Exclusive Interview: Ted Kenney, 3D Producer on ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US

I had the pleasure of talking with Ted Kenney of 3ality Technica recently about the release of ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US. Ted was a 3D Producer on the concert movie, director Morgan Spurlock's first.

Ted worked closely with Doug Merrifield (Executive Producer) and Sony in getting the project ready for audiences. Doug has worked on many large 3D concert films as a producer and paired with Sony who are of course a major player in 3D, the show was well planned and brought together.

Ted and I discuss the success of the movie, Morgan Spurlock, the band members, pre-production and of course the technical aspects of shooting the concert movie. 

From Wikipedia: Ted Kenney is the current Director of Production at 3ality Technica, and advises clients in every aspect of the stereoscopic 3D (S3D) production process. His recent achievements have earned him the label as the industry's leading producer/director for S3D live broadcast. Ted's background in the industry encompasses a wide range of entertainment media. From TV, film, documentaries, sports, comedy, concerts and, S3D live broadcasts. Ted is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and received his Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree from Florida State University.

This list of credits includes reality TV's show, MTV's The Real World. Ted produced five seasons of The Real World (Paris, San Diego, Philadelphia, Austin and Key West). Two of these seasons were the top two rated seasons of the twenty plus season run of MTV's flagship show.

Ted has experience in live broadcast productions such as Radio City's Halftime Show for Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII, The Centennial Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies, ESPN's 50th Anniversary Special, President Clinton's Inaugural Gala, and even directing FIFA World Cup Beach Soccer.

So here is the conversation with Ted (about 28 minutes) and well worth the time to listen!





ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US currently sits with $58 million in worldwide box office receipts and has already surpassed KATY PERRY: PART OF ME and JONAS BROTHERS: THE 3D CONCERT EXPERIENCE.

Looking forward to see Jennifer Lopez's 3D concert movie and future projects from Ted, 3ality Technica and Sony!

Click photos to enlarge

ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US Hits A High Note With $15.8M And Top Box Office Draw!

Hats off to director Morgan Spurlock, Sony Pictures and his team behind the debut concert movie offering ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US. It's quite a feat to win the weekend with a concert movie but they have indeed pulled it off with a $15.8m ($33m worldwide) take. Lee Daniels' THE BUTLER came in second with $14.9m. But what I found interesting was that Spurlock pulled it off in only 2,725 theaters while Daniels enjoyed 3,330.

And a big congratulations to 3ality Technica and in particular Ted Kenney who served as one of the 3D Producers on the movie! Well done. It takes a rare and particular skillset to pull off shooting superlative 3D concert movies and Ted has it in droves.

The production shot using Sony F55’s and F65’s on the 3ality Techica rigs with FUJINON CABRO 19-90MM, OPTIMO DP 16-42MM and OPTIMO DP 30-80MM lenses.

The movie's audience was 87 percent female and 65 percent under the age of 17 which was to be expected.

Says Wikipedia: The film portrays Simon Cowell as singularly responsible for putting the five individuals together in the aftermath of their X-Factor auditions (Cowell himself appearing in the film to say "I made the decision in about 10 minutes"). But according to sources it was reportedly Nicole Sherzinger, then a stand-in judge on the talent show, who originally suggested the idea to bring the five individual contestants together and try them out as a group. The film makes no reference to Sherzinger in its account on how the boyband was formed.

Here's the movie's storyline:
Billed as an intimate all-access look at life on the road for the global music phenomenon, THIS IS US follows the lives of the five members of the boy band, One Direction. It contains live concert footage from London's O2 Arena, and footage from their lives pre- and post-X Factor appearance, and gives insight into the preparation for their concerts and ultimately what it is like to be One Direction.

I haven't seen the movie yet but all of that will be rectified shortly as my daughter's favorite band is none other than ONE DIRECTION. She's been looking forward to this movie for a long time!

ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US is now playing.

New Trailer For One Direction's ID3D Concert - Documentary

One Direction has taken off in only one direction - straight up. Naturally it makes sense that they would follow in the footsteps of Justin Bieber and Katy Perry and release a 3D movie featuring some behind the scenes footage as well as on stage.

But it's not just any documentary. It is being helmed by Morgan Spurlock (SUPERSIZE ME) so you can expect some interesting stories, surprises and above all entertainment. My daughter will definitely be looking forward to seeing this!

ID3D opens on August 30. More when I get it...

One Direction And Morgan Spurlock Team Up For New Behind The Scenes 3D Movie: 1D3D

First of all, my daughter is going to LOVE this news. She simply adores this band along with all of her friends. Morgan Spurlock will be helming 1D3D, a behind the scenes 3D movie of the phenomenon known as  One Direction. They're a boy band out of the UK and they have been burning up the charts of late with hits such as LIVE WHILE WE'RE YOUNG.

TriStar will be releasing the movie on August 30, 2013.

Here's the press release (emphasis is mine):

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Pictures announced today that it's making a 3D film showcasing London-based global music sensation One Direction. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) will direct the film, which TriStar Pictures will release on August 30, 2013 (Labor Day weekend).

"This is an incredible opportunity and an amazing moment in time for the band," said director/producer Spurlock. "To capture this journey and share it with audiences around the world will be an epic undertaking that I am proud to be a part of."

Simon Cowell said, "I'm delighted we're making this film and Morgan is the perfect person to give that access-all-areas, behind-the-scenes look into what it's like to be One Direction today. What the band have achieved is incredible, they and their fans have made history around the world – this is for them."

Spurlock emerged in 2004 with his Academy Award®-nominated feature Super Size Me, in which he subjected himself to eating only at McDonald's for 30 days. He has since gone on to produce other acclaimed documentary features such as Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, and Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope, as well as non-fiction TV series including FX's30 Days and CNN's upcoming Inside Man. He was nominated for an Emmy Award and Writers Guild Award in 2010 for the Fox TV Special The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3-D! On Ice!

One Direction – Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson – were discovered by Simon Cowell on the U.K.'s "The X Factor" in 2010. The band quickly gained a following to become one of the competition's all-time most popular acts, finishing in the final three and garnering a gigantic and loyal fanbase along the way. In March 2012, One Direction's debut album, "Up All Night," made U.S. history, as it was the first time a U.K. group's debut album entered the U.S. Billboard 200 chart at No. 1. The band has sold over 13 million records worldwide. Today, One Direction released their sophomore album, "Take Me Home," which includes the No. 1 single, "Live While We're Young."

Morgan Spurlock, Ben Winston, Simon Cowell, and Adam Milano will produce the film. Executive Producers will be Richard Griffiths, Harry Magee, Will Bloomfield, Matthew Galkin, Jeremy Chilnick and Doug Merrifield. Hannah Minghella, President of Production for Columbia Pictures, and Lauren Abrahams, Vice President of Production for Columbia Pictures, will oversee production for the studio.

Follow @1D3Dmovie on Twitter for exclusive updates about the movie. The official movie account on Twitter will announce news using the hashtag #1D3Dmovie.

About Sony Pictures:
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in 159 countries. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com/

I will be sure to keep you updated on this movie just as I'm sure my daughter will keep ME updated :-) More soon...