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:

• The 3D Academy – is a training session on 3D filmmaking and 3D stereography covering both the technical and artistic aspects.
• The Scientific Conference or better known as the International Conference on 3D Imaging (IC3D) – is a technical conference fully dedicated to 3D, covering ALL aspects including stereoscopic, holographic, integral, range, audio, print etc. of 3D.
• 3D Film Mart is where a selection of 20 European film projects in the development stage is pitched to a jury of international investor. A great networking platform for 3D investors and producers alike.
• The Professional Conference (PCON) which will feature keynote speakers Chuck Cominsky (Chromium Labs 3D), Buzz Hays, (True Image Company) and Robert Neuman (Walt Disney Animation Studios). Some of the hot topics covered include Storytelling in 3D, 3D for a Global Market and the Art of Making Stereoscopic Films

• The 3D Film Festival – the screening an assortment of 3D films from all over the world including one of our films – Ride & Fly (France). The festival’s feature is the world premiere of African Safari 3D (Belgium). Other films being screened include The Collection (UK), 6 Miniature Cabinets & The Big Showdown (France), The Little Prince (Belgium), The Legend (UAE), Dead before Dawn 3D (Canada), The Forbidden Girl & Wickie & the Treasure of Gods (Germany), The Legend of the Kung Fu Rabbit (China), The Magical Duvet (Czech Republic) and The District 8D (Hungary).
• The Film Festival will be followed by one of the main highlights, in partnership with the 3D International Society, the I3DS – Europe Awards Ceremonywhere the golden Lumiere Statuettes will be given out for up to 14 comprehensive categories including live events and commercials.

The Film Mart (3D FM), which is partially funded by the European Commission, has selected 20 projects that will be pitched to potential investors. Are there certain genres that generate more interest from the investors?

Since the success of Avatar has brought in its wake a high-speed development of the number of theaters equipped with digital 3D, 3D investors privileged largely programs for cinema. In recent years, 3D movies have taken a very large market share of the worldwide box office which demonstrates the existence of a sizable 3D film market and it is therefore not surprising that there is major interest of investors in this genre.

Both fiction  and documentaries have been a real craze. But since 2011, we find at 3D FM a growing interest for 3D TV. This may at first glance seem surprising, especially as the sales figures of 3D TV announced by the media do not seem good. However, looking more closely, we find that the evolution of 3D TV sales is similar to the evolution of sales of HD TV in the early 2000s. Can we therefore sign the death of 3D TV? Many investors are skeptical and many are now preparing catalogs of 3D content for TV. A bet on the future that could be a winner when broadcasters decide to invest.

How would you describe the projects that have been submitted?

It’s entirely European projects, with 50% theatrical and 50% broadcast. And it ranges from documentary to feature films and animation. For a full list of the 20 shortlisted projects, see http://www.3dstereomedia.eu/3d-film-mart under Selected Projects.

Are there any government programs & initiatives?

Belgium has not set up any specific programmes to support the producers of 3D content. However, is this even necessary, when in fact all the national and regional investment funds in the country have already been supporting stereoscopic 3D cinema (S-3D) for a long time! The best financing system in Europe … also open to S-3D!

First, there is the Belgian tax shelter, considered by experts to be one of the best in Europe. In 2011, the system allowed the private industry to invest nearly 170 million Euros in the Belgian film industry. Directors such as Ben Stassen (from Liège), considered as the high priest of S-3D film in Europe and beyond, have thus been able to develop a considerable S-3D film industry, thanks to the Belgian tax-shelter. Since “Fly Me To The Moon” in 2007, with a budget of seven million Euros, the company nWave has produced Samy 1 and 2, each with a budget of around 20 million Euros. The Belgian tax shelter provided half of their budgets.

Wallonia (the French-speaking region in Belgium), through its investment fund Wallimage, also developed intelligent financing tools to support the development of its industry. This led to an increase in know-how and film experience in the Southern part of the country, and brought many international studios here, especially to Liège. It was there that part of the industry grouped together in the Pôle Image de Liège, in a recently renovated former industrial building, now equipped with leading edge tools to the benefit of the audiovisual service providers.

