TIS3DC 2013: Great Weekend! Toronto Is A World's Hotspot for On Set 3D Tech And Creative Talent

You all know Tim Buttner who is also a regular contributor on MarketSaw - he and I had an amazing time in Toronto last week at the Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Convention!

The 2013 edition of the TIS3DC was packed full of surprises for me. I expected to see some familiar faces within the 3D world (and I know a LOT of faces in 3D) but probably not as many as I would see in Los Angeles for example.

I was right initially. It took awhile to acclimatize to the situation - but then it all happened remarkably fast. Conversations. Social drinks. Panels. Screenings. An amazing energy that only a large room full of like minded individuals can muster: A symbiosis of sorts. I quickly became friends with many, many industry professionals and a few really stood out.

I will be the first to admit it, I didn't know about this magnificent cluster of stereographers in Toronto. I don't just mean singular people, their teams are based here as well. And by magnificent I mean it. The stereographer behind HUGO, 47 RONIN and the soon to be released THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T.S. SPIVET was there: Demetri Portelli. The stereographer behind X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION and THE THREE MUSKETEERS was there: John Harper. The stereographer behind SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D was there: Brent Robinson. And I could go on with more of the local talent but I think you get the picture.

Of course it makes sense in retrospect; Toronto is a major hub of tentpole productions and a very healthy portion of those are 3D. So yes, talent will grow here and I will vouch that it indeed has. These guys are at the top of their game.

Demetri Portelli and Ben Gervais

Take Demetri for example. He gave us a Master Class on how he tackles 3D projects and to underscore just how important his team is to him, he brought in his Camera Systems Engineer Ben Gervais (who I also had the pleasure of speaking with at length). The weekend was more than just an opportunity to see how they pull off a production though. We saw results too with Demetri's latest work THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T.S. SPIVET and had the added benefit of having master filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet there as well - larger than life - on the big screen via Skype. Let me tell you right now on record, the film is gorgeous. It rivals Scorsese's HUGO in that regard because this is a drama in 3D - and well of course Demetri was the Stereographer on that movie as well.

I think Jay Weissberg of Variety says it best on SPIVET: "Not since “Hugo” has three-dimensionality been used so inventively; unsurprisingly, the films share stereographers in the exceptionally talented Demetri Portelli, whose feel for pictorial planes is miraculous. Rather than seeming cheesy, each element thrown, swept or blown toward the camera induces smiles of surprise."

Yeah, so there's THAT. I haven't seen the whole movie yet but can't wait. What I did see dilated my pupils with excitement. That this level of achievement is arriving in a dramatic setting. I'm here to say as well that I think Demetri Portelli is the world's foremost Stereographer in the dramatic genre today. Yes Brian Gardner did very well with LIFE OF PI, but Portelli has HUGO and SPIVET under his belt now and has branched out into action as well.

Here's an excerpt from Jonathan Holland's review from THR: "...The viewer is bombarded by a jaw-dropping array of enjoyable 3D effects -- motes of prairie dust and scary stuffed animals are among them, but the most satisfying are those which spring from the character’s minds, such as T.S.’s device for dropping an egg without breaking. This has been imagined by both T.S. and by Jeunet with a precision which is then transferred unerringly to the screen by d.p. Thomas Hardmeier and stereographer Demetri Portelli (previously responsible for recreating another young boy’s imagination, that of Martin Scorsese’s Hugo). Larsen’s book is full of T.S.’s devices, designs sketches, and these too are reimagined there, lovingly given motion."

So yes, these guys are talented. World class. I will be speaking to each one of the stereographers listed (and more on other stereo platforms) in a series of interviews on how the standard of native 3D filmmaking is not only maturing - but bringing the whole of cinematography with it. At least ((Whole of cinematography) - (The Wally Pfisters of the world)) > 0. Much greater than zero.

