October 29, 2007 11:50 AM PDT
National Geographic to release 'U2 3D'
Posted by Daniel Terdiman
A few months ago I wrote that one of the hottest tickets at this year's Cannes Film Festival was U2 3D, a 3D concert film about the popular band made using the technology of two companies helping to make 3D films a regular part of the movie going experience: 3ality and Real D.
Now, U2 3D is set to be accessible even to those of us who couldn't make it to the Riveria to hobnob with Leo and Bobby and the rest of the gang.
According to a release I got this morning from National Geographic Cinema Ventures, the outfit plans to make U2 3D its first "major international" release, and expects the film to hit theaters equipped to show 3D movies in January.
I'm kind of excited by this, even though I'm not a huge U2 fan. I think that this is exactly the kind of movie that could really get people to see the value of 3D, and that's in spite of evidence that the market for such films is taking off in a big way.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Phillips Goes 3-D…
Phillips Goes 3-D…
Published October 25th, 2007 in Emerging Technology.
Get ready to dump those funky 3-D glasses…
Phillips Electronics has been working on a technology that will deliver a pseudo 3-D image using a special flat panel display - no colored specs required. Called ‘WoWvx’, this technology ties together unique display optics, a video meta-data stream that adds depth information to traditional 2-D images and some clever software processing to pull it all together.
The optics piece of WoWvx is based on a panel of lenticular lens placed on the face of the display. These lens allows the system to provide each eye of the viewer with its own distinct image. These distinct images offer a slightly different perspective of the same main image, creating the illusion of depth. This is exactly how ours eyes work in the real world - each one sees a slightly different image, which our brain combines to give us spacial perception.
blog-_d-postcard-lg.jpgThe concepts behind the optical technology used here have been around for a while. While clearly much more refined, the lens panel used here plays a similar role to the top layer used in those 3-D post cards that were popular in the 1960’s - the ones that used to show different images when you held the card at different angles. The difference - and it’s a BIG difference - is that this system can deliver these specific independent images to each eye simultaneously.
For this lens system to work, there is a hefty chunk of technology behind it that needs to figure out how to construct these two distinct images in the first place.
And that’s where the interesting stuff really kicks in…
For each frame of video, a map needs to exist defining the depth of each pixel in the frame. This is similar to something in video post production called ‘2.5-D’. In 2.5-D, flat 2-D images are extruded to create depth. These extruded elements can then be manipulated independently, and a ‘virtual camera’ can move around the extruded picture in 3-D, albeit with some limitations, to create a series of moving images that appear to have depth. This type of breakdown looks something like this:
blog-25d-images.jpg
In the Phillips system, this depth defines the distance of each pixel from the lens of the camera that shot the image. It can be calculated through various mechanisms directly from 2-D images (using methods like blur analysis for example), or captured at the same time as the image. Software is able to take these depth values and use them to derive two mathematically generated images that show slightly different perspectives on the original image. These two images are vertically interlaced on the screen, and the lenticular lens take it from there to deliver them to each eye.
And there you have it. 3-D! (sorta) …
While Phillips is currently targeting WOWvx at commercial venues, it seems like it eventually could find a place in home theaters as well. Here is a short video by Phillips advertising this system:
To see a how the meta-data around depth is represented, check out some of the videos over at WoWvx.com. With each of these videos, the left side of the screen shows the original image stream, and the right side shows it’s corresponding ‘depth map’. Lighter shades of gray indicate the corresponding pixels are closer to the camera and darker shades mean they are farther away. The two streams combine to make ‘3-D’ happen.
If this technology eventually takes off, those multi-colored ’stereo-vision’ glasses will be a thing of the past.
Hopefully the same will be true for those cheesy 3-D movies…
Published October 25th, 2007 in Emerging Technology.
Get ready to dump those funky 3-D glasses…
Phillips Electronics has been working on a technology that will deliver a pseudo 3-D image using a special flat panel display - no colored specs required. Called ‘WoWvx’, this technology ties together unique display optics, a video meta-data stream that adds depth information to traditional 2-D images and some clever software processing to pull it all together.
The optics piece of WoWvx is based on a panel of lenticular lens placed on the face of the display. These lens allows the system to provide each eye of the viewer with its own distinct image. These distinct images offer a slightly different perspective of the same main image, creating the illusion of depth. This is exactly how ours eyes work in the real world - each one sees a slightly different image, which our brain combines to give us spacial perception.
blog-_d-postcard-lg.jpgThe concepts behind the optical technology used here have been around for a while. While clearly much more refined, the lens panel used here plays a similar role to the top layer used in those 3-D post cards that were popular in the 1960’s - the ones that used to show different images when you held the card at different angles. The difference - and it’s a BIG difference - is that this system can deliver these specific independent images to each eye simultaneously.
For this lens system to work, there is a hefty chunk of technology behind it that needs to figure out how to construct these two distinct images in the first place.
And that’s where the interesting stuff really kicks in…
For each frame of video, a map needs to exist defining the depth of each pixel in the frame. This is similar to something in video post production called ‘2.5-D’. In 2.5-D, flat 2-D images are extruded to create depth. These extruded elements can then be manipulated independently, and a ‘virtual camera’ can move around the extruded picture in 3-D, albeit with some limitations, to create a series of moving images that appear to have depth. This type of breakdown looks something like this:
blog-25d-images.jpg
In the Phillips system, this depth defines the distance of each pixel from the lens of the camera that shot the image. It can be calculated through various mechanisms directly from 2-D images (using methods like blur analysis for example), or captured at the same time as the image. Software is able to take these depth values and use them to derive two mathematically generated images that show slightly different perspectives on the original image. These two images are vertically interlaced on the screen, and the lenticular lens take it from there to deliver them to each eye.
And there you have it. 3-D! (sorta) …
While Phillips is currently targeting WOWvx at commercial venues, it seems like it eventually could find a place in home theaters as well. Here is a short video by Phillips advertising this system:
To see a how the meta-data around depth is represented, check out some of the videos over at WoWvx.com. With each of these videos, the left side of the screen shows the original image stream, and the right side shows it’s corresponding ‘depth map’. Lighter shades of gray indicate the corresponding pixels are closer to the camera and darker shades mean they are farther away. The two streams combine to make ‘3-D’ happen.
If this technology eventually takes off, those multi-colored ’stereo-vision’ glasses will be a thing of the past.
Hopefully the same will be true for those cheesy 3-D movies…
Friday, October 19, 2007
Odeon/UCI to install up to 500 3-D digital screens over the next two years across Europe
At a packed house Wednesday morning, theater owners slipped on special glasses and checked out trailers for upcoming 3-D films including Robert Zemeckis' "Beowulf," from Paramount-Warner Bros.; New Line's "Journey 3-D"; and Summit Entertainment's "Fly Me to the Moon." Also unspooled: an extended clip from "U2 3D," shot during the band's Vertigo Tour.
Disney -- a pioneer in the new 3-D movement -- announced it will release 3-D concert film "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" in theaters for one week only, Feb. 1-7, in the U.S. and Canada.
3-D presentation at ShowEast, Real D announced that it has inked its largest international deal to date, pacting with pan-European cinema exhib Odeon/UCI to install up to 500 3-D digital screens over the next two years across Europe.
Imax also announced a new digital projection system will virtually eliminate the need for film prints, increasing the number of movies shown on Imax screens by making it much easier for studios to deliver their product. The roll out of three digital prototype systems in the second quarter of next year and a full roll out will begin in the second half of the third quarter.
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?lay...&categoryid=13
http://www.reald.com/
http://www.reald-corporate.com/default.asp
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...ryid=2222&cs=1
Disney -- a pioneer in the new 3-D movement -- announced it will release 3-D concert film "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" in theaters for one week only, Feb. 1-7, in the U.S. and Canada.
3-D presentation at ShowEast, Real D announced that it has inked its largest international deal to date, pacting with pan-European cinema exhib Odeon/UCI to install up to 500 3-D digital screens over the next two years across Europe.
Imax also announced a new digital projection system will virtually eliminate the need for film prints, increasing the number of movies shown on Imax screens by making it much easier for studios to deliver their product. The roll out of three digital prototype systems in the second quarter of next year and a full roll out will begin in the second half of the third quarter.
