UPDATE: Refocusing MarketSaw - The State Of The 3D Industry - Your Feedback Is Appreciated!

Hi everyone! It's been awhile and I'm looking forward to posting daily and often. I'm going to kick things off by asking your opinion on where you'd like to see MarketSaw go in the future.

It's a sad fact that 3D movies have a couple of black eyes from the lack of native 3D productions being shot and that 3D home entertainment is practically dead. Sure, there are plenty of converted 3D movies out there but that doesn't translate to an optimal movie-going experience in the theater. Has 3D conversion improved over the years? Absolutely. Is it equivalent to a natively shot 3D production? No.

And no major manufacturer is producing 3D televisions anymore. Such a shame - just when LG just about nailed it.

So where are? Well VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) are certainly in play but there must be valid business uses for them. Gaming? Sure. But I'm talking mainstream entertainment - how can VR and AR add to our movie-going experience? I've seen some interesting demos and videos on various company's products that are certainly cool, but I'm not seeing how the industry can make money in a substantial and sustained way.

I'd like to include VR and AR with the 3D pedigree of this site because, well, 3D is a key component of VR. They're intricately related.

What kind of VR/AR/3D news, reviews and interviews would you like to see on MarketSaw? You can send me an email (it's in the contact me area at the bottom of every page), comment on this post, or call me on my cell if you have the number.

THANKS! I appreciate your reading loyalty over the years and I'm really looking forward to launching a new focus!

WARCRAFT Powerleveling In China! $145 Million In 4 Days

Contrary to many critics I enjoyed WARCRAFT. Perhaps it's because I've actually played the game and I can pick up on most of the locations and references - it's still a CGI powerhouse and the 3D is amazing.

The 3D is amazing because most of it's pure digital 3D that's well done. It's a positive byproduct of doing most of the movie with CG characters and backgrounds. Loved the action sequences and how it all looked on a giant IMAX 3D screen. I'll be seeing it again on a Real D screen and I'm sure the level of excellence will be the same for stereo enjoyment.

WARCRAFT is the fastest international movie to $135 million ever in China. The movie only opened to $27 million in North America. I love how the movie has bounced back against the critics in China. Absolutely love it.

The story is somewhat hard to follow at times for someone who has not played the game I would imagine, but even if you haven't the visual effects are jaw dropping. The scale of the movie is off the charts.

WARCRAFT is a definite must-see in 3D. The stereo view enhances the CGI and makes the characters much more realistic and closer to crossing the uncanny valley. Trust me. 3D makes this movie.

Check The Latest Poster And TV Spot For Favreau's THE JUNGLE BOOK

I am so looking forward to seeing director Jon Favreau's THE JUNGLE BOOK! It's natively shot in 3D and with High Dynamic Range HDR imagery. The visuals are looking so darn good. And as I said it's a Favreau movie which I've been salivating for recently. I loved CHEF.

Favreau hits all the right notes with his comments relating to the massive audience for the movie: "You are serving many masters... you are trying to honor the memory, preconceived memory of people who grew up with it, but you are also trying to make a movie that appeals to the full audience -- that is ethically what we set out to do. We are trying to pay tribute, and we can also see that with the visual effects, we are pushing the technology. We are mixing the old story with cutting edge technology".

Here is the movie's storyline:
Directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, THE JUNGLE BOOK is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire. The all-star cast also includes Lupita Nyong'o as the voice of the fiercely protective mother wolf Raksha, and Giancarlo Esposito as the voice of wolf pack’s alpha male Akela. THE JUNGLE BOOK seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world.

Disney's THE JUNGLE BOOK opens on April 15. Here's the official website.

3D Shown To Be Very Good For Your Brain - New Study

As I knew all along, 3D supercharges your brain! According to neuroscientist Patrick Fagan and the science group Thrill Laboratory, there are some very beneficial effects to watching 3D movies.

Here are some highlights:
- 23% jump in cognitive processing
- 11% increase in reaction time
- 7% more engaged with what they are watching
- 33% increase in verbal fluency (writing alliteration for 1 minute)

From the Irish Examiner: "...3D films are more immersive, heighten the senses and induce emotional arousal – this, in turn, makes the brain run at quicker speeds."

Check out the full story over at the Examiner, and feel good about seeing as many 3D movies as you can! It's GOOD for you.

Blue Sky Studios PEANUTS by Schulz Trailer #2 Impresses

Tim here, and I have to say that this second trailer for Peanuts coming out in 3D next November is looking better and better with each new trailer. I'll be honest and state that I've been a tad skeptical that these characters, who were drawn in a two-dimensional comic strip, didn't seem like they could translate well to the 3D world. This trailer shows that skeptics are wrong. The animators did a great job with subtle 3D, and what could translate into very pleasing stereoscopic 3D images, and maintaining the classic style and framing of the Peanuts comic strip. The texturing and other modern 3D computer animation techniques are subtle to the eye and invoke the nolstagia we hope to get from this movie. Yet, the trailer hasn't revealed anything about the story yet!

IMDB has this written for the storyline: For the first time ever, Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the gang we know and love from Charles Schulz's timeless "Peanuts" comic strip will be making their big-screen debut like they've never been seen before in a CGI-animated feature film in 3D. And if you're yearning for a bit of trivia: This is the first theatrical Peanuts movie in 35 years!

There's also a few still frames below that come with this for you to take a closer look at. It's incredibly impressive what the animators have accomplished. It feels like Charles Schulz drew these.

Peanuts comes to theaters in RealD and Digital 3D November 6, 2015 from Blue Sky Studios and 20^th Century Fox.

Tomorrow the Final HOBBIT Trailer Arrives!

Post by The Hobbit.

Tim here. As you can see from The Hobbit's Facebook post tomorrow the final dragon... I mean trailer... will descend upon Laketown... I mean us. Man, I really want to see this movie. Look out for our post tomorrow as soon as it arrives.

The release of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies arrives in theaters December 17^th, 2014 in IMAX 3D, RealD 3D, HFR 3D.

Three Great BTS Videos of THE HOBBIT Visual Effects!

Hey all, Tim here, and I came upon an article written for the LA Times Hero Complex that has an interview with THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri. I've embedded the videos below, but you can also view them along with reading the full interview here.

The interview may be familiar to MarketSaw readers, but the videos are amazing. They show great behind the scenes processes used by WETA Digital to bring the amazing digital characters in THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY to life. It's a task just bringing Gollum to life, but to also have to bring the Goblin King and Azog to life along with all the other digital characters is an amazing feat for one film. A job well done.

It should be noted that besides being nominated for their visual effects work on THE HOBBIT: AUJ, WETA is also nominated for their contributions to Prometheus and The Avengers, however AUJ is the only one that had all the work done in one place... at WETA. WETA's work on THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is my pick for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards for this last year.
 

