Timefreeze was a custom multi-camera platform developed as part of our ongoing experimentation with new production technologies. Using 100 synchronized digital still cameras,
the system created the familiar “bullet-time” effect by capturing the same moment from multiple viewpoints.
The cameras were mounted very close to each other on a specially manufactured portable platform and connected through a custom network of electrical and electronic wiring.
They were triggered simultaneously, producing a sequence of images from slightly different angles around the subject.
After each shoot, the images were transferred to our workstations for further processing and assembly.
To create the transition from normal motion to frozen time and back to motion, two motion-picture cameras were positioned at the beginning and end of the camera array and aligned with the first and last still cameras respectively.
Research and development of the Timefreeze technique was carried out by Real Creations in collaboration with Hatzakis Photography.
The platform was used in a number of commercial productions, special-effects projects and live events. It is no longer offered for new productions,
but remains part of Real Creations' history as an example of the research, engineering and technical experimentation behind our work.
Additional technical information about the original Timefreeze platform is available in the archived presentation below.