Liège, European S-3D capital: Studio Waooh!, the French subsidiary of Toon Alliance, recently set up an animation studio in the city. Its first results include Patrice Leconte’s latest film, “Le Magasin des Suicides”, an animated film in stereoscopic 2D. You won’t be surprised to hear that the entire stereoscopy was created in Liège. Another example is the English series “Which is Witch?”, consisting of 26 episodes of 26 minutes. It is entirely filmed in S-3D in Liège (the shoot started mid-November 2012 and will be spread over five months), thanks to a partnership between the Pôle Image de Liège and another international company, which set up office there, TSF.be, a Belgian subsidiary of the French TSF.

Furthermore, we should also mention companies such as Digital Graphics and Mikros Image Liège, who are far from newcomers in the S-3D film sector, but also Alterface, Belle Productions, Dreamwall, EVS, Intopix, Keywall, Miysis, Softkinetic, VR Intelligence, all of them located in Wallonia and working with the 3^rddimension. What is the common point between all these companies : all of them are member of TWIST, the Walloon cluster of cinema and digital media.

TWIST, the Walloon film and digital media cluster, and the University of Liège joined forces to create 3D Stereo MEDIA, which has been in existence since 2009 in Liège and has become a key event in Europe. This event is directed at all professionals working with 3-SD. It never stops expanding; in 2011 it generated the first S-3D film market in Europe – 3D Film Mart, organised in collaboration with Peacefulfish and the Media Programme of the European Commission.

Interview by Brinda Paul, 3D Content Hub

Here is part of the official press release from December 3rd 2012:

3D Film Mart: the only co-production market for S-3D films in Europe

4^th& 5^th December 2012, Liege, Belgium

 

Belgium has not set up any specific programmes to support the producers of 3D content. However, is this even necessary, when in fact all the national and regional investment funds in the country have already been supporting stereoscopic 3D cinema (S-3D) for a long time!

The best financing system in Europe … also open to S-3D !

First, there is the Belgian tax shelter, considered by experts to be one of the best in Europe. In 2011, the system allowed the private industry to invest nearly 170 million Euros in the Belgian film industry. Directors such as Ben Stassen (from Liège), considered as the high priest of S-3D film in Europe and beyond, have thus been able to develop a considerable S-3D film industry, thanks to the Belgian tax-shelter. Since “Fly Me To The Moon” in 2007, with a budget of seven million Euros, the company nWave has produced Samy 1 and 2, each with a budget of around 20 million Euros. The Belgian tax shelter provided half of their budgets.

Wallonia, What else ?

Wallonia (the French-speaking region in Belgium), through its investment fund Wallimage, also developed intelligent financing tools to support the development of its industry. This led to an increase in know-how and film experience in the Southern part of the country, and brought many international studios here, especially to Liège. It was there that part of the industry grouped together in the Pôle Image de Liège, in a recently renovated former industrial building, now equipped with leading edge tools to the benefit of  the audiovisual service providers.

Liège, European S-3D capital

Studio Waooh!, the French subsidiary of Toon Alliance, recently set up an animation studio in the city. Its first results include Patrice Leconte’s latest film, “Le Magasin des Suicides”, an animated film in stereoscopic 2D. You won’t be surprised to hear that the entire stereoscopy was created in Liège. Another example is the English series “Which is Witch?”, consisting of 26 episodes of 26 minutes. It is entirely filmed in S-3D in Liège (the shoot started mid-November 2012 and will be spread over five months), thanks to a partnership between the Pôle Image de Liège and another international company, which set up office there, TSF.be, a Belgian subsidiary of the French TSF.

Furthermore, we should also mention companies such as Digital Graphics and Mikros Image Liège, who are far from newcomers in the S-3D film sector, but also Alterface, Belle Productions, Dreamwall, EVS, Intopix, Keywall, Miysis, Softkinetic, VR Intelligence, all of them located in Wallonia and working with the 3^rd dimension. What is the common point between all these companies : all of them are member of TWIST, the Walloon cluster of cinema and digital media.

