MUST WATCH: Two More GRAVITY Trailers!

ANOTHER TWO! Tim here, and a third trailer and fourth trailer for Gravity arrived! Unlike the previous One Shot Trailer that hit yesterday, the first one is a sequence from the film that contains a couple of intense shots as the two main characters (Sandra Bullock and George Clooney) attempt to grab hold onto a satellite. This trailer, just like the previous, is a heart pumping thriller.

The second new trailer is also one shot. It seems to take place after the events depicted in the other one shot trailer that hit yesterday. This one is a really cool shot that starts inside the spacesuit helmet of Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) as a POV and then moves to an extreme close-up of her face before drifting away from her. All the while she is spinning freely in space above the Earth, which is lit up by all the lights from our cities. The illumination of the Earth at night paired with her desperate calls for an answer to her transmissions is chilling.

There seems to be unease that the filmmakers are showing us too much ahead of time. However, one has to remember that these are only 2-minute clips from a feature-length film. That means there's 85-110 minutes of screen time left based on the average feature length. If anything these are great teases that make me excited to see the entire thing.

Check out the two new trailers below:

GRAVITY opens in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on October 4.

Iron Man 3 Review

Hey all, Tim here with a review for you. Iron Man 3 completes the journey Tony Stark started in the first film released in 2008, and takes place after the events of The Avengers (2012). It is a fun adventure, and a good movie. It surpasses the second Iron Man film, but isn't nearly as good as the first.

Now, I need to warn you that I am not familiar with the comics, and thus will only be rating the movie based on how it works as a film by itself and as part of the whole Iron Man trilogy. Let me begin with the story…

Some small spoilers here - you might want to read it after you see the movie.

The movie begins with a very Shane Black (writer and director) style voice-over, which honestly didn't quite fit into the world established in the first two movies. It didn't quite work too well either as it felt like a lazy way to tell exposition instead of showing it. Nonetheless the movie gets moving quickly enough, and it maintains a pretty quick pace for its two hour running time. Although the story tended to feel a little disjointed, it worked.

There were some things that were done well to comedic effect, but likely pissed of fan boys. Guy Pearce worked effectively as the antagonist, and it's in large part because he's such a fantastic actor. Character development wise Tony had better development than the second, but not nearly as good development as the first. However, what they establish as his short-coming at the beginning of the film is overcome by the end.

The performances in the film were top notch. Robert Downey Jr. owns the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man. By now he's got the role down and completely escapes into the character. Gwyneth Paltrow returns as Tony's better half Pepper Potts and gets a lot more screen time this time around. She even gets to don the famous suit! She has great chemistry with both Robert Downey Jr. and Guy Pearce. As stated before Guy Pearce is fantastic in his role as antagonist Aldrich Killian. Ben Kingsley is the second antagonist in the film, and even though he's great in his performance he's under used. Also, from my understanding there's a deterrence from the comics in the way his character, The Mandarin, was written. It worked well enough for the film as a standalone, but still with a performer such as Kingsley the character could have been better developed. Don Cheadle returned in the role of Colonel James Rhodes, as he wasn't replaced like Terrence Howard after one go in the role. He did a fine job in the role again, and got to have equal screen time to what he had in the last. This time it felt like he had more fun with the role. Rebecca Hall and James Badge Dale also round out the rest of the cast in well acted roles.

The stereo 3D conversion on the film was spectacular. Not surprising these days, but still a pleasant thing for the eyes. Although there were a few moments where the 2D cinematography wasn't meant for stereo 3D, it overall worked great. All the digital elements are easily rendered in 3D since they're built that way in the computer. It merits mention however that there was a clever use of 2D and stereo in the film. All of The Mandarin's broadcasts are in 2D. When they fill the whole screen everything plays in 2D, and then when they appear on a screen in a set the set is stereoscopically rich as the broadcast continues to play in 2D. This especially helped emphasis the use of stereoscopic space, and instantly became this reviewers favorite use of 3D in the film. There were plenty of other great stereo moments, especially during the climatic battle. The visual effects were spectacular, as is to be expected, and were as dazzling as ever. Paired with top notch sound effects this film was technically solid.

Overall this film comes in at a 3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars. It's graded down on the story and the small lack of proficient character development. IRON MAN 3 is an enjoyable, fun, and a good film. It's definitely worth seeing in theaters and in stereoscopic 3D. It is this reviewers recommendation that you go see it.

IRON MAN 3 is now playing.

Out Of Beta: YouTube Converts 2D HD Video to Anaglyph 3D

Hey all, Tim here. That's right you heard me right; YouTube will now convert your 1080p HD 2D video to 3D. I read a LA Times article about it and sought to test it out for myself.

First, lets look at how YouTube converts the video. "Using a number of video characteristics such as color, spatial layout and motion for estimating a depth map for each from of a monoscopic video sequence. From that depth map and the original frame, a stereo 3D left and right pair is created -- 3D magic."

Almost sounds too good to be true. Time to put it to the test. I have a couple of HD videos on my YouTube that I've always wondered if they would have looked better had I shot them in 3D. Well, now's my chance to see. Please put on your anaglyph glasses (sorry it has to be anaglyph) and give this a try. If you don't see the 3D symbol right away, click on the gear wheel for resolution and select 1080p. You now see the "3D" indicator beside the gear wheel, and if you click on it it will make the video 3D.

I have noticed there are pros and cons to allowing YouTube to do conversions. The biggest con is that the filmmaker has no control over the conversion. This is something that all of us know James Cameron is admittedly against. I tend to agree, the filmmaker should have a say in the 3D conversion. Let me list the Pros vs the Cons below:

Pros	Cons
2D video now 3D	Filmmaker has no control over conversion
3D plays behind screen window	Downgrade in resolution from 1080p to 720p
Lens flares convert well	Shots can become pixelated (noticed in other videos)
Conversion is quick (although this could lend to the cons)	Alters frame size during conversion
Multiple methods to view 3D	Not all shots translate well to 3D
	Not all edits translate well to 3D
	Most people can only watch in anaglyph on computers, which distorts colors
	Once you convert one video on channel all other videos also converted

Overall I wish I shot this video natively in 3D because then it would have been the best possible version in 3D. However, I didn't. As a result I have shots and cuts that were never meant to be seen in 3D. In the end the cons outweigh the pros at the moment. Yet, YouTube just took this out of Beta.