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is still in theaters in 2D, 3D, IMAX 3D, and HFR 3D. It's on route to make $1 Billion at the worldwide box office. If you haven't had the opportunity to check it out yet, there's no better time than now.

World Wide Web 3D | Geolocation & Stereoscopic Space

Part II: Geolocation & Stereoscopic Space

Tim here, and I want to add to a series I'm going to deem World Wide Web 3D (WWW3D) from now on. This will be a multi-part post. However, please don't regard this posting series to be on a regular basis, but sporadically, as articles will come when they come. This article can be attributed in large part to the efforts of Adobe and their recent Web Updates. Adobe Edge brings web animation closer to After Effects, which does stereoscopic graphics as well as any other 3D software application. Where will the web go with this stereoscopic revolution regarding Google Maps?

Simply put: maps are geometric calculations based on the Earth, as measured via scientifically accurate measures from satellites. Google has a street view on major cities, but also very good 3D imaging. Mobile devices are now receiving those direct navigations more accurately, and thus with stereoscopic imaging on phones the major mapping corporations will be able to use all data to accurately portray certain information to people to make them more informed.

Imagine a situation... You and a friend are out in the world, someplace unfamiliar, and you decide to find food. Based on up to date information businesses can be found, and geolocation coordinates can be discovered. Most street view software used by Google images 360° all around a given point, and merges multiple photographs together to make a composite. Soon those multiple images will have simple stereo calculations providing stereo view through processor conversion. This of course requires algorithms written by a standards comity for various screen sizes...

Most WWW3D sites will require standard screen sizes, but at the same time if one could calculate the biggest screen size imaginable and go off percentages of that, then websites and stereo calculations can be easily derived. This comes to cooperation of web-enabled devices' manufacturers. I promise that's impossible in that competitive market. Thus, it will happen in due time: one year and six months. That's at least the time required for standards to be decided on and current autostereoscopic displays could be implemented on devices already out on market. Then the web's tool sets will have to be slightly refined to include stereo space more frequently, and some language may have to be written for commands and style settings.

Now this works perfectly with the major adoptive use for phones, but finding where you're trying to go, that's the big seller of mobile devices. That's why Google Maps was so important to iPhone users. Imagine when all mobile devices are feeding traffic patterns. I know most mobile phones can get an app now that uses to navigation features to give a speedometer. Major speeding violations could possibly be tracked via satellite, and cell carriers could be fined, forcing all passengers to reinforce slower driving. However, that's another concept for another time. The key is stereo integration. Those 3D maps will be able to help people navigate places better, and the future of 3D mapping will shock many.

Don't forget some thoughts on the future from our past interpretations. Automatically navigated vehicles are a major part of those future interpretations. It will be here because of the 3D mapping, which will accurately display more detailed information to the people at the controls. Even law enforcement will benefit because they could use newly gathered traffic data to designate specific speed limits at certain times to all the mobile users in a given area. That's some decent new regulations that are best for safety and avoiding speed traps easier because you're getting a constant reminder from a phone.

How easily will those stereoscopic devices be able to give back web pages that are in stereo? Especially when the software helps code the values in percentages for various screen sizes. This easily allows web designers to gear the stereo content for the maximum screen and each screen smaller than that to a certain percentage based on the standard display sizes. In its nature Adobe Edge does this for animations and other features to be supported on the various screens. Why can't stereo be as easily controlled?

Something that will become a staple of modern technology will be in New York City cabs, and other modern city taxi services, as eventually it is possible for them to have stereo HD touch-screens that run specific apps; such as globalization map oversight, internet connectivity, and naturally ads on both a local, federal, and international level. The experience will be different, but intelligent. Transactions will be able to controlled through it because all taxis will have little computer drives in them that are offloaded by a taxi company at the end of each shift. It's all going to be connected, and the stereo is for the passenger as much as the control is there for the companies, who will make revenue from the ads. Although there are no open plans for this yet, it's a natural evolutionary step to get giddy about. Sure will make taxi rides more bearable.

As a final thought to this topic: Apple led the way with their tablets. The first tablet company (Google's Android is looking solid to lead since MasterImage uses their software) to develop all this into a device that is stereo ready, and push the web aspects along with the app design structure, will reign huge amongst the others. It's an untapped market that will happen in the next year and six months. Adoption of standards, however? We'll see how standards come into practice, and in the next post I'll cover more specifically how future updates to Edge, based on where After Effects has reached, will allow stereographers to work more elegantly through a web environment.

**UPDATED!! Where To Watch THE HOBBIT In 48 Frames Per Second!! Includes Regal, AMC, Cinemark, Cineplex (Canada) And Empire (Canada)!

Click to enlarge

**UPDATED, November 7, 2012 - List now includes Regal, AMC, Cinemark, Cineplex (Canada) and Empire (Canada) HFR-3D locations!!

There has been some confusion as to where THE HOBBIT will be made available in 48 frames per second HFR-3D and this post is meant to clear that up.

So far we have the locations that have been set up to accommodate High Frame Rate (HFR) 3D for Regal Theatres and we will have more to present to you when they are made available to us.

I urge you to see THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY the way Peter Jackson intended you to see it, HFR-3D. So have a look and see if there's one near you!


Tickets on sale Wednesday, November 7 online and at these participating locations: 

Hit the jump for more...



REGAL THEATRES

ARKANSAS
TIKAHTNU STADIUM 16 IMAX AND RPX,  ANCHORAGE AK
MCCAIN MALL STADIUM 12 AND RPX, NORTH LITTLE ROCK AR

CALIFORNIA
ALHAMBRA RENAISSANCE STADIUM 14 AND IMAX, ALHAMBRA CA
ALISO VIEJO STADIUM 20 AND IMAX, ALISO VIEJO CA
BAKERSFIELD STADIUM 14, BAKERSFIELD CA
BREA STADIUM EAST 12, BREA CA
HACIENDA CROSSINGS STADIUM 20 AND IMAX, DUBLIN CA
PARKWAY PLAZA STADIUM 18 AND IMAX, EL CAJON CA
FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16 AND IMAX, FAIRFIELD CA
FOOTHILL TOWNE CENTER STADIUM 22, FOOTHILL RANCH CA
FRESNO STADIUM 22 AND IMAX, FRESNO CA
IRVINE SPECTRUM 21 IMAX AND RPX, IRVINE CA
LONG BEACH STADIUM 26 AND IMAX, LONG BEACH CA
LA LIVE STADIUM 14, LOS ANGELES CA
ONTARIO PALACE STADIUM 22 AND IMAX, ONTARIO CA
LAGUNA VILLAGE 12, SACRAMENTO CA
NATOMAS MARKETPLACE STADIUM 16, SACRAMENTO CA
SAN BERNARDINO STADIUM 14 AND RPX, SAN BERNARDINO CA
HORTON PLAZA 14, SAN DIEGO CA
MIRA MESA STADIUM 18 IMAX AND RPX, SAN DIEGO CA
SAN MARCOS STADIUM 18, SAN MARCOS CA
VALENCIA STADIUM 12 AND IMAX, SANTA CLARITA CA
SOUTH GATE STADIUM 20 AND IMAX, SOUTH GATE CA
TEMECULA STADIUM 15 AND IMAX, TEMECULA CA
WEST COVINA STADIUM 18, WEST COVINA CA

