IBC Conference Session: 3D at the Movies

Chaired by 3D Producer and Consultant Phil Streather this year’s major 3D session has a narrative with a beginning, middle and end: a beginner’s guide, followed by tutorials on how to previzualise 3D before shooting, how to shoot, and finally how to edit.

Primer
The session begins with a primer offered by Bernard Mendiburu, renowned LA-based CGI stereographer whose credits include Meet The Robinsons and Monsters vs. Aliens. A respected industry consultant and author of the newly published book, 3D Movie Making: Stereoscopic Digital Cinema From Script To Screen, Mendiburu will offer an overview of the latest developments in 3D workflow which will enable delegates to get the best from the three presentations that follow.

Pre-vizualisation
The second part of the session will be led by Ken Schafer, President of Innoventive Software, who will look at pre-vizualization. A provider of cutting-edge software solutions for the film and television industries since 1991, Schafer will demonstrate how Innoventive Software’s latest package, FrameForge Previz Studio 3, allows users to prep live-action stereo 3D shoots.

Image capture
The session’s third presentation will be by the acclaimed stereographer Steve Schklair, CEO of 3ality Digital, who returns to IBC to demonstrate the tools that are needed to capture the very best stereo images. Schklair, whose most recent work includes overseeing the production, post-production and completion of U2 3D at the 3ality Digital studio in Burbank, California, will use projected images from live cameras positioned outside the Auditorium to demonstrate alignment, misalignment, image correction, interaxial and convergence shifting, and much more.

Editing
Editing and image manipulation take on new importance in the 3D movie-making process, with stereoscopic depth and acquisition inconsistencies needing to be processed to ensure viewer comfort and the proper deployment of dramatic effect. The morning’s final presentation, hosted by David Newman, CTO of CineForm, will demonstrate how the company’s neo3D plug-in for Final Cut Pro can manipulate images, correct vertical misalignment, perform Horizontal Image Translation and more; all using the revolutionary and virtually lossless CineForm codec, as used on the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire.

Commenting on the programme, Phil Streather adds: “The second, third and fourth sessions will be a complete antidote to the theoretical, PowerPoint-based approach of so many industry seminars. Using the IBC Big Screen in the RAI Auditorium, which holds 1,000 people, our speakers – who are all professionals at the top of their game – will demonstrate the latest 3D imaging techniques in real time, using real-world content, in a real cinematic environment. This will give delegates an opportunity to see not just how stereoscopic effects can be created, but also some of the problems they may typically encounter along the way – along with appropriate solutions.”

The programme will end with a round-table Q&A session chaired by Streather and attended by all four speakers, during which delegates will get the chance to discuss the most pressing issues surrounding 3D movie-making.

“After they’ve attended this session, we just don’t want delegates to get started making 3D content,” concludes Streather. “We want them to create movies that are effective, appealing, impactful, future proof and, above all, profitable.”

Date/Time: 14 Sep 2009, 09:00-12:45