BOYLE PREMIERS NEW ZEISS ON THE MUTANT CHRONICLES

Cinematographer Geoff Boyle FBKS was almost finished shooting The Mutant Chronicles, a feature film version of the popular role-playing board game, when Band Pro Munich got the new ZEISS Telephoto DigiZoom 17mm-112mm. Boyle, an avid Zeiss fan, was eager to test it on location for the last 2 weeks of the shoot. Band Pro rushed the much anticipated lens to the Isle of Man.

"We got the zoom in time for some critical fight scenes, and with this lens, we could very quickly get a variety of image sizes, something that director Simon Hunter and I felt were vital to keeping up the pace of the fight scenes," explains Boyle.

"This movie is going to have over 1200 to 1500 visual effects shots (mainly green screen and 3D extensions)," adds John O'Quigley of MotionFX in London. "Simon Hunter thought that the Viper system being captured by the S.two DFR in an uncompressed format was the best way to go. And there was only one set of lenses considered, Zeiss."

"We had acres of green screen that was permanently lit," Boyle adds. "I think it was 300 feet by 44 feet at the largest, so any low level flare became or would have become a serious issue. With the Zeiss DigiPrimes we had absolutely no flare problems!"

"If we'd had the new DigiZoom at the start, I have a feeling that the whole film would have been shot on that and the 3.9mm DigiWide™. Both are lovely lenses," Boyle continues.

"Will I use the new DigiZoom in the future? You'll have to drag it out of my dead fingers to prevent me!" he laughs.