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?lay...&categoryid=13
http://www.reald.com/
http://www.reald-corporate.com/default.asp
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...ryid=2222&cs=1
3D transmissions start in Japan
3D transmissions start in Japan
Chris Forrester
Nippon BS Broadcasting announced on October 17 that they are to start 3D broadcasts.
Japan, always at the forefront of broadcasting innovation, is to start 3D transmissions on December 1. Nippon BS Broadcasting Corporation said that they would launch a new Broadcast Satellite (BS) HD channel, BS 11 Digital on December 1, 2007.
The announcement said that they plan to air specific 3D programs for at least 15 minutes twice every day with the aim to promote 3D television broadcasting and which viewers can watch in their homes.
To accomplish this goal, they will explain the mechanism of 3D broadcasting and provide the latest information of 3D technologies through their programs. A special TV receiver and glasses are needed to view this new service. - (c) Rapid TV News 2007
Chris Forrester
Nippon BS Broadcasting announced on October 17 that they are to start 3D broadcasts.
Japan, always at the forefront of broadcasting innovation, is to start 3D transmissions on December 1. Nippon BS Broadcasting Corporation said that they would launch a new Broadcast Satellite (BS) HD channel, BS 11 Digital on December 1, 2007.
The announcement said that they plan to air specific 3D programs for at least 15 minutes twice every day with the aim to promote 3D television broadcasting and which viewers can watch in their homes.
To accomplish this goal, they will explain the mechanism of 3D broadcasting and provide the latest information of 3D technologies through their programs. A special TV receiver and glasses are needed to view this new service. - (c) Rapid TV News 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Dolby stakes its claim in 3D movie tech
Dolby stakes its claim in 3D movie tech
By Stephen Shankland, News.com
Published on ZDNet News: Oct 8, 2007 4:00:00 AM
SAN FRANCISCO--When Paramount Pictures' 3D movie Beowulf debuts on November 16, the battle between an Anglo-Saxon hero and various monsters won't be the only one moviegoers will witness.
The Robert Zemeckis film also will be first major time that Real D, one of the companies that made the current renaissance of 3D movies possible, directly faces a newer challenger, Dolby 3D from Dolby Laboratories.
Beowulf will show using Real D's technology on 1,000 screens nationwide, Chief Executive Michael Lewis said. Dolby isn't saying yet how many will use Dolby 3D, but it's racing to install its technology as widely as possible, limited chiefly by the rate that partners manufacture its 3D glasses.
"Real D is leading the pack, since they have the widest distribution, but everyone is watching with anticipation," said Aaron Parry, chief executive of production company Main Street Pictures, which Paramount hired to evaluate the current state of stereoscopic filmmaking.
Click for gallery
Ultimately, the race to spread 3D movie technology could hasten the day that many in the industry see as inevitable, when 3D movies escape their history as off-the-wall spectacle and become the norm. In this view, the shift to 3D is just another overhaul of the entertainment business, just like the arrival of sound and color in the last century.
"I think in 10 years you can say entertainment will feel like you're there. It will completely blur the line between the experience you took physically and the experience you took visually," said Vince Pace, whose company, Pace co-developed with James Cameron the Fusion 3D camera being used in that director's 2009 movie, Avatar.
It's no secret why the industry would be eager for a cinematic revolution. Big flat-panel displays and surround sound made home theater compelling at the same time the studios were financially stagnant. 3D versions of movies such as Chicken Little have generated more revenue than their 2D equivalents financially, and the industry expects more of the same.
"We believe that 3D has the potential to meaningfully boost growth, by allowing theaters to offer a new visual experience that we believe will drive incremental attendance and price hikes," JPMorgan analyst Barton Crockett said in a September report.
He estimated 3D movies will draw 10 percent more viewers than 2D equivalents, and each person willing to pay about $3.50 more per ticket in 2009. That means $300 million to $400 million in additional earnings for theater companies--about a fifth of the total box-office take by 2011. The number of 3D-equipped screens should jump to 7,000 by 2010, he predicted.
Most expect home theater to lag 3D in movie theaters. Even when it catches up, "The biggest problem is that 3D on a small screen is not satisfying in same way as in big screen. It is what you call an immersive experience," said Dave Schnuelle, Dolby's senior director for image technology.
Antipiracy is a side benefit. Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has observed, "Ninety percent of all piracy comes from a camcorder aimed at the screen. You can't camcorder 3D movies."
However, building a 3D future is difficult.
Inside the technology
Real D and Dolby rely on the same basic idea to give an audience the illusion of depth: show images that differ slightly in vantage point to each of a viewer's eyes. The viewer's brain will reconstruct the third dimension, just as it does in the real world.
Both companies require glasses to ensure each eye gets only the correct view; Real D uses circular polarization while Dolby uses a color-filtering technology licensed from Infinitec. The light is separated into the left-eye and right-eye views at the projector, switching back and forth 144 times per second.
With the new method, "there's no eye fatigue like in the 1950s and 1970s," said Tim Partridge, Dolby's head of products and technology.
In Dolby 3D, a spinning CD-size wheel between the lamp and the digital projector alternately lets through one set of light frequencies or another--two slightly different versions of the red, green and blue primary colors for each eye. The wheel spins six times for each movie frame, with the digital projector synchronized to show the appropriate eye's image.
In contrast, Real D uses an electronic filter called a Z-screen that circularly polarizes the light two different ways after it leaves the projector, also switching back and forth six times per frame to avoid flicker. Circular polarization--a complicated transformation of light's electromagnetic properties--requires the use of a special silver screen that retains the polarization as the light reflects back toward the audience.
Another company in Korea, Masterimage, also is trying to get into the market with an approach that uses a spinning wheel in front of the projector to apply the circular polarization.
Correction: This story misidentified the studio for which Main Street Pictures Chief Executive Aaron Parry conducted a study of 3D moviemaking. Paramount Pictures hired him.
Each technology has its advantages and drawbacks. Dolby 3D's glasses are difficult to manufacture and therefore expensive--$50 right now, though the company expects prices will drop. They must therefore be returned after use and washed in an automated washer. Real D's 5-cent, disposable glasses can be branded with promotional graphics from the movie.
Dolby 3D has an advantage with movie screens. Real D requires theaters to install the special silver screens, which JPMorgan estimates cost $5,500 apiece. Silver screens offer higher reflectivity and work with 2D movies as well, but there's concern that despite advances they suffer from a bright central "hot spot." Dolby 3D uses conventional white screens, which means theaters can move 3D movies to smaller screens as a movie runs its course at a theater.
Real D seems to have the edge for maximum screen size, though--an important consideration given that both cut down the amount of light to less than a sixth of what a conventional 2D movie projects. Dolby is cagey about how large a screen Dolby 3D can use, though executives say it's been used to show movies on 38-foot screens. Real D, though was at 47 feet during debut and this year should reach beyond 60 feet early next year, said Real D president and co-founder Joshua Greer.
Click for chart
Another factor is how well separated the left-eye and right-eye views are, so that light from one doesn't leak into the other. Real D has "ghostbusting" technology to electronically counteract this problem, and it's working to move it from a digital processing step to a real-time add-on. Dolby, though, boasts that its technology requires no ghostbusting at all.
Neither rival is standing still. "Both are to some degree in their infancy," Parry said. "They'll change radically in the next couple years."
3D movie-making: a new nut to crack
Making 3D movies in the first place is another challenge, with production costs somewhere between 10 percent to 20 percent higher, according to various industry estimates. There, too, technology is changing fast, though.
3D filming has been hampered by technical challenges. For live-action movies, two cameras must be closely coordinated, with risks increasing as cameras move or lenses zoom. Computer-generated animations are easier because they're typically already designed in 3D and therefore require only more computer hours to render the second viewpoint.
Pace is one company trying to address the live-action difficulties, and its 3D cameras have won over Doug Schwartz, creator of the Baywatch TV series and now the chairman of Stereo Vision Entertainment, which aims to bring smaller-budget 3D movies to the screen.
"The (3D) camera used to be size of a VW bug. But you can do anything now--handheld, Steadicam, underwater, dollies, zoom, cranes," he said. Also important: technology from Quantel lets directors review the shot immediately, in 3D, on the set.
Tools are still missing from 3D production, though, said Pierre Raymond, president and founder of Hybride Technologies, a visual effects company that's working Journey 3-D, a new take on the Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. For example, a standard "rig erase" operation, using computers to digitally erase gear such as wires to suspend actors in the air, is much more complicated than in 2D.