It's an early start for YouTube, and they are paving way for others to follow in their footsteps. I can't wait to see where this service goes in the future. It will also be nice to hear customer feedback.

THE GREEN HORNET: Advanced Review - 8 Stars

There are no spoilers in this review, but you are open to discuss anything you wish in the comments section.

Click on the images to enlarge.

One sentence to sum this review up: THE GREEN HORNET is the best 3D conversion I have ever seen. It rivals and is the equal of native 3D in many scenes!

This movie sets new ground for 2D to 3D conversions. The stereo in this movie is, at times, PERFECT. I do not say that lightly as you know. Congratulations to all involved - Sony (Grant Anderson / Rob Engle), Legend 3D (Barry Sandrew), Stereo D, Venture 3D and Sassoon Film Design. It is a massive achievement and sets the bar so much closer to native 3D.

Let's talk about the few negative issues first and get them out of the way. As a general comment, the 3D is over used. Unfortunately there are few if any breaks in the constant barrage of stereo viewing for your eyes to rest and therefore at the end of the movie you can expect a headache. Minor ache of course; mine lasted about 15 minutes, but still it was there. Would it stop me from seeing it again? No way! I am going again ASAP. The moments that TGH captures that are perfectly done far outweigh tired eyes.

Yes, the 3D was over used, but scene by scene it is spectacular. Some scenes though were needlessly amped up with stereo conversion (yes, that is Jim Dorey saying that!) that in my opinion could have been used to rest the audience's eyes. Scenes like when the District Attorney is in Britt Reid's office and you can literally see the DA's nose in 3D - sticking out at you. It adds nothing to the story, does not draw you into the scene and in fact dials you out as it is so obvious. The DA is standing too far back to be able to see his nose like that even if you were really in the room with him. It was exaggerated and unnatural to me. It makes you think about the 3D and not the dialogue. That's not good. I even took my glasses off later in the scene to see the image separation and of course there it was.

Another scene was more about communication between the director, cinematographer and the on location 3D expertise. When Britt and Kato first sit in Black Beauty (their pimped out crime fighting car - or is it crime committing car!) there is an overly generous dolly movement from left to right that is far too fast for the stereo conversion (and it would be in native 3D as well imo). Too much eye strain again to enjoy that moment and distracting from the dialogue. In 2D it would have been fine, but remember this movie has full time 3D so it was a strain when it could have been a more restful moment to enjoy.

The acting could have been much better in my mind, but the comedic relief moments were superb as one would expect in a Seth Rogen project. It was a pleasure to see Christoph Waltz in the villain role again - this time much less serious than with INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. Waltz saved this movie's acting score from being much lower in my review. And I am simply not a Cameron Diaz fan anymore. Did not enjoy her performance whatsoever.

Let's break down the aspects of my review:

Stereoscopic 3D (9 stars):
Again, perfect 3D at times. Gorgeous to watch, yet for those few times where the 3D was overly done and the overall over use of stereo brought down the score for me.

Story (8 stars):
I immediately thought to myself at the end of the movie that the story could have so much more about how these characters have changed (more on that below) but there was so little development involved. I did enjoy the angle in which Rogen explained how they were going to be different from other super heroes and act like a criminal to gain their trust (again no spoiler here).

Acting (7 stars):
Could have been so much better! I can see Rogen's enthusiasm for the role come through in his acting but I still don't think he was perfect for the role of TGH. Jay Chou was bang on though. Loved him. Again Cameron Diaz did NOT belong and Waltz was a joy to behold and carried much of the movie.

Character Development (6.5 stars):
The writers missed the mark on this one. I saw few changes in Britt Reid and only one resonated with me at all (I will talk about them in the comments - where spoilers are allowed) so I was disappointed. I got nothing from Diaz and Chou for development. Waltz's evolution was ok.

Suspension of Disbelief (7 stars):
As I said, the 3D at times was distracting and actually pulls you OUT of the movie a bit. I didn't enjoy that. However, other scenes brought you sublimely INTO the movie! Confusing I know, but there it is. I heartily enjoyed the movie though and was able to suspend my disbelief most of the time.

Directing (8.5 stars):
Michel Gondry did an amazing job with this project! He turned it into his own. Loved the pacing and how well everything held together, save those few stereo moments. More character development and story would have been prudent.

Sound / Score (8 stars):
TGH does not have the caliber of score as say TRON: LEGACY, but it is a good score. It suits the genre and action so go with it! :-)

Cinematography (9 stars):
One of the clear strengths of TGH! Perfect at times. Really draws you in. More attention has to be paid to the mash up between the camera work and stereo conversion but overall was superbly done.

Special Effects / Stunts (8.5 stars):
Another strength of the production. You can tell that a lot of money was spent on this production ($100m+, not including marketing). Nothing cheap about this movie. It is truly something to see for yourself - Black Beauty alone is worth the price of admission :-)

The few and small complaints I have are few and far between. This movie's 3D was superb and non-stop. I heard the audience's react to everything! I pay attention to those things. Even a simple static shot (no dolly movement which is often used to accentuate 3D) of the exterior of the Reid estate looked simply and utterly GORGEOUS. A couple behind me gasped at the clarity of it. It was shocking. Like you were really there. A perfect shot and conversion. Scenes like this rival native 3D - I defy you to tell the difference in that particular shot. This is a first for me guys. Conversion can be that good.

Then there was the mash up between the stereo work and the cinematography and it was amazing too. One particular shot again had the Reid estate but this time with a lateral movement and as the frame swept by the home, it transformed into the coffin of Britt's father (no spoiler as this is revealed in the trailer). It was an amazing and artistic effect, even with the obvious differences in those object sizes. Nicely done. This was a case of the 3D truly bringing out the creativeness of that scene. Loved it.

