Exclusive Interview with Michael Watchulonis: 3D Paranormal Investigation Series – Anomaly

Michael Watchulonis is the co-executive producer and director of a new 3D paranormal investigation series called Anomaly with investigative journalist Jack Kassewitz.  In this interview, Michael candidly shares his experiences of doing the near-impossible:  shooting a 3D series, in the dark, on a paranormal topic, as a skeptic.

 1. Why produce a 3D series?

We’re pretty proud that Alligator Kingdom, MicroPlanet, and Fire Ants: The Invincible Army are among the most widely distributed independent 3D films on the market.   We thought the time was right to expand into series production.

Dave Cole of Beampath brought the paranormal idea and the 3D night vision camera systems to us along with some test footage.  We were very impressed.  The visuals were very cool, had good stereography and the screen presence of the host (Jack Kassewitz) was strong. When we took a look at the history of these locations and the reports of paranormal phenomena, the stories grabbed us.  We just had to dig in and explore them in 3D with Anomaly. 

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Interview by Jon Schnitzer:”The Croods” Q & A with “Captain 3D” of DreamWorks

According to Phil “Captain 3D” McNally, the  new 3D movie “The Croods” is “the most ’3D’ movie DreamWorks Animation has ever produced.”  

Phil “Captain 3D” McNally

Phil “Captain 3D” McNally (Yup, he legally changed his name to Captain 3D!) is DreamWorks Animation’s Stereoscopic Supervisor; which means he’s the 3D genius behind the magic at DreamWorks Animation. Captain 3D has worked on some of my favorite 3D movies including “How To Train Your Dragon”.  Whenever Phil comes out with a new 3D movie I have to see it on the BIG screen because I know it will be cinematic, dramatic, epic and emotional.

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3D Content Hub Reaches Annual Sales Target by March

3D Content Hub has announced that its 3D business is developing better than expected with annual sales of 3D titles achieved in 10 weeks.

Australian-German distribution firm 3D Content Hub has announced that its 3D business is developing better than expected. Its film library of stereoscopic titles grew by almost 100% and sales targets for the entire year 2013 were reached after 10 weeks. Torsten Hoffmann, founder and CEO, attributes the success to a renewed interest from 3D broadcasters, especially in Asia and a growing appetite from 3D VOD companies for independently produced 3D films. “It seems that the traditional windowing of rights and the territorial restrictions that some of the major 3D feature films are bound by is a real chance for smaller filmmakers. The demand for new 3D content remains high”.

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Exclusive Interview with Peter Hamilton on Giant Screen & 3D

Today we interview Peter Hamilton, editor and publisher of e-newsletter DocumentaryTelevision.com,  whom we (finally!) had the pleasure of meeting in person at the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) in Adelaide last week. He is a well-known expert in the global non-fiction market and is a consultant to many of the top brands in international television. At this year’s AIDC he presented a workshop with Torsten Hoffmann on Giant Screen and 3D as viable opportunities for documentary filmmakers. In this exclusive interview with 3D Content Hub, Peter shares his insights on this unique niche market:

Peter, first let’s talk about IMAX. Can you give us a few important statistics?

Sure. Since the late 1990s the number of global IMAX screens has risen from 50 to 350. The average screen size is now at about 3,000 square feet with the largest theatres featuring a massive 5,000 sqf (61 x 82 feet). Obviously 3D has always been a very important factor. What many find surprising is the pixels that the IMAX and other Giant Screen systems are capable of displaying. HD has 2 million pixels. 4k Cinema is at almost 9 million pixels. While 35mm film can be up to 20 million pixels. IMAX still trumps with 70 million pixels, almost 10 times more than 4k.

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Opinionpiece on the 3D Market in Brazil

We’ve covered quite a bit on the 3D Industry in Asia on our website. But what about the rest of the world? Is 3D really going global? Today we take a look at one of South America’s fastest and biggest emerging markets: Brazil – the land of the Amazon, samba, soccer & carnival; coincidentally or not, all of which would make for some spectacular viewing in 3D.

Opinionpiece on the Brazilian 3D Market by Hélio A G Souza PhD 

Some people have asked me what the S3D market is like in Brazil. My immediate reaction is  to not respond as this market has caused me much grief and discouragement. But in order to understand my reaction, I need to first explain my reasons.

