BOLT - Universal Bolt-On Micro Lens Encoder

Lens data for VFX is a vital component of modern filmmaking and helps make the impossible believable. Knowing exactly what the lens does during filming enables the crew in post-production to match that movement and apply it to the digital assets being added to sell the illusion that everything was filmed in the same place and time.

DCS' current hardware solution, the Lens Data Translator (LDT), is a system that works with existing technologies during filming to quietly and reliably collect lens data for VFX post-production. Whilst the LDT was a leap forward in lens data collection, the reliance on 3rd party systems and user calibration can sometimes lead to issues beyond the control of the hardware. Whilst developing and implementing the LDT, DCS has been able to identify the path to consistently reliable lens data.

DCS' project will build on the success of the current range of LDTs by creating a new product that will dramatically improve reliability whilst simultaneously making it easier to use.

The scope of this project is to design, develop, manufacture and distribute a hardware solution for recording lens data that will give unparalleled accuracy, whilst being invisible to the camera crews who use it.