COLORADO
COLORADO CENTER STADIUM 9 AND IMAX, DENVER CO
CONTINENTAL STADIUM 10 AND RPX, DENVER CO

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
GALLERY PLACE STADIUM 14, WASHINGTON DC

DELAWARE
PEOPLES PLAZA STADIUM 17, NEWARK DE
BRANDYWINE TOWN CENTER 16, WILMINGTON DE

FLORIDA
BELLTOWER STADIUM 20, FT MYERS FL
GAINESVILLE CINEMA STADIUM 14, GAINESVILLE FL
THE LOOP STADIUM 16 AND RPX, KISSIMMEE FL
KENDALL VILLAGE STADIUM 16 AND RPX, MIAMI FL
SOUTH BEACH STADIUM 18, MIAMI BEACH FL
WATERFORD LAKES STADIUM 20 AND IMAX, ORLANDO FL
PARK PLACE STADIUM 16 AND RPX, PINELLAS PARK FL
ROYAL PALM BEACH STADIUM 18 AND RPX, ROYAL PALM BEACH FL
SAWGRASS STADIUM 23 AND IMAX, SUNRISE FL

GEORGIA
ATLANTIC STATION STADIUM 16 AND IMAX, ATLANTA GA
AUGUSTA EXCHANGE STADIUM 20 AND IMAX, AUGUSTA GA
MALL OF GEORGIA STADIUM 20 AND IMAX, BUFORD GA
HOLLYWOOD STADIUM 24 @ NORTH I-85, CHAMBLEE GA
TOWN CENTER STADIUM 16 AND RPX, KENNESAW GA

HAWAII
DOLE CANNERY STADIUM 18 IMAX AND RPX, HONOLULU HI

MASSACHUSETTS
FENWAY STADIUM 13 AND RPX, BOSTON MA
INDEPENDENCE MALL 14, KINGSTON MA

MARYLAND
WESTVIEW STADIUM 16 AND IMAX, FREDERICK MD
SALISBURY STADIUM 16 AND RPX, SALISBURY MD
MAJESTIC STADIUM 20 AND IMAX, SILVER SPRING MD


NORTH CAROLINA
BILTMORE GRANDE STADIUM 15 AND RPX, ASHEVILLE NC
STONECREST AT PIPER GLEN STADIUM 22, CHARLOTTE NC
MAYFAIRE STADIUM 16 AND IMAX, WILMINGTON NC

NEW HAMPSHIRE
FOX RUN STADIUM 15 AND RPX, NEWINGTON NH

NEVADA
RED ROCK STADIUM 16 AND IMAX, LAS VEGAS NV

NEW YORK
COLONIE CENTER STADIUM 13, ALBANY NY
CROSSGATES STADIUM 18 AND IMAX, ALBANY NY
COURT STREET STADIUM 12 AND RPX, BROOKLYN NY
SHEEPSHEAD BAY STADIUM 14 AND IMAX, BROOKLYN NY
CLIFTON PARK STADIUM 10 AND RPX, CLIFTON PARK NY
DEER PARK STADIUM 16 AND IMAX, DEER PARK NY
DEER PARK STADIUM 16 AND IMAX, DEER PARK NY
ATLAS PARK STADIUM 8, GLENDALE NY
KAUFMAN ASTORIA STADIUM 14, LONG ISLAND CITY NY
NEW ROC STADIUM 18 AND IMAX, NEW ROCHELLE NY
E-WALK STADIUM 13 AND RPX, NEW YORK NY
STATEN ISLAND STADIUM 16 AND RPX, STATEN ISLAND NY
WESTBURY STADIUM 12 AND IMAX, WESTBURY NY

OHIO
FAIRFIELD COMMONS STADIUM 20, BEAVERCREEK OH
BRIDGEPORT VILLAGE STADIUM 18 AND IMAX, TIGARD OR

PENNSYLVANIA
KING OF PRUSSIA STADIUM 16 AND IMAX, KING OF PRUSSIA PA
RIVERVIEW PLAZA STADIUM 17, PHILADELPHIA PA
WARRINGTON CROSSING STADIUM 22 AND IMAX, WARRINGTON PA

SOUTH CAROLINA
HOLLYWOOD STADIUM 20 AND RPX, GREENVILLE SC
CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE STADIUM 18, NORTH CHARLESTON SC

TENNESSEE
PINNACLE STADIUM 18 AND IMAX, KNOXVILLE TN

TEXAS
AMARILLO STAR STADIUM 14 AND IMAX, AMARILLO TX
GATEWAY STADIUM 16 AND IMAX, AUSTIN TX
GREENWAY GRAND PALACE STADIUM 24 AND RPX, HOUSTON TX
HOUSTON MARQ'E STADIUM 23 AND IMAX, HOUSTON TX
LIVE OAK STADIUM 18 AND RPX LIVE, OAK TX
ALAMO QUARRY STADIUM 16, SAN ANTONIO TX
CIELO VISTA STADIUM 18 AND RPX, SAN ANTONIO TX
HUEBNER OAKS STADIUM 14 AND RPX, SAN ANTONIO TX

VIRGINIA
POTOMAC YARD STADIUM 16, ALEXANDRIA VA
KINGSTOWNE STADIUM 16, ALEXANDRIA VA
MANASSAS STADIUM 14 AND IMAX, MANASSAS VA
VALLEY VIEW GRANDE STADIUM 16, ROANOKE VA

WASHINGTON
EVERETT STADIUM 16 AND RPX, EVERETT WA
LAKEWOOD STADIUM 15 AND RPX, LAKEWOOD WA
THE LANDING STADIUM 14 AND RPX, RENTON WA 


AMC THEATRES

ATLANTA
AVENUE FORSYTH 12 IMAX
DISCOVER MILLS 18

BALTIMORE
COLUMBIA 14 IMAX
WHITE MARSH 16

BOSTON
BOSTON COMMON 19
LIBERTY TREE MALL 20
METHUEN 20

CHICAGO
CRESTWOOD 18
NAPERVILLE 16
RIVER EAST 21
SOUTH BARRINGTON 30 IMAX
VILLAGE CROSSING 18

CINCINNATI
NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE 20

COLUMBUS, OH
EASTON TOWN CENTER 30
LENNOX TOWN CENTER 24

DALLAS
FIREWHEEL 18
GRAPEVINE MILLS 30
MESQUITE 30
NORTHPARK 15 IMAX
STONEBRIAR 24
PARKS AT ARLINGTON 15

DENVER
HIGHLANDS RANCH 24
PROMENADE 24 IMAX

DETROIT
LIVONIA 20

HARTFORD, CT
PLAINVILLE 20

HOUSTON
DEERBROOK 24
FIRST COLONY 24
GULF POINTE 30
STUDIO 30
WILLOWBROOK 24

JACKSONVILLE, FL
ORANGE PARK 24

KANSAS CITY
BARRYWOODS 24
INDEPENDENCE COMMONS 20
STUDIO 30 IMAX

LOS ANGELES
BURBANK 16 IMAX
CENTURY CITY 15 IMAX
DEL AMO 18
ONTARIO MILLS 30
ORANGE 30
PROMENADE 16
PUENTE HILLS 20
SANTA ANITA 16
SANTA MONICA 7
SOUTH BAY 16
UNIVERSAL CITYWALK STADIUM 19