"If do in it 3D, you will erase something on the right eye, and you will not see it. You erase it on the left eye, and you will not see it. When you put stereo glasses on, bang, you see the patch," he said.
Three-dimensional movies are still a novelty, and movies are trying to milk it for all it's worth. "Every time you bring a new technology to market, you will pass the gimmicky stage," Raymond said.
Take Schwartz's work, which is Stereo Vision's first project. Planned for Halloween 2008, Aubrey Blaze Piranhas 3-D features video-game creators who are trapped in Brazilian caves and must reckon with mutant flying carnivorous fish.
"Water is one of best environments for 3D, because things float--they're in the middle of the screen and coming right out at you," Schwartz said. Stereo Vision also is working to exploit the 3D possibilities of restaurant waitresses in South Beach, Miami with a comedy called Hooters 3DD.
But there are limits, even with movies that embrace 3D's shock value. "You don't want to be jarring to the audience," Schwartz said. For example, MTV-style fast cuts from one scene to another are a no-no because audience members must refocus.
Most, including Real 3D's Lewis, expect a more easygoing era to arrive, with 3D used to involve people more deeply in the narrative. "Ideally we want to make you feel like you're part of the movie and less like there are things flying out at you."
By Stephen Shankland, News.com
Published on ZDNet News: Oct 8, 2007 4:00:00 AM
SAN FRANCISCO--When Paramount Pictures' 3D movie Beowulf debuts on November 16, the battle between an Anglo-Saxon hero and various monsters won't be the only one moviegoers will witness.
The Robert Zemeckis film also will be first major time that Real D, one of the companies that made the current renaissance of 3D movies possible, directly faces a newer challenger, Dolby 3D from Dolby Laboratories.
Beowulf will show using Real D's technology on 1,000 screens nationwide, Chief Executive Michael Lewis said. Dolby isn't saying yet how many will use Dolby 3D, but it's racing to install its technology as widely as possible, limited chiefly by the rate that partners manufacture its 3D glasses.
"Real D is leading the pack, since they have the widest distribution, but everyone is watching with anticipation," said Aaron Parry, chief executive of production company Main Street Pictures, which Paramount hired to evaluate the current state of stereoscopic filmmaking.
Click for gallery
Ultimately, the race to spread 3D movie technology could hasten the day that many in the industry see as inevitable, when 3D movies escape their history as off-the-wall spectacle and become the norm. In this view, the shift to 3D is just another overhaul of the entertainment business, just like the arrival of sound and color in the last century.
"I think in 10 years you can say entertainment will feel like you're there. It will completely blur the line between the experience you took physically and the experience you took visually," said Vince Pace, whose company, Pace co-developed with James Cameron the Fusion 3D camera being used in that director's 2009 movie, Avatar.
It's no secret why the industry would be eager for a cinematic revolution. Big flat-panel displays and surround sound made home theater compelling at the same time the studios were financially stagnant. 3D versions of movies such as Chicken Little have generated more revenue than their 2D equivalents financially, and the industry expects more of the same.
"We believe that 3D has the potential to meaningfully boost growth, by allowing theaters to offer a new visual experience that we believe will drive incremental attendance and price hikes," JPMorgan analyst Barton Crockett said in a September report.
He estimated 3D movies will draw 10 percent more viewers than 2D equivalents, and each person willing to pay about $3.50 more per ticket in 2009. That means $300 million to $400 million in additional earnings for theater companies--about a fifth of the total box-office take by 2011. The number of 3D-equipped screens should jump to 7,000 by 2010, he predicted.
Most expect home theater to lag 3D in movie theaters. Even when it catches up, "The biggest problem is that 3D on a small screen is not satisfying in same way as in big screen. It is what you call an immersive experience," said Dave Schnuelle, Dolby's senior director for image technology.
Antipiracy is a side benefit. Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has observed, "Ninety percent of all piracy comes from a camcorder aimed at the screen. You can't camcorder 3D movies."
However, building a 3D future is difficult.
Inside the technology
Real D and Dolby rely on the same basic idea to give an audience the illusion of depth: show images that differ slightly in vantage point to each of a viewer's eyes. The viewer's brain will reconstruct the third dimension, just as it does in the real world.
Both companies require glasses to ensure each eye gets only the correct view; Real D uses circular polarization while Dolby uses a color-filtering technology licensed from Infinitec. The light is separated into the left-eye and right-eye views at the projector, switching back and forth 144 times per second.
With the new method, "there's no eye fatigue like in the 1950s and 1970s," said Tim Partridge, Dolby's head of products and technology.
In Dolby 3D, a spinning CD-size wheel between the lamp and the digital projector alternately lets through one set of light frequencies or another--two slightly different versions of the red, green and blue primary colors for each eye. The wheel spins six times for each movie frame, with the digital projector synchronized to show the appropriate eye's image.
In contrast, Real D uses an electronic filter called a Z-screen that circularly polarizes the light two different ways after it leaves the projector, also switching back and forth six times per frame to avoid flicker. Circular polarization--a complicated transformation of light's electromagnetic properties--requires the use of a special silver screen that retains the polarization as the light reflects back toward the audience.
Another company in Korea, Masterimage, also is trying to get into the market with an approach that uses a spinning wheel in front of the projector to apply the circular polarization.
Correction: This story misidentified the studio for which Main Street Pictures Chief Executive Aaron Parry conducted a study of 3D moviemaking. Paramount Pictures hired him.
Each technology has its advantages and drawbacks. Dolby 3D's glasses are difficult to manufacture and therefore expensive--$50 right now, though the company expects prices will drop. They must therefore be returned after use and washed in an automated washer. Real D's 5-cent, disposable glasses can be branded with promotional graphics from the movie.
Dolby 3D has an advantage with movie screens. Real D requires theaters to install the special silver screens, which JPMorgan estimates cost $5,500 apiece. Silver screens offer higher reflectivity and work with 2D movies as well, but there's concern that despite advances they suffer from a bright central "hot spot." Dolby 3D uses conventional white screens, which means theaters can move 3D movies to smaller screens as a movie runs its course at a theater.
Real D seems to have the edge for maximum screen size, though--an important consideration given that both cut down the amount of light to less than a sixth of what a conventional 2D movie projects. Dolby is cagey about how large a screen Dolby 3D can use, though executives say it's been used to show movies on 38-foot screens. Real D, though was at 47 feet during debut and this year should reach beyond 60 feet early next year, said Real D president and co-founder Joshua Greer.
Click for chart
Another factor is how well separated the left-eye and right-eye views are, so that light from one doesn't leak into the other. Real D has "ghostbusting" technology to electronically counteract this problem, and it's working to move it from a digital processing step to a real-time add-on. Dolby, though, boasts that its technology requires no ghostbusting at all.
Neither rival is standing still. "Both are to some degree in their infancy," Parry said. "They'll change radically in the next couple years."
3D movie-making: a new nut to crack
Making 3D movies in the first place is another challenge, with production costs somewhere between 10 percent to 20 percent higher, according to various industry estimates. There, too, technology is changing fast, though.
3D filming has been hampered by technical challenges. For live-action movies, two cameras must be closely coordinated, with risks increasing as cameras move or lenses zoom. Computer-generated animations are easier because they're typically already designed in 3D and therefore require only more computer hours to render the second viewpoint.
Pace is one company trying to address the live-action difficulties, and its 3D cameras have won over Doug Schwartz, creator of the Baywatch TV series and now the chairman of Stereo Vision Entertainment, which aims to bring smaller-budget 3D movies to the screen.
"The (3D) camera used to be size of a VW bug. But you can do anything now--handheld, Steadicam, underwater, dollies, zoom, cranes," he said. Also important: technology from Quantel lets directors review the shot immediately, in 3D, on the set.
Tools are still missing from 3D production, though, said Pierre Raymond, president and founder of Hybride Technologies, a visual effects company that's working Journey 3-D, a new take on the Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. For example, a standard "rig erase" operation, using computers to digitally erase gear such as wires to suspend actors in the air, is much more complicated than in 2D.
"If do in it 3D, you will erase something on the right eye, and you will not see it. You erase it on the left eye, and you will not see it. When you put stereo glasses on, bang, you see the patch," he said.
Three-dimensional movies are still a novelty, and movies are trying to milk it for all it's worth. "Every time you bring a new technology to market, you will pass the gimmicky stage," Raymond said.
