What's New In 3D: Talking With Samsung's Dan Schinasi

Here's a second interview I completed today - this time with Samsung's Dan Schinasi and what his state of the union on 3D looks like. Join me in welcoming Dan to MarketSaw along with Samsung's amazing 3D products and industry support!

Jim Dorey: Dan, being in senior marketing management at Samsung as well as co-chairing the I3DS must take up most of your time! How do you manage to stay on top of two such dynamic organizations?

Dan Schinasi: It’s a balancing act but one that I take pride in. One that leverages my passion for marketing the world’s greatest TVs and the incredible 3D experience they are capable of delivering. Of course none of it would be possible without the support of my Samsung colleagues and management as well as the dedicated and professional leadership at I3DS!

JD: Speaking of the I3DS, what are you most proud of during the past 12 months?
DS: There have been a number of accomplishments that I share with my Co-Chair Tom Cosgrove, I3DS President Jim Chabin, and his terrific staff. The first is the successful merger of I3DS and 3D@Home. The combined organizations complement each other; our combined membership spans the entire 3D spectrum: we have members from all parts of the globe representing studios, broadcasters, content creators, the medical community, eyewear manufacturers, exhibition equipment makers, as well as CE companies. All of whom have a passion of seeing 3D thrive.

JD: What do you see happening with 3D over the next quarter? Next 6 months?
DS: On the consumer and production side, we will see continuous growth and consumer adoption of 3D in theatrical and home entertainment. We will further collaborate with researchers to better understand the hidden benefits of 3D, how we can continue to push the technology forward, as well as other applications.

JD: There are still misnomers and missteps when the media covers 3D; why do you suppose that is?
DS: There was significant promotion around the launch of 3D TV back when it was introduced in January of 2010. At the time there was not an abundance of content to enjoy and the media focused on that fact (the same misconception was apparent for HD content after HDTV’s entered the marketplace in the 90s). There was also a fair amount of confusion regarding the use of 3D technology that led to factually incorrect stories such as prohibitively expensive 3D gear to enjoy the technology at home. I3DS and its members are passionate about the technology and happy to educate the community about the technology and experiences available.

JD: The 3D Awards are coming up on Feb 6 - what are you most looking forward to during the evening?
DS: I’m most looking forward to meeting industry colleagues and the awards ceremony. In particular, honoring Ang Lee for his dedication and artistic capabilities in 3D production. There are a handful but growing number of producers that effectively use 3D as a tool to complement the story line. We are excited to reward Ang Lee for joining this expanding circle of producers.

JD: Thanks for your time today Dan! Appreciate all the time you put into 3D from multiple fronts and continued success!
DS: Thank you Jim!

More interviews to come!

What's New In 3D: Talking With Jim Chabin, President Of The International 3D Society

I'm going to meeting many, many key individuals in Hollywood and beyond within the 3D motion picture industry in the coming days and I will be bringing you all up to speed with what is happening lately and what we can expect in the coming year(s). These guys are in the know. It's exciting to see the energy surrounding the 3D standard and the huge year ahead of us. I'll be introducing you to these various individuals so that you too can get the full picture.

Today I'm speaking with Jim Chabin, President of the International 3D Society. It's obvious how energetic and passionate he is about 3D but it's his ability to channel all that energy into the greater good of 3D that makes him unique for his important role.

Jim Dorey: Hi Jim, great talking with you again! Let's jump right into it: What are you most proud of during the past 12 months?
Jim Chabin: Plenty to be thrilled about. After honoring Martin Scorsese and our 3D professionals last year at the 3D Awards we've embarked upon an exciting year. Probably of most note is the tremendous growth of 3D internationally, especially in China. We spent some time in Asia and we're really just at the beginning here. Our society members continue to expand their markets and business as 3D unfolds further into the world markets. Just recently we're teaming up with MarketSaw in bringing together timely and accurate information to the media. We've got news stories, recent stats, a list of executives in the 3D industry willing to give quotes or interviews whenever needed and much more coming.

JD: What do you think of Lucasfilm's recent decision to postpone STAR WARS EPISODES II and III?

JC: It really doesn't have to be complicated as some would make it out to be. They are probably looking at better ways of doing things just as they have in the past and will continue to do. This is part of the reason why our new mutual initiative with MarketSaw is so important. We need to have the correct information out there. That list of 3D Executives you have accumulated to assist with future media stories involving our space will be a great asset! Disney is huge on 3D. I'm anxious to see their cutting edge 3D technology used with the STAR WARS franchise as they have with their Disney, Marvel and Pixar brands. 

