Life of Brian

Sony and Panasonic and 3D Content . . . koolness

In the games and entertainment section of TG Daily, C. Chanti breaks the very good news for those of us who are stereoscopicphiles (3D aficianados) . . . both Sony and Panasonic are setting up their own independant 3D content divisions . . .

"Japanese giants Sony and Panasonic are to separately set up units to create 3D movies. According to nikkei.net, a Sony subsidiary called Sony PCL has developed a system for 3D movies, along with sofware to edit the content, in the hope it will create commercials for 3D movie theaters. And Panasonic, said nikkei.net, will make 3D movies in a research institute it has in Hollywood.  Japanese firm Victor has already created a 46-inch LCD screen to display 3D images but its sales targets are modest because according to the report it will only ship 2,000 screens by March next year."

This is good on a lolipop.

See the newsbit at http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/43116/98/.

Chanti is not predicting all fun and games and ends the piece with a bit of a let down . . .

"3D movies have had something of a chequered career. Andy Warhol's Frankenstein, a 3D film, could be said to give you a headache, and not just because you had to wear green and red spectacles."

Uh, the red and green or red and blue glasses - anaglyph - is not the best way to showcase 3D films anyway.  Frankenstein is an awful film but it's awful with or without 3D.  Warhol's films are self-indulgent arthouse confusions that appeal only to a small group of folks.  Certainly Alfred Hitchcock films would be engaging regardless of the 3D (and YES, he did make a 3D film that actually works better in 3D than in monoscopic presentation) . . . albeit, the new circular polarization of digital 3D is loads better than anaglyphic presentation (anaglyphic works for TV simply because polatization was not possible on old CRT monitors but things are looking up as technology tackles the problems) or any of the other polarization or shutter systems.

All the best,
Brian

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Brian David Phillips, PhD, CH [brian@briandavidphillips.com]
Hypnotist, Hypnotherapist, Intuitionist, Trance Wizard
President, Society of Experiential Trance
Associate Professor, NCCU, Taipei, Taiwan

Digital Cinema picking up Momentum powered by 3D Releases

By 2012, a solid 20% of cinema screens are projected to be digital screens with 3D capability (recent 3D releases and the coming release of Avatar directed by James Cameron are fueling the conversion process).  Because of the global economic meltdown, it isn't clear when the rest of the screens will be converted but twenty percent is a hefty chunk.  This is a good thing.  Read the news story from Hollywood Reporter with more numbers at http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/technology/news/e3iba9a089c3eafb2f5ab299567a3dc3401.

All the best,
Brian

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Brian David Phillips, PhD, CH [brian@briandavidphillips.com]
Hypnotist, Hypnotherapist, Intuitionist, Trance Wizard
President, Society of Experiential Trance
Associate Professor, NCCU, Taipei, Taiwan

Fujifilm's Real 3D Digital Camera . . . mine, mine, mine!

It's not so much that I want the Real 3D Digital Camera soon to be released by Fujifilm . . . it's more along the lines that I absofuckinglutely NEEEEEEEEEEEEEED it!

No, it's not just another addition to my already overcrowded collection of genuine 3D stereocameras (I only have thirty-nine of those) but that it looks like someone's finally has a solution to the ol' digital camera 3D conundrum that is worthwhile.

Yes, I am one of th suckers who bought the original Pentax experimental failures that was the Pentax Optio and was not really all that happy a camper with their sigle lens cha-cha solution.  I had better luck with a Lorel 3D Lens-in-a-Cap bolted to my Canon digital SLR despite some limitations.  More recently I had been using a LANC setup with two Sony V3s which was great despite the processing problems but one of the V3s has died on us so Kaye's been using that as her monophotography option while I use a pocket-size Fuji to carry around . . . so the only 3D shots I've been shooting of late have been the very rare cha-cha.

It looks like the new Fujifilm Real 3D will be a tremendous upgrade . . . back to the genuine two-lens model the old stereocameras like my cherished Realist or Kodak Stereo or the like use (I'd still be using those if film wasn't so expensive and hard to find and annoying to process for digital post-production).