Now about the Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference in general. An amazing weekend organized, staffed and executed in a professional and efficient manner. My compliments to Christos Alex. Giotis, the 3D FLIC Project Director that headed up the events. Amazing job! His team was nothing short of stellar as well. I couldn't believe how networked and easy the screening of segments were. It was a breath of fresh air. The volunteers looked and acted like professionals!

Some great 3D companies represented here too - Adam May of Vision3, London (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, JACK THE GIANT SLAYER) and I are planning an upcoming interview on the 3D scene in the UK. Robert Neuman, the Stereoscopic Department Head at Disney Animation Studios also spoke at the conference. I won't name all the companies that were represented but I hope this gives you a flavor of the conference.

The talent I touched upon above does not do the whole event justice. There were filmmakers here (April Mullen, director of DEAD BEFORE DAWN 3D and Eric Tessier, director of PEE WEE 3D were on my panel as well as financier Alex Farrell from RBC), James Stewart from Geneva Film Co. (They did FOXED! and the 3D mastering for CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS), Catherine Owens, Director of U2 3D - to this day still a benchmark for 3D concert movies. I loved her keynote and her message regarding education for the 3D industry fell on wide open ears. Read more about her recent 3DOO creative partnership here.

The sky is the limit for this conference, situated exactly where it is in one of the world's epicenters of Stereoscopic 3D.

For all of our TIS3DC coverage, click here. Can't wait for the next iteration!

TIS3DC 2013: Jean Pierre-Jeunet Skype Interview & Demetri Portelli and Ben Gervais Workshop

Hello everyone, Tim here, and I've got my next post from the Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference (TIS3DC) that covers the Skype interview with Writer, Director, Producer Jean Pierre-Jeanet on The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet and the workshop with his Stereographer Demetri Portelli and 3D Production Systems Engineer Ben Gervais. At the end of this post is a repost of the trailer from our earlier post. Again news on North American distribution on the film will hopefully be coming soon.

First, the 12-minute preview we got of the film, which had unfinished color and needed some additional work, was amazing! This movie looks like it truly is a treat for fans of Jean Pierre-Jeunet. It is going to be a simply magical movie. The young lead actor playing T.S. Spivet (Kyle Catlett) was there in person for the Skype interview as a surprise for Pierre-Jeunet, and his performance in the film is quite incredible. This young man has the potential to be a big star. And although Kyle has seen 3D before, this is his favorite film yet.

Pierre-Jeunet had a stereo view-master growing up, and believes that all his previous films could have been 3D. He thought in 3D for Spivet, from the script and conception all the way through his storyboards. In his storyboards he used shadows as a means to show the 3D and did all he could to show the depth of each shot. He worked hard to avoid bad 3D with Demetri. He had all kinds of specific notes for the 3D in blue coloring to make it easier for the 3D team to know what he was thinking. Pierre-Jeunet simply had to say "3D is not for lazy people." No truer statement has ever been said. As well as Demetri's later statement: "It's important to explore the full depth."

"When I see the film in 3D… WOW! I feel pity that people have to see it in 2D." - Jean Pierre-Jeunet

The movie was shot using the first ARRI ALEXA M on the Cameron | Pace rigs, and Pierre-Jeunet thought that the ARRI RAW is fantastic. He boastfully claimed "film is dead" and that he loves digital, especially because you don't have to reload the camera every 12-minutes. He only died twice because of some of the waiting on 3D: it's not easy and heavy to shoot 3D. Ben Gervais and his team did all they could to make it easier by constructing the 3D Production System on the back of a truck so that they could quickly move around. They did a full week of tests to see what would work in 3D, and Pierre-Jeunet said that "3D is experimental" and that "3D will be free when we don't need glasses." However, what Pierre-Jeunet loved was that 3D uses short lenses, and it's Pierre-Jeunet's style to shoot with short lenses. It was a match made in heaven.

