In-Three Will Dimensionalize 'Dawn of the Dead'

Neil Feldman of In-Three sends a note this week with news that his California company just got the green light to "dimensionalize" its first feature, George Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead.' (In-Three uses custom software to turn movies shot in 2-D into 3-D.) According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project should be completed this year.

"We have been busy significantly speeding up, lowering the cost, and improving both the quality and capability of our proprietary Dimensionalization process for converting 2D content into 'perfect 3D,' Feldman writes.

Of course, dimensionalizing 'Dawn of the Dead' is a slightly lower-profile project than doing 'Star Wars: Episode IV,' a 3-D clip of which was shown at ShoWest in 2005... but isn't it always the B-movies that gamble first on new technologies?

3-D in Asia ... Movie Gallery Heads for Bankruptcy Protection

- The Hollywood Reporter has a piece that focuses on the emerging market for 3-D screens in Asia. The two players doing the conversions (or hoping to) are Real D and IMAX. From the piece:

"Asia is somewhat in the same position as Europe is in," [Real D CEO Michael] Lewis said. "The digital business arrangements have not been worked out, and you are dealing with more indigenous content, which means that more of the digital projector has to be paid for by the exhibitors."

Lewis estimates that 3-D digital cinema installations include roughly 14 installations in Korea, 16 in Australia and three in Japan. Other sources put the number of 3-D screens in Korea, where chains like CGV and Lotte have led the transition, as high as 20.

There's also a passing mention of In-Three, a company that wants to "dimensionalize" conventional movies. They still haven't announced their first project, despite having launched in 2005. About time, guys?

- It's not a great time to be in the video store business. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Movie Gallery (which owns Hollywood Video) is about to file for bankruptcy protection, hoping to emerge in early 2008. You'll recall that Movie Gallery bought the MovieBeam set-top box service back in March.

MovieBeam's Web site, interestingly, has been down for maintenance for almost two weeks. That must mean the service is doing really well. From the site: "Normal operation will return no later than the end of the day on Wednesday October 3rd."

3-D Conference in San Francisco

If you're interested learning more about 3-D cinema, gaming, phones, TVs, and signage, you should know about this event coming up next week (Sept 18 and 19) in San Francisco. An exhibit pass is free; conference pass is $695.

But the sessions look good, among them:

3D Digital Cinema
Prospects for 3D Digital Cinema
Matthew Brennesholtz, Sr. Analyst, Insight Media
ABSTRACT: The transition from film to 2D digital cinema is well underway and 3D cinema is also becoming a component of this transition. The presentation will provide updated information on our 3D Cinema forecast with the latest information on trends, issues, roll outs and prospects for 3D in cinema applications.

Next Steps in the 3D Cinema Revolution
Lenny Lipton, CTO, RealD
ABSTRACT: This talk will discuss the needs and hurdles for taking the 3D cinema industry to the next level. Currently, there are over 700 3D digital cinema theaters, but to get most major movies made in 3D, we need several thousand theaters. Clearly, 3D cinema is riding the wave of digital cinema projector installations. This is currently the gating issue, but there are other needs in terms of production workflow, post production, visualization and distributiuon that need to be dealt with. In addition, some view the 3D as a distraction and not an opportunity. This talk will discuss all of these issues and the prospects for 3D Digital Cinema in the near term.

Trade-Offs in 2D to 3D Conversion
Dave Seigle, President/CEO, InThree, Inc.
ABSTRACT: There are three ways to produce 3D content: using dual cameras, producing second eye renderings in CG, and Dimensionalizing 2D content. The presentation will focus on three areas related to the third method: the technology, techniques and applications of Dimensionalization; a framework for understanding issues of quality and cost; and the current state of industry commitment to this approach.

Stereoscopic Technology Options for 3D Digital Cinema
John Carey, Vice President of Marketing, Dolby Laboratories
ABSTRACT: Digital cinema has revitalized the 3D movie viewing experience and new stereoscopic technologies have come to market. Dolby continues to revolutionize the cinema experience by developing a new 3D solution using a unique color filter wheel technology that meets the needs of exhibitors, filmmakers and moviegoers. In this session Dolby will talk about the early stages of stereoscopic technology and where 3D is headed with the emergence of digital cinema.

Challenges to 3-D Filmmaking
Aaron Parry, Executive Producer, Paramount Pictures
ABSTRACT: The presentation will cover the creative, production, scheduling, technical and distribution challenges to 3-D filmmaking from a major motion picture studio perspective. The presentation will also focus on specific production and financial issues related to producing 3-D features utilizing stereo cinematography, stereographic rendering, and stereoscopic conversion.

Authoring in Stereo: Rewriting the rules of visual story telling
Jim Mainard, Head of Production Development, Dreamworks Animation
ABSTRACT: Stereo filmmaking is a bright new landscape ready to be explored - due in large part to stable, high quality projection available today. Composition, light and camera are rediscovered as tools to tell stories not in the flat, but in the round. We don’t have all the answers. Instead we have many questions. The answer will be revealed in the years ahead as filmmaking is redefined, not unlike it was with the advent of sound, and later color.