The specs on the new camera can be found at http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/topics/2008/0922_02.html and there are now reviews on the performance online at a number of spots since the beastie has been making the convention rounds such as this piece from Wired (http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/09/fujifilms-two-l/) and the Photoblog (http://www.photographyblog.com/news/fujifilm_finepix_real_3d_system/).

According to the folks at Register Hardware (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/04/06/fujifilm_3d_camera/) we can expect this puppy to finally hit Japan before Christmas . . . and from there it's likely to slowly seep into the markets on the rest of the planet.  Hopefully, it sill be the sort of boostie product the Realist turned out to be in 1941, spawning a solid industry or stereophotography and support . . . those of us who've been continuing stereophotography with as much make-shift support as we could cobble together are ready for some mainstream action.

For those unfamiliar with my interest in 3D photography, here are some galleries . . . http://public.fotki.com/briandavidphillips/3d/ and the 3D cosplay galleries at http://public.fotki.com/briandavidphillips/cosplay/3d/ . . . looking forward to more.

All the best,
Brian

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Brian David Phillips, PhD, CH [brian@briandavidphillips.com]
Hypnotist, Hypnotherapist, Intuitionist, Trance Wizard
President, Society of Experiential Trance
Associate Professor, NCCU, Taipei, Taiwan

3D-TV Standards set by SMPTE

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers have been setting up standards for 3D TV.  These are the standards that the new home-based stereoscopic systems will be based upon.  The 3D content has to be playable on legacy players and televisions but they're looking toward the future as the base standard for the 3D Home Master has embraced the 1080 resolution and 60 fps which means a lot of room for growth. Over 200 folks from all over the planet were on the committee putting this thing together.  This is a good thing.  It looks like we may even begin seeing consumer products for the home out as early as 2010.  This is a very good thing indeed.  See the news at http://www.multichannel.com/article/210430-SMPTE_Outlines_Requirements_for_New_3_D_Standard.php for the full ride of stereoscopic goodness information.

I am certainly looking forward to the day when I can make affordable 3D Hypnosis videos and to watching all the latest blockbusters in true stereoscopic wonderfulness, shutter glasses or no.

All the best,
Brian

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Brian David Phillips, PhD, CH [brian@briandavidphillips.com]
Hypnotist, Hypnotherapist, Intuitionist, Trance Wizard
President, Society of Experiential Trance
Associate Professor, NCCU, Taipei, Taiwan

Whoopi Goldberg's Fear of Flying Session (Cured in Moments)

Whoopi Goldberg has had a fear of flying and had not been on an airplane for well over a decade because of it.  However, she had to go to London for work and so the folks at The View had Virgin Atlantic's fear of flying course folks come into the studio and work with her.  One of the techniques used was Thought Field Therapy (TFT) by Roger Callahan which is the ancestor of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) by Gary Craig which so many hypnotists use today. Dig the cool virtual reality shades.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG FEAR OF FLYING
Part One

For those of you who are reading via a stream, you should go to http://briandavidphillips.typepad.com/brian for the embedded video or go to youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FOkEI4hKlc.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG FEAR OF FLYING
Part Two

For those of you who are reading via a stream, you should go to http://briandavidphillips.typepad.com/brian for the embedded video or go to youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TlIgaOFvfo.

Coolness.

All the best,
Brian

(If you are reading this blog post via a stream, go to http://briandavidphillips.typepad.com/brian/ to access the full post with any videos or photos included.)

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Brian David Phillips, PhD, CH [brian@briandavidphillips.com]
Hypnotist, Hypnotherapist, Intuitionist, Trance Wizard
President, Society of Experiential Trance
Associate Professor, NCCU, Taipei, Taiwan

3D NFL . . . and so it begins

I'm not really a big sports fan . . . my idea of an awesome participatory sport is sitting on my butt with a game controller wasting zombies with a handy dandy rocket propelled grenade (virtual, that is).  The most running around I want to do is pushing the buttons on my game controller (even Wii is a bit more exercise than I can or want to handle).

I don't even enjoy watching most sports.

However, the NFL may have found a way to get even bona fide lifestyle couch potatae like myself interested in the sport . . . they have begun experimenting with broadcasting in 3D.

See First NFL game in 3D fumbles, then recovers - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/05/AR2008120500416.html - for what may be the beginning of an awesome future of stereoscopic television.

