Basically Good Media Lab (BGML)

S3D

Envisioning Media

Emily Carr’s Basically Good Media Lab (BGML) is committed to seeing old and new technologies through fresh eyes for cultural, social, and economic benefit.

Our research program focuses on imagining new and old media technologies in new forms of performance, creative expression, social and political impact, and community building. We steer the discussion around these technologies towards their potential impact and how individuals and groups may contribute to their development for the greater good.
With the support of our partners and students, we aim to teach, train and discover the aesthetic possibilities of immersive media and be leaders in creative technology exploration.

Our equipment and resources include the following:

Production Studio

  • Vicon Mocap Studio (26 camera motion capture)

KernerCam Stereoscopic Rig Package

  • KernerCam 7000 Mirror Rig
  • 2 Sony HDC-P1 Cameras
  • 2 Matched Fujinon Lenses (HAc18x7.6F – “C” Series compact cine style zoom)
  • Motorized wireless controls for Zoom, Focus, Aperture
  • Motorized wireless controls for Camera Interaxial distance and Convergence
  • Panasonic monitor (Panasonic BT-LH80WU)
  • Cine-Tal CineImage 2000
  • Evertz processors (1 x 7732DVP-3DHD HD Dual Link Video Processor with 3D, 3 x 7700DA7-HD HD/SD-SDI Reclocking Distribution Amplifier)
  • Carts & cables, carrying cases

Genus Hurricane and Silicon Imaging Stereoscopic Package

  • Hurricane Rig – full IA and convergence control
  • 2 Silicon Imaging SI-2K Mini cameras
  • Stereo Field Recorder (Cinedeck)
  • Cables and Carrying Cases

Cameras and Displays

  • Christie 2215 DLP Digital Cinema Projector (HFR ready, 2K resolution)
  • XpanD ONE small theatre active glasses Stereo 3D system
  • Red One
  • 2x Canon MARK II 5D
  • Motorized timelapse slider rig
  • 2x GoPro 3+ Black edition
  • 2x GoPro Hero 3D Kits
  • 6x Fujifilm Finepix Real 3D W3 cameras
  • RecSea Underwater Housing Kit for Fujifilm W3 Cameras
  • Oculus Rift virtual reality kit
  • Hyundai 46” passive polarized 3D LCD (S465D)
  • True 3Di Monitor
  • Flanders Scientific LM-2340TD 23″ Native 1920×1080 Resolution 3D Display • 12 Bit Processing • 8 Bit Panel
  • 2x LG Infinia 55″ passive HDTV (55LW6500)
  • Cine-Tal CineImage 2000
  • AJA 3GM 3G/1.5G-SDI Multiplexer
  • AJA Hi5 3G 3D to HDMI
  • AJA Hi5 4K to HDMI
  • Portable 3D projection kit

Post Production Tools/Software

  • Quantel Pablo Rio 4K HFR full turnkey system with fast local storage
  • 2x Pablo PA
  • Mac Pro 6 Core Intel Xeon E5
  • Avid Software Suite
  • Black Magic DaVinci Resolve 9 and 10
  • Kolor Autopano
  • Adobe Creative Cloud full Suite
  • MTI Cortex Dailies
  • Final Cut Pro Studio 7, Final Cut X
  • Cineform Pro Studio
  • Red Rocket
  • Blackmagic Design DeckLink HD Extreme 3D+
  • Pegasus Pegasus R6 12TB Thunderbolt RAID by Promise
  • SRW-1 HD Portable Digital Video Recorder and SRPC-1 HD Video Processor for HDCAM-SR backup
  • PC and Mac computer environment

Some facts about the Basically Good Media Lab (formerly S3D Centre):

  • The S3D Centre (now the Basically Good Media Lab) was announced at the Interactive Futures conference in November 2009 and officially opened in May 2010. The S3D Centre was renamed to the Basically Good Media Lab in June 2017 to reflect its wider range of research into immersive media.
  • The Basically Good Media Lab (BGML) team has a skill set that includes computer programming, interactivity, documentary/experimental/narrative filmmaking, animation, technical and creative post-production, photography, prototyping and production accounting.
  • The BGML has hosted numerous events with speakers representing artists, students, educators, local film production/VFX companies, Virtual and Augmented Reality companies and producers.
  • The BGML has engaged with over 150 companies in the lower mainland of British Columbia, and is committed to partnering with companies and institutions on a variety of immersive media topics.
  • The BGML has access to state of the art equipment for the creation and post production of immersive media content, as well as technical and visual experimentation. A full list can be seen here.
  • The BGML conducts research into a variety of immersive media topics, including High and Variable Frame Rates (HFR/VFR), production of stereoscopic and 360 Content, interactive Virtual Reality, camera calibration for stereoscopic and HDR content, and 4K through 8K Production/Pipeline. These projects can be viewed here.
  • With the ability to support 2-4 student productions per year, the BGML employs 4-8 Graduate and Undergraduate Research Assistants per semester.

Investment in future realities shows vision.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF), Western Economic Diversification (WD), and Mitacs. Emily Carr University strategically supports our activities as it focuses on advancing research and industry in the technology and new media fields. Our work has also been supported by companies like TELUS, Quantel, Sony, and Panavision.

The BGML values making new connections:

Maria Lantin, Director, Basically Good Media Lab
mlantin[at]ecuad.ca

Alan Goldman, Adjunct Research Associate, Industry Liaison
agoldman[at]ecuad.ca

Motion-Capture-Studio-Research-Emily-Carr-EC JL 2015-49

Our motion capture and visualization studio is state-of-the-art and fully equipped.

Are you interested in, or are you developing, projects requiring motion capture or tracking? Integrated Motion Studio is a large black box space that can support projects requiring motion capture or tracking and stereoscopic projection.

Our motion capture and tracking capabilities are made possible by an ever-growing infrastructure of technical tools and our skilled Technician staff. Learn about our capture volume and full equipment from the Basically Good Media Lab.

Maria Lantin, Director, Basically Good Media Lab
mlantin[at]ecuad.ca
LinkedIn

Rick Overington, Motion Capture Studio Technician
roverington[at]ecuad.ca
LinkedIn

Learn about Basically Good Media

This video documents a dance piece, worlds, performed in August 2015 as part of the closing reception for the ISEA conference. The piece takes place over three sites: the concourse gallery and motion capture studio at Emily Carr, and the media lab at CRIM in Montreal. Dancers are present and motion captured in all three spaces and their performances are shared within each other’s virtual spaces. Tracked physical objects which appear in virtual space (“proptics”) act as containers for the other sites (worlds).

This video documents a TEDx talk given by Maria Lantin in March 2017. Through this interactive performance in her latest virtual reality technology, Maria Lantin pinpoints fear and its antidotes with new trends in augmented and mixed reality. Fear arises and is part of how we navigate the world. If we use it as a launch point for curiosity and learning, we can influence change on an interpersonal and technological level as virtual information locates into physical space.