Some have complained in the past that you are not getting your money's worth with some 3D movies, that the stereo is hardly noticeable - well with TGH, you walk out of the theater knowing that you just saw spectacular 3D. No doubt about it. It is an experience to be had. Sony has a winner here and not only in the theater!

THE GREEN HORNET will excel in 3D home theaters too. It is that good. I am kinda curious how native 3D pundits (I am one!) will react to this movie. Personally I think that if the correct amount of attention is paid, and the right amount of money is paid, we are getting very close to 3D conversions rivaling native 3D.

THE GREEN HORNET is, in its own way, the poster child of stereo conversion. The first of hopefully many more 'rising bars' for conversion.

Special thanks to Empire Theatres for the screening.

Sequel To CLASH entitled: WRATH OF THE TITANS! Neeson Says It Will Start Shooting In March And It Will Kick @ss!!

One of my favorite actors is Liam Neeson. Of course he is headlining (as Zeus) the sequel to CLASH OF THE TITANS which we now know is called WRATH OF THE TITANS.

Neeson said (via Belfast Telegraph): "I've only read half of the script and there is still some work being done - they're on script 10 - but I think it's going to be some kick-a** stuff and a very human story to it. We will start next March. I'm very much looking forward to it. It's a whole revamping, you know."

Neeson doesn't know if WRATH will be shot in native 3D or not. I would wager not as I believe there is an existing agreement in place between the studio and the conversion company for multiple 2D to 3D projects. HOWEVER, that being said I would quickly follow that by saying LESSONS HAVE BEEN LEARNED. In other words, no ridiculous timelines for completion.

Thanks for the heads up Adam!

Top Tier 3D Conversion Company IN-THREE Bought By DIGITAL DOMAIN

Digital Domain Holdings which owns the FX company Digital Domain has just bought the 2D to 3D conversion company In-Three. In-Three is clearly a top tier 'dimensionalization' company and the move makes sense on many levels.

My good friend Neil Feldman, CEO of In-Three told David Cohen of Variety: "It's a no-brainer to us to want to be affiliated with a high-end vfx expert company so we can pool our resources and do something beyond what's been done before. We've seen low-end conversions, and that's not what we want to do. We're trying to maintain the highest quality."

Cliff Plumer, CEO of Digital Domain continues: "Pretty much all the movies we're working on have a stereo aspect. Our preference still is shooting in stereo, if you can. But a lot of films are still shot flat and the post schedules are getting much tighter, which forces visual effects companies and stereo companies to work together."

Shortly In-Three will begin to move its production facilities from California to Florida to be in close proximity to Digital Domain's headquarters. Sales efforts will largely remain in California which again makes perfect sense.

Apparently the acquisition will not affect In-Three's day to day operations when it comes to the conversion of third party titles which is great to hear. Top tier conversion companies are like gold in today's massive 3D conversion market.

Congratulations to all involved! Looks like a solid move.

Legend3D Appoints Former Prime Focus CEO As President

Current President and Founder Barry Sandrew Continues All Conversion Operations and Technology Development as COO and CTO...

SAN DIEGO (Nov. 16, 2010)—Legend3D, Inc., the leading innovator in 2D-to-3D conversion technology, today announced that Rob Hummel has joined the company as president, effective immediately. The former executive of 3D conversion company Prime Focus will play a highly strategic role, closely collaborating with Geoff Goodman, Legend3D’s executive vice president of new business development, in directing top projects and studio relationships. This appointment will allow Barry Sandrew, company founder and current president to better focus his energy on 3D/VFX technology development and creative oversight of feature films and commercial projects.

The expansion of Legend3D’s executive team is a direct response to the influx of feature film, broadcast commercial, and catalog film conversion projects; Legend3D’s much-praised conversion of Alice in Wonderland for Disney; as well as its ongoing 3D work for several major Hollywood studios. Of note, Legend3D’s four-person executive team now collectively holds 12 patents and represents multiple decades of film and entertainment experience. With Hummel’s appointment as president, Legend3D remains well-positioned as the leader in delivering high-quality conversions on time and on budget.

“Rob’s unique strategic knowledge of film and digital entertainment, backed by his comprehensive knowledge and experience in cinematography, post production, animation, film restoration, and all aspects of digital capture, scanning compositing and visual effects will greatly strengthen Legend3D’s ability to continue its mission. He will help produce the seamless, highest-quality 3D storytelling experience that renowned film makers have come to expect from us,” said Barry Sandrew, founder, COO and CTO of Legend3D. “It’s an honor to welcome Rob to our executive team.”

Prior to joining Legend3D, Hummel served as CEO, post production, of Prime Focus North America. Before that, he was the president of Digital Cinema at DALSA Corporation, where he led the charge into the motion picture industry for the company’s 4K camera. He also worked on numerous high-profile projects, including The Dark Knight, for which he helped test the post production pipeline and proof of concept to deliver the film in IMAX format. Hummel has also held senior vice president positions at Warner Bros.—where he advised on motion picture technologies, including digital restoration work for Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz—and at SONY, where he led the development of the company’s Digital Cinema strategy. Additionally, Hummel’s vast portfolio within the filmmaking industry includes leadership positions at Technicolor, DreamWorks Animation and The Walt Disney Company.

As a proponent of motion picture technology throughout his career, Hummel is an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers and also serves on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Science and Technology Council. He has hosted numerous Academy events, covering a variety of subjects from film formats to 3D cinematography, and also has taught at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles. In 2006, Hummel was honored by ShoWest as a pioneer in the digital cinema field, recognizing his ongoing contributions in advancing the digital cinema.

Hummel will be based out of Legend3D’s Los Angeles office. For more information about Legend3D, please visit www.Legend3D.com. For press inquiries, contact Taryn Unruh at 619-234-0345.