While they hit some technical glitches and cameramen need to learn that flash pans are not as exciting in 3D but have the effect of making some folks lose their lunches, it looks like the experiment was a success and we may begin seeing more 3D sports in our future . . . even those of us on this side of the planet where such things have been very slow coming (heck, Taipei doesn't even have many digital 3D capable theaters . . . yet).

Good things on the horizon.

All the best,
Brian

Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D Gives Good Monster

We saw a preview for this while we were in the US on our mini-tour and it just made me want to see it . . . Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D Gives Good Monster . . .

Journey sucks you deep into its zooming roller-coaster sequences (3D allows depth as well as making things stick out at you), throws glowing birds out into the theater to float around your head, and in one memorable moment snaps your face off with a toothy fish that jumps right off screen and into the audience. After about a minute of adjustment, it's easy to forget you've got those dorky-cool 3D glasses on your face (thankfully they fit easily over real glasses) and just get into the film

Now . . . I just HAVE to see it!

Well, I hope it actually comes to Taiwan in 3D . . . we have missed MOST of the new wave of 3D films.

More on Beowulf

As we gear up for the joy that will be Beowulf . . . in 3D, here's a nice piece on the motion capture system being used . . . makes you want to see the movie even more . . . and not just to see a near naked Angelia Jolie in IMAX 3D (although that's pretty convincing) but the photorealistic imagery and Grendel descriptions sound pretty damned interesting in and of themselves . . . see Quint's piece here.

Beowulf . . . in 3D

Koolness. Neil Gaiman's adaptation of Beowulf, set for a Nov. 16 release will be showcased in IMAX 3D. I love the original poem, love Gaman's writing, and love 3D . . . we've got a tripple play all the way to a home run. Really looking forward to this one!

The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D

Some comments that bode well for other upcoming 3D conversion films . . . The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D . . .

But now there's a greater sense of involvement thanks to the 3D element. It's not overused - aside from a demonstration jack-in-the-box moment at the start, this isn't a film of pointing fingers or assorted things being thrown into the auditorium for novelty value. This is just an already good film given a new lease of life by new technology. And it certainly bodes well for the rumoured Star Wars 3D release in 2007.

Huzzah. Of course, huzzah's may be premature as we STILL don't have decent any digital 3D theatres in Taipei (other than IMAX which is using a different system and therefore does not show all the films currently available in the new system). Grrrrrrrr.

Mysterious ways . . .. . . U2 in 3-D concert film

Here we go . . . Mysterious ways: U2 in 3-D concert film . . . set to be the first major concert feature film in 3D. Koolness.

Thank you sir, may I have another?. . . Beowulf Coming At You in 3D

Oooooh! This is really goooood news . . . Beowulf Coming At You in 3D . . . the Neil Gaimon scribed piece will hit the screens in 3D and 2D on the same day and it's going to be awesome and a half!

Robert Zemeckis’ CG adaptation of the epic Old English poem Beowulf is set to get a stereoscopic 3D release on Nov. 16, 2007, the same day it arrives in conventional theaters. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the feature film from Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures will be digitally enhanced for projection in Real D cinemas and other large-format 3D venues. Written by an unknown sixth-century Anglo-Saxon scribe, Beowulf casts its title character as the one man who can defeat Grendel, a monster terrorizing a Danish kingdom, and his scaly, cave-dwelling mother. The classic tale has been adapted for the screen by fantasy author Neil Gaiman (MirrorMask, Coraline) and Silent Hill scribe Roger Avary, and will feature the voices of Angelina Jolie, Ray Winstone, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover and Anthony Hopkins. Beowulf is employing the patented Performance Capture technology Sony Pictures Imageworks created for Zemeckis’ The Polar Express. The movements and facial expressions of the actors will be captured in computers and applied to computer-generated characters in fully digital environments. Zemeckis’ third 3D endeavor, Beowulf is slated to bow in more than 1,000 Real D theaters and other locations equipped for 3D projection, making it the widest day-and-date large-format 3D release to date. IMAX, which has sold a lot of tickets to the 3D version of The Polar Express, is a likely partner, though no deal has been announced.