Take Schwartz's work, which is Stereo Vision's first project. Planned for Halloween 2008, Aubrey Blaze Piranhas 3-D features video-game creators who are trapped in Brazilian caves and must reckon with mutant flying carnivorous fish.
"Water is one of best environments for 3D, because things float--they're in the middle of the screen and coming right out at you," Schwartz said. Stereo Vision also is working to exploit the 3D possibilities of restaurant waitresses in South Beach, Miami with a comedy called Hooters 3DD.
But there are limits, even with movies that embrace 3D's shock value. "You don't want to be jarring to the audience," Schwartz said. For example, MTV-style fast cuts from one scene to another are a no-no because audience members must refocus.
Most, including Real 3D's Lewis, expect a more easygoing era to arrive, with 3D used to involve people more deeply in the narrative. "Ideally we want to make you feel like you're part of the movie and less like there are things flying out at you."
3D Projection Differences - from NAB 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
Digital Cinema At the 2007 NAB: 3D Controversy
Apr 16 2007 3:00PM
Continued from 'Digital Cinema At the 2007 NAB: Steady Progress'....
The last presentation in this panel, from Dave Schnuelle, Senior Director of Image Technology at Dolby Labs, bears closer scrutiny. As I previously mentioned, the presentation of Chicken Little that I saw in late 2005 was branded as 'Dolby Digital Cinema' but used Real D 3-D projection and glasses technology, a moniker morass that I found confusing at the time. I'm less confused now, because Schnuelle tossed the audience the first few tantalizing crumbs of Dolby's unique long-term approach to 3-D projection.
To explain what little we now know about Dolby 3D Digital Cinema (note the name change), I'll begin by reminding you that the objective of any 3D display system is to present unique, perspective-altered versions of a given scene to a viewers' right and left eyes. Real D, as I've earlier mentioned, does this by successively projecting 'right' and 'left' versions of a given frame, with varying polarization characteristics, coupled to varying polarization responses of the right and left lenses in the viewers' glasses. NuVision's approach, conversely, projects the right and left views of a scene polarization-unaltered; it relies on alternately blocking-and-passing LCD shutters in the glasses to route the correct image to its matching eye.
The original approach to 3D, however, is the so-called anaglyph technique, known to any of you who've ever donned a set of red- and blue-lens glasses. The right and left versions of the scene, contained within the same image (therefore making the approach amenable to conventional 24 fps projection equipment), are correspondingly color-deficient. And, as any of who who've ever donned a set of red-and-blue glasses also know, anaglyph doesn't work very well. Among other things, there's a fair bit of image leakage to the unintended eye; said more precisely, the technology's extinction ratio is low. And each eye's view is missing a significant percentage of the full visible spectrum, requiring imperfect interpolation 'blending' image repair within the viewers' brains.
Dolby is, it seems from what Schnuelle said Saturday morning, going Back The Future with their under-development 3D technology. Schnuelle put the classic color gamut 'triangle' on-screen and then, in very general terms, explained that in Dolby 3D Digital Cinema, each eye's image would be based on slightly different RGB 'primaries' (presumably filtered by more exotic filtered lenses in the glasses). Unlike with anaglyph, with Dolby 3D Digital Cinema each eye gets a full RGB image, and Schnuelle took great pains to emphasize that the left- and right-view images would be color-indistinguishable from each other when viewed through the glasses.
Some other notes from Schnuelle's pitch:
Three fundamental design goals for Dolby 3D Digital Cinema were that it must be practical (must integrate easily into current theater operations), high quality (superior pictures, eliminate previous limitations), and cost-effective (must be a good investment for exhibitors and studios). It uses a color filter wheel, albeit not in image-forming path, instead in the path of the lamp assembly feeding the light engine. It employs a standard projector with a simple filter accessory; filter placement reduces stress on the optical assembly. Dolby 3D Digital Cinema works fine with a standard white screen (it also works with silver, but this isn't necessary). It delivers great 3D from every seat, using comfortable, lightweight passive glasses, and providing sharp, clear images with excellent color fidelity. It also provides a simplified, less costly process for creating and distributing 3D content.
Digital Cinema At the 2007 NAB: 3D Controversy
Apr 16 2007 3:00PM
Continued from 'Digital Cinema At the 2007 NAB: Steady Progress'....
The last presentation in this panel, from Dave Schnuelle, Senior Director of Image Technology at Dolby Labs, bears closer scrutiny. As I previously mentioned, the presentation of Chicken Little that I saw in late 2005 was branded as 'Dolby Digital Cinema' but used Real D 3-D projection and glasses technology, a moniker morass that I found confusing at the time. I'm less confused now, because Schnuelle tossed the audience the first few tantalizing crumbs of Dolby's unique long-term approach to 3-D projection.
To explain what little we now know about Dolby 3D Digital Cinema (note the name change), I'll begin by reminding you that the objective of any 3D display system is to present unique, perspective-altered versions of a given scene to a viewers' right and left eyes. Real D, as I've earlier mentioned, does this by successively projecting 'right' and 'left' versions of a given frame, with varying polarization characteristics, coupled to varying polarization responses of the right and left lenses in the viewers' glasses. NuVision's approach, conversely, projects the right and left views of a scene polarization-unaltered; it relies on alternately blocking-and-passing LCD shutters in the glasses to route the correct image to its matching eye.
The original approach to 3D, however, is the so-called anaglyph technique, known to any of you who've ever donned a set of red- and blue-lens glasses. The right and left versions of the scene, contained within the same image (therefore making the approach amenable to conventional 24 fps projection equipment), are correspondingly color-deficient. And, as any of who who've ever donned a set of red-and-blue glasses also know, anaglyph doesn't work very well. Among other things, there's a fair bit of image leakage to the unintended eye; said more precisely, the technology's extinction ratio is low. And each eye's view is missing a significant percentage of the full visible spectrum, requiring imperfect interpolation 'blending' image repair within the viewers' brains.
Dolby is, it seems from what Schnuelle said Saturday morning, going Back The Future with their under-development 3D technology. Schnuelle put the classic color gamut 'triangle' on-screen and then, in very general terms, explained that in Dolby 3D Digital Cinema, each eye's image would be based on slightly different RGB 'primaries' (presumably filtered by more exotic filtered lenses in the glasses). Unlike with anaglyph, with Dolby 3D Digital Cinema each eye gets a full RGB image, and Schnuelle took great pains to emphasize that the left- and right-view images would be color-indistinguishable from each other when viewed through the glasses.
Some other notes from Schnuelle's pitch:
Three fundamental design goals for Dolby 3D Digital Cinema were that it must be practical (must integrate easily into current theater operations), high quality (superior pictures, eliminate previous limitations), and cost-effective (must be a good investment for exhibitors and studios). It uses a color filter wheel, albeit not in image-forming path, instead in the path of the lamp assembly feeding the light engine. It employs a standard projector with a simple filter accessory; filter placement reduces stress on the optical assembly. Dolby 3D Digital Cinema works fine with a standard white screen (it also works with silver, but this isn't necessary). It delivers great 3D from every seat, using comfortable, lightweight passive glasses, and providing sharp, clear images with excellent color fidelity. It also provides a simplified, less costly process for creating and distributing 3D content.
Tools tweak next generation of 3-D -- Technology applied to mobile phones, PCs
Variety.com
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117973707&categoryid=-1
Tue., Oct. 9, 2007,
Tools tweak next generation of 3-D
Technology applied to mobile phones, PCs
By DARCY PAQUET
The next big thing in exhibition has been around for more than 50 years, but proponents insist that this time, 3-D is here to stay.
This year's special focus on 3-D at Bifcom covers the technology from several perspectives, including exhibition, production and the conversion of 2-D material to 3-D (a process known as dimensionalization).
Latter process was illustrated by Matthew DeJohn of In-Three with a presentation of more than 10 still cuts from "Star Wars: Episode 3" and Korean hit "The Host."
However, participants also emphasized that 3-D is set to invade more than just the traditional cinema.
Korean firm MasterImage had specialized LCD screens on display that can provide 3-D imagery ranging in size from 2.2 inches to 19 inches without any need for glasses.
The first mobile phone equipped with MasterImage's screens will go out in China in November, while mobile PCs and MP4 players will follow in the next six months.
Other applications include use in PC monitors (already launched last December) and in special coin-operated viewing devices that are being prepped for use in theater lobbies.