 

They edited the film in 2D, but checked the 3D constantly, and found that they didn't have to change much to make the edit work in 3D. Ben and his team put together every shot on set for Demetri and Pierre-Jeunet to view what had been shot. This was a wonderful way for them to make sure that the 3D worked in each scene, not just for one shot, but all the shots in the scene. It created a great work-flow that helped ensure that they got what they wanted/needed. From talking with Ben it feels as though this is a method that will filter into more productions, which makes me happy to hear.

Without the pre-editing on set there could have been unwanted surprises in post, and for this Pierre-Jeunet was thankful. On a personal note, I spoke with Ben separately and have to say this is an intelligent and hard-working individual, he also worked on Hugo, Pacific Rim, 47 Ronin, and the coming X-Men: Days of Future Past. His pre-editing technique has been used on each of those sets, and it's clearly an important element that makes digital filmmaking trumping film.

Now when it comes to conversion Pierre-Jeunet stressed that he doesn't like 2D to 3D conversion, and mentioned that his favorite 3D films thus far have been Avatar, Hugo, and Life of Pie. He shot for 3D and luckily it came out working great in 2D. Demetri mentioned the importance of trust between the director and the stereographer. Interestingly it was Demetri who sought out Pierre-Jeunet while working on Hugo about how great his style was built for 3D. Demetri emphasized that he learned from the master filmmaker to work with his style to work in 3D. "3D should ebb and flow like music" and it's this philosophy that makes Demetri's stereography so brilliant. He mentioned that "it's good to try lens flares in 3D," and emphasized the importance of being careful. Demetri loved the ARRI RAW for the night shoots because it contained little to no gain, which was great to help with the depth cues. He says that in SPIVET there are good depth cues at night.

During the workshop that Demetri and Ben did on Day 4, they shared a lot of inside information about all the projects they've worked on, including more details from SPIVET. They showed the trailer for 47 Ronin, and as well spoke about that film.

Demetri and Ben are a team, and Demetri mentioned that when he was brought on to one project he asked if he could bring a team, which meant Ben and a few others. The emphasis on the stereo team was an important one. The stereographer needs to be focused on the creative aspect of stereography, while Ben and his team dealt with the technical. It's another unit for a production, but an important one. One on one with them you got the sense of who to ask which question, and the answers were almost always shared by both. Demetri understands so much about the creative use that when he didn't have to worry about the technical, and Ben took care to make the work-flow streamlined, it allowed for both to present the director and director of photography options to make their vision what they want it to be.

They spoke about working on Hugo and working for Scorsese, and some of the challenges they encountered and how they overcame them. What's fascinating is the cables that had to be carried behind the Steadicam operator. They worked with the ARRI ALEXA on that shoot, and it's the preferred camera of these guys. They didn't have negative feelings towards the RED Epic, but they preferred the ALEXA, and I can't help but agree from my experience. The emphasis on data and work-flow in the conference had to deal with higher resolutions, and higher frame rates, and Ben mentioned that the Pablo (download brochure) has it's work cut out dealing with those higher resolutions and frame rates. Even at 24 fps the tools we use in Post-Production are at their limits; it takes a lot for current machines to playback at full resolution and frame rate. This is good and bad. Naturally, you want your post-production tools to handle the work-flow at it's best quality, but at the same time it keeps what you're working on at a low enough resolution for preview so that pirating can't happen. Still when the mobile tools of a production team and post-production team enables them to work at the fullest resolution and the max number of frames for a frame rate, then filmmaking will be at it's finest hour on a tech level.

That brings us back to story. The most important facet of the movie-going experience. Demetri implied that all his stereo techniques are for a single purpose: to aid the story and character development. It can be seen in Hugo, and from the preview of The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet it looks as though the stereography is used in the same way. Yesterday Jeremy Zimmer expressed his opinion that technology has hurt the story-telling, but that there's about to be a shift back towards an emphasis on good story-telling. From what Demetri said, and the why Pierre-Jeunet has talked about his love for the stereo format, the 3D in films are working in unison with the concept of great story-telling. Do the big franchises that the studios put out need better stories? Sure, but at least the individuals on the technology level understand how to use the tools to work in symmetry with the story.

