Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/312687
26 Post • May 2014 www.postmagazine.com efficiently without making editorial conform to their software limitations. I believe Leg- end3D is the first vendor that's done a 4K conversion; we worked in partnership with BBC Films for a project to be released later this year. The film was captured in 8K and 5K; the nature of the shoot wasn't conducive to set up native 3D rigs. So a good portion of the material was filmed in 2D, and the pro- ducers asked for a 4K conversion of about 35 minutes of the feature, including aerials, HFR shots, macro lens and time-lapse pho- tography. We built a pipeline to handle 4K storage, render times and reviews — the time and resources spent in R&D stream- lined the process as if it were a 2K show. Two years ago, 3D conversion of 4K was taboo: the numbers were astronomical and nobody was set up to do it. Now people are looking at 4K conversion for streaming and home video, IMAX, even just for posterity, and our pipeline makes that feasible." NAMIT MALHOTRA: "There have been substantial improvements and enhancements from new tools and techniques that ensure we're not doing anything to alter the look or content of a performance, to the creative thinking involved in all aspects of how good 3D is done. Today, conversion integrates closely with all the major VFX pipelines. We worked in parallel with the main VFX house on Gravity. We worked together qualitatively, creatively and financially to make sure that all duplication, inefficiencies and subjective ele- ments were removed from the pipeline." AARON PARRY: "Stereo D continues to innovate in two key areas: the quality of detail, like hair and very detailed facial sculpts and environments, and complete pipelines that incorporate 4K, HFR and EXR. We just did our first movie with a full EXR pipeline. Developing tools to be on a par with any other form of capturing 3D is where a lot of the innovation is centered." POST: What's the current market for conversion? COGAN: "The domestic market has taken a bit of a hit, but the international mar- ket is on fire. The feeling coming out of China is that everything has to be 3D or you're leaving money on the table. Digital cinema is making it possible for China to experience 3D. Over 300 cities there, home to more than one million people each, never had a projector and now they have digital cinema multiplexes. Everything is perceived as more special if it's 3D, and they can charge a bit more for tickets. In the US, 19 more 3D features are slated for release this year, less than half of them animated. A lot of the big titles are leaning toward conversion." PARRY: "We're having a 2014 that's as busy as last year, and as we look at the calen- dar for 2015 it looks a bit busier still. The domestic market hasn't changed that much for us, although we're starting to field calls from a more diverse array of films, not just summer blockbusters and animated movies. They're embracing the idea that 3D is a way to enhance their ability to tell a story. Where we're seeing growth is the international mar- ket. China is a juggernaut, and Russia has an aggressive appetite for 3D. International audi- ences are really embracing it as the perfect way to see a movie, and that's very exciting." MALHOTRA: "It was widely anticipated that future home viewing would be in 3D and that conversion was the only way con- tent could be made available for it. But in the last three years the home market has not taken off. 3D TV manufacturers were hoping to make money on the glasses — the most annoying part of 3D! And each glass technol- ogy was different. They need standardization, not a fight about the glasses. In terms of the feature film world, more and more studios and filmmakers have now recognized con- version as their preferred 3D tool. The global 3D box office continues to be robust: 83 percent of all tickets sold worldwide for Gravity were 3D. Robocop was exclusively converted for the Chinese market and did over $20 million in its opening weekend there — on a par with the US. Noah was released worldwide in 3D, except for the US, and it's done huge business. If a film is good, 3D makes the value of the spectacle come alive. Viewers immerse themselves in the story, which is the whole basis of why people go to the cinema." MCKEE: "The Digital Domain 3D conver- sion patent case we're all aware of ruffled some feathers with Disney saying, at one point, they weren't going to convert any more library titles. That certainly hurts the market, as library titles are the greatest source of conversion work. The market for 3D content in China, though, is emerging to be the dominant driver for several compa- nies developing conversion technology, as well as facilities to service the growing demand for 3D content in China, both new and from the libraries." AKEY: "Business is accelerating at a rate we haven't seen in the last four years. We have more projects coming out and more in place over the next 24 months. And conver- sion is happening throughout the year now, not just for summer tentpoles. The pendulum has swung away from having to make a film in native 3D or not making it in stereo at all. Filmmakers are consulting with us early on how to film for max 3D effect, both in terms of story as well as how to get what they want out of VFX post without limiting their film." POST: What makes your conversion pro- cess or service unique? MALHOTRA: "We've always been a post production and VFX company — we've been in the film business for the last 20 years. So our ability to leverage the technology and make sure we can integrate ourselves within the fabric of a film is one of our key strengths — we're an integrated services provider. We also have the largest global resource pool — LA, New York, London, Vancouver, Mum- bai, Beijing — of any of our competitors. For us, it's always about what we can do from a VAST is finding conversion business in concerts by big bands, such as Chickenfoot. 2D to 3D Stereo Conversion