Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/21561
OUTLOOK Randall Dark’s doc Sevierville was shot on the Panasonic AG-3D AI.For post, he called on Cineform and Adobe’s CS5. Sevierville in 3D, and directed an HD documentary shot in the Domini- can Republic, Makarios: A Rising Tide. STRENGTHS: “Stereo 3D’s obvious strength is in the virtual camera in fictional storytelling. Disney, DreamWorks and Pixar have mastered the math in conveying an emotional journey using the techniques and technology of 3D — they’ve done a spectacular job in defining that art form. “Historically, 3D has been heavy on gimmick and light on story- telling.Animation companies are traditional storytellers who happen to be animators. Look at Toy Story 3, which had a great story, the Shrek films, How To Train Your Dragon, which had wonderfully-rich characters.The 3D shots in Megamind are brilliantly conceived. [Ani- mators have] gotten rid of the one-trick pony aspect of 3D and have focused on the story so they are able to create compelling 3D images that enhance the story.” WEAKNESSES: “There’s an incredible amount to learn about non-animated 3D.There are good examples of 3D out there and a lot of really bad 3D.This causes people to question whether 3D is viable for non-animated, fictional storytelling.When you’re telling a live-action story with actors and present images in a way that seems artificial, you detach viewers from the storyline.” OPPORTUNITIES: “I think there are huge opportunities in the- atrical 3D and 3D for special events.That scale and environment are more conducive to 3D viewing than the home based on screen size and display technologies. “I also see opportunities in non-traditional venues — point-of- purchase environments, museums and tourist centers — especially once 3D TVs come out that don’t require any eyewear.” THREATS: “A certain number of people cannot see 3D, do not like 3D, or find that it causes eyestrain, irritation and headaches.You have to take a serious look at that, especially before you can expect major penetration in the home environment. It’s a lot harder to tell a compelling story in 3D because of the physics involved.” OUTLOOK ON 2011:“2011 will be a banner year for 3D the- atrical releases; that’s a trend that will continue for several years. But there are a number of unanswered questions about 3D for home entertainment: the impact of prolonged use of active eyewear — how do you sustain the intensity for viewers during a four-hour 3D 28 Post • December 2010 www.postmagazine.com 3D Stereo Super Bowl, for example? “While we can predict 3D success for theatrical features, it’s way too early to predict the success or failure of 3D in the home.Theatri- cal 3D is a robust product principally because of the work that the animation companies have done.The jury is out on everything else.” JIM GEDULDICK Editor/Visual Effects Artist/ Cinematographer Visual Collective www.AENY.org New York City With a technical and creative background in post and stereoscopic pipelines, Jim Geduldick has worked on and set up workflows for stereo 3D projects and 2D-to-3D conversions for music videos, features and commercials, including We Are The World 25 for Haiti, Mercedes-Benz Torque and The Mortician 3D. STRENGTHS: “Some current strengths of stereoscopic 3D are the interest of the general public, studios and broadcasters, and ad- vancements in the tools used to shoot and post stereo 3D.The hardware needed to view, animate and capture stereoscopic images is coming down in price while from the consumer side of things — 3D HDTVs — are becoming a very common feature at the local electronics store and are priced competitively.This is helping drive the demand for stereoscopic content. “More and more people are interested in working with stereo- scopic for animation, event and filmmaking content. Feature films have seen a huge increase in profit with releases being shown in stereo 3D. This has led to a lot more projects being green lit for 3D production.” WEAKNESSES: “First and foremost you need knowledgeable and experienced crews on stereo shoots; working with inexperi- enced stereo crews can lead to quite costly fixes or having to reshoot if things are done wrong.The first thing anyone even think- ing of shooting stereo needs to do is get an experienced stereogra- pher on board, even if only to consult with the DP and director. People are still getting used to 3D, not only from the consumer side but also from advertising, production and post production sides, so there’s still a big learning curve. “Stereo 3D rigs have been known to be big and cumbersome with some weighing well over 150 lbs. Some productions have shied away from shooting stereo 3D because of this.When your have a monster stereo rig in an actor’s face or have to get into very tight locations this makes shooting stereo a hard choice for some direc- tors and producers. But there are quite a few smaller cameras and rigs out there now, like popular rigs from 3ality, Element Technica and Stereotec, and cameras from Iconix, SI, Canon, Sony and Red’s soon-to-be-released Epic. “Distribution is another tough hurdle with stereo 3D. Feature films are a bit easier than, say, live broadcast and on-demand pro- gramming. Standards are still being developed by broadcasters, stu- dios and governing bodies for the best way to deliver this content to the home and mobile devices.” OPPORTUNITIES: “They’re vast as stereo 3D gives us a new look at an old tool to tell stories in new ways. Post production, cam- continued on page 47