Band Pro Aim to Commercialise 3D

Understanding that buying or renting 3D gear is expensive, US dealer Band Pro Film & Digital aims to bring the kit within range of mainstream budgets.

"The problem with 3D is that it is a very project-oriented technology," said Band Pro president and CEO Amnon Band. "We're trying to commercialise it by packaging the hardware and software together and making it accessible to everyone. Our customers want to pick up a camera, turn it on and go shoot so we're trying to simplify that process."

Key parts to that workflow include new Sony HDC-P1 cameras sold as a turnkey package with Element Technica's new range of 3D rigs.

"Training is a big problem in all areas of digital capture but the knowledge gaps are being exacerbated with 3D," he said. "We need 3D to a be a commodity product where camera, rigs and all the hardware necessary for 3D is one line item and you just add lenses and a recording device," he adds.

Headquartered in LA with a European base in Munich, Band Pro intends to help bring together technology and techniques "to move to a position where the industry can have a single workflow, a single set of off-the-shelf technologies."

Howard Postley, Chief Operating Officer of 3ality Digital, agrees that 3D is hard to get right. "It would help if there were a lot more people trained to understand what it takes," he said. "Essentially 3D boils down to two things: a lot of expertise and a lot of precision. Every problem from eye strain to disorientation is caused by human error, not by the equipment. Producing good or bad 3D is not about the gear per se - but the person in charge of it had better know what they are doing."

By Adrian Pennington, TVB Europe