Tim Baier, VFXgang
Rae Grierson, SA Great

Tim Baier works in the visual effects industry and is committed to the use of stereographic visuals in both an entertaining and intellectually satisfying way.

He has produced a stereo "documentary" covering the Flinders Ranges and the Arkaroola region in particular. A self-funded project, this work brings the geology of the Ranges to life in a way that is not possible via monoscopic (or two-dimensional) imagery.

Using single and paired cameras, the regimes range from macrophotography through to landscape photography from a microlight aircraft, all in stereo. Both single and time-lapse sequences were captured.

The many images thus obtained were developed into a cohesive presentation, in collaboration with Doug Sprigg (Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary), Professor Ian Plimer (Professor of Mining Geology at the University of Adelaide) and Dr. Jim Gehling (SA Museum), who all contributed to the accompanying text. The result is a work that describes in detail the unique geology of the Flinders Ranges via stereo imagery and informed comment.

The intent is to provide an audio-visual documentary, with stereo visuals, that can be shown at venues capable of screening stereo images. It is hoped that this project will generate an interest for visually and intellectually stimulating stereographic content that will be accessible to the public.

In association with SA Great, eResearch SA, and the Art Gallery of SA, this project was launched at a breakfast event on December 12th, 2007. The venue was the Radford Auditorium at the Gallery, where a portable (passive polarised) stereo projection rig was set up for the event.

After introductions by Judy Potter (CEO of SA Great), Christopher Menz (Director of AGSA), and Tim Baier, a screening of the work was given.

This event took place during the "A Century in Focus" exhibition at the Gallery, in which a number of antique stereo images were displayed as anaglyphs on computers monitors. The full range of stereo photography was on show, from early examples in that exhibition, to current state-of-the-art imagery at the launch.

As the original imagery for this project was taken at very high resolution (well above HD), the content is suitable for viewing at venues which have sufficiently large projectors to take advantage of the resolution inherent in these images.