The IMAX part of this story is rumor and not consistent with the current trends. It could go either way. It is doubtful it will go both ways though as IMAX and the new Digital D systems are in direct competition and have not been cooperating thus far so we either have IMAX or the digital systems but so far nothing in both (unfortunately, since we don't have any of the newfangled digital systems here in Taiwan, that means we've been missing out on some really kick'n stereocinema).

Next Step in Cinematic Evolution: the New XpanD Theater in Murcia, Spain

The XpanD theatre is billing itself as the next step . . . Next Step in Cinematic Evolution: the New XpanD Theater in Murcia, Spain . . . and it seems not without good reason.

LG unveils specs of Flatron M4200D 2D/3D display

Engadget reports LG unveils specs of Flatron M4200D 2D/3D display . . . basically another switch set between standard and lenticular 3D views. It's not really new but it is news in that more of these puppies are finally hitting the market. To early to scream for mass market penetration, but if the innovations we've seen previously become standard they will become near obsolete quickly, albeit serve as a good stepping stone set.

Behind The Scenes Of 3D 'Nightmare'

Koolness, nice look Behind The Scenes Of 3D 'Nightmare'. So, The Nightmare Before Christmas has been converted to Disney Digital 3D. That's going to make the film so much more powerful on so many levels. Too bad we won't get to see it that way here. Come on, Taiwan, someone get a digital 3D screen up and running! Grrrr!

Xbox 360 Camera Innovation moving toward 3D Stereoscopic

Gamasutra talks to the XBOX Live 360 Camera folks . . . Q&A: GestureTek Talks Xbox 360 Camera Innovation . . . good news in that the camera has a stereoscopic ready chip, bad news is that it's not quite there yet . . . but it is in the works . . .

Your press release mentions a "proprietary stereoscopic vision chip" - what is this, and what will it offer to gamers? We have been working with various stereoscopic solutions for over 10 years. We feel that this is the next generation for evolving the interactive camera model. It is still 3 years away from any kind of market readiness, however the capability it brings is the true full 3 dimensional tracking of an individual for controlling an onscreen avatar. This is the technology that will literally let you make kung fu moves in your living room and have an onscreen avatar replicate them in a game environment. What peripherals do you see as the main competitors for the camera? I don’t think people will see other peripherals as competition for the camera. If a gamer loves driving games they will buy an excellent racing peripheral. The camera will be bought for a collection of uses. The hope is that it is viewed as indispensable. Finally, where will we see computer camera technology heading in the next five years? Higher resolutions, faster frame rates, and of course, realtime 3D capture.

I haven't seen the camera or games released yet in these parts although it is out stateside and in Europe.

Open Season . . . 3D . . . of ghosts and pleasure

Open Season . . . took Kaye to the film at IMAX last Saturday . . . it has a LOT more ghosting than The Ant Bully we saw (which kicks butt in 3D) but it was still very enjoyable in the huge screen with living 3D. I really wish we had a dolby digital 3D screen here in Taiwan so we could compare the rush of films in that format (Monster House, Chicken Little, and more) to the IMAX system. Unfortunately, we don't have any screens like that so we can only see those films in paltry but enjoyable 2D. It does seem that the Taipei IMAX has a huge problem with ghosting for their 3D films. I have heard that the new system touted by Lucas and buddies has very very little ghosting as the circular polarizing system allows much greater range for head movement. One of the disadvantages of living in Taipei and not Los Angeles, although Taipei does have some other advantages.

3D TV 'could be three years away'

This looks good . . . 3D TV 'could be three years away'. Read the original article for the full story but the gist from this research group, a European consortium, is that stereoscopic 3D television and film should become common within three years. Holographic television is a bit trickier and would not be available for ten to twenty years. However, 3D television and film technology - as readers of this blog know - is already readily available and merely needs the market penetration push to make it common . . . a push already in the initial stages.

Glory Days 2 on Nintendo DS in 3D?

Not out yet but confusing reviewers already . . . Glory Days 2 . . . evidently, it will feature optional 3D glasses . . .

Where the 3D glasses fit into this smorgasbord, we're not sure. On the press release they're simply the following bullet point: "See the game in real life and feel the sweat run down your spine."

That's it. Reminds me of the seeing a voice and hearing a wall scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream except Shakespeare did it on purpose. If it pans out, should be interesting . . . although we have been disappointed by handheld fare in stereoscopic video so far.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is back! . . . in 3D!