MIAMI
AVENTURA 24 IMAX

MINNEAPOLIS
ROSEDALE 14
SOUTHDALE 16

NEW ORLEANS
ELMWOOD PALACE 20

NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY
34TH ST. 14 IMAX
BAY PLAZA 13
DANBURY 16
GARDEN STATE 16 IMAX
JERSEY GARDENS 20
KIPS BAY 15
LINCOLN SQUARE 13
MONMOUTH MALL 15
NEW BRUNSWICK 18 IMAX
PALISADES 21
ROCKAWAY 16
STONY BROOK 17

NORFOLK, VA
HAMPTON TOWNE CENTRE 24
LYNNHAVEN 18

OKLAHOMA CITY
QUAIL SPRINGS 24

OMAHA, NE
OAKVIEW 24

ORLANDO
ALTAMONTE MALL 18 IMAX
UNIVERSAL CINEPLEX 20
DOWNTOWN DISNEY 24

PHILADELPHIA
CHERRY HILL 24
HAMILTON 24
NESHAMINY 24

PHOENIX
WESTGATE 20

PITTSBURGH
WATERFRONT 22

SAN DIEGO
MISSION VALLEY 20
PLAZA BONITA 14

SAN FRANCISCO
BAY STREET 16
CUPERTINO 16
EASTRIDGE 15
MERCADO 20 IMAX
METREON 16
VAN NESS 14

TALLAHASSEE, FL
TALLAHASSEE MALL 20

TAMPA, FL
VETERANS 24

WASHINGTON, DC
HOFFMAN 22
POTOMAC MILLS 18
RIO 18
TYSONS CORNER 16 IMAX 


CINEMARK THEATRES

ARKANSAS
ANCHORAGE, CENTURY 16 AND XD

ARIZONA
TUCSON, CENTURY 20 EL CON AND XD
TUCSON, CENTURY PARK PLACE 20 AND XD

CALIFORNIA
CORTE MADERA, CENTURY CINEMA
DALY CITY, CENTURY 20 DALY CITY AND XD
FREMONT, CENTURY AT PACIFIC COMMONS AND XD
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CENTURY HUNTINGTON AND XD
LANCASTER, CINEMARK 22 AND IMAX
MILPITAS, CENTURY 20 GREAT MALL AND XD
MONTEREY, MONTEREY 13
NAPA, CENTURY NAPA VALLEY
ORANGE, CENTURY STADIUM 25 AND XD
OXNARD, CENTURY RIVERPARK 16 AND XD
PLEASANT HILL, CINÉARTS AT PLEASANT HILL
RANCHO MIRAGE, CENTURY @ THE RIVER AND XD
REDDING, CINEMARK REDDING 14 AND XD
REDWOOD CITY, REDWOOD DOWNTOWN 20 AND XD
ROCKLIN, BLUE OAKS CENTURY THEATRES AND XD
SACRAMENTO, CENTURY 16 GREENBACK LANE AND XD
SACRAMENTO, CENTURY STADIUM 14
SAN BRUNO, CENTURY AT TANFORAN AND XD
SAN JOSE, CENTURY 20 OAKRIDGE AND XD
UNION CITY, CENTURY 25 UNION LANDING AND XD
VICTORVILLE, CINEMARK 16 VICTORVILLE AND XD
WALNUT CREEK, WALNUT CREEK 14 AND XD

COLORADO
BOULDER, CENTURY BOULDER
COLORADO SPRINGS, CINEMARK CAREFREE AND IMAX
COLORADO SPRINGS, CINEMARK TINSELTOWN USA AND XD
LAKEWOOD, CENTURY 16 BEL MAR AND XD

FLORIDA
BOCA RATON, CINEMARK PALACE 20
BOYNTON BEACH, CINEMARK BOYNTON BEACH 14 AND XD
DAVIE, CINEMARK PARADISE 24 AND XD
JACKSONVILLE, CINEMARK TINSELTOWN AND XD
ORLANDO, CINEMARK FESTIVAL BAY MALL

IOWA
WEST DES MOINES, CENTURY 20 JORDAN CREEK AND XD

ILLINOIS
EVANSTON, CENTURY 12 EVANSTON/CINÉARTS 6 AND XD

KANSAS
MERRIAM, CINEMARK 20

KENTUCKY
LEXINGTON, CINEMARK FAYETTE MALL
LOUISVILLE, CINEMARK TINSELTOWN USA AND XD

LOUISIANA
BATON ROUGE, CINEMARK PERKINS ROWE AND XD

MARYLAND
HANOVER, CINEMARK EGYPTIAN 24 AND XD

NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, CENTURY RIO 24 PLEX AND XD

NEVADA
LAS VEGAS, CENTURY 16 SOUTH POINT AND XD
SPARKS, CENTURY SPARKS AND XD

OHIO
NORTH CANTON, CINEMARK TINSELTOWN USA
VALLEY VIEW, CINEMARK AT VALLEY VIEW AND XD

OKLAHOMA
OKLAHOMA CITY, CINEMARK TINSELTOWN AND XD
TULSA, CINEMARK TULSA AND IMAX

OREGON
PORTLAND, CENTURY CLACKAMAS TOWN CENTER AND XD
SPRINGFIELD, CINEMARK 17

PENNSYLVANIA
MOOSIC, CINEMARK 20 AND XD
ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, CINEMARK ROBINSON AND XD

TEXAS
COLLEGE STATION, CINEMARK MOVIES 18 AND XD
CORPUS CHRISTI, CENTURY 16 AND IMAX
DALLAS, CINEMARK 17 AND IMAX
EL PASO, CINEMARK TINSELTOWN USA AND XD
EL PASO, CINEMARK WEST AND XD
FORT WORTH , CINEMARK ALLIANCE TOWN CENTER AND XD
GRAPEVINE, CINEMARK TINSELTOWN GRAPEVINE AND XD
KATY, CINEMARK 19 AND XD
LUBBOCK, CINEMARK TINSELTOWN LUBBOCK
MISSION, CINEMARK TINSELTOWN USA AND XD
PFLUGERVILLE, CINEMARK TINSELTOWN 20 AND XD
PLANO, CINEMARK LEGACY AND XD
PLANO, CINEMARK WEST PLANO AND XD
THE WOODLANDS, CINEMARK TINSELTOWN 17 AND XD
WEBSTER, CINEMARK 18 AND XD

