Rafa TV Documentary to Include Fantastic "Time Freeze" Technology
According to the European Poker Tour, today they are announcing an exciting new technology to be used in an upcoming documentary about Rafa Nadal playing poker to be distributed in 2014.
Players competing in the Eureka Prague Main Event will certainly have spotted a a poker table at the back of the room forming part of a TV set and ringed by an awesome-looking array of Canon cameras. Many will probably also have guessed that this has something to do with the forthcoming €100k charity poker tournament which Team PokerStars SportStar Rafa Nadal is competing in today along with Brazilian football legend Ronaldo, Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu and other sports stars.
You can follow the action from that event on the Twitter hashtag #RafaPrague.
What are the cameras for though? Arrayed in a tight semi-circle and all pointing directly at the poker table, they look as if they have been abandoned by dozens of poker paparazzi. In fact, the cameras are triggered electronically and form the key element for unique “time freeze” footage that will be shot during Rafa’s tournament. They will form part of a documentary made by Shine North/Princess Productions.
The technology was developed by British electronics engineer Peter Johnston to create the effect of a camera whizzing around a central figure, while the object of attention appears to be either completely static or moving in very slow motion. Such techniques were first used on the TV show “The Cube” and have since been used to create some absolutely stunning footage, including dancers who appear “frozen” in mid-air while a camera races around them on the show ‘Got to Dance.’ Many of the same staff are here in Prague.
A total of 80 cameras will be used in Prague with 80 frames shot each time – creating around 3.5 seconds of footage. Johnston said: “I think we are the only people who can create the slow-motion effect, where the cameras are triggered sequentially at about 100 milisecond intervals to create a slow-motion effect – and we’re constantly developing the technology still further to create more and more exciting effects.”
Poker fans will get the chance to see the results when a documentary on Rafa playing poker is released in 2014 across Europe.
*Post and photos courtesy of the EPT Press Release.
flop. The big blind raised to 750 rather quickly and Tjauw Foe made the call. Both players checked on the 
on the turn and the river brought the 
in play. Tjauw Foe checked with the straight on the board and folded as his neighbor bet out 2.300.
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. UK Pro Matt Frankland checked from the big blind as did Istvan Birizdo from Hungary and Radu Lungu, a PokerStars qualifier from Romania. The turn brought the 
. Checked again to Lungu who bet 525 only to face a raise from Frankland to 1,650. With Birizdo getting out of the way Lungu made the call. The river was the 
and now Frankland led out for 1,800. This seemed to pain the Romanian who gave Frankland a puzzled look, glanced at the ceiling and let his hand go.
. He had the button and faced a call from Ferit Gabriellson from Sweden who threw in the chips. The river brought the 
and when Gabriellson checked Duhamel decided to check behind and muck when his opponent announced “Ten.” and showed the 
. The very next hand Duhamel opened for 225 and called a three-bet to 650 from Gabriellson, now in the small blind. An Ace high flop saw Gabriellson make a quick bet and an even quicker fold from Duhamel.
after Menne had bet 2,600. His opponent, Russia's Viktor Litovchenko, proceeded to raise to 6,125, which inspired Menne to three-bet to 12,600. Litovchenko made a quick call and heard the bad news.
face up in the middle of the table. Menne is up to 45,000 here in Level 1.