Michel Gondry

Michel is a French film-maker who is noted for his innovative visual style. He began by producing music videos for his band 'Oui Oui', this then caught the attention of the artist Bjork and he was ask to direct many of her videos. This included 'Army of me' which used the techniques which were a predecessor to "bullet time"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyEJxzQM24Q

This technique is called View morphing, where you set a single camera around a static object and then morph the two together. Image morphing techniques can generate compelling 2D transitions between images. This works on the same principles Image Interpolation works on the matrix films by creating more frames between the ones you were able to capture.

Michel also used this view morphing in the 1998 Smirnoff Vodka advert.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vj4jppqwkw&feature=PlayList&p=5FE358E3F43BADBC&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=52

This is where it is believed the whole idea for "Bullet time" came from. In the advert there are many instances where the technique is used. the most notable is at the beginning where the man jumps through the air and time appears to stop.

By the this time I believe Michel had moved on to using more than one camera in his set up, though still using the technique of View Morphing.

Tim Macmillan

The inventor of the time slicing technique of using Multiple cameras on a single rig. The first was devised in 1980 when he was in University and wanted to try and find how to take a photo of an object from different angles at the same instant in time.

His first "camera" consisted of;

• A length of 16mm film negative
• Above this he placed clear perspex spacers in order to give focal length
• Above the spacers he placed a length of opaque cinematic 16mm tape (with a pin hole drilled into each frame)
• A simple shutter was then placed over as a way of exposing the tape.

The result was a perpendicular tracking shot through space and time. A PARADOX!Since this rudimentary and low cost way of getting the desired effect, he has since developed his rigs. These now consist of an array of Still and motion cameras, which can be set in virtually any formation to get the desired effect. Macmillan's favourite being;

• Linear, which is where all the cameras track across the scene, providing a nice way of revealing elements over the duration of the scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZZy-ujf528

• Converged Linear, which provides a perfect way of spanning large areas, going big on the camera move whilst fixating on a certain points of action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGBk9Wxxjqw

• Curved, this provides the greatest amount of rotation around a subject, a-la Matrix style

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUBvt98uTTQ

Each of these video clips are work by Timeslicefilms, which was founded by Tim Macmillan. They are currently the leading production company that deal with "Bullet Time" capturing techniques.

http://www.timeslicefilms.com/#1