October 20th . . . in select theatres . . . which usually means not here in Taiwan . . . The Nightmare Before Christmas is back! . . . in 3D! . . . Disney is doing a re-release of the film to celbrate it's thirteenth year anniversary with a 3D version. Sheesh. I am doubtful of it ending up here as none of the other digital 3D films have made it here in that format but one can always dream, er, I mean have a nightmare.

Dolby goes 3D . . .

Dolby has announced that they will be developing a digital 3D system for movie theatres that will rival the current systems such as the Real D and In-Three systems.  See here . . .

Dolby has announced that they will be developing a digital 3-D system for movie theaters. The company has signed a deal with German company Infitec, a maker of virtual reality systems, to develop a 3-D system it hopes to debut in theaters by next spring. Dolby claims that it's system will stand out above the other two technologies available today as it will not require either a silver screen (Real D) or battery-powered glasses (In-Three). Recently Monster House 3-D out-grossed it's standard film release. The Hollywood studios believe that digital 3-D may be the future of cinema. I've seen all the 3D offerings so far and I tend to agree. I'm sure #d will be the future for animated releases, but am anxious to see how live action films will translate. Superman Returns 3-D was great, but they were only able to convert 20 minutes of the movie into 3D due to a tight post production process. It'll be interesting once the technology process is sped up to allow same day and date releases.

Okay, we will see what we will see.  From the sounds of it the circularpolarization system being used for the current wave seem to be very good.  Hopefully, adding another system to the mix won't screw up distribution.  Anachrome has a simple cheap system for film prints as well but it is not getting wide release as studios push digital and try to coopt the market in effect creating defacto monopolies as some films are not being shown in 3D in more than one system.

3D and 2D . . . 3D wins for Monster House

Monster House is taking in on average two and a half times per screen for the 3D version than for the 2D version.  See an analysis here.  This is very good news for the folks backing the 3D turnover of Hollywood and the rest of the film theatre business.  Of course, the number of screens where 3D is available is still a pittance (we don't have any digital 3D screens here in Taiwan, although we do have a couple IMAX screens on the island but they are not showing all of the new wave pieces as those are being distributed solely to the digital 3D systems theatres which have no install base here).  In any case, look for more.

Digital Effects . . . awesomeness now and on the horizon

Anne Thompson has a kickin' essay on digital cinema from the precursors of Monster House to that film's massive breakthroughs in motion capture (yes, those are REAL people who were filmed via motion capture for the animation, taking the Gollum stuff light years further) to what's coming very soon with Beowulf and Avatar.  Wow!  See the entire essay here.  Yes, Monster House is in 3D and Avatar is going to push stereoscopic real 3D even further.

Monster House does better in 3D . . .

Good news for us stereoscopic cinemaphiles . . . Monster House is doing better on 3D screens than on screens that don't have the new digital 3D system installed.  See here.  Ant Bully is also pulling in 3D monies.  What does that mean for those of us in Taiwan?  Not a lot . . . yet.  However we will be able to see Ant Bully on IMAX but Monster House will likely follow Chicken Little into the realm of 3D-only showings.  I have seen a number of reviews by folks who understand 3D comparing Monster House and Ant Bully and so far Monster House is winning hands down with no ghosting at all while Ant Bully seems to be plagued with quite a bit of ghosting (sometimes it's the individual theatre and sometimes it's the linear polarized glasses they use).  Unfortunately, we won't get to compare the systems here as the digital system doesn't exist here . . . yet.  The success stateside of the new circular polarized digital systems will hopefully encourage someone . . . anyone . . . please . . . to install the new system here and start reaping profits.  Hollywood's movers and shakers have made it clear that 3D is the way of the future so it is likley to only be a matter of time . . . on our side of the big blue though it's a matter of who's first and the folks making those decisions are being ultraconservative and skittish on the matter.

Imageworks 3D . . .. . . Sony goes stereoscopic

Sony has established Imageworks 3D to go ahead with their stereoscopic 3D conversions of feature films . . . see here . . .