JD: And we just heard the recent announcement of WORLD WAR Z going 3D! 

JC: Exactly. There's something new everyday. Of course I can't comment on some of the projects that we know are going stereoscopic 3D, but suffice to say there are more coming and we're thrilled.

JD: What's on your plate Jim - what can we expect in the coming months?

JC: Well we're honoring Ang Lee on Wednesday night at the Beverly Hills Hotel for his outstanding work in 3D for LIFE OF PI, along with all the other deserving award winners like DreamWorks Animation. It's a night we all look forward to every year. We are honoring Panasonic for making the Olympics 3D broadcasts a reality last year. It's also exciting to hear that we can look forward to over 50 3D feature films in theaters in 2013! Later this month we are presenting to the Association of National Advertisers annual media leadership meeting - these are the brand management senior leadership, so that's an incredible new opportunity for our industry. Getting national ad brands into 3D! And we have engaged our colleagues in cable at the highest level to get better information on the benefits of getting all these 3D TV 's activated with content from 3net, ESPN and others... So our plate is definitely pretty full! 

JD: Thanks for taking the time to speak with me on this today - I know this is crunch time before the awards on Wednesday.

JC: It all comes down to this week - I'll see you there!

More interviews to come!

This Is 3D MONTH On MarketSaw! Stay Tuned For Exciting Site Additions And News!

We're ramping up here for the whole month of January leading into the 3D Awards of the International 3D Society which happen on February 6.

In fact. today was a big day for stereoscopic 3D at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. There were panelists and presentations from such 3D industry players as Maria Costeira – CEO, XPAND; Jim Chabin – President, International 3D Society and 3D@Home; David Cohen – Associate Editor, Features , Variety; Rick Heineman – SVP Marketing Communications , RealD; Jim Mainard – Head of Digital Strategy and New Business Development, Dreamworks Animation; Tom Morrod – Director, Consumer and Media Technology, IHS Global, Ltd.; Steve Schklair – CEO, 3ality Digital; William Sherak – President, StereoD; Adrian Pennington – Editor, Journalist, Copywriter; David Brenner – CEO, Principal Media; Bryan Burns – VP, Strategic Business Planning and Development, ESPN; John Cassy – Director, Sky 3D, bSkyb; Tom Cosgrove – President and CEO , 3net; Eisuke Tsuyuzaki – Chief Technology Officer, Panasonic Corporation of North America; Yulia Poltorak – VP, International In-Home Sales, The Walt Disney Studios; Chris Chinnock – Co-Founder, 3D@Home Consortium and President, Insight Media; Scott Hettrick – Editor in Chief , Hollywoodinhidef.com; Carolyn Giardina – Contributing Editor, Technology , The Hollywood Reporter; James Fishler – Senior Vice President, Marketing and Go-to-Market Operations, LG Electronics USA; Matt Liszt – Vice President, Marketing , MasterImage 3D; Bernard Mendiburu – VP Professional Market , Volfoni - 3D Consortium; Kathleen Schroter – Executive Manager, 3D Innovation Center, Berlin , Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute Berlin; Lisa Truitt – President , National Geographic Cinema Ventures; Ami Dror – Co-Founder and CSO, XPAND; Michael Duenas – Chief Public Health Officer , American Optometric Association; Jim Sheedy – Director of Research , Pacific University Oregon; Ken Lowe – VP Engineering and Co-Founder, VIZIO; Peter Lude – Senior Vice President of Engineering, Sony; Dan Schinasi – HDTV Product Planning, Samsung Electronics and Roland Vlaicu – Senior Director, Broadcast Imaging , Dolby Laboratories, Inc.

You can see more details about these sessions right here. We'll have more news coming from the show as we get it!

2013 has over 50 S3D movies on tap for us and that has me over the top with excitement. We all know about the big budget ones like: HANSEL AND GRETEL WITCH HUNTERS, JACK THE GIANT SLAYER, Oz the Great and Powerful, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Iron Man 3, PACIFIC RIM, The Great Gatsby, Star Trek Into Darkness, Man of Steel, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Thor: The Dark World, 47 Ronin, Gravity and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. But what movies are going to sneak up on us and truly surprise us with they're ingenuity and creativity? Stay tuned! We've got a lot to discuss!!

More site additions and exciting news coming this week!