Drexel University to Be First East Coast University to Have a Student 3D Short

Hey all, Tim here with news coming out of my Alma Mater Drexel University! Drexel University is a school in Philadelphia, PA and Sal Sciortino (writer, director, producer) is going to make his senior thesis film Crane the first stereoscopic 3D student film done on the east coast! This is exciting news personally for me because of the years I spent sharing news stories and talking with faculty & students about 3D. It's great to see a young student pushing forward with the first stereoscopic production to come out of the school. It also helps bring the 3D medium to education throughout the continental United States.

A short synopsis about the this ambitious short film:

Crane is an action-packed film that deals with the life of former secret agent, John Crane. He has classified information and has been hiding from his old agency, the agency has had enough. They kidnapped John's wife, and he is hell bent on finding her. With the help of his friend (and current operative) Jamaal, John traverses the city to locate his wife. Unfortunately, finding his wife will be no simple task – the agency keeps her well hidden, they have a ton of agents standing in John's way. Luckily for John, he's a rugged man with phenomenal fighting skills, and he will let no one stand in the way of finding his wife.

The action scenes in this movie will be done with full cooperation of the city of Philadelphia, who will assist in closing down roads in order for shooting to take place! Sal comes from a background full of experience to make this possible.

Sal Sciortino is currently a senior at Drexel University. During his time in school he has worked on countless projects. Sal spent 9-months in Los Angeles gaining production experience and working for companies such as Bad Robot Productions and Toy Box Entertainment. His love for film began when he was in the eighth grade. Sal learned countless programs and techniques through self-drive, and has been improving his skills ever since.

The short film will be shot using Drexel's own 3D Film Factory beamsplitter rig, and a pair of Sony EX-3's. However, there are a few items that Sal and his crew are going to have to rent in order to make this happen in the best possible stereo 3D. As Drexel doesn't have an on set 3D Monitor of their own the production will need some money in order to rent one, along with a bit more 3D gear. That's why Sal has launched a Kick Starter Campaign to help raise funding for the project. Below is a video from the shooting studio of Drexel Film & Video with Sal explaining the Kick Starter campaign and a bit about the film:

HIT THE JUMP FOR THE VIDEO AND MORE INFO:

(Please be aware that this video is embedded off Kick Starter, and is in their native video format of Flash, and will not play on some mobile devices)

This project is going to be a learning experience for everyone involved; both for students working on the film and as well as professors overseeing the project. Many of the crew members, myself included, have experience working in the 3D medium, and they will be on set at all times to assist. Much of the equipment will be rented for free from Drexel, however the production will have to pay to rent some 3D equipment from local studios. Although if any 3D companies looking to assist in the spread of stereoscopic education can also donate equipment, gear, and resources. All post-production will be done using Drexel's editing facilities.

The biggest challenge facing this production will be working in 3D. Although there have crew members with 3D experience, it is a lot tougher to work in 3D than 2D, not only during shooting but also post production. A 3D film like this has never been made at this undergraduate level, and it is an ambitious project. If problems do occur, the have resources are available along with the ability to work through those obstacles. The Film && Video students of Drexel University are not afraid of innovation and look to continue to progress in stereoscopic education on the east coast.

PLEASE GO TO THE KICK STARTER PAGE AND DONATE!