CinemaCon Day 2+3.5: Universal, Nolan Open to 3D, and Trade Show

Tim here, CinemaCon kicked off the 2nd day with a presentation from Universal, but for the most part they showed off their 2D 2014 lineup and a bit of Fast and Furious 7 from their 2015 lineup, and a quick sizzle of their upcoming 3D films like Minions. The most I got out of the day was from the Trade Show part where I got to experience a couple of the new technologies that are going to be brought into the theaters. I'll touch a little upon those and the first half of Day 3 including what Christopher Nolan had to say about 3D. Day 3 opened with a presentation from Disney, and a little on that in a bit. 

Let me start with Christopher Nolan: he's open to the 3D format! He said that he doesn't have a project that he feels works in the format at the moment, as he feels it's a more independent and personal movie going experience while he tries to make films that can be a shared theatrical experience. He was asked in his interview with Hollywood Reporter Chief Critic Todd McCarthy the question about whether there were any 3D films that he thought used the format very well and Nolan answered that he thought what Baz Luhrmann did with The Great Gatsby was a spectacular use of the format. It's a promising start for getting a movie from him in the future that will be Stereoscopic 3D. The next key is for the digital camera technology used to capture the images to surpass his technical requirements. That's what he said as to why he's a celluloid guy, and why he wishes to continue shooting on film, especially now that he can shoot on 65mm IMAX film. His comments on film vs digital distribution of course caused some upset amongst attendees, and even caused some exhibitors to leave the room in the middle of the interview. You can't knock the digital distrubtion platform to the theatrical exhibitors who are adopting it.

Disney showed off their coming line-up at the start of the third day, including a preview of Pixar's Inside Out, which will be in stereoscopic 3D. The presentation wasn't in S3D, so I can't comment on how well it is used, but considering that Pixar has a great track record with the format we can all feel confident that it will be spectacular. The extended clip resulted in enthusiasm from the crowd treated to it. Sadly it won't hit until 2015. They also highlighted their Marvel connection and the upcoming Captian America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. Both look like they'll be huge successes. Disney was very mum about anything Star Wars related, so there's no new news coming out of CinemaCon regarding the project. Maybe next year.

Trade Show wise I got to experience the new 4D Experience that will be accomanying future 3D movies. I got to experience 3 different companies tech during the show. 4DX and MediaMation Inc's 4D System were more than just motion seats as they added mist, smoke/fog, wind, and additional effects, while D-BOX mainly added motion to the seat. I'll write up more about my thoughts on these technologies in an individual post about 4D technology. First thoughts are however that they do add something new and interesting to the movie going experience. I'll have to experience a full feature with these additions to fully be able to state whether it works or not.

I also visited the Christie Booth to see their new 6P Laser Projection System, which is phenomenal! Instead of the traditional 3P Laser System this system has more efficient and brighter images as it's 2X the lumens that the regular 3P system has. They showed us examples of both standard 24 frames per second footage and some HFR footage in 48 fps from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. You should go to your local theater and demand they update their Christie Projection System to the 6P Laser System because not only will it enhance the 2D cinema experience, but most importantly the 3D experience.

Lastly, I attended a special presentation from Barco yesterday that showcased some of their new technology that's being added to movie theaters. Their 4K Digital Projector that's capable of doing 3D in HFR is amazing in it's quality, and so is their surround sound system Auro 11.1, which sounded spectacular. Then they have an interesting new thing for pre-show entertainment in their Interactive-Dimension technology dubbed "iD". Then there is their new wrap-around screen idea called "Escape" that happens to remind us that theaters are desperate to keep movie goers attending. This system is designed for the ADD/ADHD generation who can't watch one screen, but need three to satisfy their needs. Either the image can be stretched across all three screens, or a widened capture can occur, or 2-3 separate images can be displayed. So if you're not satisfied with the angle in front of you then you can look to the left or right to see a different one. I'm not sold. However, I could see a creative use for this system, if the filmmaker knows how to utilize it to it's fullest potential. For example had TV-show 24 gone to the big screen this format would have worked well with its multi-screen transition effect.

So far a lot of cool movies coming up this year, and some really cool technology for the cinema. Sony's Presentation was a bit later in the day and after I wrote this, so I'll be writing about that in another post. Sony showed 30-minutes of The Amazing Spiderman 2 and it was awesome. More on that later. As well I'll go more in depth in individual posts on the demos I got of RealD's TrueImage and the new MasterImage MI-Horizon3D system.

Topanga Film Festival 3D Day

Hi everyone, Tim Buttner here. I've decided that my first post will be about my recent visit to the Topanga Film Festival that ran July 28-31. Saturday July 30 marked the Festival’s “3D Day” where they screened several 3D short films, some trailers from upcoming 3D films, and had a panel discussion from industry professionals.

It was a beautiful sunny day deep in the Topanga Canyon hills, held in the main auditorium near the Topanga Elementary School, where RealD had provided a screen for the day’s event while Christie provided the projector that had the RealD polarizing lens in front of it. Max Penner of Paradise FX was on hand to set up the projector along with Eric Kurland, President of the LA 3D Club. Max also took part in the panel later in the day. Ray “3D” Zone was also in attendance. Mr. Kurland provided a number of 3D shorts from the LA 3D Club’s Movie Fest, including the winners from previous years. Mr. Penner showed trailers from Dolphin Tale and Fright Night, and as well a 6-minute single take of a turtle 50 feet below the surface in the coral reef of the Cayman Islands. Everyone really enjoyed the cool underwater 3D footage.

