27.02.2007
Framestore CFC Puts REALVIZ MatchMover Pro
Through Its Paces For Goal! 2: Living the Dream

REALVIZ®, a leader in image processing software development, is pleased to confirm that their tracking software, MatchMover® Pro, played a key role in Framestore CFC's production pipeline for the film, Goal! 2: Living the Dream. The film, which released in the UK earlier this month and which stars Kuno Becker, Anna Friel and Rutger Hauer, takes up where the 2005 film, Goal! left off, and follows the continuing fortunes of footballer Santiago Munez as he progresses from his old club, Newcastle United to Real Madrid.

REALVIZ MatchMover Pro is the professional way to track 3D camera data and motion from videos and film sequences, providing the ease of automatic tracking, with the precision control matchmoving professionals demand. Considered by many post-production professionals as a key tool in their armory, MatchMover Pro has been selected by hundreds of studios worldwide,including leading production and effects houses such as Cinesite, Framestore CFC, The Orphanage, Inc, Warner Brothers Animation, Electronic Arts, Duran Duboi and many others.


"I have been working in the matchmove department at Framestore CFC for over 4 years and have been the lead tracker on a number of major feature films,including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and, more recently,Children of Men and Goal! 2," explains Mark Tudor-Williams. "We use REALVIZ MatchMover Pro on a regular basis. It's a very powerful 3d camera tracking package that is one of the core pieces of software within our tracking department, mainly due to its more manual nature than other similar software products."

"MatchMover Pro has become my software of choice due to its ease of use and intuitive workflow," continues Tudor-Williams." The software was a very important part of the production pipeline for the film Goal! 2: Living the Dream. The nature of the production meant that we were doing a lot of CG replacement footballs and goal nets, as well as a large number of shots where we were replacing the empty stands of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium with elements filmed from real football matches. While the majority of the replacement crowd/stands work was done purely in Shake, the tracking department is being increasingly relied upon by the 2d department to supply additional tracking information for the more complex camera moves when the normal pure 2d procedure was too difficult or time consuming. The tight schedule meant that the 2d department required a rapid turnaround of tracking, with us incorporating any fixes or additional track data - generally within a couple of hours. So once we had a solve that we where happy with, we relied quite heavily on MatchMover's ability to accurately re-project any new track information that was required by the compositor to complete the shot, as well as its range of curve editors to make any necessary adjustments quickly and with confidence that they would work."

"This was particularly useful for one of the shots on Goal! 2, which required us to paint out Michael Owen from the Real Madrid dressing room, as he had been transferred to Newcastle United. Due to the nature of the shot (a large number of people in the foreground crossing repeatedly in front of the camera), the compositor had found it virtually impossible to use a four-point track to place the element of the repainted room so it would lock to the plate. I was asked to supply tracking data for various elements on the wall so they could accurately place the element and have it lock to plate throughout the shot. The same issues that were causing the compositor such difficulty also made it difficult for us to get an accurate 3d solve of the room. Fortunately there were enough points on the plate that we could get a reasonable solve out, even though the solve was excessively noisy whenever someone passed in front of the camera. Using MatchMover's curve editing toolkit, I produced a smooth solve of the points that had only marginal issues with slippage. Then, through liaising with the compositor, we worked together to get the various points he needed to complete the shot in 2d."

"The production schedule on Goal! 2 also highlighted another of MatchMover's strengths: it’s clear and logical GUI makes using it a pleasure. MatchMover remains the tracking software of choice for me. It has a level of control over the process which I have always found lacking in other applications,while its interface is cleaner and readily to hand than, say, 3d Equalizer,where you really need to know the software inside and out to know where all the menus and windows are hidden. This, and how easy it is to explain and teach to people, means that I can give the software to a novice and quite quickly have him well versed in how to use it. Overall, I find MatchMover to be a great package, its interface is clear and easy to pick up, while still being a very powerful piece of tracking software that can be easily picked up and taught to people with little to no knowledge of 3d."

REALVIZ MatchMover has been used to create stunning visual effects in many recent major movies, including: 'The Host', 'Children of Men', 'Superman Returns', 'V for Vendetta', 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire', 'Lord of War', 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', 'Sin City', 'The Day After Tomorrow', 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow', and 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'.

For further information on REALVIZ MatchMover Pro, visit: http://sfx.realviz.com
For more information on Goal! 2: Living the Dream, visit: http://www.bvimovies.com/uk/goal2