Codex, Cooke Optics and The Pixel Farm Announce Plans for Next-Gen Metadata System

U.K.-based precision lens manufacturer Cooke Optics announced that it will team up with Codex, manufacturer of digital recorders for high-end cameras, and The Pixel Farm, a developer of postproduction image processing technologies, to develop what the companies are calling “the next generation of metadata capture for film and digital cameras.” The companies plan to release details in the coming months, but apparently, the system will build on the Cooke’s /i Technology, which records key lens and camera data, including focus distance, depth of field, focal zoom position and iris settings, to aid VFX and postproduction teams, in particular in camera tracking shots, where VFX artists have to match the precise camera settings and movements in CG.

Cinematographers can also save lens profiles on memory cards for easy lens swap, calibration, synchronization and postproduction analysis.

“We’ve been talking for a long time with our friends at Codex and The Pixel Farm about how we could improve both the physical and digital capabilities of /i Technology in order to further assist VFX teams – for instance, to help them solve difficult tracking shots,” said Les Zellan, chairman and owner, Cooke Optics.

/i Technology has already been adopted by companies like Avid, Sony, ARRI, Thales Angenieux and RED in their own systems.

“Having assisted Cooke in the development of /i Technology and subsequently being an early adopter of the technology, it is incredibly exciting for us to be a partner in a technological advancement that will really benefit and push forward postproduction,” said Michael Lancaster, managing director, The Pixel Farm.

“Lens data can be so valuable in postproduction and we need to ensure that this data is carried through from camera through to post and VFX,” said Marc Dando, managing director, Codex.