UTAH
WEST JORDAN, CINEMARK 24 JORDAN LANDING AND XD

VIRGINIA
CHESAPEAKE, CINEMARK CHESAPEAKE SQUARE AND XD 


CINEPLEX (CANADA) 

BRITISH COLUMBIA
SCOTIABANK THEATRE VANCOUVER
SILVERCITY RIVERPORT CINEMAS
SILVERCITY METROPOLIS CINEMAS
SILVERCITY COQUITLAM CINEMAS
COLOSSUS LANGLEY CINEMAS
CINEPLEX ODEON WESTSHORE CINEMAS

ALBERTA
SCOTIABANK THEATRE CHINOOK

CINEPLEX ODEON SUNRIDGE SPECTRUM CINEMAS
CINEPLEX NORTH EDMONTON CINEMAS
CINEPLEX SOUTH EDMONTON CINEMAS
SCOTIABANK THEATRE EDMONTON

SASKATCHEWAN

GALAXY SASKATOON CINEMAS
GALAXY REGINA CINEMAS

MANITOBA

SILVERCITY ST. VITAL CINEMAS

ONTARIO

SILVERCITY GLOUCESTER CINEMAS

COLISEUM OTTAWA CINEMAS

SILVERCITY SUDBURY CINEMAS

SCOTIABANK THEATRE TORONTO

SILVERCITY YONGE AND EGLINTON CINEMAS

SILVERCITY YORKDALE CINEMAS

SILVERCITY RICHMOND HILL CINEMAS

COLISEUM SCARBOROUGH CINEMAS

COLOSSUS VAUGHAN CINEMAS

CINEPLEX ODEON QUEENSWAY CINEMAS

CINEPLEX ODEON WINSTON CHURCHILL CINEMAS

CINEPLEX ODEON COURTNEY PARK CINEMAS

SILVERCITY BRAMPTON CINEMAS

SILVERCITY HAMILTON CINEMAS

CINEPLEX ODEON WESTMOUNT AND VIP CINEMAS

CINEPLEX ODEON DEVONSHIRE MALL CINEMAS

QUEBEC

CINEMA BANQUE SCOTIA MONTREAL SILVERCITY MONTREAL

CINEMA COLISEE KIRKLAND

CINEMA COLOSSUS LAVAL

CINEMA CINEPLEX ODEON BROSSARD CINEMA CINEPLEX ODEON STE-FOY 


EMPIRE THEATRES (CANADA)

NOVA SCOTIA
BAYERS LAKE, HALIFAX

NEW BRUNSWICK
EMPIRE THEATRES, SAINT JOHN

NEWFOUNDLAND
EMPIRE THEATRES AVALON MALL, ST. JOHN'S

ONTARIO
EMPIRE THEATRES, KANATA
EMPIRE THEATRES, WHITBY
EMPIRE THEATRES, NORTH YORK (IMAX HFR 3D)
EMPIRE THEATRES, WATERLOO (EMPIRE EXTRA)

ALBERTA
EMPIRE THEATRES SHAWNESSY, CALGARY (EMPIRE EXTRA)

 

American Cinematographer Manual 10th Edition to Include 3D

American Cinematographer Manual 9^th Edition

Tim here, I recently got an e-mail from American Cinematographer with the subject line of 10^th Edition of the American Cinematographer Manual. It was an e-mail meant for advertisers since it started "Dear Advertisers," but what caught my eye and might interest you came later in the body of the e-mail:

"Completely reimagined to reflect the sweeping technological changes that our industry has experienced, this edition of the Manual is vibrant and essential reading, as well as an invaluable field resource, covering subjects such as:

A comprehensive breakdown of digital technology terminology

The explosion of prosumer cameras in professional use

Previsualization

3-D

LED lighting fixtures

How to use the Academy Color Encoding Specification (ACES)

An entirely new section on digital camera prep, and more!

The Manual will be available in a limited run of 2,500 hardbound copies and in an estimated run of 25,000 print-on-demand softbound copies and ebook formats for the iPad and Kindle."

Sure enough the inclusion of 3D in the manual was bound to happen. I bought the 9^th Edition while a junior in college back in 2008, and have since been anticipating the inclusion of stereography.

If you're an advertiser looking to advertise your 3D product then the basic rates for the 10th edition are as follows: Full page 4/c: $3,700. Half page 4/c: $2,200. Please download rate card and specs PDF file for more details and contact information.

Make your reservations by November 7, 2012. Artwork deadline is November 21, 2012.

The 10th edition of the AC Manual is a must for advertisers looking to reach the broadest spectrum of the industry, from the established professional to the emerging prosumer. It is the ONE resource the working professional will refer to again and again.

Hobbit Trailer #2 Released!

Hey all, Tim here with the exciting and enthralling new trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It's a pleasure to see the world of Middle Earth come to life again. Below is the trailer, and following is a quick, hopefully non-spoilerish, sum up.

IN ADDITION: The Hobbit's official website has four additional ending scenes for you to choose! There is some great marketing being done with these movies.

First thoughts are that there will be plenty of humor and action in this first installment of the trilogy. You get a better sense of the plot in this trailer as well. Martin Freeman seems to nail Bilbo, and the exchange between him and Gollum in the trailer is classic. Hands down this will be a serious contender at the Oscars for visual effects, but could Sir Ian McKellan be up for another Oscar nomination as well? I think the Gandalf ending has enough humor and Gandalf goodness to suggest the chances for another nomination.

More discussion can follow in the comments below. For now enjoy the trailer. You can download in Quicktime from Apple here.

3D Geek Alert: Stereo Future of Web Sites

MarketSaw 3D

*Please note that it’s best to view this in the most up to date version of your preferred web browser.

Hey all, Tim here with a theoretical and factual look at the future of web technologies. I’m a self-taught web designer, and just this year made my first leaps into using HTML5 and CSS3, among a few other things. What I’ve learned is that these improved web technologies pave way for a future on the web that is more dynamic on all devices and computers. The new enhancements of HTML5 and CSS3 integrate z-space controls for web designers that can lead to a stereoscopic world wide web.

First, lets looks at what HTML5 and CSS3 does. For those unfamiliar with HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) or CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), the simple definitions are as follows:

HTML: a language for describing web pages. CSS: defines how to display (the look and formatting) HTML elements written in markup language.

To read further about them check out the Wikipedia pages for HTML and/or CSS. HTML5 and CSS3 are enhancements on these standard web tools. As you can gather the 5 in HTML5 stands for the Fifth Revision of HTML, and the 3 in CSS3 stands for the Third Revision of CSS.

