white cyc studio surfaces. 4) Movement control setup. 5) Four editing bays. 6) 3D animation/compositing. 7) Pre to post production crews. 8) Film, video, and post production gear. 9) Film, HD, and SD camera packages HD cameras. 10) Mini 35 adapter from P and S Technik thirty-five mm Zeiss PL, F-one point three speed lens eighteen, 25, and 35, 50, eighty-five. 11) Twenty-five foot Stanton Jimmy Jib with Remote Head and Dollies. 12) Cinema Products Provid Steadicam for 16 mm film, HD, DV-Cam and DV cameras.