Used by Cosgrove Hall Films Animation Studio for the production of the Rupert the Bear Follow The Magic HDTV series for Channel 5
Ground-breaking digital camera technology for stop-frame animation cinema production that influenced the film industry at a time when it had not yet made the transition to digital film.
Developed for an animated feature led by Dave Borthwick of the Bolex Brothers, Digimator was funded by the South West Regional Development Agency, Bolex Brothers & Eyebrid Blaze.
High Dynamic Range Photography
(View full size)Colour Accurate 
(View full size)High Dynamic Range 
(View full size)Used in Production
Created in answer to industry eager to find an alternative to film
Problem
Animation Production companies knew that digital camera technology had the potential to revolutionise animation production. Stuck between film, HDTV cameras and early Digital SLR cameras, none of the cameras on the market were suitable for feature film production.
Solution
Digimator was developed on the premise that image handling and quality would be improved by handling a stream of RAW Sensor Data from a high quality Kodak sensor to a PC running bespoke software that provides all of the photography and animation tools needed.
Software Design
Built to meet the demands of the professional Director of Photography and the Animator, the Digimator software enabled a DoP to compose high-quality colour accurate images quickly by looking at a calibrated computer display. It also provided animators with all of the animation assist tools needed to produce stop-frame animation.
Integrated Camera
Integrated directly into the software, complete manual control over the camera was given. The 4K camera was connected via cameralink to a PCI graphics card which performed all of the image manipulation processes, to preserve the integrity of the RAW image and reduce quality degradation.
Print to Film
The image film format Open EXR developed by the US company Industrial Light and Magic, was supported to facilitate a colour accurate print to film workflow.
Features at a Glance
- Robust high quality Camera
- 11 MP Full frame 35mm Kodak sensor
- Active Pixels 4008 x 2672
- Pixel size 9µm x 9µm
- Bit Depth – 12 bit
- Dynamic Range 55dB
- 4K, 2K & HD Projects
- Open EXR, TGA & JPG Export
- Live View
- Onion Skinning
- Sequence Playback
- Synchronised Audio
- Colour Keying
- Optional Optical Viewfinder
The image output is a visibly high standard of picture quality
Economic Advantage
Using a digital system for film production cuts all costs associated with using film, which includes: the purchase of film stock, film developing, telecine transfers and courier fees.
Speed of Production
Shooting digitally allows filmmakers to preview shots instantly, and removes the overnight film developing and delivery cycle. Once recorded and approved, the shot can move immediately into the postproduction pipeline and inserted into an edit.
Increased Artistic Control
Previewing Live images and sequences displayed on a computer monitor provides the Animator, DP and Director with an ability to frame and light a scene knowing that what is displayed is colour accurate.
Testimonials
‘It is a brilliant; easy to use software, with a straight forward User interface. Working closely with the developers has enabled us to get exactly what we want. The ability to animate whilst looking at a high resolution image enables us to select and view an image region, so that we can create really detailed character animation. It’s an ideal workflow for HD and feature film production.’
Andy ChapmanAnimatorCosgrove Hall Films ‘I really appreciate the compact size of the camera, it enables us to access locations in the set which we were not previously able to do. The ability to instantly view, really high quality images at full resolution is fantastic and I find the built in primary grading tools really useful. This system gives me real image confidence!’
John DuffyDoPCosgrove Hall Films “From the very beginning, I wanted to produce the “Rupert the Bear – Follow the Magic” series in High Definition using a digital format. We are always keen to adopt new technology in our productions and stay one step ahead of our competitors.”
Franc VoseProducerCosgrove Hall Films ‘It’s so easy to use, even I can use it.’
Dave Borthwick RIPDirectorBolex Brothers