Offhollywood Provides Hellbenders' RED EPIC 3D Rig

Leading digital cinema company Offhollywood has announced that it is providing equipment, crews, workflow and post services for the 3D feature Hellbenders, the first independent feature film to shoot on RED EPIC cameras.
Offhollywood supplied the cutting-edge cameras along with the new ATOM rig from Element Technica and worked closely with VFX film The Molecule to develop a streamlined 4K stereo 3D visual effects pipeline for the production.
Mark L. Pederson, Offhollywood CTO and Co-Founder, said: "Until now, only big-budget films such as The Hobbit, Spiderman 4 and Underworld 4 have shot with the EPIC camera, but Hellbenders demonstrates that the combination of EPIC cameras with the Technica 3D ATOM rig, the skill and experience of The Molecule in delivering stereo 3D VFX, and Offhollywood's refinement of the full 3D production workflow can make the mind-blowing impact of EPIC cameras feasible for independent productions."
Chris Healer, Founder of The Molecule, which is expanding into a New York facility just down the block from Offhollywood, said: "Working on Hellbenders in stereo 3D and mastering in 4K with the tools we have is exciting because it shows that this state-of-the-art workflow - and the striking on-screen result - is attainable for smaller-budget films. This project is unique in that we, a VFX group unconnected to a major studio are partnering with a company like Offhollywood in the creative process and on the business end, from start to finish. The collaboration allows us to achieve a much smoother, faster workflow for independent 3D production.
"Offhollywood and The Molecule have worked together on numerous projects, and their efficiency stems not only from their familiarity, but also from The Molecule's ability to leverage its powerful render farm to output 2K and 4K with equal ease. Involvement in early stereoscopic tests also has given the company a large bag of stereo 3D VFX tricks for Hellbenders."
A longstanding relationship with Element Technica gave Offhollywood early access to the 3D ATOM rig, a lightweight 3D camera platform designed from the ground up for the RED EPIC, a game-changing camera. The ATOM takes full advantage of the EPIC's small form factor while still accommodating full-sized PL and PV primes, as well as smaller zooms, to provide a full 5K-3D beamsplitter system weighing as little as some 35mm camera systems.
Stephen Pizzo, Element Technica Co-Founder, said: "Our 3D rigs have opened up access to professional 3D beamsplitter acquisition equipment, in turn allowing productions to invest in the high-end gear and professional stereoscopic support they want while working with their existing crews, maintaining creative control and keeping costs down.
"Offhollywood was among the first to recognise the benefits offered by our rigs, and as a leader in providing RED solutions to the marketplace, the company has been one of our most important beta sites. Offhollywood always pushes the boundaries and their use of the 3D ATOM rig for Hellbenders is no exception."
Aldey Sanchez, Offhollywood CEO and Co-Founder, said: "It's amazing to see the quality of the 3D images and the speed at which the crew is moving with the combination of these new tools. Just months ago, it was 100 percent impossible to do what we are doing today."
Ted Schiljowitz from RED said: "Mark, Aldey and the Offhollywood team have been on the cutting-edge of technology for as long as I've known them. They were the first customers for the RED ONE cameras and now the first customers of the new RED EPIC cameras. Besides being the first, they are also one of the best and most experienced groups anywhere when it comes to working the RED and EPIC for production and post. Now that Offhollywood has embarked on this 3D movie, they are breaking new ground again. Hellbenders is a big-budget tent-pole 3D movie, without the big budget. It's a true indie movie, but with the production value, resolution from the EPIC cameras of beyond 35mm film, and the overall look and feel of a big studio picture. The only missing element is the big studio infrastructure."
Hellbenders, written and directed by JT Petty is based on his soon-to-be-published graphic novel and stars Clifton Collins Jr., Clancy Brown, Dan Fogler and Andre Royo as an elite crew of demonologists in a genre-twisting movie described as an original mash up of The Hangover and The Exorcist. Jon S. Denny and Lawrence Mattis are producing, along with David Moscow and Offhollywood Pictures' Mark Pederson and Aldey Sanchez.
With 3D colour-grading capabilities, the most sophisticated video-assist solutions and an on-site Dolby screening theatre, Offhollywood offers filmmakers the best in 3D equipment, production and post services.
(KMcA)