Monday, Sept. 14 is D Cinema Day at IBC, and in the morning the focus will be firmly on stereoscopic 3D for the cinema.
The morning session, chaired by 3D film producer and session architect Phil Streather, CEO of pioneering giant-screen production company Principal Large Format, will guide delegates through the complete process of 3D moviemaking—from pre-visualization, through stereo 3D acquisition and on to stereo 3D editing.
“If 3D is going to drive our industry forward, then we are going to need fantastic 3D content, and plenty of it,” said Streather. “The purpose of our program on D Cinema Day at IBC 09 is to ensure that people are aware of the latest tools in 3D content creation and editing, how they can be used and what benefits they can bring to a project. Not everybody can afford current high-end 3D post production tools. But there are alternatives out there that are cheaper and more accessible to smaller or independent production companies and our aim is to showcase some of them to an audience that might have so far have limited or no experience of 3D movie-making.
“Thus the morning aligns to a narrative that will have a beginning, middle and end: a beginner’s guide, followed by tutorials on how to previzualize 3D before shooting, how to shoot, and finally how to edit,” he said.
The session will begin with a primer from Bernard Mendiburu, renowned L.A.-based CGI stereographer, whose credits include “Meet the Robinsons” and “Monsters vs. Aliens.” A respected industry consultant and author of the newly published book, “3D Movie Making: Stereoscopic Digital Cinema, From Script to Screen,” Mendiburu will offer an overview of the latest developments in 3D workflow which will enable delegates to get the best from the three presentations that follow.
The second part of the session will be led by Ken Schafer, president of Innoventive Software, who will look at pre-visualization. A provider of cutting-edge software solutions for the film and television industries since 1991, Schafer will demonstrate how Innoventive Software's latest package, FrameForge Previz Studio 3, allows users to prep live-action stereo 3D shoots.
Acclaimed stereographer Steve Schklair, CEO of 3ality Digital, will give the third presentation, a demonstration of the tools needed to capture the very best stereo images. Schklair, whose most recent work includes overseeing the production, post-production and completion of 'U2 3D' at the 3ality Digital studio in Burbank, California, will use projected images from live cameras positioned outside the RAI auditorium to demonstrate alignment, misalignment, image correction, interaxial and convergence shifting, etc.
Editing and image manipulation take on new importance in the 3D movie-making process, with stereoscopic depth and acquisition inconsistencies needing to be processed to ensure viewer comfort and the proper deployment of dramatic effect. The morning's final presentation, hosted by David Newman, CTO of CineForm, will demonstrate how the company's neo3D plug-in for Final Cut Pro can manipulate images, correct vertical misalignment, perform Horizontal Image Translation and more; all using the revolutionary and virtually lossless CineForm codec, as used on the Oscar-winning 'Slumdog Millionaire'.
"The second, third and fourth sessions will be a complete antidote to the theoretical, PowerPoint-based approach of so many industry seminars,” Streather said. “Using the IBC Big Screen in the RAI Auditorium, which holds 1,000 people, our speakers—who are all professionals at the top of their game—will demonstrate the latest 3D imaging techniques in real time, using real-world content, in a real cinematic environment. This will give delegates an opportunity to see not just how stereoscopic effects can be created, but also some of the problems they may typically encounter along the way - along with appropriate solutions."
The program will end with a round-table Q&A session chaired by Streather and attended by all four speakers, during which delegates will get the chance to discuss the most pressing issues surrounding 3D movie-making.
The session will get underway at 9 a.m. in the RAI auditorium.
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