With HTML5 the need for Flash Video is no longer necessary, and video can be embedded seamlessly. This also means that mobile devices and computers both can display the video natively. HTML5 video can be customized with CSS3 to display controls designed specifically for that website, or to drop a reflection of that video below it. Major video sharing websites like Vimeo or YouTube now display their videos in HTML5 and allow users to embed those videos by providing the HTML5 code. YouTube is now able to provide stereoscopic videos with their Stereo HTML5 Video Player. Thus stereo 3D video is no problem on the web now. All that’s needed is a 3D capably display.

Then there’s CSS3. I’ve found several cool examples on how CSS3 has allowed web designers more control of their sites to style them in new visual ways. One really cool example is this site BeerCamp, where instead of scrolling visitors can travel forward and backward in z-space. That’s one example, and on this page we have another up above: the spinning MarketSaw and HTML5 logos (if they aren't working properly update your web browser). Being able to place web objects in z-space is integral to taking it forward towards being displayed stereoscopically.

Ray Zone’s official website can be viewed in stereo using anaglyph glasses because he made the background and the images anaglyph images. That’s a means for displaying a website in stereo before CSS3. Now however, all it will take is coding markup for the site to display the other eye images if it reads the display as being capable of displaying stereo 3D. It might be the next iteration of HTML & CSS, but it will be HTML and CSS that manages it. However, it's still a short distance off.

It will take some complex mathematical algorithms for the web page to look at a visitor's display and determine whether it's 3D capable. That complex algorithm is something web developers will need to hide as part of the browser, and leave it out of web designers hands. All web designer's are going to need is to provide images and web-based media in two files (left and right eye) so that the browser can display the second eye if it's a 3D-capable screen. The browser will need to be able to display only one eye in the event of a 2D display. Once this is possible, then we'll be seeing stereoscopic 3D websites pop up all over the world.

There's a future for the web in stereoscopic 3D! It may not be available tomorrow, but it will be coming soon. The web is about to get a whole lot bigger.

Sony Announces First 4K, Passive 3D TV: 1080P For Each Eye!

**Editor's Note: Welcome Adam Shear! Adam attends SUNY Oswego in upstate NY where he studies broadcasting and mass communication. He has contributed to LevelSave.com and TripTronicTech.com and I'm excited to have him aboard.

Adam here. After an impressive showing of 4K projection technology at CES, Sony has finally announced its first ever 4K television. 4K, also called Ultra High Definition, has four times a greater picture than 1080p HD.

The Sony XBR-84X900 will be 84 inches and capable of displaying native 4K content. This Ultra High Definition set is also Sony's first TV to use passive 3D technology. Because there are more pixels, you can finally get a full 1080p picture in each eye. It also has virtual 5.1 surround sound built in to the speakers.

While there is no native 4K content available now, it could come soon in the form of digital content stored on hard drives.  In a brochure I received from Sony at CES, it was explained that Blu ray disc players can be upgraded to play native 4K, the same way in which upgrades were needed to play Blu ray 3D content.   

Select Sony stores will have the XBR-84X900 on display starting September 6 with it releasing sometime in the near future, I would guess in the next six months to a year. 

I'm really glad to finally see a 4K TV from Sony.  At CES this past year, I attended their 4K Experience which showed off not just native 4K content, but also 1080p content up-scaled to 4K.  I was really impressed.  It also makes perfect sense for Sony to move to passive 3D.  Now that users can get a full 3D HD picture, there really isn't a need to buy a $100 pair of battery powered glasses.  It's just easier to get a $10 pair of glasses with no technology inside of them.  It might take a few years for 4K to really catch on, but 4K will really enhance the home theater experience, even more so than 1080p HDTVs currently have.

Prometheus 3D Tricks Revealed in Latest American Cinematographer Magazine

Hey everyone, Tim here with some interesting news out of the latest edition of American Cinematographer Magazine. This is a great magazine for any would-be filmmakers out there, and is a great magazine for filmmakers. I've been hooked on it since college where Drexel University provided Film & Video students with copies for free. The writers get in-depth interviews with the cinematographer, director, gaffer, and all other crew members.

This month's issue got to talk with Dariusz Wolski, ASC, the cinematographer of Ridley Scott's Prometheus. We already knew that they shot on the RED Epic with 3ality Technica Rigs, but now we get a little more information.

Wolski shot all four Pirates of the Caribbean movies, including the 3D On Stranger Tides. He had to say of the location they shot for the alien planet, "Iceland is phenomenal. It had daylight for 20 hours a day when we were there, and the sun was always low and beautiful. If it was cloudy, it was also stunning. It’s an amazing place to shoot — and I’ve shot four Pirates of the Caribbean movies in the tropics, so I know the difference!"

Although he shot Prometheus at the 5K resolution of the RED Epic, with a 5:1 compression (occasionally switching to 3:1 for fine detail scenes) Wolski revealed that the original photography had to be converted to 2K in post in order to match the visual-effects resolution. Wolski noted, "On a movie with this many visual effects, going to 4K would have quadrupled the visual-effects budget." He went on to say that with 4K projectors now available that we'll be able to shoot in 5K, do visual effects and post in 4K, and project in 4K to make it as good as IMAX.

This was Ridley Scott's first foray into shooting digital. Scott had this to say about the RED Epic, "I really love the picture quality of the Red. But when you have that kind of clarity, it’s very easy for your lighting to become harsh, so you definitely have to pay attention to that." He sums up with "I think Prometheus is a pretty good showcase for Red. Dariusz made it look absolutely beautiful in both 2D and 3D."

With regards to the the switch from 2D to 3D Scott said, "If you’re used to shooting, there is no goddamn difference between 2D and 3D — you’ve either got an eye, or you haven’t. And if you’re a director who hasn’t got an eye, you’d better make sure your cameraman does!"

Lens choice wise, Scott and Wolski chose spherical over anamorphic, which is the hallmark style of Alien. When asked about the difference Scott had this to say, "I do like anamorphic, but spherical is a much better enabler — I like the sharpness. I have a great preference for spherical now, unless I’m really going to go for that shallow-focus look." And Wolski chose to shoot most of Prometheus on Angenieux Optimo zooms, as he explains "In 3D, lens changes are complex, and re-aligning the cameras is time-consuming. Ridley likes to move fast, and he likes to use multiple cameras, so I decided on four main rigs: two with 15-40mm Optimos, and two with 28-76mm Optimos. We also used a Steadicam rig with Zeiss Ultra Primes, which shaved the weight as much as possible. I think the short Optimo zoom is the most revolutionary lens in the industry right now. You can shoot a whole movie with two zoom lenses!"

Scott's multi-camera technique has been a hallmark of his sets since Gladiator and he especially loves them for dialogue scenes, not just action sequences. It is because of multiple cameras that he was able to shoot Prometheus in 82-days. That's an incredible amount of time to shoot such an effects heavy movie as Prometheus.

