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Converting 2D to 3D which supports our Burbank operations." Stereo D's most recent job was as 3D Legend3D converted Top Gun to stereo for the film's re-release. conversion lead for the release of Titanic 3D. The company converted 95 percent of the film; during that same time The Avengers and other features were also in-house in a true test of Stereo D's service capabilities. According to Parry, Stereo D's approach to 3D conversion is "very style- and studio- agnostic. There's no one-size-fits-all." The company recommends best conversion practices to its feature film clients, then tai- lors "variations on that theme" to meet the demands of the project, he says. "Our goal is to be involved earlier and earlier — when the script is fresh off the presses or when a filmmaker starts to envision 3D," says Parry. "We can take test material or the first dailies and build a stereo vocabulary so the director can formulate opinions about what he likes." An alternate approach, often involving a 3D-savvy director, finds Stereo D spending "20 to 25 weeks executing on the director's vision" after a film wraps. In either case, Stereo D works closely with the creative editors to ensure a strong editorial delivery. "Editors give us raw plate material or the one-light from the DI facility," says Parry. "We use a lot of custom software for ingest and maintaining metadata — we don't rename material but append our ver- sioning information onto the data. We're based on continuity. Most of our senior man- agement is composed of filmmakers, so we know the flexibility filmmakers demand and built the studio with that in mind." The company's toolset includes Stereo D's proprietary VDX software as well as third-party tools such as SilhouetteFX's Sil- houette software for rotoscoping, Nuke and Adobe After Effects. "Our pipeline features our own VDX software for filling in occlusion and providing realtime feedback so creatives can make artistic choices," Parry explains. "With VDX's level of iteration we keep the conversation more about the stereo and less about the technology." For pipeline and stu- dio management, Stereo D uses C.T.A.C. proprietary asset and production manage- ment software, which ensures projects and data are tracked in realtime. "Our specialized workflow is enhanced by Deluxe's suite of digital and creative services, which make Stereo D an end-to-end solution," he adds. Parry forecasts a "bright future" for 3D conversions of day-and-date releases as well as legacy titles. In other markets, he believes the upcoming Summer Olympics will soon start to fuel conversions for commercials. He's also seeing content for in-store autoste- reo displays, which he thinks will "slowly lead to better home experiences. Everybody's striving for that glasses-free 3D experience." 3DPAINT/FX A VFX studio which first consulted on 3D conversion about four years ago, Santa Monica's 3DPaint/FX (www.3dpaint.com) is now working with Fox as the studio preps some of its library titles for Blu-ray 3D. "3D conversion is still an expensive prop- osition," notes company founder Tom Polson. Fox had begun converting titles in partner- ship with JVC and 3DPaint/FX: By combining JVC's conversion technology with 3DPaint/ FX's roto and paint services, a significant improvement in costs can be achieved. "Everybody thinks conversion is a big gold mine with high per-minute charges," Polson explains. "But when you get to library titles, that formula doesn't work. You have to rethink your approach. We've developed a pipeline that functions well for libraries." 3DPaint/FX's process involves "some very strong partners with roto and 3D experi- ence, " he says, including a vendor in India that can handle large volumes of detailed and complicated roto in a very cost-effective man- ner. "For the Fox title I, Robot we had 120,000 frames of roto. Our partner can do 70,000 frames a month — it would be hard to set that up here with the same economies." Still, many of the same challenges remain. "With a library title you're limited by what has been shot, so your creative choices are also limited," he explains. "As we do more While converting the Titanic for 3D stereo, director James Cameron and his team from Lightstorm Entertainment used DVS's Clipster and Fuze systems to review scenes from the movie in stereo as it was undergoing the 3D conversion process. Clipster and Fuze facilitated the playback of uncompressed 2K media in stereo, allowing Cameron to view the film on a big screen in precisely the same form as audiences will see it in cinemas. Cameron, Titanic producer Jon Landau and stereo supervisor Geoff Burdick used Clipster Fuze systems at Fox Studios LA, at Lightstorm Entertainment in Malibu and at a Fox facility in Australia, to review the conversion work being performed by a variety of third-party facilities. In each instance, Clipster and Fuze were set up in theater-style environments where stereo media could be viewed either on a projection screen or 3D monitor. 34 Post • May 2012 www.postmagazine.com titles, we will be taking on more of a creative role in addition to managing the workflow." The conversion process is done at JVC's lab in Japan. "It's a semi-automated process that delivers very good results with fewer conversion artists," says Polson. "JVC uses algorithms to enhance the shape and volume on different layers, and creates a very natural, clean conversion with no anomalies." After the conversion is done, the Indian vendor performs paint and clean-up, then 3DPaint/FX adds VFX enhancements, if need- ed. "As we start to do more films we'll be ramping up in Santa Monica," Polson reports. "We're also looking at some other ways to work with partners. This part of the market [i.e., library titles] is volume business — roto, paint, clean up — it's huge. So we're always trying to find the best way to implement solutions; it's all about creating efficiencies." The solutions that 3DPaint/FX devises for library titles will also provide a model for 3D conversion for television. "We're working with our partners to strike the right balance of quality and price for that market," he says. "Titanic 3D is one of the best conversions ever done, but James Cameron is a premier filmmaker with a large budget that few library titles justify. Those same resources aren't going to be available with a TV show." 3D EYE SOLUTIONS Orlando-based 3D Eye Solutions (www.3deyesolutions.com) has been per- forming media conversions with its proprie- tary software since '07. The company's 3D Reality Splitter software enables them to convert any 2D content — for movies, TV, DVD content, games — to stereo 3D. "For the most part we're a post process, although we have been involved as consul- tants at the initial stage of a project to help the on-set stereographer, DP or director maximize conversion," says founder Mike Gibilisco. "But a lot of studios now have their own crews who know how to shoot for 3D continued on page 44