About Legend3D
Legend3D is a dynamic digital media and visual effects company. Legend3D utilizes patented 2D-to-3D image conversion technologies to enhance filmmakers’ storytelling by creating the highest quality dimensional conversions possible. Legend3D’s conversion artists are helping filmmakers connect with audiences worldwide and are rapidly setting the industry standard for 2D-to-3D conversion. Legend3D has completed 3D conversions for Warner Brothers, Sony, Disney, and DreamWorks Animation SKG, Hewlett Packard, M&M Mars, New Balance, the Michael Jackson Tour and MTV. Founded in 2001 by Dr. Barry Sandrew, Legend3D is headquartered in San Diego and operates facilities in San Diego, Los Angeles and Patna, India. For more information, visit www.Legend3D.com.

Legend3D is a top tier 2D to 3D conversion company and is highly recommended by MarketSaw. Best wishes for Rob Hummel in his new role and continued success for Barry Sandrew's expanding company!

New CONAN 3D Promo Poster! Fake Or Real?

**UPDATE: Oct 1 - I just heard from a trusted source and he says this poster is fake. So take from that what you will.

Hey guys - Steve at Collider just scored a cool new promo poster for Lionsgate's CONAN 3D. Similar to what we have seen before, the studio has simply added the cast names and the 3D suffix.

CONAN 3D is a conversion and I don't know what company has been tapped to do it... YET. The studios make the conversion companies sign NDAs so that nothing gets out to the public. To me, if you have hired one of the top three conversion companies, you should be proud of that and actually advertise it to alleviate at least some of the fears of a bad conversion job.

Can't wait to see Stephen Lang in yet another villain role as dang it, he does a bang up job doesn't he? :-)

MUST SEE: New PRIEST Trailer!

Yes! This movie is rapidly moving up my must see list to the top five for 2011! You should mark it on your calendars too: March 4, 2011 - Sony's PRIEST hits 3D theaters.

It seems like a cool mix of futuristic warrior priests and zombies that somewhat resemble the I AM LEGEND virus induced creatures. The imagery looks fascinating!

The storyline centers on a Priest set in a world ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. Paul Bettany is Priest, a legendary warrior priest during the last Vampire War, who now lives in obscurity among the other human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities controlled by the Church. But when his 18-year-old niece is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires in the desolate wastelands outside, Priest breaks his sacred vows and ventures out to find her and seek vengeance upon those responsible, especially their brutal leader (Karl Urban). Priest is joined on his crusade by his niece’s boyfriend, Hicks (Cam Gigandet), a local outpost sheriff, and Priestess (Maggie Q), a member of his former legion of vampire-killers who has otherworldly fighting skills.

Check it out:



I'll be first in line! Paul Bettany looks brilliant for this...

TIME BANDITS 3D? Terry Gilliam Says He's Looking At Conversion!

Would love for this to happen! Terry Gilliam (MONTY PYTHON) is apparently trying to get his 1981 comedy TIME BANDITS converted to 3D.

Here's the quote from Gilliam himself: "We are in discussions to make a 3D version of the film ‘[Time] Bandits.' That will not change anything in the film itself will remain the same and if I think it serves as some passages in ‘Alice [In Wonderland'], the 3D should work well. Anyway, I'll have fun with it!"

And a short description of the movie: A young boy's wardrobe contains a time hole. Through this hole an assortment of short people (i.e. dwarfs) come while escaping from their master, the supreme being. They take Kevin with them on their adventures through time from Napoleonic times to the Middle Ages to the early 1900s, to the time of Legends and the Fortress of Ultimate Darkness where they confront Evil.

Here's hoping he takes his time and gives it all the attention it deserves!

Sources: io9 | IMDb

Exclusive: Latest Video From Slash, BY THE SWORD, Has Been Converted To 3D!

Listen up rockers!! Famed guitarist Slash has teamed up with Passmorelab to convert his 5 minute video BY THE SWORD into 3D. The single is from his April released album entitled SLASH which received excellent reviews.

This is an exclusive to MarketSaw as this press release will not hit the newswires until tomorrow.

Further, the 3D video will run as a pre-roll to U2 3D at The 3D Experience in NYC's Time Square next month! I will be at the Festival to take it all in - hope to see you there.

Here is the full press release (emphasis is mine):
Los Angeles, CA (Aug 31, 2010) – The first video off of Slash’s #1 Rock Album SLASH, which hit retail in April and has received rave reviews worldwide, has been converted into full 3D, it was announced today in a joint statement by San Diego-based 3D Production & Conversion studio PassmoreLab & Slash.

The 5-minute rock music video, “By The Sword”, is the first single off the album and the first video ever from Slash to be released in 3D. It features the vocals of Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother, and the ever-present blistering guitar work from Slash. The 3D video was released internationally today.

Slash, currently on tour promoting the album, has been on top of every aspect of the album and video process.

“Everything was cool, start to finish,” said Slash. “From Andrew’s vocals, to Vance directing me again, to PassmoreLab doing the 3D, it has been a killer experience and I am thrilled with it.”

Vance Burberry, Director of the video in 2D, said the video was a “wonderful, four month collaboration” between he and Slash. Burberry has a long history with Slash from his Guns ‘N Roses days, where he was Director of Photography on the band’s “Sweet Child o’Mine”, “Paradise City” and “Welcome to the Jungle” rock videos.

“On this one, we created a kind of post-apocalyptic future, where people are starved for music,” says Burberry. “We end up underground in this dark, deserted power plant bunker, where Slash and the band are mesmerizing an audience. When I found out that we were doing the conversion with PassmoreLab, I thought that environment was perfect for 3D.”

PassmoreLab began work on the project in May, and found the underground setting of the video was actually quite demanding. The conversion took about four weeks to complete, using PassmoreLab’s proprietary conversion technology.

“It’s edgy, dark and fast -- everything you would expect from Slash,” said Steve Glum, PassmoreLab's head of Branding & Distribution. “Everybody in the video is hypnotized by this murky hunger for rock n roll, and the quick camera cuts, sweeping movement, and low lighting gave us a real conversion challenge. But the final 3D product is very cool.”

