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VEFXi is in final testing of its DiamondBlade 3D conversion suite, a software/hardware accelerator package. atrically in 3D. It's the kind of film that would have been impossible to shoot in 3D: They shot on multiple continents in some pretty incredible conditions with a lot of long lens work and aerials." Nevertheless, The Art of Flight posed some challenges in the conversion process, particu- larly the falling snow. "Snow in general is really difficult," Cogan says. "Snow was falling from the sky and flying off equipment. But you couldn't shoot in native with a beamsplitter rig. Snow would get on the mirror and ruin the shot or the mirror would fog up in the cold and moisture." Plus, any snow Jon Landau prefers going native LOS ANGELES — Producer Jon Landau, whose credits include Avatar and Titanic, is an advocate of native stereo 3D. "It's always the best way to go, except for library titles," he says. "If you have a straight, non-VFX film or TV show, the cost of shooting native 3D in production is minimal…it's only in the camera department and finishing costs. But to convert to 3D as a post process takes time, attention and focus [away] from finishing the project, and it costs more than the upfront expense. And the best result you'll get from a conversion is 2 3/4D, because there's not enough information for 3D." He admits, "Stereo D did a phenomenal job" in converting Titanic 3D and now Jurassic Park 3D. "But, it took them in excess of 10 months to do each conversion," a luxury of time that can't be justified in the course of standard post schedules, he notes. Still, the state of the art for converting library titles has "greatly improved," Landau believes. "But, the key is getting the filmmaker involved in the process." He says, "One point I want to get across is that conversion is not a technical process: It's an artistic process that uses technology. That's true of filmmaking as a whole and especially of conversion. You can't do it absent an artistic point of view. Sure, you need great technicians for conversion, but someone who's the auteur needs to make the decisions." These decisions don't necessarily shout 3D to the average filmgoer. "I'm not sure how much 3D adds to big VFX and explosions," he says. "The most compelling scene in Titanic 3D was Jack and Rose in the gym — an intimate scene. It made you feel as if you were there with them; it was almost a voyeuristic experience. It's exciting for the filmmaker and very compelling for the audience to feel that in touch with the drama of the moment." Landau doubts that Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment, where he's a partner, will make any more films that aren't native 3D. "Native 3D is like Dolby 6-track sound 20 years ago. Three out of the last four Oscars for cinematography were all for native 3D films: Avatar, Hugo and Life of Pi," he notes. "That's pretty remarkable." Landau's upcoming feature projects with Cameron include two Avatar sequels, Battle Angel and The Informationist, all of which are slated for native 3D production. captured in native 3D would have had to deal with polarization issues. Venture 3D "got to take creative license" to give depth to landscapes, such as mountains 25 miles in the distance. "A couple of reviews said the film is one of the best-shot 3D movies ever, so we pat ourselves on the back about that," Cogan smiles. "All 3D has to do with blocking — the foreground, midground and background. You can't just pull something off the screen if it's not calling for it." In The Art of Flight there are some "tasteful" examples of elements coming off the screen in negative space, he says, but 3D tends to be more about "the viewer experience. There's a lot of breathtaking Phantom footage and film of places you're never going to see in person — like an Alaskan iceberg. But with 3D you feel you're there. It's a neat way for an arm-chair traveler to see places they'll never go to." Cogan sees the Chinese market for 3D "exploding" as audiences clamor for content in theaters and for numerous 3D television channels they will soon be able to access. Venture 3D has already converted the feature Journey to the West: Conquering Demons, based on a comedic Chinese folk tale, written and directed by Stephen Chow. It's on track to be China's highest-earning domestically-produced feature. "There were shots that were 1,400-1,600 frames long, so it was like old-time filmmaking and very refreshing," Cogan says. IDENTITY FX North Hollywood's Identity FX (www. identityfx.com) launched in 2004 as a visual effects studio founded by Leo Vezzali and David Scott Van Woert. Given Vezzali's background in stereo 3D (RealD, Aliens of the Deep, U2 3D), and the studio's visual effects roots, Identity FX was "primed" for the rebirth of 3D, says Van Woert. "We began doing 2D-to-3D conversions on projects like The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Green Lantern, and then added native stereo optimization (Spider-Man, continued on page 42 26 Post • May 2013 Post0513_022-24, 26-stereoRAV4finalread.indd 26 www.postmagazine.com 5/2/13 8:09 PM