Since 2003 I’ve been working with S3D as a researcher within the university where I work. Unlike other scientists who are concerned with hardware and software, my interest is in S3D content, particularly documentaries. To make a documentary in S3D, I needed equipment, rigs and software – so in 2006 I set up a laboratory to support documentary filmmaking and finally in 2009 I completed the first documentary: “The Lake 3D”

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yC2lBsSDLo).

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Exclusive Interview with 3D Photographer Doug Betzold

This week we interviewed Doug Betzold, nominated 3D Photographer of the Year by Sony & the World Photography Organization, who speaks about his work and the joys of pushing the boundaries of what can be done in dimensional photomedia and 3D Photography, in general.

 

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4th 3D Stereo Media in Liege, exclusive Interview and insights about Government Funding

The 3D Stereo Media (3DSM), 4^th Edition is currently taking place in Liege Belgium. The event boasts on being ‘a one stop place for all your 3D needs’; covering all aspects of 3D from the technical & scientific to the artistic, business and financial. This seamless integration of different aspects of 3D into a single event provides a unique and opportune platform for the convergence of 3D minds as well as generating business & networking opportunities. We caught up with Pierre Collin, the organizer of the 3D Film Mart to tell us more about their event:

First here’s an overview of the whole range of events:

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Interview about Ride&Fly and 48fps

Ride&Fly 3D

Gallien Chanalet-Quercy, CEO & founder of Cow Prod, talks about the challenges and benefits of shooting extreme sport film, ‘Ride & Fly’ at 48 frames per second.

‘Ride & Fly’ follows three speed-riders in the ski resort Les Arcs, in the French Alps. The film takes the audience alongside the riders who share what drives them, why they do what they do and how they handle the notion of risk and danger. In its core, it is a story about sharing, not just techniques and tricks for specialists of the sport, but also about sharing the lifestyle they have chosen.

Like the soon-to-be-released The Hobbit, Cow Prod shot the movie in 3D and at 48 frames per second or HFR3D, giving two times more detail in 2D and four times in 3D. In this joint interview with 3D Focus, 3D Content Blog started by asking what the reason was to shoot in HFR when there are so few opportunities to exhibit it outside of a theatrical release:

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Exclusive Interview with the organizers of the China 3D Expo

China has a unique advantage, compared to the rest of the world, when it comes to 3D filmmaking – it has both the political backing and the macro trends (demographic & economic) in its favor, making China the hottest 3D market today.

The Political Impetus

The Chinese government is committed to the development of culture as business and the film business industry (which includes theatrical, home and mobile) is at the heart of this envisioned cultural development. Within this, 3D has been identified as one of the core growth areas.

The Financial Impetus

The statistics are astounding: In 2011 the annual box office in China grossed over US$2.0 billion and 3D films had a 40% share of the total box office. In the first half of 2012, the growth rate was at 42% compared to 29% in 2011. Titanic 3D took more than US$ 147million in box-office in China alone and the list goes on. But it’s not just the cinemas with impressive numbers – China has recently licensed 617 new Internet companies, 7 IPTV operators, and 21 mobile TV operators.

The size of the middle class in China is increasing rapidly – by 2030 UN estimates that it would be four times larger than the US. This coupled with consumer´s access to numerous 3D-enabled devices mean that the demand for content is huge.

However, the Chinese audiences are becoming more discerning viewers, as 3D transcends it gimmicky style and become more story-driven, choosing to spend their entertainment budget on quality content.

The Current Focus

Recognizing that quality is key to success, the Chinese government has set up and supported many programs and initiatives that promote 3D filmmaking, develop 3D technology and equipment and train 3D arts and technology professionals.

The China 3D Technology & Creative Exposition is one such endeavor. We talked to CEO & Founder of 3D China Ltd. Bai Qiang about this event and his thoughts on the state of 3D in China.

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Exclusive 3D Interview: Urbanatix – Welcome to the Machine

In 2011 we saw the dawn of the arts embracing 3D; ballet with Giselle, opera with Carmen and modern dance with Pina.  The allure is obvious – 3D opens up a new and compelling viewing experience; drawing audiences deep into the dancers’ movements, giving a powerful sense of the space, breath and dimensionality.                                    

Now ‘URBANATIX – Welcome to the Machine 3D’, takes this trend further – capturing live a unique and multi-dimensional dance show that combines modern dance elements with acrobatics and street dance.Director, Frank Döhmann, shares his experience of filming live in 3D and his future projects.

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