 

TWIST, the Walloon S-3D cluster

Finally, TWIST, the Walloon film and digital media cluster, and the University of Liège joined forces to create 3D Stereo MEDIA, which has been in existence since 2009 in Liège and has become a key event in Europe. This event is directed at all professionals working with 3-SD. It never stops expanding; in 2011 it generated the first S-3D film market in Europe – 3D Film Mart, organised in collaboration with Peacefulfish and the Media Programme of the European Commission.

3D Film Mart 2012…

3D Film Mart is a selection of 20 European film projects in the development stage. It is a major meeting place for investors in the S-3D sector, a meeting place for S-3D content professionals; a place to discover many more things… Over a hundred producers, not only from Europe, but also from China, Russia and the United States will participate in the 2012 event.

… at a glance!

•                  Twenty European projects in development have been selected. They will be presented to a jury of international investors (tax shelter intermediate players, regional funds, producers, distributors). The best pitch will receive a €3,000 prize.

•                  3D FM starts on Tuesday 4th December at 11am and ends on Wednesday 5th December at 6pm.

•                  Admission to 3D FM is 125 euros. The fee covers the cost of the lunches for December 4th & 5th.

•                  The Film market and the network evening of 4th December will take place at the Hotel Crowne Plaza in Liège.

•                  www.3dstereomedia.eu/3d-film-mart

•                  Contact: Pierre Collin, p.collin@twist-cluster.com, tel. +32 4 349 12 49

3D FM 2012: Presentation of the members of the jury

 

Anthony Geffen

CEO & Executive Producer

 

Anthony Geffen is one of the world’s leading producers and filmmakers. He worked with BBC television for ten years before setting up Atlantic Productions in 1992.

His films have been honoured by the industry’s leading awards bodies, and include receiving the 2011 BAFTA award for ‘Specialist Factual’, a number of EMMYS, the Critics Guild, and leading prizes at the New York and Chicago film festivals.

 

Cyril Mégret

Director

Salt founding Director Cyril Mégret has been a Senior Advisor to the International Film Collective (IFC) media group since 2002. He began his film industry career with private investment fund Bonaparte Films, working on features including the international hit “Waking Ned Devine“ novelist William Boyd’s directorial debut, “The Trench” and Nick Love’s “Goodbye Charlie Bright”, on which Cyril served as executive producer. Cyril is also a director of the independent music labels Surrender All and Full Time Hobby with artists including UNKLE, School of Seven Bells, Tunng, The Hold Steady and Malcolm Middleton.

Anne Sheehan

Director

Anne Sheehan is a UK chartered accountant with specialist experience in film finance, production and distribution. As Director of Film Finance for Prescience she has overall responsibility for the financial assessment and business affairs of all the films financed by the Aegis Film Fund and the Prescience Funds. Prior to joining Prescience in 2009, working as AS Media Consulting she acted for a number of Film Fund clients. She devised Visible Films, an EIS investment for Ecosse Films, Recorded Picture Company and Samuelson Productions. From 1999 to 2003 she was Director of Finance and Business Affairs at Renaissance Films. She began her film career as an international operational auditor for Warner Bros. and was financial controller for Palace Pictures, BBC Films, PolyGram Film International and FilmFour.

Stéphanie Hugé

Head of coproduction

 

After studying literature, she became a literature teacher but her passion for the movie business brought her to the National Institute of Statistics where she was in charge of Belgian cinema theatre figures. In February 2001, she joined Philippe Reynaert to create Wallimage, the first regional film fund in Belgium, where she is now head of co-productions.

Sophokles Tasioulis

Producer

Sophokles Tasioulis studied aerospace engineering at Berlin’s Technical University, in addition to Media Design and Media Art at the BILDO Academy in Berlin. After completing his studies he worked for various broadcasters and film production companies (including Arte, BBC, CanalPlus, ZDF) and founded THESA Film und Fernsehproduktion in 1991. In 1998 he founded Hope & Glory Film Productions. Since 2002 he has been in charge of developing, financing and producing projects with German and international co-production partners at Greenlight’s Production Department.

Sophokles Tasioulis was appointed a member of the executive board in 2006. He produced and co-produced a number of noted documentaries.