SLASH hit the charts on April 6. Featuring an incredible lineup of rockers and vocalists like Kid Rock, Dave Grohl, Myles Kennedy, Fergie, Adam Levine, Chris Cornell, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, and more, the album has been critically-acclaimed all over the world.

“We were very excited to do it,” continued Glum. “If you are going to produce an artist’s 3D rock video, Slash is definitely on the top of that list.”

SLASH is Slash’s first album as a solo artist, having previously recorded and toured most recently with Velvet Revolver from 2003-2008. One of the most recognizable rockers of all time, with his signature top hat, he is also critically recognized as one of the all-time best guitarists ever to play. In August 2009, Time Magazine ranked him #2 on its list of the 10 Best Electric Guitar Players of All-Time.

Always on the cutting-edge of music, art and technology, PassmoreLab has a solid background in rock and 3D music videos, working with New York garage-glam phenoms Semi Precious Weapons on the award-winning “Magnetic Baby”; with punk-rockers Osaka Popstar & the American Legends of Punk on “Wicked World”, with Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Famer Sammy Hagar on “Loud”, and LA art noir group Miss Derringer on “Black Tears”. PassmoreLab also delved into the rock-and-roll archives of famed photographer Bob Gruen to produce the first-ever 3D conversions of images from the Rock, Punk, and New Wave eras. Working together with Gruen, PassmoreLab developed an innovative new process to convert many of Gruen’s well-known images to a format that can be viewed on stereoscopic displays.

"By The Sword, in 3D!” will be seen in VOD on various network locations in Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Australia, Japan & Canada; at the 3D Experience Entertainment & Technology Festival as the pre-roll to U23D in Times Square, New York City; and at Hard Rock Cafes in Barcelona & Madrid; additional locations to be announced.

About Slash
Slash is widely considered one of the greatest rock guitar players of all time. He has received countless accolades and awards including a 2007 star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame alongside his idols Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. An original member of iconic rock band Guns N’ Roses, Slash helped the band create signature sounds like the guitar riff of #1 hit “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and “Welcome To The Jungle.” The band dominated the 1980’s and 90’s music scene selling more than 100 million albums worldwide and ushered in a decade of hard charging rock music. After leaving the band, Slash went on to critical acclaim in his personal project Slash’s Snakepit, and global success with supergroup Velvet Revolver. He has been widely sought after by the biggest musicians of all time, performing with everyone from Michael Jackson to Stevie Wonder to Ray Charles. Slash is one of the marquee playable characters in Guitar Hero III, has two signature Gibson guitars in his name, and authored his own top-selling biography Slash in 2007. Slash recently landed on the top of the charts with his first true solo album, SLASH, which debuted as #1 Rock Album and #3 overall on Billboard’s coveted Top 200 charts, in addition to going #1 in more than 13 countries. The album features an all-star roster of guest musicians including Ian Astbury, Chris Cornell, Rocco DeLuca, Fergie, Dave Grohl, Myles Kennedy, Kid Rock, Lemmy Kilmister, Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Duff McKagan, M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, and Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother. In addition to a long career filled with prestigious awards and accolades, Slash was just honored this week by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce who named him as an official selection for 2011 to receive a star on Hollywood’s iconic Walk of Fame. A date for the ceremony has yet to be determined. For information, visit www.slashonline.com.

About PassmoreLab
Passmorelab, the San Diego-based multi-media production studio that specializes in 3D production and 2D to 3D content conversion, has the world’s largest library of 3D content available for licensing. The studio custom-designs and builds its own RED camera 3D rigs for both conventional and rugged film productions, shooting everything from feature films, television and science documentaries, to underwater diving, extreme sports and cave exploration. State-of-the-art facilities include a full 3D production studio, video/film post-production, optical development lab, and a software development environment. Production includes 2D, 3D, high dynamic range time lapse, stereoscopic microscopy and cutting-edge simulation technologies for real time SFX. Passmorelab’s proprietary technology for 2D to 3D content conversion is known in the industry for quick turnaround times and competitive conversion costs. PassmoreLab has additional offices in Russia and the Philippines. For information, visit www.passmorelab.com, or contact Steve Glum (steve(at)passmorelab(dot)com, 858.200.5813).

Passmorelab is a sponsor of MarketSaw

Ridley Scott On 3D Conversion And Michael Bay

I have to say Quint over at AICN got some very interesting 3D news out of Sir Ridley Scott in a short 6 minutes about his upcoming prequel to ALIEN. My hat goes off to him! :-)

As you know, Scott is shooting his ALIEN prequels in native 3D.

So lets go into the details from the interview. Ridley Scott is an advocate of 3D conversion - good conversion obviously. Scott says: "I’ve heard now that audiences object if it’s not purely 3D, if it’s 2D to 3D. I could show you 2D to 3D and you wouldn’t know the difference. But when they’re told it’s 2D to 3D they say, “Fuck that, man! I’m paying another four dollars…” It’s about money, of course, but you’re still paying for the effect. Really, it’s very close. 2D to 3D is awfully close."

Quint is NOT speaking for all of us though, when he tells Scott that there are technical limitations of filming a movie in 3D - specifically lighting. Scott's reply? Hogwash. And it is true. If you tackle it correctly (as Scott is doing - he will be capturing as much digital information as possible and tackling lighting in post), then you have nothing to fear.

Here is some more good news from Scott: Michael Bay is indeed shooting TRANSFORMERS 3 in native 3D! Here is his comment which I construe as being that Bay is filming in native: "I was told it was going to slow us down… it didn’t slow (Michael) Bay down. Bay is moving like lightning. Once he realized, “Oh, Jesus… there’s no difference, really. Except I’m adding dimension.”

Personally I would have asked about the cameras Scott is using and what stereoscopic team, if any, is he bringing on board to assist, etc. But hey, it wasn't my interview. Glad he got in what he got in.

Exclusive: PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE Being Converted To 3D!!

EXCLUSIVE:

PassmoreLab is giving us the first look at one of their latest projects - the conversion of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE into stereoscopic 3D!