Lighting is as important to how the image is captured as the camera and lenses, and Wolski had his work cut out for him on that front. He states that "This film lent itself to using modern lighting, and we designed the spaceship with a lot of LEDs controlled by very complex dimmer boards." Wolski chose a consistent setting of 4,000˙K on the Epic, which lent to the color scheme inside the ship and for the exteriors nicely. What you got was an interior distinguished by a rich variety of blues, greens, and yellows, and an exterior that felt slightly cool.

Gaffer Perry Evans, whose uncle Ray Evans was gaffer on Alien, recalls that Scott asked for the ship's lighting to be dynamic in order to interact with the actors's performances, "Once Ridley saw that we could play with the lights, he pushed it to the limit. He’d say, ‘When he walks in the room, bring those lights up, and when he touches this desk, switch those things on.’ I don’t recall doing a single shot on the spaceship without a light change. I must admit, Ridley put us through our paces. There was never a dull moment!" The filmmakers used 200 "off the shelf" industrial fluorescents, which were outfitted with dimming electronics. Evans added that the dimming board could be remotely controlled with an iPad on the set.

Now the stereographer, James Goldman, who also worked with Wolski on the 3D Pirates, explained that Prometheus was primarily shot parallel and that the convergence was accomplished in post. His reasoning is that shooting parallel facilitates visual-effects work because the artists don't have to compensate for keystoning of toed-in, converging cameras. Goldman would monitor the stereo image on 3ality Technica's Stereo Image Processor, and Brainstorm's Qtake was used to create a converged 3D image for the filmmakers to view on set.

Goldman supervised the changes in IO (interocular distance) in coordination with Scott and Wolski. He notes that Scott favored a big IO with more depth, but that he saved extreme 3-D effects, like jutting foregrounds, “for the big moments when he wanted people to jump out of their chairs.” In general, he continues, Scott “adjusted his style to 3D and tended to put less in the foreground than he usually does.”

Ryan Nguyen was Prometheus's digital-image technician, and on set he monitored the images at a station next to Wolski, who set color "in camera." Jeroen Hendriks, camera-data supervisor, prepared the files for editorial at an off-set station. As Wolski explains, "We did everything in-house. Downloads from camera went to Jeroen’s station, and then the image went straight to editorial and stayed there all the way to the final color correction, which was actually minimal." Wolski chose a 24" Sony monitor as the absolute image reference on the set. Hendriks explains that each take’s settings were saved in a Red MetaData file that accompanied the footage through the workflow. “Ridley loved what we saw on the monitor,” notes Wolski. “He said, ‘This is it. Don’t mess with it.’”

Richard Stammers, visual-effects supervisor defined a window of 4,800x2,000 pixels in the 5K image to create the 2.39:1 widescreen frame, leaving 100 pixels on either side to allow for convergence adjustments and some vertical room for reframing. After Hendriks and his crew cloned the 5K originals, they used RedCine-X software to verify the RMD file, and then defined a convergence setting for each take (as provided by Goldman). This metadata was then sent via Skype to the off-set station, where color-corrected and converged 3D dailies were created for the editors. The final 3D convergence was accomplished toward the end of post during a convergence run, in tandem with the final grade.

And that is how the 3D cinematography was accomplished for Prometheus. Very interesting stuff. Looking back, Scott offers his final thoughts about Prometheus: “Working with Dariusz was absolutely marvelous. It was fun to revisit science fiction, an old genre, and he and his crew made the whole thing a great ride!”

Ridley Scott On 3D Conversion And Michael Bay

I have to say Quint over at AICN got some very interesting 3D news out of Sir Ridley Scott in a short 6 minutes about his upcoming prequel to ALIEN. My hat goes off to him! :-)

As you know, Scott is shooting his ALIEN prequels in native 3D.

So lets go into the details from the interview. Ridley Scott is an advocate of 3D conversion - good conversion obviously. Scott says: "I’ve heard now that audiences object if it’s not purely 3D, if it’s 2D to 3D. I could show you 2D to 3D and you wouldn’t know the difference. But when they’re told it’s 2D to 3D they say, “Fuck that, man! I’m paying another four dollars…” It’s about money, of course, but you’re still paying for the effect. Really, it’s very close. 2D to 3D is awfully close."

Quint is NOT speaking for all of us though, when he tells Scott that there are technical limitations of filming a movie in 3D - specifically lighting. Scott's reply? Hogwash. And it is true. If you tackle it correctly (as Scott is doing - he will be capturing as much digital information as possible and tackling lighting in post), then you have nothing to fear.

Here is some more good news from Scott: Michael Bay is indeed shooting TRANSFORMERS 3 in native 3D! Here is his comment which I construe as being that Bay is filming in native: "I was told it was going to slow us down… it didn’t slow (Michael) Bay down. Bay is moving like lightning. Once he realized, “Oh, Jesus… there’s no difference, really. Except I’m adding dimension.”

Personally I would have asked about the cameras Scott is using and what stereoscopic team, if any, is he bringing on board to assist, etc. But hey, it wasn't my interview. Glad he got in what he got in.

EXCLUSIVE! THE HOBBIT Is Greenlit!!! Full Pre-production Underway And You Can Expect A S3D Experience!!!

**UPDATE - May 28: I have now heard from another top source embedded in New Zealand - 3D is definitely going to happen as all the animatics are being geared that way. If you want to believe what the official company line is - go ahead. This info is straight from my top sources. This source is less gung-ho about the green light announcement happening soon however. I will stay where I am though and that is touting that THE HOBBIT is greenlit and it is full steam ahead for November.

**SAME DAY UPDATE: Strike a nerve have we? This post seems to have upset a "Hobbit focused" website a tad! They checked with their own sources and came up with a resounding "no" for the greenlight and even for the 3D, yet again. Sorry guys - no dice. My intel comes straight from the source that gave me the world's first glimpse of a Na'vi. So you can indeed take it to the bank. Do I sound confident? Good. I suspect official word will be coming down the pipe sometime soon.

YES! Finally. One of my top sources has confirmed with me that THE HOBBIT has now been greenlit!!

Full pre-production is now underway!!

There is still no official word that THE HOBBIT will be in stereoscopic 3D, but my source reiterates: "the usual 3D technical suspects have been rounded up... so I would bank on it."

I find it quite interesting that when other sites (*ahem* Deadline) mention the fact that the commence shoot date is slated for November, they think they are the ones breaking the news. You all know I broke that exclusive story back in March (with photos of the new sound stages). Sometimes you just want to reach out and... Well you know :-)

And don't even get me started on these sites talking THE HOBBIT in 3D as being a new concept!

So everyone - a collective sigh of relief: THE HOBBIT is definitely moving forward and November is the goal to roll cameras. Rest assured it will be in 3D just like I have been saying for years. I love it when a plan comes together!!