The icing on the day though was a panel discussion consisting of Mr. Penner, Wayan Palmieri (Digital Revolution Studios), Ted Kenny (3ality Digital Systems), Michael Page (3D StereoLab), Erik Spicard (3D Filmmaker), and neuroscientist Dr. Alan Horsager, Ph.D. Dr. Horsager started it off with a brief overview of how we perceive 3D in real life and his thoughts on why we gravitate towards 3D films. Each panelist introduced themselves and explained how they got into 3D filmmaking, and as well what projects they have worked on. They voiced their thoughts on where the technology is going and how its becoming more accessible to the public. They commented that the format has yet to have its Michelangelo’s or Da Vinci’s and that we’ve yet to see what some people can do with it.

Afterwards I caught Wayan Palmieri to inquire about what editing software DRS would be switching to after the disastrous release of Final Cut Pro X, and he told me that they were moving to Avid. It seems Apple has pushed a number of professionals back into Avid’s hands, but Mr. Palmieri informed me that he is on the BETA team for Avid to integrate 3D tools in Media Composer 6.

Topanga’s first inclusion of 3D in the festival went well and it should become a staple of the festival. Next year I’m sure they’ll have more projects to show and the attendance will be twice as large, possibly even larger.

For more info on the festival and to perhaps attend next year, check out www.topangafilmfestival.com.

RealD And Sony Partner On 4K Projector

Jim here. NOW it is making sense. A while ago I reported that Sony will be introducing a new 4K projector with a 3D adaptor and I was puzzled over the very late entry into the field - a field where there is already a clear winner in the 3D add-on realm, RealD.

Today, THR is reporting that Sony has in fact teamed up with RealD to deliver a built in 3D 4K projection system - one that is compatible with other Sony 4K resolution projectors.

It is not known whether Sony has solved the issue of being limited to screen sizes of 55 feet or less - perhaps that is why Sony has partnered with RealD, as the Beverly Hills based 3D company has solved the riddle of larger screens with their XL technology.

Originally Sony had targeted a March 2009 release of the solution.

A large competitor of Sony's in this arena will be Christie (along with Barco and NEC), who also recently announced their Brilliant3D technology that coincidentally (or more likely not) also uses RealD. In this case, they in fact use the RealD XL technology to facilitate projection on screens of up to 75 feet. Christie's 3D solution is however, limited to only 2K resolution.

This is great clarification for me. I feel much better about the progression of the 3D projection industry with this knowledge in place! Great job guys.

Quick Post: Christie Launches Industry First Technological Breakthrough for 3D

CYPRESS, CA – October 13, 2008 – Christie, a leader in digital cinema projection, is pleased to introduce its Brilliant3D technology that enables 3D content to be projected in full 2K resolution for digital cinema projectors utilizing 1.2” DMD chips from Texas Instruments. A first for the industry, this new technology will be available exclusively on all Christie digital cinema projectors and will be launched at ShowEast beginning October 13th in Orlando, FL. Following the successful demonstrations with RealD at IBC in Amsterdam last month, Christie’s new technology provides 33% more brightness for 3D content and uses only a single lens system.

“We’re very excited about this technological development from Christie. This advancement combined with our RealD XL system enhances the 3D experience tremendously. Together, we can fill screens up to 75ft in width with true triple-flash capable technology, making 3D films even brighter and clearer,” noted Joseph Peixoto, president of worldwide cinema, RealD.

Craig Sholder, vice-president of Christie’s Entertainment Solutions stated, “With more than 15 new movies slated for 3D release over the next 18 months, Christie’s new Brilliant3D will enable exhibitors to project 3D movies onto the largest screens—while reducing both lamp and electricity expenses. Christie engineers initiated development of this technology so that audiences would have the most compelling 3D experience.”

Christie Brilliant3D will be available on the world’s brightest 2K DLP Cinema® projectors, the Christie CP2000-SB and Christie CP2000-XB, as well as on the Christie CP2000-ZX. Christie’s CP2000-M digital cinema projector, based on the .98” DMD chip, will also feature Christie Brilliant3D technology. With this new technology, Christie now offers 3D in full 2K resolution at brightness levels not previously seen before in theatres.

Sholder added, “We’ve enabled our full suite of digital cinema projectors with Christie technology. And, our flagship Christie CP2000-SB will offer double the brightness for 3D projection than any other competitive product on the market. We’re thrilled to offer a much more viable solution to the industry for projecting 3D movies on medium and large screens. Christie remains at the forefront of the digital cinema revolution with 3D solutions for every exhibitor on any size screen.”

In addition, Christie is also announcing a new suite of variable prime zoom lenses that enable a convenient and cost-effective, single lens solution for 2D and 3D content regardless of format, keeping operating costs down. These lenses and new projector solutions will be available for the release of the 3D blockbusters scheduled for the upcoming holiday season.

ShowEast attendees will see Christie’s Brilliant3D technology in action on the Christie CP2000-XB showing select scenes from Lionsgate’s, “My Bloody Valentine”, and Disney’s “Bolt” 3D trailer on the Christie CP2000-ZX displayed at their booth # 1100.

This is awesome news for 2K digital projection. Gotta see this in action!