Have you seen the original PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE? Ed Wood released the film in 1959 and since then the movie has gained a huge cult following - especially after it attained the lofty title of "Worst Movie Ever Made". Read the press release (issued to us first today, others tomorrow) for more information on the project right down to seeing those wires dangling flying saucers in 3D!

PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, NOW IN 3D! will be seen this summer in select theaters and VOD.

PRESS RELEASE:
San Diego, CA (June 15, 2010) - Those pesky aliens that want to resurrect dead humans as zombies and vampires to stop mankind from creating a sun bomb will soon be able to do it in full color and in 3D, as Edward D. Wood Jr’s original 1959 campy Sci-Fi film, "Plan 9 from Outer Space" will be converted into full 3D, it was announced today by San Diego-based 3D Production & Conversion studio PassmoreLab.

The film, also known as the “worst movie ever made” due to its numerous continuity and production gaffes, has become an iconic sci-fi cult classic due largely to its reputation for being so bad. It was christened “worst movie” back in 1980 by Harry and Michael Medved in their book “The Golden Turkey Awards”, when they claimed to have found the “holy Grail” of bad movies. Since then, the movie has become very popular.

“Being dubbed “worst ever” was the probably the best thing that ever happened to this film,” said Greg Passmore, president of PassmoreLab. “That label started a cult following, where it gained a massive fan base, with me included. It may be known as the “worst movie”, but it’s about to get best conversion treatment available. I am delighted to convert the original film into 3D using our proprietary technology.”

As campy as it is, “Plan 9” is now widely considered to be legendary B-movie director Ed Wood’s masterpiece, albeit a bad one. Both he and the film gained more notoriety after they became the subject of Tim Burton's 1994 film "Ed Wood”, with Johnny Depp starring in an angora sweater in the title role.

“Our studio has a definite indie feel to it – a little alternative and off-center -- and we are absolutely drawn to cool and unusual projects,” continued Passmore. “That was a big reason we converted Romero’s ‘Night of the Living Dead’ last year. And that’s exactly why we are converting ‘Plan 9’, because we love cult films, and we take great care with them.”

"Plan 9 from Outer Space", was written, produced, directed and edited by Wood, and was originally shot in black and white over 50 years ago. It was restored and colorized by Legend Films in 2006, and will now be converted, frame by frame into full 3D, using Passmorelab's proprietary conversion technology. It is Legend Film’s colorized version that is being used for the conversion, which will take over 6 weeks to complete at a cost far greater than the film's original $60,000 production budget.

"Converting film demands great attention to detail, especially with a film this old. Rest assured, audiences will be able to enjoy the same film they have always known -- complete with the 73 or so production flubs -- except now they will see those wires, strings and wobbly flying saucers in spectacular 3D,” smiles Passmore.

3D conversion is emerging as an incredible opportunity for content owners worldwide, and by employing PassmoreLab’s proprietary technology, it can become a very cost-effective way of repurposing previously viewed material.

“3D continues to penetrate new distribution channels as an industry, and conversion is a big part of our business. All the great films we love in 2D can now be converted into 3D seamlessly to attract new audiences and find new revenue streams," said Steve Glum, PassmoreLab's head of Branding & Distribution. "Plan 9 from Outer Space, Now in 3D!" is the original film, the granddaddy of all bad movies, and we think audiences everywhere will have a great time seeing it in 3D.”

"Plan 9 from Outer Space, Now in 3D!" will be seen in select US theatres in limited release and on VOD on various network locations later this summer.

About PassmoreLab
Passmorelab, the “World’s Largest 3D Content Provider”, is a San Diego-based multi-media production studio that specializes in 3D production and 2D to 3D content conversion. The studio custom-designs and builds its own RED camera 3D rigs for both conventional and rugged film productions, shooting everything from feature films, television and science documentaries, to underwater diving, extreme sports and cave exploration. State-of-the-art facilities include a full 3D production studio, video/film post-production, optical development lab, and a software development environment. Production includes 2D, 3D, high dynamic range time lapse, stereoscopic microscopy and cutting-edge simulation technologies for real time SFX. Passmorelab’s proprietary technology for 2D to 3D video and film conversion is unmatched in the industry, in both turnaround times and conversion costs. PassmoreLab has additional offices in Russia and the Philippines. For more information, visit www.passmorelab.com.

What a great time this will be in the theater!! Can't wait to see it in 3D - hopefully it plays near me...

PassmoreLab is a sponsor of MarketSaw.

It Is Official: TRANSFORMERS 3 Will Be 3D!!

Michael Bay may have been against 3D. He still may be against 3D. But his TRANSFORMERS 3 finale WILL be in 3D! Bay himself confirmed that nugget of information to USAToday.

Bay has had a long standing tradition of bashing 3D, but you know what? I think it was all just show. I think as a filmmaker he wants to be cutting edge - his films certainly give that aura. So naturally he will eventually come over to stereoscopic 3D. And he has.

So the big question is: 2D to 3D conversion or native 3D? Does Bay have the guts to shoot in native 3D after all he has said, or will he hand over the reins of his movie to a conversion shop? Time will tell, but my instinct says he will go native 3D. We'll see!

Apparently the movie's storyline involves the US - USSR space race. Interesting.

Bay is quite certain that this pic will be the last: "As a trilogy, it really ends," he says. "It could be rebooted again, but I think it has a really killer ending."

On the box office side, LOOK OUT. This is a franchise finale movie and the first two have done exceptionally well ($709m and $836m worldwide). Add on the 3D premium and guess what? You have the makings of a billion dollar movie and potentially the power to move to third place all-time. Megan Fox or not. More when I get it...

ALICE IN WONDERLAND Joining Top Movies Of All Time: Passing $1B This Week!!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND is poised to enter the realm of $1 billion blockbusters! Disney has hit the jackpot with Tim Burton's 2D to 3D conversion and will have raked in 10 figures as of this week (most likely Thursday).