Freddy Is Ready For A 3D Sequel! Warner Rakes in $32m Opening Weekend

Jim here. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is going 3D according to Warner Bros. (via The Wrap). Based on the outstanding numbers from the opening weekend with the newly rebooted franchise, the New Line property (now Warners) will have a 3D sequel prepped.

NIGHTMARE has done an estimated $32.2m this weekend.

"We don't have a story yet, but this is the largest horror opening in the April-May corridor, and it just proves there's a lot left in the franchise," said Warner distribution president Dan Fellman.

NIGHTMARE is being shown on 4,700 screens at 3,332 locations (the numbers include a midnight opening of around $1.6 million).

I saw it last night and there is no question they are making Freddy out to be a seriously bad villain. Seriously bad. Jackie Earle Haley did a half decent job of pulling off Freddy - hard shoes to fill. The quality of the shots were good and in some places quite imaginative. It did drag a bit at times and could have used some better pacing. I won't give any spoilers though - see it for yourself. The only big thing missing? 3D of course!

Why I Think Roger Ebert Is Obsolete (And You Should Too)

Jim here. Roger Ebert just wrote an op-ed piece for Newsweek that blew my mind. I am forced to write yet another post to attempt some sort of counter balance to his blatant obsolescence (as he is obviously not ignorant to the facts any longer). Not only has he not learned from AVATAR and the optimism 3D has given Hollywood, he has retreated further back into his world. He has blasted yet another salvo at, well basically the world, now that practically everyone has been to Pandora and now owns it on disc.

Take this excerpt for example: "3-D is a waste of a perfectly good dimension. Hollywood's current crazy stampede toward it is suicidal. It adds nothing essential to the moviegoing experience. For some, it is an annoying distraction. For others, it creates nausea and headaches. It is driven largely to sell expensive projection equipment and add a $5 to $7.50 surcharge on already expensive movie tickets. Its image is noticeably darker than standard 2-D. It is unsuitable for grown-up films of any seriousness. It limits the freedom of directors to make films as they choose. For moviegoers in the PG-13 and R ranges, it only rarely provides an experience worth paying a premium for."

Stunning isn't it? 3D adds nothing essential. Interesting. I guess we should all poke out our left eye now shouldn't we? We don't need to see in stereo. He alludes to distraction, yet for most people you forget you are wearing glasses at all 5 minutes into AVATAR. Nausea and headaches? Again he is shooting off fear, uncertainty and doubt by talking about BAD 3D - like CLASH OF THE TITANS and/or the statistically very small number of people who literally can't see it effectively. Yes, the business side of Hollywood is enjoying more revenue to offset the development and future of 3D - but we live in a capitalist world driven by supply and demand. The market will set the price. Do you think people would flock to theaters at $50 a pop? I think not. 3D is darker than 2D - yes, so? If directors pay attention to this it does not matter - Cameron paid attention with AVATAR and hence no lighting issues. Get over it. 3D is unsuitable for grown up films he says. If anyone cares to enlighten me on what he means here, by all means do so! Dramas? Art films? What? In other words, if you have something serious to say to me Mr. Ebert, you had better shut one eye. What a joke. In fact, you should be winking when you say these things Mr. Ebert because it sounds like you are completely in jest.

Lastly he says that it limits the freedom directors have to make movies. To this I have to say: Hogwash. Directors are limited to making movies with sound nowadays aren't they? Dolby sound? With color? Oh the humanity to be forced into making a movie that actually draws our audience closer to the storyteller! To be fully engaged and engrossed. What a pity to force 3D upon ourselves.

His arguments against 3D are baseless and he knows it. So what is his motivation to broadside 3D like this? Self promotion? Ego? How dare Hollywood do something like this without consulting with me? Someone paying him to say these things? Only Ebert can answer these questions. Surely it has nothing to do with his opinion does it? Hmmm. Perhaps it does. Perhaps obsolescence is upon Mr. Ebert finally. In fact, I know it is. And he knows I know.

Who am I to criticize one of movie's greatest critics of all time? I have done it before if you will remember. Clearly Roger Ebert fits the description of a great critic, if not the defacto standard. He has entertained and informed movie fans since 1967 when he first set up his typewriter for the Chicago Sun-Times. Ebert's movie advice has been for the most part, excellent. Logic and an innate blend of artistic criticism and empathy for the public audience has set him apart from the now massive vault of available online movie pundits.

And I clearly fall into the last category. I am just a simple movie blogger that happens to love and embrace stereoscopic 3D. I am clearly biased and invested in the new industry. So what makes me think that I should challenge the man? Because he is wrong. Dead wrong.

The downfall of Ebert lies in his luminous past. He is so entrenched in his rich history of Hollywood that he cannot move a limb towards its future. Quicksand of the mind if you will. The more he moves toward wanting to understand and enjoy 3D, the deeper he recedes into his opinion. Perhaps the first ill conceived opinion of his life. Unfortunately for him, the world has embraced 3D - not meekly or a generational blip, but a full blown revolution in filmmaking. Whether he sees this embrace is unknown to me. At least he recognizes the accomplishment of AVATAR.

Ebert tries the trusted old trick of misdirection when he actually strays WAY off topic to bring up faster frame rates as being the technology we need now rather than 3D. Yes, I agree faster framerates would be awesome! WITH 3D!! The two are independent thoughts my fellow movie critic.

What upsets me the most, other than his influence he has on the movie going public, is that he is artificially bringing directors on his side. Another excerpt: "Having shot Dial M for Murder in 3-D, Alfred Hitchcock was so displeased by the result that he released it in 2-D at its New York opening." Mr. Ebert. Stop trying to confuse your readers! It is pathetic. Hitchcock used old school 3D, NOT modern 3D. They are so vastly different. And YOU know it.

Moreover, he said: "I once said I might become reconciled to 3-D if a director like Martin Scorsese ever used the format. I thought I was safe." Wrong again Mr. Ebert. Even his self admitted hero, Werner Herzog, is shooting a 3D movie about prehistoric cave paintings in France! Yet he freely admits all of this! He knows he is one of the last few influential people speaking out against 3D and you can tell he feels his back against the wall. Even his much loved directors are leaving him squirming. Of course he can take solace in the fact that Michael Bay is still on his side. *snicker* And do you really think the studios can force a man like Scorsese or Herzog into shooting 3D? Seriously, think about it.

Look. The time has come to admit that you were wrong Mr. Ebert and move on. It is only going to get worse for you. 3D will be improving by leaps and bounds in the coming years from a number of factors: Technology is improving everyday (TRON: LEGACY and AVATAR 2 will make huge strides yet again); 3D film crew expertise is growing exponentially; 3D is getting cheaper to shoot and convert; and more and more independents will soon be involved.

If Roger Ebert refuses to acknowledge that Hollywood is on the cusp of something magnificent and not "suicide", then surely the man is now obsolete. It pains me to say this yet again, but it is so true. Time to retire and enjoy the spoils of your career. Look at it this way folks, at least there will be one more aisle seat available for someone that cares.