MasterImage is also emerging as a rival in Asia to firms specializing in 3-D projection such as RealD, Dolby and NuVision.
Company's internally developed single-projector type system has been adopted by Korea's largest exhibitor CJ CGV, and was also showcased this spring at the 4-D airport theater in Hong Kong. (4-D refers to 3-D imagery combined with other sensory effects including smoke, vibrating chairs, moving lighting, etc.)
It was clear from technical demonstrations that the hardware required for 3-D screenings is advancing quickly.
"There is no longer any excuse for headaches or eye fatigue in 3-D screenings," said DeJohn at an afternoon panel. He maintained firms are also within reach of so-called "perfect 3-D," meaning an image without any blemishes, exactly as the director intended it.
But the availability of content produced specifically for the 3-D medium will be a significant factor in pushing the new technology. Lee Young-hoon, prexy of MasterImage, estimates the first Korean 3-D film will be made in 2009, when according to Screen Digest there will be over 5,000 digital 3-D screens in use across the world.
That same year, James Cameron's ambitious "Avatar 3-D" is scheduled to hit screens, and the success or failure of that title could have a significant effect on the future development of the industry.
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117973707&categoryid=-1
Tue., Oct. 9, 2007,
Tools tweak next generation of 3-D
Technology applied to mobile phones, PCs
By DARCY PAQUET
The next big thing in exhibition has been around for more than 50 years, but proponents insist that this time, 3-D is here to stay.
This year's special focus on 3-D at Bifcom covers the technology from several perspectives, including exhibition, production and the conversion of 2-D material to 3-D (a process known as dimensionalization).
Latter process was illustrated by Matthew DeJohn of In-Three with a presentation of more than 10 still cuts from "Star Wars: Episode 3" and Korean hit "The Host."
However, participants also emphasized that 3-D is set to invade more than just the traditional cinema.
Korean firm MasterImage had specialized LCD screens on display that can provide 3-D imagery ranging in size from 2.2 inches to 19 inches without any need for glasses.
The first mobile phone equipped with MasterImage's screens will go out in China in November, while mobile PCs and MP4 players will follow in the next six months.
Other applications include use in PC monitors (already launched last December) and in special coin-operated viewing devices that are being prepped for use in theater lobbies.
MasterImage is also emerging as a rival in Asia to firms specializing in 3-D projection such as RealD, Dolby and NuVision.
Company's internally developed single-projector type system has been adopted by Korea's largest exhibitor CJ CGV, and was also showcased this spring at the 4-D airport theater in Hong Kong. (4-D refers to 3-D imagery combined with other sensory effects including smoke, vibrating chairs, moving lighting, etc.)
It was clear from technical demonstrations that the hardware required for 3-D screenings is advancing quickly.
"There is no longer any excuse for headaches or eye fatigue in 3-D screenings," said DeJohn at an afternoon panel. He maintained firms are also within reach of so-called "perfect 3-D," meaning an image without any blemishes, exactly as the director intended it.
But the availability of content produced specifically for the 3-D medium will be a significant factor in pushing the new technology. Lee Young-hoon, prexy of MasterImage, estimates the first Korean 3-D film will be made in 2009, when according to Screen Digest there will be over 5,000 digital 3-D screens in use across the world.
That same year, James Cameron's ambitious "Avatar 3-D" is scheduled to hit screens, and the success or failure of that title could have a significant effect on the future development of the industry.
Cineworld to roll out 3-D projectors in UK
Cineworld to roll out 3-D projectors
U.K. exhibs signs up with Real D
By ALI JAAFAR - Variety Magazine
U.K. exhib Cineworld has inked a deal with 3-D specialist Real D to roll out 3-D projection on the loop’s digital screens.
Real D will initially outfit 30 of Cineworld’s 72 digital screens with its 3-D projection system in preparation for the Nov. 16 release of Robert Zemeckis’ “Beowulf.”
Cineworld claims to have the largest portfolio of digital screens of all U.K. exhibs. Agreement will see Cineworld continue to add Real D systems to screens as the exhib group finalizes its negotiations with studios over the business terms of digital deployment.
“We could see as many as 100 Real D screens once our digital platform is in place,” said Cineworld CEO Steve Wiener. “The impact of 3-D on the film industry can be compared to the move from black and white to color.”
U.S. studios are embracing digital 3-D technology. DreamWorks Animation topper Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that the studio intends to release all its toons in 3-D in the future, beginning with 2009’s “Monsters and Aliens.”
Paramount, New Line, Disney, Sony, Warner and Fox all have major 3-D projects in the works in formats that include motion capture (“Beowulf”) and live action (James Cameron’s “Avatar”).
U.K. exhibs signs up with Real D
By ALI JAAFAR - Variety Magazine
U.K. exhib Cineworld has inked a deal with 3-D specialist Real D to roll out 3-D projection on the loop’s digital screens.
Real D will initially outfit 30 of Cineworld’s 72 digital screens with its 3-D projection system in preparation for the Nov. 16 release of Robert Zemeckis’ “Beowulf.”
Cineworld claims to have the largest portfolio of digital screens of all U.K. exhibs. Agreement will see Cineworld continue to add Real D systems to screens as the exhib group finalizes its negotiations with studios over the business terms of digital deployment.
“We could see as many as 100 Real D screens once our digital platform is in place,” said Cineworld CEO Steve Wiener. “The impact of 3-D on the film industry can be compared to the move from black and white to color.”
U.S. studios are embracing digital 3-D technology. DreamWorks Animation topper Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that the studio intends to release all its toons in 3-D in the future, beginning with 2009’s “Monsters and Aliens.”
Paramount, New Line, Disney, Sony, Warner and Fox all have major 3-D projects in the works in formats that include motion capture (“Beowulf”) and live action (James Cameron’s “Avatar”).
Digital 3-D has hurdles to jump
By Gregg Kilday - The Hollywood Reporter
Oct 10, 2007
BUSAN, South Korea -- Digital 3-D movies may represent the future of the movie business, but a number of obstacles -- cultural as well as technological -- must be overcome if the future is to come into focus.
That was the consensus reached by a number of the participants at BIFCOM's centerpiece seminar on the 3-D Cinema Market: The Opportunities and Challenges," held Tuesday afternoon at the Grand Hotel.
"In Japan, 3-D movies are not all the rage," journalist and 3-D filmmaker Takayuki Oguchi said. Citing both traditional Japanese art and modern anime, he pointed out that Japanese culture favors "very flat images."
In Korea, where a ticket to a digital 3-D movie can cost 10,000 won -- as opposed to 7,000-8,000 won for an average weekday ticket -- Kim Sung-woo, manager of the CJ CGV theater chain, noted that some digital 3-D movies like "Meet the Robinsons" encountered "price resistance." Although he also pointed out that large-screen, Imax 3-D titles like "The Polar Express," which have commanded a premium ticket price of 14,000 won, have performed strongly at the boxoffice.
Still, the participants agreed that there is a definite need for both producers and exhibitors to cast their lot with digital 3-D.
In the '50s, when TV first posed a threat to movies, Lee Seung-hyun, professor at KwangWoon University, noted that "3-D movies were intentionally developed in order to make sure people got out of their homes and got to movies."
Now that sophisticated home theater systems are posing a similar threat, cinematographer Koo Jae-mo, who moderated the seminar, noted that "the future of theaters, physical theaters, is at stake."
"We need to develop our own proprietary technology," Kim said, noting that his theater chain has installed the Master Image 3-D display system, developed in Seoul, while rival chain Lotte Cinema has used the 3-D system from American purveyor Real D. "The government needs to provide support for digital cinema and 3-D systems," he said.
In the U.S. there are about 700 digital 3-D screens, and by 2009 -- when big ticket 3-D movies like DreamWorks' "Monsters vs. Aliens" and James Cameron's "Avatar" hit moviehouses -- experts predict there will be anywhere from 3,000-6,000 screens in play.
But at the moment there are only about 30 digital 3-D screens in Korea.
By 2009, it's predicted that about 10 3-D titles will hit the marketplace -- though no Korean projects have yet to be formally announced and Takayuki said that an announced "Godzilla 3-D" project may be having problems securing financing.
As a result, "there is a content gap at this point," said Matthew DeJohn, manager of operations for the Los Angeles-based In-Three, a company that is pioneering what it called Dimensionalization, a postproduction process that turns 2-D films into 3-D movies.