 

Caroline Stern

Director of International Sales and Acquisitions

Caroline Stern began her career in distribution ten years ago with Vancouver-based Horizon Motion Pictures.

In 2008, Caroline was hired by Cinemavault. Releasing in Toronto as VP of International Distribution.  While at Cinemavault, she set up the Home Entertainment, VOD, and Television deals to launch the company’s domestic division. She subsequently relocated to the UK to establish a European base for the company.

Diana Elbaum

Producer

 

At 18, she left Belgium to study Latin American literature at the University of New York. Upon her return to Belgium in 1988, she worked on the shoot of “Marquis Henri Xhonneux”, produced by Alligator Films. After a few years in advertising, she created Entre Chien et Loup in 1994 and worked on the production of A Couch in New York, Chantal Akerman’s feature film. She takes on the role of producing documentaries and fiction. Among other examples, she co-produced Sólveig Anspach’s beautiful film, “Haut les Coeurs!”.

Nicolas Honorez

Producer

 

Nicolas Honorez graduated from INRACI with a degree in cinematography techniques.  He worked for several years as a production assistant and project manager on various documentaries. In addition to these activities, Nicolas also conducts numerous photo reportages for magazines and travel guides. At the end of 2010, after spending several months in India for an NGO responsible for the production of video clips, Nicolas joined an audiovisual communication agency as a project manager. In 2012, Nicolas joined the production team of Scope and satisfied his desire to devote himself to filmmaking.

Gilles Waterkeyn

Producer

Gilles is the COO of uFilm – the production and financing arm of uMedia – and has been with the company since its inception eight years ago. Originally responsible for the day-to-day operations relating to the investments in various projects financed by the group, Gilles has since overseen the coproduction of over 150 projects ranging from award-nominated films with international recognition (The Artist, Outside the Law) to complex international co-productions (Grace of Monaco, The Expatriate, Black Book) and large budget films (A Monster in Paris, Asterix at the Olympic Games)

Cédric Iland

Business Development Manager

After studying Management at HEC Liège, Cedric has been involved in the tax shelter business since its inception. Today he works for the Pole Image de Liege, where he develops the company through the financing of cinema and TV programs and the development of innovative projects in the media field.

3D FM 2012: Presentation of the conferences
1/ Sale of a 3D program

 

Moderator:
Domenico La Porta (Cineuropa, Belgium)

Domenico La Porta is editor in chief of Cineuropa, the first European portal dedicated to cinema and audiovisual in four languages. With daily news, interviews, data bases, and in-depth investigations into the audiovisual industry, Cineuropa aims  to promote the European film industry throughout the world.
Panelists:
Fabrice Testa (Dcinex, Belgium)

Fabrice Testa is head of Alternative Contents at dcinex ™ . dcinex ™  was born from the rebranding of XDC, FTT and BewegteBilder, and is a Pan-European end-to-end cinema sales and service organization. With full geographic coverage across all European countries, dcinex™ operates under two main business lines: Exhibitor Services and Content Services. dcinex™ offers a complete range of postproduction, mastering and transcoding services, as well as Pan-European physical and electronic delivery, digital rights management & alternative content.

Anthony Geffen (Atlantic Production, England)

Anthony Geffen is one of the world’s leading producers and filmmakers. He worked with BBC television for ten years before setting up Atlantic Productions in 1992. His films have been honoured by the industry’s leading awards bodies, and include receiving the 2011 BAFTA award for ‘Specialist Factual’, a number of EMMYS, the Critics Guild, and leading prizes at the New York and Chicago film festivals.

The question about the sale of a 3D program has to take into account not only the marketing aspects, but also the technical and promotional aspects.

As 3D can be seen on a wide range of screens, it’s important to perfectly handle technology and integrate it into the sales process.

During this session, we will have the opportunity to listen to the advice of different protagonists, including a distribution company which will explain how its experience in the field is integrated into new models of consumption of innovative programs. Panellists will also explain how to satisfy the needs of the audience, which sometimes like new programmes and sometimes disregard them

2/  3D, more an artistic than a technical or financial challenge?

