Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/312687
28 Post • May 2014 www.postmagazine.com technology leadership perspective that will make the conversion process almost invisible to the director." MCKEE: "Having an image processing and restoration background, applying those tech- niques, combined with new machine vision algorithms to help isolate and 'auto-matte' objects throughout a scene, has allowed us to deliver stunning, clear 3D imagery on library titles quickly. Our main area of devel- opment has been enabling single cameras, including film with anamorphic lenses, to capture 3D using invisible, eye-safe realtime, military-spec lasers on-set that capture a point cloud that delivers depth information useful for conversion. That data also can be applied to post work minimizing or eliminat- ing rotoscoping and greenscreen and enabling fully-immersive 3D sets with live imagery mapped onto the objects. Imagine navigating a movie to see different POVs the way you could move around in a video game! Obviously, there is interest throughout the industry, but the hardware is expensive to develop and we're seeking partners to work with us on it." AKEY: "Our 4K pipeline is one service that's unique to Legend3D. We're also known for easy integration with all the major VFX vendors: ILM, MPC, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Weta, Double Negative. Our VFX workflow, featuring a proprietary soft- ware package with approved patents, is very different and much faster than the usual way of converting VFX. I've heard some clients wait 80 to 90 days without seeing an itera- tion from other vendors, with the work spread out all across the globe. Our typical shot is done in depth in three to four days, and submitted for final within seven to 10 days after depth approval. We've designed a realtime system where filmmakers can work in session and adjust depth on the fly. We also just opened a 3D hub facility in Holly- wood near Paramount Studios offering full- scale 3D editorial and conform services, and a 3D theater." COGAN: "Venture 3D has the ability to swiftly scale up or down to control costs so we can charge significantly less than the com- petition. All of our work is done in Korea, a very technology-driven country where peo- ple have a tremendous amount of pride in their work. We have a pool of very talented artists and a rigorous QC process." PARRY: "Stereo D started as a conversion studio, but we've been adopted as part of the VFX industry. I think that's because we were founded by filmmakers, not technicians. Every process we create is built around mak- ing the entire film. We approach our work not as making shots but as making films. We've developed a deeper level of integra- tion with VFX companies and are in some ways an extension of the VFX process: Sometimes there are unique 3D VFX that are not in the 2D version." POST: What's your forecast for the busi- ness? Will future changes be more evolutionary or revolutionary? PARRY: "There's one more revolutionary change left: the glasses-free home environ- ment. Behind the scenes, consumer electron- ics groups are headed in that direction with the release of 4K and soon 8K screens. We'll need those ultra-high resolution screens so every view in a glasses-free environment is high resolution. Evolutionary changes will be about ways to tell stories. One section we did for Noah is 3D time-lapse, which I hadn't seen before. Maybe people thought it wouldn't work in 3D. But it was beautiful." MALHOTRA: "3D will continue to evolve as a display interface for all digital devices, from TVs to smartphones to tablets. The revolutionary part is how to do that without glasses. Hopefully, that's around the corner. 3D without glasses feels much more like a live experience and not a conditioned envi- ronment. It will transform 3D across all con- tent streams. On the movie side, as filmmak- ers become more and more comfortable with 3D, it becomes more dynamic and pushes boundaries a bit further. That all plays into a better visual experience, which bigger films and blockbusters are counting on." MCKEE: "I believe the market will grow once consumers can view the content with- out glasses and without the need to have your guests wear a neck brace to stay in the 'sweet spot' while watching the Super Bowl on a glasses-free autostereo screen. In the meantime, more and more media is being consumed solo on portable devices, and personal autostereo devices like the NEO- 3DO tablet are just becoming available on retail shelves. For a cost comparable to an [Apple] iPad Air, folks can watch 3D movies while on the train to work. I think this will be the 3D revolution in America before it domi- nates home theater and will keep conversion work in a growth phase." COGAN: "Several new technologies have been introduced on-set that make it easier for conversion and VFX, like light field arrays for collecting data with depth information. We'll embrace anything that lets us walk away from the physical 'set' with more data to help in the conversion process." AKEY: "They'll be more evolutionary as filmmakers gain trust and confidence in the quality level of conversion. Based on the projects we've worked on, I have a sense that filmmakers are taking more risks to get more 3D out of their movies; they're making Venture 3D recently provided services for the feature, Journey to the West. 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