DeJohn said that Dimensionalization could be used to create new 3-D versions of titles in existing film libraries and could also assist filmmakers creating new movies in 3-D by helping them perfect their shots. "From the producers' and distributors' view, it gives us the opportunity to create new content," he said.
Kim suggested the Robert Zemeckis' upcoming "Beowulf," scheduled for release in Korea on Nov. 15, will be something of a test case because unlike previous animated CG movies that aimed for the family audience, "Beowulf" -- based on the epic poem, employing such stars as Angelina Jolie and Anthony Hopkins, using sophisticated motion capture and promising plenty of violence -- is a movie for adults.
"All the 3-D films we've seen until now were for families and children," Kim said. But with "Beowulf," "the make or break of this movie will determine the flow of 3-D movies for adults in the future."
In the Japanese market, where audiences prefer that English-language movies be dubbed so that they can hear the actors' original voices, Takayuki said that for 3-D movies to become popular they need to stick to subtitles rather than dubbing. To date, however, since most of the 3-D movies have been pitched at kids, they've been dubbed, which turns off older moviegoers. "If the 3-D will be a dubbed version, only children will come," he said.
If 3-D does take root this time around, it could eventually change the aesthetics of movies.
In the question-and-answer session that followed the presentation, one cinematographer complained that at the 3-D movies he'd seen "it looks like you're looking at a puppet show."
While a number of the panelists disagreed, DeJohn said, "The techniques (for filming a 3-D movie) are going to change over time."
Filmmakers working in 3-D are likely to favor longer shots, he said, since in 3-D, "you can look around (in the frame) and every image is more interesting than a 2-D image." There will probably be less rapid editing, so that the viewer can take in all the information on the screen, and filmmakers will also have to consider the "question of breaking the edge of the frame."
Getting 3-D right, DeJohn said, "would take an artistic approach. Cinema has a 100-year history, and we can't break filmmakers out of a 100-year tradition right away."
Oct 10, 2007
BUSAN, South Korea -- Digital 3-D movies may represent the future of the movie business, but a number of obstacles -- cultural as well as technological -- must be overcome if the future is to come into focus.
That was the consensus reached by a number of the participants at BIFCOM's centerpiece seminar on the 3-D Cinema Market: The Opportunities and Challenges," held Tuesday afternoon at the Grand Hotel.
"In Japan, 3-D movies are not all the rage," journalist and 3-D filmmaker Takayuki Oguchi said. Citing both traditional Japanese art and modern anime, he pointed out that Japanese culture favors "very flat images."
In Korea, where a ticket to a digital 3-D movie can cost 10,000 won -- as opposed to 7,000-8,000 won for an average weekday ticket -- Kim Sung-woo, manager of the CJ CGV theater chain, noted that some digital 3-D movies like "Meet the Robinsons" encountered "price resistance." Although he also pointed out that large-screen, Imax 3-D titles like "The Polar Express," which have commanded a premium ticket price of 14,000 won, have performed strongly at the boxoffice.
Still, the participants agreed that there is a definite need for both producers and exhibitors to cast their lot with digital 3-D.
In the '50s, when TV first posed a threat to movies, Lee Seung-hyun, professor at KwangWoon University, noted that "3-D movies were intentionally developed in order to make sure people got out of their homes and got to movies."
Now that sophisticated home theater systems are posing a similar threat, cinematographer Koo Jae-mo, who moderated the seminar, noted that "the future of theaters, physical theaters, is at stake."
"We need to develop our own proprietary technology," Kim said, noting that his theater chain has installed the Master Image 3-D display system, developed in Seoul, while rival chain Lotte Cinema has used the 3-D system from American purveyor Real D. "The government needs to provide support for digital cinema and 3-D systems," he said.
In the U.S. there are about 700 digital 3-D screens, and by 2009 -- when big ticket 3-D movies like DreamWorks' "Monsters vs. Aliens" and James Cameron's "Avatar" hit moviehouses -- experts predict there will be anywhere from 3,000-6,000 screens in play.
But at the moment there are only about 30 digital 3-D screens in Korea.
By 2009, it's predicted that about 10 3-D titles will hit the marketplace -- though no Korean projects have yet to be formally announced and Takayuki said that an announced "Godzilla 3-D" project may be having problems securing financing.
As a result, "there is a content gap at this point," said Matthew DeJohn, manager of operations for the Los Angeles-based In-Three, a company that is pioneering what it called Dimensionalization, a postproduction process that turns 2-D films into 3-D movies.
DeJohn said that Dimensionalization could be used to create new 3-D versions of titles in existing film libraries and could also assist filmmakers creating new movies in 3-D by helping them perfect their shots. "From the producers' and distributors' view, it gives us the opportunity to create new content," he said.
Kim suggested the Robert Zemeckis' upcoming "Beowulf," scheduled for release in Korea on Nov. 15, will be something of a test case because unlike previous animated CG movies that aimed for the family audience, "Beowulf" -- based on the epic poem, employing such stars as Angelina Jolie and Anthony Hopkins, using sophisticated motion capture and promising plenty of violence -- is a movie for adults.
"All the 3-D films we've seen until now were for families and children," Kim said. But with "Beowulf," "the make or break of this movie will determine the flow of 3-D movies for adults in the future."
In the Japanese market, where audiences prefer that English-language movies be dubbed so that they can hear the actors' original voices, Takayuki said that for 3-D movies to become popular they need to stick to subtitles rather than dubbing. To date, however, since most of the 3-D movies have been pitched at kids, they've been dubbed, which turns off older moviegoers. "If the 3-D will be a dubbed version, only children will come," he said.
If 3-D does take root this time around, it could eventually change the aesthetics of movies.
In the question-and-answer session that followed the presentation, one cinematographer complained that at the 3-D movies he'd seen "it looks like you're looking at a puppet show."
While a number of the panelists disagreed, DeJohn said, "The techniques (for filming a 3-D movie) are going to change over time."
Filmmakers working in 3-D are likely to favor longer shots, he said, since in 3-D, "you can look around (in the frame) and every image is more interesting than a 2-D image." There will probably be less rapid editing, so that the viewer can take in all the information on the screen, and filmmakers will also have to consider the "question of breaking the edge of the frame."
Getting 3-D right, DeJohn said, "would take an artistic approach. Cinema has a 100-year history, and we can't break filmmakers out of a 100-year tradition right away."
Sunday, October 7, 2007
You gotta love the mix of 3-D, large format and computer animationin ‘Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure’
You gotta love the mix of 3-D, large format and computer animationin ‘Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure’
By ROBERT W. BUTLER
The Kansas City Star
The star is a prehistoric dolichorhynchops, or Dolly.
A little science, a local angle and a whole lot of amazing 3-D computer animation are the main attractions of “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure.”
The new large-format movie opens today on the Extreme Screen at Union Station and AMC’s Studio 30 in Olathe and is directed by Sean MacLeod Phillips and narrated by Liev Schreiber. It’s essentially the life story of a prehistoric sea reptile that lived in the ocean that covered Kansas 82 million years ago.
Our aquatic heroine is a dolichorhynchops (familiarly known as a “dolly”), a porpoise-sized creature that, while not particularly pretty, is a whole lot more cuddly than the voracious king-sized predators that make her watery world so dangerous.
Probably 95 percent of “Sea Monsters” is computer generated, and the f/x crew seems to have had a fine time finding ways to give the 3-D technology a workout.
Whether it’s a huge ugly monster rising slowly toward us through a fog-like school of tiny fish, or a gigantic squid doing a languid glide-by that leaves one of its trailing tentacles practically tickling our noses, the film delivers one spectacular moment after another.
Occasionally the movie returns to modern times, depicting the paleontological efforts of the Sternberg family in the chalk formations of western Kansas, or visiting modern construction sites in North Dakota, Texas, Israel and the Netherlands, where workers uncover fossils that tell stories of the far past.
One cool moment is the discovery of the skeleton of a giant sea predator with the smaller skeleton of its last meal still inside its rib cage. The original fossil can be viewed at KU’s Natural History Museum.
“Sea Monsters” resembles the popular cable TV series “Walking With Dinosaurs,” except that thanks to 3-D these long-gone creatures don’t just move across a flat screen but rather seem intent on curling up in our laps.
‘SEA MONSTERS’
Director: Sean MacLeod Phillips
Cast: Liev Schreiber (narrator)
No MPAA rating
Running time: 0:41
By ROBERT W. BUTLER
The Kansas City Star
The star is a prehistoric dolichorhynchops, or Dolly.