A huge thanks has to be given to Demetri Portelli and Ben Gervais for attending the conference, and as well Jean Pierre-Jeunet for appearing via Skype. Don't forget that in the future he'll be able to do that in 3D! More posts coming soon on the TIS3DC from me…

SPIVET TRAILER:

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Tim's Initial Thoughts And Overview of TIS3DC

Hello everyone, Tim here, and I've got a few posts from the Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference (TIS3DC) that will happen through the next week as I collect the notes and images together into Dreamweaver. This first one will cover the big news bits from the second day, and the third day and fourth day will get individual, combined, and special posts, and the big news coming from The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet will be getting it's own post, including a repost of the trailer. News on North American distribution on that film will hopefully be coming soon.

The first day for me was the second, and the opening night's remarks were witnessed by Jim Dorey as I was delayed by traffic crossing the border on a Friday via automobile and checking into my hotel. There are some future posts that will cover specific notes that are in connection with one another. The third day included a special IMAX screening (Born to be Wild), and a preview of a new IMAX documentary (Island of the Lemurs: Madagascar), that included the producer sharing a lot of great bits about the experiences on both. Jim's panel was the third day in the evening following great previews from several key speakers, including the Skype interview with Jean Pierre-Jeanet and his stereographer Demetri Portelli, who was there live in person. The fourth day was a technical day that included a workshop with Portelli and his 3D Production Systems Engineer Ben Gervais, HFR footage was discussed and shown, and again we can't stress how much the stereo industry likes HFR, but research seems to be proving that variable frame rates for playback could be important. More on that in a later post. Brightness was a key talk…

The biggest sense I got was a disappointment in the theatrical system because of the worldwide lack of proprietorship to give the best experience. On a technical level it's being provided, but staff is looked upon poorly for when there's an issue with any technical issue. Even Jean Pierre-Jeanut mentioned during his Skype interview a lacking willingness in France to upgrade the systems and bulbs, plus he displayed preference to a specific system. The greatest hope is for the auto-stereoscopic displays that are on their way. Since certain people couldn't exactly say certain things about certain companies, I don't want to venture into repeating their off-handed comments about auto-stereoscopic tablets that are near. However, the experience I've had with autostereoscopic screens on MasterImages preview devices was good enough that we'll all be in for treats when the public gets their hands on them. By the way, most of us understand people watch short videos on smart phones and will expect stereo content for them. Stereo on phones will have less of a stereo depth because the screen size will always impede it, but it is possible to scale something for that level. Resolution will dictate screen size, and for the big theatrical experience resolution seems like it's going to keep climbing.

Surround Sound is going to get it's own post, as there are some theatrical developments happening with Dolby Atmos and more. The honor of coolest use of PowerPoint/Keynote software for presentation goes to Julian Pinn, who used a method of zooming in to a specific section of his whole presentation keynotes. It reminded me of some of the things that are possible using pinch zooming and scrolling on mobile devices. Needless to say there were further animations within and it overall did a great job giving everyone an understanding that sound isn't done evolving yet. Some buddies of mine in the industry will find this a great post when it comes.

Overall the conference was a great success, and the team who put it together should be proud. A full list of those individuals can be found on their site. Special thanks must be given to them for allowing so many industry to come together. Look out for the next post, which will be on it's way soon.

One final note of a rumor worth repeating: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug may be getting a trailer in front of Gravity on October 4th! Many are excited for the audience's reaction to the stereo in that movie, so a 3D trailer for DOS seems likely since it's the last major Warner Bros. release before the release of DOS.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet Added To Line-up At Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference Sept 20-23

Amélie director will preview 'The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet' in 3D with a live Q and A with ‘Spivet’ Stereographer Demetri Portelli and 3DFLIC lead filmmaker Ali Kazimi.

