4k Content Hub teams up with Al Caudullo to produce ‘Ancient Angkor 4k’

(Melbourne, September 19, 2014)

Al Caudullo Production and Australian based distributor, 4k Content Hub, announce a partnership to work on an ambitious 4k production. The production is set to begin in September at the world famous Angkor, Cambodia.

The shoot will include the use of helicopters, hot air balloons, boats and more. Set to be released by the end of November 2014, the production features the use of the ground breaking Panasonic GH4 Camera system. Al Caudullo a long-term innovator and known for his work as the 3D Guy has decided to use Panasonic GH4 due, in part, to its already proven ability to ‘out shoot’ other much more expensive 4K UHD cameras. “This is our 4th 4k production and after experimenting with different equipment we now know that this is the ideal combination to get the best results for our budget”, he added.

Torsten Hoffmann, CEO of 3D / 4k Content Hub has been successfully distributing Al Caudullo’s films for over 4 years. “We started to work together with stereoscopic 3D films, which we licensed to more than 20 territories”. The distributor has now expanded into 4k films,

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Interview with Chinese 3D experts

The 3D market in China has been called the ‘last one standing’. International 3D distributor Torsten Hoffmann (3D Content Hub) sits down with three Chinese experts to talk about the latest developments. Torsten has licensed a large amount of stereoscopic 3D titles to Chinese broadcasters and VOD platforms and has also successfully exported 3D documentaries made in China to the international market place. Yulu Wang is from the international Relationship Department, China Television Artists Association (CTAA) 3D Council, and has been involved the 3D work from 2012, focusing the 3D international Relationships. Jim King was active in the TV broadcasting industry as a distribution manager of foreign satellite TV channels before shifting to the online video markets. He produced the CCTV Internet Spring Festival Gala 2012 in 3D and is now focusing on R&D, holds several patents and is now working as CTO with imcube Technologies. Jingyu Lee is the general manager of mosky4D. This Chinese company is mainly engaged in producing stereo effect movies for Science and Technology Museums, including circular-screen and full-dome documentaries such as Morph.

Torsten: China has become a more important player in the global 3d industry. Why do you think there is more interest in 3D in China than in the West?

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How to Make a Motorcycle Chase Action 3D Film

Guest Article by our friend Ole Schell:

Ever wanted to make a film about an Australian supermodel driving a souped-up racecar against 30 motorcycles while she was being chased by a helicopter and airplane? Coincidence, so did I.

And by maximizing what we had around us, forging new relationships, seizing unexpected opportunities, and some old fashioned ingenuity, we did it for less than a few thousand bucks. You can watch it below.

Step #1:
We called the GoPro general tech support line and asked for some 3D help. Not only did they give it, but the very same GoPro tech offered to come on our first day of shooting personally at 5:30 am with a ton of equipment. He rigged our airplane (see video below), sponsored us with gear, and showed us the 3D GoPro ropes. Cost: $0

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The 3D Blame Game – Part 2

Published by Torsten Hoffmann, March 2014.

The first part of this opinionpiece received a lot of views, generated many retweets, was reposted on several other 3D sites and spurred a lively discussion on LinkedIn. I have also received numerous suggestions and direct feedback. Thank you all for that.

Here is the second part of my article in which I try to show that everyone in our industry has contributed to the current 3D crisis.

6. 3D Broadcasters

A. The 3D TV Channels can be accused of being short-sighted. In hindsight we can say that most of the 3D channels were too early. They started broadcasting and investing heavily in (mostly live) content at a time where there were virtually no 3DTVs in the market. Live content is extremely difficult, costly, and commercial suicide because no one ever watches replays of yesterday’s sports game. And two years later, sure enough, the same 3D broadcasters are closing down declaring that “3D is dead”. Both their entries and exits can now be seen as premature. But at least they tried, and spent considerable funds doing so.

3DTV forecasts

B. Even the larger 3D broadcasters backed by big media corporations did not acquire or commission third party content in meaningful volume. Only initially few projects were commissioned to big production companies. In 3D, the learning curve is steep and normally the third and fourth production from a filmmaker turns out really well. Unfortunately, very few producers ever got to this stage. Most independent producers never got a chance to learn and the larger production firms have already moved on (to 4k or ‘back’ to HD). Only a handful of dedicated firms get the majority of 3D production budgets. They produce on the highest level, but this is a small and exclusive club. Hence, the broadcasters missed the opportunity to create a wider production ecosystem.

7. Equipment makers.

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Opinionpiece: The 3D Blame Game Part 1

 (Torsten Hoffmann, February 2014)

By now, it has become very clear that the 3D industry has not managed to reach mainstream consumers – at least not in the living room. And in its’ current form it never will: Broadcasters are stopping with their 3D transmissions, Producers and Distributors have gone bust, Content Buyers have dropped off the map, and 3D websites and Blogs are struggling or shutting down. In my meetings, I hear many reasons for this demise – and most of the time it includes blaming some of the parties in the ecosystem: The 3D glasses that consumers don’t like to wear, the content that is lacking, the bad quality of 2D to 3D conversions, the price premium for the 3D tickets at the box office, etc. While it is easy to point fingers, I think the time has come to take a deeper look at the situation to better understand exactly what went wrong. Let’s examine all the different parties in the industry and what mistakes were made.

My aim here is to show that everyone in the business has played some part and contributed to the current crisis. Moreover, I want to make sure that we learn from past mistakes as we leave 2013D behind and look towards 2014k. We shouldn’t make the same mistakes in 4k and when we eventually enter the world of auto-stereo 3D.

1. Content Distributors

A. I want to start with my own part of the industry. Distributors like 3D Content Hub (and a handful of specialized 3D distributors as well as larger 2D distributors) have a clearly defined role: Monetizing, to license content rights to content buyers. Unfortunately

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Picture of the Week

From an upcoming 4k film

Kings of Baja 4k

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FireAnts wins Best 3D Documentary

We are proud to announce that Micheal Watchulonis’ FireAnts 3D: The invincible Army has won the award for Best 3D Documentary at the Beyond Festival. The largest German 3D festival took place in Karlsruhe this month. We are distributing the film here (some pictures). It is on Amazon here, where you can also see a customer review falsely claiming that it is a 2D film. Here is the 3D Trailer on YouTube. And here is an in-depth interview about the film-making process.

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