A little science, a local angle and a whole lot of amazing 3-D computer animation are the main attractions of “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure.”
The new large-format movie opens today on the Extreme Screen at Union Station and AMC’s Studio 30 in Olathe and is directed by Sean MacLeod Phillips and narrated by Liev Schreiber. It’s essentially the life story of a prehistoric sea reptile that lived in the ocean that covered Kansas 82 million years ago.
Our aquatic heroine is a dolichorhynchops (familiarly known as a “dolly”), a porpoise-sized creature that, while not particularly pretty, is a whole lot more cuddly than the voracious king-sized predators that make her watery world so dangerous.
Probably 95 percent of “Sea Monsters” is computer generated, and the f/x crew seems to have had a fine time finding ways to give the 3-D technology a workout.
Whether it’s a huge ugly monster rising slowly toward us through a fog-like school of tiny fish, or a gigantic squid doing a languid glide-by that leaves one of its trailing tentacles practically tickling our noses, the film delivers one spectacular moment after another.
Occasionally the movie returns to modern times, depicting the paleontological efforts of the Sternberg family in the chalk formations of western Kansas, or visiting modern construction sites in North Dakota, Texas, Israel and the Netherlands, where workers uncover fossils that tell stories of the far past.
One cool moment is the discovery of the skeleton of a giant sea predator with the smaller skeleton of its last meal still inside its rib cage. The original fossil can be viewed at KU’s Natural History Museum.
“Sea Monsters” resembles the popular cable TV series “Walking With Dinosaurs,” except that thanks to 3-D these long-gone creatures don’t just move across a flat screen but rather seem intent on curling up in our laps.
‘SEA MONSTERS’
Director: Sean MacLeod Phillips
Cast: Liev Schreiber (narrator)
No MPAA rating
Running time: 0:41
Asia playing catch-up in d-cinema
Asia playing catch-up in d-cinema
North American firms are leading the way
By Carolyn Giardina and Gregg Kilday
Oct 7, 2007
While a new wave of digital 3-D movies promises to energize the film business, Asia lags behind the rest of the world in making the d-cinema transition.
North America is furthest along in the rollout, followed by Europe and then Asia, according to Michael Lewis, CEO of Real D, a 3-D provider.
North America has a developing business model that calls for distributors to pony up "virtual license fees" that allow exhibitors to invest in the new digital projection systems used for 3-D presentations, but Europe and Asia have not yet adopted similar business models.
"Asia is somewhat in the same position as Europe is in," Lewis said. "The digital business arrangements have not been worked out, and you are dealing with more indigenous content, which means that more of the digital projector has to be paid for by the exhibitors."
Lewis estimates that 3-D digital cinema installations include roughly 14 installations in Korea, 16 in Australia and three in Japan. Other sources put the number of 3-D screens in Korea, where chains like CGV and Lotte have led the transition, as high as 20.
In the states, such films as the special editions of "The Polar Express," "Superman Returns" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," all presented in part or in whole in Imax 3D as well as the animated 3-D flicks "Chicken Little" and "Monster House" have shown that audiences are eager to don new, high-tech 3-D specs. And, in turn, they are encouraging more and more exhibitors to invest in 3-D systems.
By 2009, a clash of two potential 3-D titans looms as DreamWorks' fourth "Shrek" movie and James Cameron's sci-fi tale "Avatar" plot worldwide 3-D rollouts.
Those films also will certainly encourage Asian theater owners to jump on board. But when it comes to local production, Asia faces its own chicken-and-egg problem. Local 3-D productions are needed to further encourage exhibitors to outfit 3-D screens, but more 3-D screens are needed before producers invest in more expensive 3-D films.
3-D Hollywood features may be available in the region. But the production of local 3-D content as well as the "Dimensionalization" of content from the region's film libraries -- that is to say, creating 3-D versions of existing 2-D films -- has only just begun.
David Seigle, CEO of In-Three, which has developed its own Dimensionalization process, said that before producers can commit to 3-D projects, they "need to have a certain level of an installed base within the market in order for the producers to receive a good return on investment."
In-Three is slowly beginning to have conversations in the Asian region. "The number of theaters projected to be coming online is becoming meaningful, which is why there is so much interest today in America. Content is driving the increase," Seigle said. "But in Asia there are still not meaningful numbers of 3-D theaters. The interest is growing (in Dimensionalization), but it may take a little while, or an American market to make it an interesting pursuit."
In some markets, Imax has begun to pave the way.
"There is a significant interest in 3-D film presentation in China and throughout Asia," said Larry O'Reilly, Imax executive vp theatrical development. "For example, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' played day-and-date in an Imax theater in Hong Kong with a couple hundred seats. That one screen has already grossed $640,000 from that one title."
Imax's own installations throughout the regions are still limited, though there has been some recent movement. Last month, Imax announced a deal with Wanda Cinema Line Corp., which will install 10 Imax theaters in the People's Republic of China. These are expected to be deployed by the end of 2010 and bring the total number of Imax theaters scheduled to open in the region to 39. Most of them will support 3-D content.
With the hope of drumming up wider interest, one Imax screen is being installed at a Beijing Olympics site, to display both 2-D and 3-D content. O'Reilly explained, "It will be part of the cultural events of the Chinese government."
The Asian Film Market plans to confront the challenges the new 3-D era poses Tuesday when the Busan Film Commission sponsors a 3-D seminar examining the costs of making and exhibiting movies in 3-D. In addition, it will sponsor individual demonstrations from such companies as In-Three, Master Image Co., Visual Communications, Stereopia Co. and Big I Entertainment.
Carolyn Giardina reported from Los Angeles; Gregg Kilday reported from Busan, South Korea.
Links referenced within this article
Find this article at:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i23389b356d961fd207dc111cb3b52b2b
North American firms are leading the way
By Carolyn Giardina and Gregg Kilday
Oct 7, 2007
While a new wave of digital 3-D movies promises to energize the film business, Asia lags behind the rest of the world in making the d-cinema transition.
North America is furthest along in the rollout, followed by Europe and then Asia, according to Michael Lewis, CEO of Real D, a 3-D provider.
North America has a developing business model that calls for distributors to pony up "virtual license fees" that allow exhibitors to invest in the new digital projection systems used for 3-D presentations, but Europe and Asia have not yet adopted similar business models.
"Asia is somewhat in the same position as Europe is in," Lewis said. "The digital business arrangements have not been worked out, and you are dealing with more indigenous content, which means that more of the digital projector has to be paid for by the exhibitors."
Lewis estimates that 3-D digital cinema installations include roughly 14 installations in Korea, 16 in Australia and three in Japan. Other sources put the number of 3-D screens in Korea, where chains like CGV and Lotte have led the transition, as high as 20.
In the states, such films as the special editions of "The Polar Express," "Superman Returns" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," all presented in part or in whole in Imax 3D as well as the animated 3-D flicks "Chicken Little" and "Monster House" have shown that audiences are eager to don new, high-tech 3-D specs. And, in turn, they are encouraging more and more exhibitors to invest in 3-D systems.
By 2009, a clash of two potential 3-D titans looms as DreamWorks' fourth "Shrek" movie and James Cameron's sci-fi tale "Avatar" plot worldwide 3-D rollouts.
Those films also will certainly encourage Asian theater owners to jump on board. But when it comes to local production, Asia faces its own chicken-and-egg problem. Local 3-D productions are needed to further encourage exhibitors to outfit 3-D screens, but more 3-D screens are needed before producers invest in more expensive 3-D films.
3-D Hollywood features may be available in the region. But the production of local 3-D content as well as the "Dimensionalization" of content from the region's film libraries -- that is to say, creating 3-D versions of existing 2-D films -- has only just begun.
David Seigle, CEO of In-Three, which has developed its own Dimensionalization process, said that before producers can commit to 3-D projects, they "need to have a certain level of an installed base within the market in order for the producers to receive a good return on investment."
In-Three is slowly beginning to have conversations in the Asian region. "The number of theaters projected to be coming online is becoming meaningful, which is why there is so much interest today in America. Content is driving the increase," Seigle said. "But in Asia there are still not meaningful numbers of 3-D theaters. The interest is growing (in Dimensionalization), but it may take a little while, or an American market to make it an interesting pursuit."