TORONTO, CANADA – The Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference September 20 – 23, 2013 has added French Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet to the line-up and will feature the North American Sneak Peak screening of 12 minutes from his new 3D film 'The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet'. Jeunet will address the conference live via Skype from Paris and will be joined live on stage by his Canadian Stereographer Demetri Portelli (Hugo, 47 Ronin) to discuss Jeunet’s unique style of 3D storytelling.

For Conference Registration visit: http://www.tis3dc.ca

Based on the bestselling novel The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen, 'The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet' is directed by Academy Award-nominated Jeunet, who also wrote the screenplay with his longtime collaborator Guillaume Laurent. The movie is a colorful coming of age story, as a peculiar and brilliant 12-year-old T.S. Spivet runs away from his dysfunctional family's Montana ranch to accept an award from the Smithsonian Institute. The film marks the first time director Jeunet's striking cinematic visions will be exhibited in IMAX 3D.

The film stars two-time Academy Award-nominees Helena Bonham Carter as T.S. Spivet's mom, and Judy Davis as the Smithsonian director. The lead role of T.S. Spivet is portrayed by newcomer Kyle Catlett. The film will be released in Europe by Gaumont in October 2013 and The Weinstein Company in the U.S.

'Spivet' Official Trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqDjJ3P5YME

The Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference is a unique international gathering of creative, scientific and business minds discussing, discovering and inspiring innovation in “Stereoscopic 3D” Cinema. Hosted by 3DFLIC, the 2nd annual event will take place September 20th - 23rd, at TIFF Bell Light Box in Toronto, Canada.

The International Speaker line-up includes:
Catherine Owens (U23D, Sculpting Space), Robert Neuman (Disney), Demetri Portelli (Stereographer - Hugo, 47 Ronin), Graham Clark (Stereo D), Stephen Low (IMAX), Hugh Murray (IMAX), Marty Banks (Berkeley), Andrew Watson (NASA), April Mullen (Dead before Dawn), Eric Tessier (Les Pee Wee 3D), Matt Cowan (Entertainment Technology Consultants Canada Inc.), Drew Fellman (Born to be Wild), Jim Chabin (International 3D Society), Laurie Wilcox (York University), Robert Allison (York University), Ali Kazimi (York University), Buzz Hayes (True Image Company, Inc), Gordon Harris (Christie), Munro Fergusson (Director, NFB), James Stewart (Director - Foxed!) , Jonathan Barker (Flight of the Butterflies 3D), Paul Salvini (Christie), Liane Kotler (TVO Doc Studio), Tony Gunnarsson (IHS Screen Digest), Florian Maier (Stereotec), Bill White (3D International Media Partners), Phillipe Baylaucq (Ora), Julian Pinn (Dolby), Tim Dashwood (Dashwood Cinema Solutions), Peter Lude (SMPTE), Brian Cullen (University of Waterloo), Jeremy Lloyd (Marketing Magazine), Jim Dorey (Editor-in-Chief MarketSaw), Adam May (Vision 3D), Mark Stevens (Redlab), Ken McNeil (Creative Post Inc.), Peter Armstrong (byDeluxe), Ian Herring (Parallax Films), M. Bove (MIT), N. Schneider (MTBS.com), Vincent Chapdelaine-Couture (McGill), Roy Anthony (Christie), Cristin Bargheil (Side Effects Software), Eric Deren (Dzignlight Studios), Ihor Petelycky (Spatial View), Alex Farrell (Director, Media and Entertainment, RBC), Piotr Didyk (MIT), Stephen Palmisano (University Wollongong), Inna Tsirlin (York University), Denise Quesnel (Emily Carr University), Maria Lantin (Emily Carr University), John Helliker (Sheridan College, SIRT), Andrew Hogue (University of Ontario Institute of Technology), Bernhard Riecke (Simon Fraser University)

ABOUT 3DFLIC:
3D FLIC (3D Film Innovation Consortium) is housed at York University’s Faculty of Fine Arts. Bringing together a uniquely interdisciplinary team of scientists, filmmakers and industry leaders, 3D FLIC (3D Film Innovation Consortium) bridges fundamental research in stereoscopic perception with the development of stereoscopic 3D (S3D) film language and production, while building the capacity of the S3D production clusters in the Greater Toronto Area.
For more information about 3D FLIC visit: http://3dflic.ca

I'll be moderating the panel covering the topic: 3D CREATION ON A 2D BUDGET on September 22nd @ 6pm at the TIS3DC. If you can make it - I'd love to talk with you about 3D and filmmaking!