As of today, AIW has gathered $332m domestically and $665m overseas to bring about a near tidy sum of $997m! Its widest release was 3739 theaters and it still remains in 411.

Only AVATAR ($2.73b), TITANIC ($1.8b), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING ($1.1b), PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST ($1.1b) and THE DARK KNIGHT ($1b) have hit the $1b plateau - so it is indeed quite a feat.

Of course, 3D played another huge role in this success story and ALICE is the second highest grossing 3D movie of all time (Fox's ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS is third with $887m and Pixar's UP is in fourth with $731m).

This one tiptoed up on me! I knew it was doing very well, but what a pleasant surprise to see it top $1 billion. When 3D conversion is done right, it can be very appealing. It may be some time before we see near native 3D quality, but ALICE IN WONDERLAND was done right given today's abilities. Congratulations Disney!

Conversion Hits Big Time: First Major Library Being Converted To 3D For $200M!

Some very exciting news in the 2D to 3D conversion business as a major first step has been undertaken toward legacy changeovers in three dimensions. I am not talking about a single project like ALICE IN WONDERLAND, but rather 500 films, TV shows and documentaries will be converted to 3D!

Grizzly Adams is a woodsman during the frontier era who flees into the mountains after he is wrongly accused of murder. While struggling to survive, Adams discovers an orphaned grizzly bear cub whom he takes in and calls Ben. The bear, despite his huge adult size, becomes Adams's closest companion. Adams proves to have an uncanny link to most of the indigenous wildlife of the region, who have no fear of him. In return, he resolves never to harm another animal whenever possible. In the television series, Adams had two human companions, an old trader named Mad Jack the Mountain Man and his mule named "Number Seven", and a native American named Nakoma. Together, they helped various visitors while protecting the wildlife.

Here is the press release (emphasis is mine):
San Diego-based multi-media 3D production studio PassmoreLab announced today that it has signed an agreement with legendary production company Grizzly Adams® Productions has to convert 500 of its feature films, television series, and documentaries to 3D.

According to Charles E. Sellier, CEO of Grizzly Adams Productions, when completed, the estimated seven-year, $200 million project “will create the largest 3D library in the entertainment industry.”

In addition to converting its existing 2D library to 3D, PassmoreLab will convert Grizzly Adams’ new productions to be completed — 18 new feature films and 78 television series episodes — over the seven-year term of the agreement.

Named after its long-running NBC Network TV series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, Grizzly Adams Productions has been a leading producer of family friendly and faith-based independent movies, documentaries, television specials and series for the past three decades.
David Balsiger, vice-president at Grizzly Adams, notes, “To the best of our knowledge, we’re the first production company to initiate converting a major film library to 3D.”

San Diego-based PassmoreLab is a state of the art multi-media 3D production studio specializing in the conversion of 2D motion pictures into 3D entertainment experiences. The company’s proprietary technology for 2D to 3D video and film conversion is unmatched in the industry, in both turnaround times and conversion costs. Their existing library of 3D content is already considered to be the largest in the world, with hundreds of television shows, films, documentaries, videos and animation titles.

“At the end of the seven-year agreement with PassmoreLab, we project that we will have the largest 3D library available for retail, the most 3D TV programs available for licensing, and, we will have captured major shares of both the family and faith 3D markets,” explains Balsiger. Approximately 20 percent of the Grizzly Adams library is described as faith-based.

According to Greg Passmore, president of PassmoreLab, his company has arranged funding for the $200 million conversion project and has ramped up capacity to convert up to 100 Grizzly Adams titles per year.

Passmore observes, “Grizzly Adams has completely embraced 3D technology. There are other studios with large libraries, but they face many hurdles to convert even a few titles to 3D. For example, since the industry considers any resulting 3D title as a derivative product, there are contractual restrictions regarding director approvals, talent and music residuals, plus complex financing issues. All of this adds up to a disincentive to convert back list titles into 3D.”

“We own all of our films and television series outright,” explains Balsiger. “Our library is ideal for converting shows and filling the retail pipeline quickly while demand is high and supply is extremely low.”

Passmore adds, “Internationally, there’s every indication that 3D will be the standard from this point forward in movie theaters, on broadcast television, and across all video delivery systems. Our strategy is to be completely ready to take full advantage of that by having a large 3D-ready library available for licensing.”

If there ever was any doubt that 3D is the future of the home video market, those arguments were laid to rest recently when electronics giant, Panasonic, reported that its stock of 3D HDTVs selling at about $3,300 each had completely sold out within days of the products hitting retail outlets.

According to U.K.-based research firm Futuresource Consulting, the portion of U.S. households that will have a 3D television set in four years will rise to 45 percent from four percent this year.

Although box office blockbuster, Avatar, was shot in 3D, converting a 2D film to a 3D film appeals to leading filmmakers. For example, Tim Burton shot the recently released Disney remake of Alice in Wonderland with traditional 2D digital cameras and then converted the footage to 3D.

The masters are already available for the 3D Blu-Ray and VOD versions of The Fabric of Time, Grizzly Adams’ award winning television special about the Shroud of Turin, long believed to be the burial cloth of Christ. This is Grizzly Adams’ first 3D evergreen entry into the faith market which will crossover onto secular retail shelves for Easter sales.

Within the next six weeks, the highly acclaimed feature film, Friends for Life, will be released in 3D. This family friendly movie, complete with wolves and a bad grizzly bear, has received 30 awards for production excellence.

The first new 3D television series for the joint Grizzly Adams-PassmoreLab production pact will be a fifty-two episode series about George Washington, culminating with a feature length theatrical picture.

Among the new 3D feature film projects slated for production over the term of the alliance are two Grizzly Adams family-oriented feature films currently in pre-production: The Super Heroic Life of Edward Hinkleberry; and the newest franchise installment to the Grizzly Adams legend, Grizzly Adams Begins.

Grizzly Adams will oversee all worldwide television broadcast/DVD licensing for the 3D productions. PassmoreLab will take the lead role in theatrical distribution.

