Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/398245
s e p t e m b e r . o c t o b e r 2 0 1 4 c g w 1 1 V I E W P O I N T . S T E R E O 3 D few notches and have renewed confidence in filmmakers and audiences. More and more clients understand that native and conversion can blend beau- tifully and enhance a film with top-quality 3D. And, more and more films are being told with stereo 3D, without being gim- micky. Old ideas, like "realistic is flat," are going out the window, and audiences are getting what they pay for in this genre. P R O P E R T E C H / T A L E N T B L E N D Technology is the backbone of the conversion industry. With that comes the talent that embraces it and moves it for- ward. All conversion vendors are faced with the task of building soware and workflows that can provide them with the edge needed to execute the highest quality projects in a time-effi- cient and cost-effective manner. Landing a job is oen decided by filmmakers and studios, and the only way to win those contracts is to have both the technological advance- ments and talent necessary to successfully execute the work. Maintaining a technical and cre- ative edge by constantly staying ahead of the competitive curve remains one of the biggest challenges in conversion. From a purely technological perspective, working from the GPU is very common now, but wasn't not too long ago. The very first drop of Legend3D's propri- etary conversion soware was built leveraging the GPU, where nearly all the math was crunched. While it's not fun coding within a GPU environment, it allows for innovation that makes working through shots and rendering them very fast. By necessity, conversion soware has become more robust so it can deal with more complicated visual effects and, recently, handle larger for- mats (4k, 6k). This has made the complexity of coding within the GPU more daunting. Tentpole films will always push the conversion envelope. Handling many VFX layers efficiently without slowing down the artist or stunting the creative process becomes a perpetual challenge. Such chal- lenges can put a vendor out of business if a company remains technologically stagnant. R E A L - T I M E , I N T E R A C T I V E D E P T H G R A D I N G Currently, there is an arms race to give directors a DI-like depth-grading experience, much like the final touches in a color-grading session. Instead of tuning the color, there is a desire to tune depth in real time exact- ly the way they want it. For a hey price tag, there are systems available that allow cli- ents to achieve a limited amount of control over the stereo output. The systems allow filmmakers to reconverge and add floating windows, but they don't offer much more. To truly dial in shots, the most demanding filmmakers will require a deeper level of con- trol. They will want to adjust the volume of a character's head and extend the nose out half a pixel, while pulling the background in, so the overall shot's parallax sits comfortably in 2.5 percent. This level of control and type of session is what conversion vendors are racing to provide – some vendors are close, and some are already there. Converting films to 3D is very labor-intensive. It literally requires small armies of artists working frame by frame, oen special- izing in one aspect or another, such as rotoscoping, clean plate generation, inpainting, stereo painting, depth design, and so on. There was a time when doing this type of work locally (in the US) was feasible, and we saw many Hollywood job opportu- nities flourish in 3D conversion. But, times are changing (and have been for quite a while now). All bets are off when entering a bidding war with vendors outside the US. Tax incentives in various international locations have changed the playing field considerably, and the only resolution has been to join them or find competent talent in countries such as India and China, where labor costs are far less than in the US. When the world is the client's playground, international produc- tion pipelines become a necessi- ty for survival. Achieving efficient production logistics around the world is one of many challenges that have to be mastered to compete in today's competitive conversion playing field. Although conversion had a rocky start, the art of stereo synthesis has come a long way. Today, both filmmakers and con- version vendors have expanded their 3D knowledge, experience, and confidence in conversion to drive the stereo renaissance forward and deliver the highest form of 3D. Conversion technol- ogy – particularly in production management, image processing, the handling of complex VFX and real-time DI-type depth grading – has advanced the art to a new level. Ultimately, conversion is an- other tool in the creative toolbox designed to serve the story and the director's vision. Like any evolving industry, especially those driven by technology and talent, 3D conversion has its challenges. But, they are surmountable with good teachers, commitment to R&D and innovation, and a cost-effective pipeline that in- tegrates international talent and next-generation technology. ¢ Tony Baldridge joined Legend3D in 2003 and was instru- mental in the evolution of the company's proprietary soware, holding inventorship on several Legend3D pat- ents. As a stereoscopic visual effects supervisor, he has steered the helm on many blockbuster conversion titles, such as Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Life of Pi, Top Gun 3D, Alice in Wonderland, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Enchanted Kingdom, The Smurfs 2, and others. T E N T P O L E F E A T U R E F I L M S W I L L A L W A Y S P U S H T H E C O N V E R S I O N E N V E L O P E I N E V E R Y W A Y.