In some markets, Imax has begun to pave the way.
"There is a significant interest in 3-D film presentation in China and throughout Asia," said Larry O'Reilly, Imax executive vp theatrical development. "For example, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' played day-and-date in an Imax theater in Hong Kong with a couple hundred seats. That one screen has already grossed $640,000 from that one title."
Imax's own installations throughout the regions are still limited, though there has been some recent movement. Last month, Imax announced a deal with Wanda Cinema Line Corp., which will install 10 Imax theaters in the People's Republic of China. These are expected to be deployed by the end of 2010 and bring the total number of Imax theaters scheduled to open in the region to 39. Most of them will support 3-D content.
With the hope of drumming up wider interest, one Imax screen is being installed at a Beijing Olympics site, to display both 2-D and 3-D content. O'Reilly explained, "It will be part of the cultural events of the Chinese government."
The Asian Film Market plans to confront the challenges the new 3-D era poses Tuesday when the Busan Film Commission sponsors a 3-D seminar examining the costs of making and exhibiting movies in 3-D. In addition, it will sponsor individual demonstrations from such companies as In-Three, Master Image Co., Visual Communications, Stereopia Co. and Big I Entertainment.
Carolyn Giardina reported from Los Angeles; Gregg Kilday reported from Busan, South Korea.
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Ballantyne to Provide 24 NEC Digital Projectors Equipped with REAL D 3-D Technology to Regal for October 19th Launch of ''The Nightmare Before Xmas
Ballantyne of Omaha, Inc.
October 04, 2007 12:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Ballantyne to Provide 24 NEC Digital Projectors Equipped with REAL D 3-D Technology to Regal for October 19th Launch of ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' in Disney Digital 3-D
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ballantyne of Omaha, Inc. (Amex: BTN), a motion picture projection, digital cinema and specialty lighting equipment and services provider, announced today that its Strong Digital Systems (SDS) division will provide 24 NEC STARUS™ NC2500S Digital Cinema projectors with REAL D 3-D technology to Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC). The 24 projectors will be shipped in time for the October 19th release of Walt Disney Pictures’ animated feature film The Nightmare Before Christmas in Disney Digital 3-D. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
Digital Link II, LLC, a separate entity formed and co-financed by REAL D and Ballantyne, will fund the projector purchases. Digital Link is in discussions regarding securing per-film virtual print fees from feature film distributors – for both 3-D and non-3-D features - in order to reduce Digital Link’s and the licensee’s ultimate capital investment.
John P. Wilmers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ballantyne, commented, “We are pleased to extend our partnership with REAL D to deliver state of the art 3-D digital projection solutions to our longstanding customer, Regal Entertainment Group. The NEC STARUS digital projection system, combined with the REAL D 3-D digital 3-D solution, creates a memorable theater experience for Regal’s customers.
“The sale underscores Regal’s commitment to state-of-the-art digital cinema projection systems, as Regal is also opening its Regal Fiesta 12 screen complex in Henderson, Nevada on October 12th. The Henderson complex, Regal’s first all-digital installation, is equipped with NEC digital projectors provided by Ballantyne. The dawn of digital projection is clearly upon us, and we continue to work closely with Real D and our customers to provide top quality solutions that expand our market penetration.”
About REAL D
REAL D is bringing the premier digital 3-D experience to cinemas worldwide. With over 700 screens in 14 countries currently and 1000 screens expected later this year, REAL D has the world's largest 3-D platform.
Beyond cinema, REAL D is the worldwide inventor and provider of key stereoscopic technologies used in science, marketing and other industries. REAL D's mission-critical 3-D visualization technologies are used by organizations such as NASA, Pfizer, BMW, Boeing and more.
About Regal Entertainment Group
Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) is the largest motion picture exhibitor in the world. The Company's theatre circuit, comprising Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatres and Edwards Theatres, operates 6,368 screens in 529 locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Regal operates theatres in all of the top 25 and 43 of the top 50 U.S. designated market areas. We believe that the size, reach and quality of the Company's theatre circuit not only provide its patrons with a convenient and enjoyable movie-going experience, but is also an exceptional platform to realize economies of scale in theatre operations. Additional information is available on the Company's Web site at http://www.regmovies.com/
About Ballantyne of Omaha
Ballantyne is a provider of motion picture projection, specialty lighting, specialty projection equipment and digital cinema equipment and services. The Company supplies major theater chains, top arenas, television and motion picture production studios, theme parks and architectural sites around the world. For more information visit www.ballantyne-omaha.com
Except for the historical information in this press release, it includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to, quarterly fluctuations in results; customer demand for the Company’s products; the development of new technology for alternate means of motion picture presentation; domestic and international economic conditions; the management of growth; and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Actual results may differ materially from management’s expectations. Ballantyne assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.
Contacts
Ballantyne of Omaha
Kevin Herrmann, 402-453-4444
or
Jaffoni & Collins Incorporated
David Collins/Ratula Roy, 212-835-8500
btn@jcir.com
October 04, 2007 12:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Ballantyne to Provide 24 NEC Digital Projectors Equipped with REAL D 3-D Technology to Regal for October 19th Launch of ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' in Disney Digital 3-D
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ballantyne of Omaha, Inc. (Amex: BTN), a motion picture projection, digital cinema and specialty lighting equipment and services provider, announced today that its Strong Digital Systems (SDS) division will provide 24 NEC STARUS™ NC2500S Digital Cinema projectors with REAL D 3-D technology to Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC). The 24 projectors will be shipped in time for the October 19th release of Walt Disney Pictures’ animated feature film The Nightmare Before Christmas in Disney Digital 3-D. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
Digital Link II, LLC, a separate entity formed and co-financed by REAL D and Ballantyne, will fund the projector purchases. Digital Link is in discussions regarding securing per-film virtual print fees from feature film distributors – for both 3-D and non-3-D features - in order to reduce Digital Link’s and the licensee’s ultimate capital investment.
John P. Wilmers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ballantyne, commented, “We are pleased to extend our partnership with REAL D to deliver state of the art 3-D digital projection solutions to our longstanding customer, Regal Entertainment Group. The NEC STARUS digital projection system, combined with the REAL D 3-D digital 3-D solution, creates a memorable theater experience for Regal’s customers.
“The sale underscores Regal’s commitment to state-of-the-art digital cinema projection systems, as Regal is also opening its Regal Fiesta 12 screen complex in Henderson, Nevada on October 12th. The Henderson complex, Regal’s first all-digital installation, is equipped with NEC digital projectors provided by Ballantyne. The dawn of digital projection is clearly upon us, and we continue to work closely with Real D and our customers to provide top quality solutions that expand our market penetration.”
About REAL D
REAL D is bringing the premier digital 3-D experience to cinemas worldwide. With over 700 screens in 14 countries currently and 1000 screens expected later this year, REAL D has the world's largest 3-D platform.
Beyond cinema, REAL D is the worldwide inventor and provider of key stereoscopic technologies used in science, marketing and other industries. REAL D's mission-critical 3-D visualization technologies are used by organizations such as NASA, Pfizer, BMW, Boeing and more.
About Regal Entertainment Group
Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) is the largest motion picture exhibitor in the world. The Company's theatre circuit, comprising Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatres and Edwards Theatres, operates 6,368 screens in 529 locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Regal operates theatres in all of the top 25 and 43 of the top 50 U.S. designated market areas. We believe that the size, reach and quality of the Company's theatre circuit not only provide its patrons with a convenient and enjoyable movie-going experience, but is also an exceptional platform to realize economies of scale in theatre operations. Additional information is available on the Company's Web site at http://www.regmovies.com/
About Ballantyne of Omaha
Ballantyne is a provider of motion picture projection, specialty lighting, specialty projection equipment and digital cinema equipment and services. The Company supplies major theater chains, top arenas, television and motion picture production studios, theme parks and architectural sites around the world. For more information visit www.ballantyne-omaha.com
Except for the historical information in this press release, it includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to, quarterly fluctuations in results; customer demand for the Company’s products; the development of new technology for alternate means of motion picture presentation; domestic and international economic conditions; the management of growth; and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Actual results may differ materially from management’s expectations. Ballantyne assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.
Contacts
Ballantyne of Omaha
Kevin Herrmann, 402-453-4444
or
Jaffoni & Collins Incorporated
David Collins/Ratula Roy, 212-835-8500
btn@jcir.com
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