I am 100% behind this project!! I grew up watching GRIZZLY ADAMS and to see that whole series converted to 3D will be such a treat. And a new film too! I will be first in line for GRIZZLY ADAMS BEGINS. It is a very unique property they have there - completely family safe to view, a western feel, exciting drama to interest adults, survivalist elements, character development is outstanding and of course nature plays a huge role.
It will definitely be VERY hard to fill the shoes of Grizzly Adams (Dan Haggerty), Mad Jack (Denver Pyle) and Nakoma (Don Shanks) for the new movie - good luck with it guys.

Congratulations to all involved!!

THE LAST AIRBENDER Will Be In 3D!!

Jim here. Ain't It Cool has news that M. Night Shyamalan's THE LAST AIRBENDER will be converted into S3D!

From what I have seen from the first trailer it looks stunning. Word is it only gets better with the next trailer being shown in front of IRON MAN 2.

THE LAST AIRBENDER hits 2D and 3D screens July 2.

I have to say I was very skeptical about the movie in the beginning. Perhaps it rubbed me the wrong way by trying to use "AVATAR" in its title at one time! And M. Night Shamalong-a-ding-dong hasn't had too great a track record lately. But I will be the first to admit that THE LAST AIRBENDER looks very appealing. And my opinion may be changing not only for the project but for the director himself.

If they can spend the time and money to do the conversion right, I believe it will be very successful. Fingers crossed on the conversion!

BSAT Labs Offers 2D to 3D Conversion

Michael here. A couple days ago I saw a screening of some of Chicago-based BSAT Labs 3D conversion work, and it looked spectacular.

The clips included converted shots from Piranha 3-D and Iron Man. Every piece of Iron Man's armor was rendered in impeccable detail, and the intricate debris, smoke, and fire from an explosion was given clear and distinct depth. The shots from Piranha were equally impressive, demonstrating a virtuosity for converting live action. All the 3D was crisp and rounded, with objects distributed throughout the stereospace instead of all bunched together in planes. The footage completely avoided the flatness and blurriness that plague bad conversion jobs.

The reel I was shown highlighted BSAT's pipeline, showing stills from different stages of their process. It also included a number of shorter shots, some of which you can view in anaglyph here at BSAT Labs' website. I really appreciated how the reel took its time to show the 2D version of a shot before the 3D version, and how it demonstrated the work BSAT had to accomplish to create the 3D.

BSAT Labs outputs left and right eye images. It uses a non-proprietary, modular system and process that is easy to learn and allows versatility for the client, permitting size of staff to expand as required by the project. Their work flow places great importance on filmmaker creative involvement.

BSAT launched its 2D/3D conversion in May 2009 and has since tested for several studios. Its sister company BSAT Inc. has been in business since 2001 serving the cable and broadcast industry.

I look forward to seeing BSAT Labs' work on the big screen in the future!

TITANS Ignores Critics - Lands In At Over $60 Million Opening Weekend!

Jim here. Looks like CLASH OF THE TITANS was Kraken the whip this weekend guys! According to Box Office Mojo, TITANS will make an estimated $61.4 million over the holiday, much of which was done by 3D screens - 52% in fact. Not bad considering that it only opened on 1,810 screens (at 1,602 theaters) as many were still occupied with HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (which still had 2,181 theaters showing it in 3D), ALICE IN WONDERLAND and AVATAR.

TITANS has been taking a hit of late by movie sites and critics for its cheap and fast 3D conversion, but in the end it is the audience that counts.

I was quoted in the New York Times this weekend about the whole issue and I stuck to my guns: Jim Dorey, editor of Marketsaw.com, a blog devoted to the medium, ultimately thinks the quickie “Clash” conversion was a mistake. But unlike many technophiles he is not closing the door on the retrofitting process. “If the right money is spent and you take your time, then native 3-D and converted 3-D can both be exceptional,” Mr. Dorey said. “Even when it’s not very well done I suspect most consumers will find it passable.”

I thought that summed it up nicely. I hope there was no serious lasting damage done by the conversion. I will be seeing the movie in both 2D and 3D to compare! Who saw it this weekend and in what format??

Michael Bay is Not Impressed By 3D Conversion Tests of Transformers Films

Michael here. It seems like Michael Bay is against the idea of converting Tranformers 3 to 3D, and James Cameron is also speaking out against quick conversion jobs.

Check out the below quote from Bay, From Deadline.com:

I shoot complicated stuff, I put real elements into action scenes and honestly, I am not sold right now on the conversion process.... Right now, it looks like fake 3-D, with layers that are very apparent. You go to the screening room, you are hoping to be thrilled, and you're thinking, huh, this kind of sucks. People can say what they want about my movies, but they are technically precise, and if this isn't going to be excellent, I don't want to do it. And it is my choice.... I'm used to having the A-team working on my films, and I'm going to hand it over to the D-team, have it shipped to India and hope for the best? This conversion process is always going to be inferior to shooting in real 3-D. Studios might be willing to sacrifice the look and use the gimmick to make $3 more a ticket, but I'm not. Avatar took four years. You can’t just shit out a 3D movie. I’m saying, the jury is still out.”

And Cameron says: (also from Deadline)

After Toy Story, there were 10 really bad CG movies because everybody thought the success of that film was CG and not great characters that were beautifully designed and heartwarming. Now, you’ve got people quickly converting movies from 2D to 3D, which is not what we did. They’re expecting the same result, when in fact they will probably work against the adoption of 3D because they’ll be putting out an inferior product.

I love how Bay is never afraid to speak his mind about what he thinks is best for his movies. And I agree with Cameron that studios are taking the wrong message from the success of Avatar: Conversions, if they aren't going to harm S3D in the long run, need to be of a high quality.

Of course, my real hope is that we see more films shot natively in 3D. I know Bay says his shooting style is too aggressive for 3D cameras and that, according to Deadline, he found them too heavy and cumbersome for the fast pace action scenes he shoots. However, I think he could definitely find a way to make it work. Look what Nolan did with those huge IMAX cameras on The Dark Knight.