Keynote speaker:
Adrian Pennington (Journalist, UK)

Freelance journalist and editor specialising in media – business, production and creation, with contributions to Media Guardian, The Financial Times, Broadcast, TVB Europe, Screen International, Broadcast Engineering, Cable Satellite International, Sports Business International.

IBC Daily Managing Editor 2006-12; IBC Daily Executive editor 2011-12. Corporate and copywriting for: IBC; Sony BPE; Technicolor; Adobe; Avid; Harris, Eutelsat, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry (Autodesk, Prime Focus).

Conference moderator: IBC 2012; 3D Masters 2011; Streaming Media Europe 2010 Conference programme producer: 3D Masters 2010/11;

Author (with Carolyn Giardina): Exploring 3D, The New Grammar of Stereoscopic Filmmaking, Focal Press – Aug 2012.

 

Panellists:
Ben Stassen (nWave, Belgium)

Ben Stassen is a Belgian film producer and director. He founded nWave Pictures in 1994, producing highly successful CGI ride films including the groundbreaking Devils Mine. Ben Stassen’s first feature length animated film, Fly Me to the Moon, was released in North America in August 2008 on both regular size and IMAX screens, exclusively in 3-D. According to nWave, Fly Me to the Moon was the first animated film to be designed, created, and released solely in 3-D. In May 2008, nWave announced that its next feature length animated film would be titled Around the World in 50 Years and that it would be directed by Ben Stassen. It was released in 2010 under the title of Sammy’s Adventures: The Secret Passage. This year, the second Sammy feature has been released worldwide.

Yves Pupulin (Binocle, France)

Yves Pupulin is one of the professionals who became interested in the creative potential of 3D very early on. After starting out as an assistant operator in the 80s, he joined Excalibur, the company in which he co-directs the special-effects (SFX) department. Yves Pupulin, a pioneer in 3D stereo in France, has been doing R&D for the past ten years. He was behind the first Stereocam Super HD and has written studies on the behaviour of the brain in stereoscopy. He subsequently participated in the Imaginove Mirage 3D technology cluster. In 2008, he founded Binocle 3D, today the European reference for 3D shooting and capture for cinema and television.

3D today is over the technical questions and matters. Professionals now try to get a complete and perfect overview of the tools, in any circumstance, for any type of production, and particularly for live shooting. That’s why artistic and creative aspects are more important now than technological and financial concern. The main goal of the teams, producers and distributors now is to make a beautiful picture and tell a wonderful story. So, let’s give the word to the director!

3/ What about 3D TV ?

 

Moderator:
Benoît Rensonnet (TWIST, Belgium)

Benoît Rensonnet graduated from the Université de Liège in Arts and Communication Sciences (PR and Cultural Management). He has over twenty years experience in the audiovisual and image sectors, combining the activities of a producer, consultant, journalist for production companies, distribution and services but also for television and a professional magazine. For several years, he has collaborated with TWIST, the Belgian cluster for cinema and digital media. His current activities are divided between managing digital SMEs, observation and chronic animation site professional advice

Panelists:
Tom Morrod (IHS Screen, UK)

Tom Morrod is the senior principle analyst for TV and broadcast technology at IHS Screen Digest and IHS iSuppli. Tom is responsible for all research across professional video technology, video distribution, and technical service delivery employed by service providers and video consumer electronics.

Tom Morrod has presented at numerous international conferences over the years, contributed articles to many newspapers and trade magazines, and worked as a consultant and advisor to many of the largest technology, consumer electronics, content creation and distribution companies in the world, as well as to the investment and legal community involved in these industries.

Maybe the first question should be:  what is television today? Television and other “domestic” screens will be able to obtain and promote 3D, in the very near future. The convergence between content -> network capacity -> device/screen for 3D should be in function very soon. So far, most of the protagonists of this chain have declined their responsibility, arguing that the other pieces were missing. One was complaining about the lack of TV content, the other about the rare and expensive devices for viewing 3D. And what about the network? Fibre-optics and 4G are deploying in European countries. The landscape should be really different for 3D within the coming months and it’s important to be there and ready when things start to happen.

For more information about 3D FM 2012

 

3D Film Mart : www.3dstereomedia.eu/3d-film-mart