October saw the first ever 3D film of British horse racing - and another milestone for CAN.
When an event involves competing in front of Her Royal Highness The Queen at Ascot, crowning five champion horses and their jockeys, and giving away over £3m in prize money on Britain’s richest ever race day, you need something special to capture the moment. Which is why dedicated racing channel At The Races (ATR) asked CAN to produce a 24-minute 3D film of the spectacular inaugural QIPCO British Champions Day.
CAN’s brief was to create a centerpiece film that would mark this hotly anticipated new climax to the flat racing season and promote the upcoming British Champions Series. Using six 3D cameras, we created a ‘just like being there’ experience. By closely following the races on a tracking car as well as capturing the action at the finish line, in the crowds and in the winners’ paddock, everything from the excitement of the crowd to the intensity of the action was caught on film.
When you’ve got to capture not just the look but the feel of the mighty Frankel, the world’s best race horse, beating his stable mate by four lengths to take the £1m winner’s prize, you need some pretty smart technology and the expertise to use it. Perfectly complementing our 3D rigs, we opted for Sony’s new TD300 handheld 3D camera – one of its first ever public uses. It's compact size and portability allowed the crew to set up exceptional shots very quickly and meant they could get deep among the crowd to film instant reaction, giving a real sense of the day’s high drama – just like being there.
The finished 3D result will beautifully capture the action, buzz and remarkable detail of the whole event, giving viewers an intimate experience of horse racing as it has never been seen before.
"We believe that racing is ideally suited to 3D broadcast,” says Matthew Imi, Chief Executive of ATR. “We want to use the latest technology to capture the colour, impact and excitement of this exceptional day and really create something that can help promote QIPCO British Champions Day, Ascot Racecourse and British racing around the world.”
"We are delighted ATR has taken this initiative and equally happy to support it,” adds Rod Street, Chief Executive of the British Champions Series. “It's a great way to help celebrate what's already been a hugely successful first QIPCO British Champions Series and will launch us into next year with a showcase of what we're sure will be a real spectacle on QIPCO British Champions Day itself."
For more information about the QIPCO British Champions Day and the British Champions Series visit www.britishchampionsseries.com