Sony Pictures Imageworks president Tim Sarnoff recently announced the appointment of Buzz Hays to the position of senior producer for the company's recently formalized Imageworks 3D stereoscopic pipeline. This pipeline is dedicated to the creation of three-dimensional stereoscopic versions of standard release films for the IMAX 3D and Real D platforms. Hays' first projects are the 3D stereoscopic adaptations for two of Columbia Pictures' upcoming films: Monster House for Real D theaters and the first CG feature from Sony Pictures Animation Open Season in IMAX 3D. Before joining Imageworks, Hays worked for Radium, where he executive produced visual effects for numerous music videos and broadcast commercials worldwide. Prior to working at Radium, Hays was executive producer at yU+co, where he produced title sequences for films such as Catwoman, The Terminal, and The Chronicles of Riddick. Earlier, Hays co-founded TriBeCa Interactive with Robert De Niro. In 1993, Hays co-produced the independent film, Swimming with Sharks.  Between 1987 and 1993, Hays served as director of engineering at Lucasfilm THX, where he was responsible for all research and development efforts, including the THX Sound System and Home THX. Hays also oversaw the design, construction, and installation of more than 600 movie theaters and film dubbing stages worldwide.  Imageworks' prior work in 3D stereoscopic formats includes The Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience.

Hopefully, that just means more is on the way . . . and really really hopefully, it means more will come this way . . . by this way I mean Taipei way.

3D on the Upswing . . .. . . more movies on the way

Monster House is out and it has been released to the largest number of digital 3D screens yet . . . here . . . film companies need a strong way to get folks back in the theatres as home theatre systems, DVD, internet share sites, and the like all cut into movie going for the public . . . so, just as the same thing has happened before when radio then television cut into theatre tickets, filmmakers are turning to 3D, this time it's actually looking like it may catch on . . .

The debut on Friday of Steven Spielberg's animated thriller "Monster House" is part of an explosion of 3D films that Hollywood studios and exhibitors hope will bring people back to the movies, reports Reuters. . . . The Columbia Pictures film will debut on the largest number of digital 3D-equipped screens ever, in a nod to the unexpectedly robust results shown last fall by the Walt Disney Co's 3D release of "Chicken Little." . . . "This industry is crying out, 'Make it special,'" said Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution and a proponent of 3D cinema. "3D is the greatest delineation between us and home entertainment." . . . Several other 3D films are slated for release this year, including "The Ant Bully" from Warner Bros on July 28 on Imax 3D, Sony Pictures' "Open Season" and Disney's rerelease of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" in 3D in October.

Unfortunately, those of us in Taiwan are not reaping this harvest of bountiful 3D.  Digital 3D systems have not been installed here so the 3D revolution in the US just ain't happening here.  Ticks me off as I read how much folks loved Chicken Little and the rest in the new system and while we enjoyed it in 2D, we really would have loved it in 3D.  We do have an IMAX here that shows 3D films but those are not the same set as the ones being touted . . . as Spielberg, Lucas, and friends push for the Digital 3D system which is still a competitor for IMAX and both sets have exclusive films the other won't have.

Superman Returns . . . kicks IMAX butt

Superman Returns broke IMAX records for a simultaneous release . . . big time . . . now, they need to get the idea that they should present the entire film in 3D, not just segments.

As Warner Bros.’ Superman Returns soared at conventional theaters over the Fourth of July weekend, Superman Returns: An IMAX 3D Experience shattered every opening-week record for a simultaneous release of a Hollywood motion picture. Imax Corp. reports that the superhero pic earned $6.83 million for a record seven-day per-screen average of $89,804. In addition to performing to sell-out crowds domestically, the flick broke IMAX’s international record by taking in an average of $67,888 on 11 screens. The film will launch at 24 more large-format venues in the coming weeks. "The IMAX 3D release of Superman Returns is off to an incredible start in Asia and based on strong pre-sales in Europe, it looks like this is the beginning of a worldwide success story," says Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, president of international distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures. IMAX Corp. used its proprietary 2D to 3D conversion technology to render approximately 20 minutes of Superman Returns in stereoscopic 3D. During four select sequences of the film, a visual cue designed by director Bryan Singer indicates when audiences should put on and remove their IMAX 3D glasses. Among other things, the technology affords moviegoers an enhanced look at the movie’s extensive visual effects work provided by Sony Pictures Imageworks, Framestore CFC, The Orphanage, Rhythm & Hues, Frantic Films Pixel Liberation Front, Digital Neural Axis, New Deal Studios Inc., Rising Sun Pictures, Lola Visual Effects and Photon VFX. Over the long holiday weekend, Superman Returns raked in more than $106 million domestically. Despite setting records for an IMAX opening, the movie still has a long way to go to catch up with the 3D version of The Polar Express, which has earned more than $60 million at IMAX theaters since opening in the winter of 2004.