3-D Visionary Catherine Owens Teams With 3doo As Creative Advisor

NEW YORK, NY (September 17, 2013) – 3doo, Inc. today announced a formal venture collaboration with award-winning film director Catherine Owens, principal director and co-producer of “U2 3D,” one of the most successful live-action 3-D films to date, to advance global digital distribution of 3-D and Ultra HD media content through a range of 3doo projects.

“When I first heard about 3doo and their Player App’s unique and revolutionary ability to upload and stream 3-D content to any 3-D enabled device, I thought, “Eureka!,” said Owens. “This is what everyone I know working in 3-D has been waiting for: a single marketplace where 3-D filmmakers and content providers can control what happens to their work, and 3-D users can capture and enjoy 3-D content on their own devices."

“Helping to make 3doo’s media platform more than just an app, but a genuinely worldwide digital community for 3-D producers and consumers who want to learn, share and connect on all aspects of 3-D film making, is an exciting opportunity for me,” added Owens, whose pioneering “U2 3D” project – filmed and edited before “Avatar” – was acclaimed by the New York Times as “the first IMAX movie that deserves to be called a work of art.”

Owens is known for her collaborative work as the director of visual content for U2 on their last five world tours. In April 2010, she traveled to India to make a 3-D documentary about Kumbh Mela, the largest spiritual gathering in the world. In 2012, she completed her third 3-D film project, “Sculpting Space,” a documentary film on the Irish dancer Colin Dunne.

3doo is the only company in the world currently operating a global 3-D media distribution platform. As the only source for all 3-D content and the only complete 3-D eco-system, 3doo is the solution for easily connecting thousands of 3-D media producers with the rapidly expanding mass market of tens of millions of 3-D end users around the world in an open marketplace.

“We are thrilled to have Catherine Owens contribute her innovative impulses to the 3doo team as a creative content advisor,” said Ingo Nadler, President of 3doo, Inc. “Part of our mission is to bring together the greatest achievers in the 3-D and Ultra Media industries to advance the ongoing breakthroughs in global 3-D media distribution. Catherine brings a tremendous record of artistic and commercial success in the development of 3-D technology and as a director with an artist’s unique perspective and high-value understanding for what is needed to produce quality 3-D.”

Nadler stated that Owens, as a member of 3doo’s Advisory Board, will also help guide strategic development in areas such as content growth, 3-D education, and design and application use.

As an active member of the International 3D and Advanced Imaging Society, Owens will be presenting one of the society’s 3-D technology and best new product awards at a Sept. 18 ceremony at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. Owens will also be the keynote speaker at the second Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference on Sept. 20. Her presentation will focus on the education of young 3-D film makers and the transformational advances taking place within the 3-D film industry.

The 3doo Player App, recognized as one of the best 3-D products of 2013 by the International 3D Society, dynamically generates channels and allows producers to distribute 3-D content directly into Smart TVs.

Intuitive and elegant user interface enables the 3-D consumer to directly access 3-D channels and featured free content currently, with pay-per-view Video-on-Demand in the next several months. In 2014, 3doo is planning to roll out “my3doo,” a beautifully designed dedicated area within the 3doo Player App that will enable 3-D social networking.

The rapid growth of 3doo has been marked by the availability of the Player App from 5% of all 3-D TVs worldwide in 2012 to more than 60% in 2013. Since its launch in April 2012, the 3doo Player App has featured 2.5 million film views to date, with 1,500 new unique users signing up daily.

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I'm looking forward to seeing Catherine again at the Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference this coming weekend!

Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference Converges Sept 20-23 With Yours Truly!

