Special Effects Discussion: fractal zoom

[Roger]

I've been trying to figure out how they did that fractal zoom at the beginning of the movie Limitless, where the camera just keeps zooming into the frame and never stops, without any cuts. It looks like a variation on that one technique they use in some films where they use both the zoom and dolly at the same time, but I'm not sure how they did this fractal zoom thing unless there are serious CG shenanigans going on.

 

Here is the example of the shot:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26T5qF1lc9M

 

 

There are about 15 seconds of pre-roll before the segment starts so please be patient, it will eventually come up.

 

I'm really stumped, some of the segments I think I might have an idea how they could be done but the bits where you are flying through the cars, I admit I have no clue. Unless it is all CG, then I guess anything is possible.

[robcat2075]

Looking at it once, it seems to me to be all optical zoom, rather than physically moving the camera forward.

 

I think this because I seen no perspective change in objects at the sides of the view. That makes it easier to combine separate pieces of footage.

 

When they are zooming through cars I notice that it's dark inside until you get moderately close and then the stuff "beyond" fades into view. That would be a way to transition from one shot to the next.

 

Those are my first thoughts on seeing it once.

[johnl3d]

I did this awhile ago

 

https://youtu.be/Urd0hPs-nF8

[Rodney]

without any cuts

 

That's the effect but that (a sequence without cuts) isn't what is happening behind the scenes.

There are in fact many artistically edited cuts.

 

The cuts are more evident later in the sequence, especially when the brain cells transform into a top view of buildings.

 

'Birdman' is another recent movie that has a long sequence that was billed as having no cuts but while the shots were long the cuts between those long shots were simply hidden.

 

Computer graphics has something of an advantage in creating these types of shots because everything is already being created from scratch. Stitching live action together can be more difficult because existing shots have to be aligned and if the ideal shot doesn't exist that part must be thrown out.

 

In either case filmmaking is an art that requires individual frames being stitched together to give the illusion of movement so that fact is leveraged/animated to create the illusion of similar images flowing through a fluidly continuous shot. Several things work to aid the illusion of continuity to include making sure similar shapes and colors (or compositing of the same) start and stop at some place other than the cut.

 

Think of it in this way: if a camera moves in toward a building and then toward a single window and then inside the room does that mean the camera actually passed through the window? More likely film was shot of the zoom in to the building... attached to a shot of camera zooming to the window... attached to a shot through an open window. The viewer never sees anyone open the window so we get the sense that we've passed through the wall/window from the outside into the room. And we can do that, because we aren't really there. The director/cinematographer has transported us there.

[Roger]

Good points, Rob and Rodney. I will have to fool around on my own and see if I can recreate it, although I don't think it will look quite as cool in my neighborhood, lol.

[Rodney]

You make me think of the concept of 'infinite canvas' which I will note Animation:Master has had since it's inception.

There are programs (Made with Mischief being one) that recently have leveraged/marketed this concept.

Even in these cases we eventually find that 'infinite' is not truly infinite.

Tricks have been applied to achieve an acceptable approximation.