The Dimensionalists

India’s Reliance MediaWorks, part of the Reliance ADA group, is training a small army of artists to meet the rise in demand for 3D films following the huge success of James Cameron’s “Avatar” and other films.

To insure quality, Reliance has linked with In-Three, an established 3D player in Hollywood which shared its technology and will oversee its progress via information sent down Reliance’s high capacity fiber-optic cable.

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Imagineer Systems profile the Dimensionalization workflow and the use of mocha as a VFX tool.

Alex Torres of In-Three explains: “At the heart of 3D Dimensionalization is a process for creating stereoscopic depth, in which we isolate literally hundreds of objects within a single image.”

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In-Three’s Matt DeJohn, VP/3D VFX Producer, and Michael Karagosian, President of MKPE Consultancy and editor of the MKPE Report, describe the basics of 3D and how it is used effectively in 3D filmmaking.

There is a shifting tide in the film industry and you can only see it if you wear the right glasses: 3D glasses. At the time of this writing, there are nine thousand 3D capable theatre screens worldwide, and scores more being installed. The home entertainment market is set to release dozens of 3D TV and Blu-Ray models. Avatar made 3D history, and more than 25 3D movies are slated for release in 2010. It’s clear that 3D is becoming more than just a trend. So, for anyone involved in the movie industry, it’s a good time to understand what 3D is all about. How does the illusion work? How is 3D produced? Why is some 3D good, and some not-so-good? How can 3D enhance storytelling? Even if you don’t work in motion picture production, you’ll find this information useful.

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The International 3D Society handed out it’s inaugural 3D awards on Tuesday, February 23, and G-Force won for 2D to 3D Converted Feature of the Year, recognizing the groundbreaking conversion work.  In-Three is proud of the work we did on G-Force and the integral part that Dimensionalization played in winning this award.  We would like to thank all of our artists that worked so hard on this project and would also like to thank Walt Disney Studios, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Sony Imageworks for being great partners.

Rob Engle of Sony Imageworks (holding award) with Damian Wader, Jon Karafin and Alex Torres of In-Three.

February 23, 2010 Los Angeles, CA
International 3D Society Achievements in Film Making Awards held at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
Photo: Alex J. Berliner © Berliner Studio/BEImages

Here at In-Three, we reuse our glasses and clean them by hand as necessary, but the theaters have a much larger task when it comes to maintaining their 3D glasses.  Read all about it.

As discussed in the Dec. 30 Broadcasting & Cable TechTalk, Chief Media Technology Officer John Honeycutt and other Discovery engineers have been evaluating “dimensionalization” technology from several firms as a potential way to convert 2D archive content to 3D in post-production, which would be more cost-effective than shooting new 3D fare with specialized cameras.

Read the article here.

Sports broadcasting will enter a new dimension in 2010 … the third dimension, as ESPN will unveil the industry’s first 3-D network.

ESPN 3D will showcase a minimum of 85 live sporting events during its first year, beginning June 11 with the first 2010 FIFA World Cup match, featuring South Africa vs. Mexico, ESPN and ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer announced.

Other events to be produced in 3-D include the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, college basketball and football contests, up to 25 World Cup matches and the Summer X Games. Additional events will be announced at a later date.

“ESPN’s commitment to 3-D is a win for fans and our business partners,” Bodenheimer said in a statement. “ESPN 3D marries great content with new technology to enhance the fan’s viewing experience and puts ESPN at the forefront of the next big advance for TV viewing.”

ESPN has been testing ESPN 3D for more than two years, even showing a USC-Ohio State college football game in select theaters and to 6,000 fans at the Galen Center on USC’s campus.

“This is a turning point for 3-D,” Consumer Electronics Association CEO Gary Shapiro told USA Today.

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A whole new avenue for seeing 3D content may be available soon.  DirecTV has launched a new HD satellite and perhaps with it a new channel devoted to stereoscopic programming.  Combine this with 3D Blu-ray capability and soon there will be plenty of ways to watch your favorite 3D film or show at home.

The launch of the new satellite is also fueling speculation that DirecTV will launch a 3D HD service next year, something 3D insiders have suggested privately for months. The blog HDGuru.com reported yesterday that DirecTV will use DirecTV 12 to start an all-3D HD channel offering an assortment of movies, sports and programs in 3D, and that it will announce the new service at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. According to the report, which cited unnamed sources, DirecTV’s current HDTV boxes will receive a firmware upgrade to allow existing subscribers to receive HD 3D programming that will be compatible with new 3D-capable HDTV sets from Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, LG and other TV makers, as well as existing Mitsubishi DLP sets that will require a 3D converter box. All the sets would require DirecTV subscribers to wear special glasses to view the 3D content.

Read more here.

3D has pushed box office success all year and as Avatar continues to do so many filmmakers and execs in Hollywood are pondering 3D releases for their future and former projects.

Even as moguls shut down their Christmas lights in Bel-Air to head out to the yacht in St. Bart’s, a fever known as 3D is gripping Hollywood.

The nationwide thumbs-up over “Avatar” — which just two weeks ago had the town on edge — is now creating thumb-whiplash from insiders hitting the Blackberry with newfound 3D zeal.

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Will we see Lord of the Rings in 3D?  Peter Jackson is ready to do it, read the full story.