I've received and accepted a moderator role at the Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference this month from the 20th to the 23rd. The conference is a great influencer in Canada and the world in the S3D industry. This year they are reaching out with special screenings, top line talent complete with an exceptional workshop on Quality in Stereo-3D and a masterclass held by Demetri Portelli (47 RONIN, HUGO).

I'll be helming the 6pm session on September 22st entitled: 3D CREATION ON A 2D BUDGET with panelists April Mullen (DEAD BEFORE DAWN 3D), Eric Tessier (5150 ELM'S WAY) and Alex Farrell (Director, Media and Entertainment, RBC Commercial Markets). This also ties nicely into what I'm doing with my own passion production, DREADLOCK.

I'm really excited about the events! You can find out more and plan to attend right here: http://www.tis3dc.ca/

The Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference is an acclaimed unique international gathering of creative, scientific and business minds discussing, discovering and inspiring innovation in “Stereoscopic 3D” Cinema. Brought together by the 3D Film Innovation Consortium (3D FLIC), the Conference offers the highest quality discussions on the creative, scientific and business challenges and possibilities of Stereoscopic 3D.

The 3D Shorts Programme consists of six Canadian and international short stereoscopic films, animations and videos produced in the last two years. This selection of stereoscopic shorts was specially curated for the 2nd Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference by 3D cinema scholar Sanja Obradovic.

Here are the speakers who will be speaking this year at the conference:

Catherine Owens (U23D, Sculpting Space)
Robert Neuman (Disney)
Demitri Portelli (Stereographer - Hugo, 47 Ronan)
Graham Clark (Stereo D)
Stephen Low (IMAX)
Hugh Murray (IMAX)
Marty Banks (Berkeley),
Andrew Watson (NASA),
April Mullen (Dead before Dawn)
Eric Tessier (Les Pee Wee 3D)
Matt Cowan (Entertainment Technology Consultants Canada Inc.)
Drew Fellman (Born to be Wild)
Jim Chabin, (President International 3D Society)
Laurie Wilcox (York University)
Robert Allison (York University)
Ali Kazimi (York University)
Buzz Hayes (True Image Company, Inc)
Gordon Harris (Christie)
Munro Fergusson (Director, NFB)
James Stewart (Director - Foxed!)
Jonathan Barker (Flight of the Butterflies 3D)
Paul Salvini (Christie)
Liane Kotler (TVO Doc Studio)
Tony Gunnarsson (IHS Screen Digest)
Florian Maier (Stereotec)
Bill White (3D International Media Partners)
Phillipe Baylaucq (Ora)
Julian Pinn (Dolby)
Tim Dashwood (Dashwood Cinema Solutions)
Peter Lude (SMPTE)
Brian Cullen (University of Waterloo)
Jeremy Lloyd (Marketing Magazine)
Jim Dorey (Editor-in-Chief MarketSaw)
Adam May (Vision 3D)
Mark Stevens (Redlab)
Ken McNeil (Creative Post Inc.)
Peter Armstrong (byDeluxe)
Ian Herring (Parallax Films)
M. Bove (MIT),
N. Schneider (MTBS.com)
Vincent Chapdelaine-Couture (McGill)
Roy Anthony (Christie)
Cristin Bargheil (Side Effects Software)
Eric Deren (Dzignlight Studios)
Ihor Petelycky (Spatial View)
Alex Farrell (Director, Media and Entertainment, RBC)
Piotr Didyk (MIT),
Stephen Palmisano (University Wollongong),
Inna Tsirlin (York University)
Denise Quesnel (Emily Carr University)
Maria Lantin (Emily Carr University)
John Helliker (Sheridan College, SIRT)
Andrew Hogue (University of Ontario Institute of Technology)
Bernhard Riecke (Simon Fraser University)


Special thanks to James Stewart of Geneva Films Co. for co-chairing the conference and inviting me to participate.

If you have the opportunity to attend I'd love to see you in person! More on the conference soon...