Vancouver’s Virtual Access used desktop digital technology incorporating live-action camera tracking to deliver a subtle yet robust finish to the opening for Canadian Wine Cellar.

The show’s producer Jeff Barringer from Sunshine Coast, b.c.-based Max Flex Productions originally conceived a graceful opening three years ago when the show ran as BC Wine Cellar, including a slow camera meander through a field of wine bottles with the wine labels appearing as live-action shots from the show.

Barringer dismissed the idea because it was cost-prohibitive given available technology at the time.

The series was recently picked up to run nationally on wtn this spring as Canadian Wine Cellar, and Barringer took the opening idea to Verne Andru and Marv Coburn at Virtual Access.

Gear: Live-action camera tracking was done over three days with a Beta sp camera with a manual crane. For the wine label effect, footage was cropped, matted, motion-tracked and composited in Adobe After Effects on dual-processor Power Macs.

The 3D titling was rotoscoped against digitized live-action footage using 3D Studio Max on dual-processor nt workstations. Titling was composited into scenes with After Effects.

Artists: Coburn handled compositing and editing, with Andru on 3D titling and rotoscoping. The live-action footage was shot by Barringer and Max Flex dop Dani Lofstrom.