Speaking of 3D conversions, I watched a film today that just screams for 3D treatment . . . although it probably never will get it . . . the Hong Kong fantasy adventure, A Chinese Tall Story looks like it would be near perfect for 3D presentation. Really. There are some wonderfully beautiful scenes and some great action bits that would just blow folks away in 3D. I did NOT like the ending, not one bit . . . even if it did remind me of one of my favorite novels (Tomoe Gozen) . . . but the film itself would simply look great in 3D. Superman Returns kicks . . . go see it . . . either in flat presentation or at an IMAX, either way. Of course, my preference was the IMAX 3D but it is a nice piece even without the stereoscopic presentation . . . however, the 3D does indeed add another dimension to the piece (pun intended).

Superman Returns . . . 3D impressions

The Clan Phillips ventured forth to the IMAX at Miramar in Taipei to see Superman Returns and the twenty minutes of 3D footage.  The film doth kicketh asseth.  Wow.  This is an amazing Superman and the casting choice to fill the blue tights and red undies was right on the money . . . he's very good looking and very much real in his role . . . he reminds us of Christopher Reeve (the end of film dedication was nice) but somehow he is better looking.  Lex Luthor is scary . . . this has to be the greatest portrayal of Lex Luthor ever.  Lois Lane was antsy but so much prettier than Margot Kidder in the same role.  I did feel Clark and Lois felt a bit young for the story but all in all nicely done.  The 3D . . . every sequence looked wonderful except for the last which was a bit off . . . there was a lot of ghosting and the stereoscopic effect was difficult to get what with the only object with depth on the screen was Supes flying around with majestic vistas in the background that had no depth cues.  The other 3D sequences worked really well, although Lorraine felt that some of the zip cuts and action bits were too head spinning for stereoscopic cinema . . . a bit of an attempt at creating motion sickness so to speak.  One probelm with the 3D sequences is that they seem randomly chosen.  I had hoped that the 3D sequences would somehow have a common thread or context . . . such as entering the game world in Spy Kids 3D or entering Tron or the Matrix or flashbacks to Krypton . . . instead they just seemed to be randomly chosen or completed action bits for the most part and not all of the action bits are 3D so the rationale is lost on me.  Heck, in the first 3D sequence, part of the stereoscopic bit is Clark Kent watching 2D television.  However, the scenes do demonstrate that the live action 2D to 3D conversion process does work and that more films NEED to be in 3D . . . really, they NEED to be in full-on stereoscopic quality display . . . really.  Just that filmmakers need to consider doing the FULL FILM and not just bits.  Loved the movie . . . I am a BIG Superman fan, always have been . . . have loved the caped wonder since I was a little kid . . . like him a LOT more than Mr. Moody Batman . . . but . . . there is one nit I'd like to pick . . . well, not so much nitpicking but something that struck me as a bit of a fundamental flaw in the storytelling . . . SPOILER TIME SO STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT THE PLOTPOINT . . . in the entire disaster ridden film only two people are seen to die (the old lady on her death bed with Lexie boy getting her to sign the Will) and Mr. Piano Man . . . the lady seems to have died of "natural" causes . . . but Mr. Piano Man dies by piano . . . he is killed . . . definately killed by another person . . . the problem is that the person who kills him is a five year old child . . . usually Superman stories avoid death . . . and here we have Supes Junior killing a man, not stopping him from harming Mommy but crushing him through a wall with a grand piano . . . he does feel bad about it later and does say "I'm sorry, Mommy" and the guy really was a bad guy and really was intending to inflict mortal bodily damage to Mommy . . . but . . . it's a Superman movie . . . couldn't we have done it a bit differently than having a five year old kill a man?

In any case, great movie . . . go see it.  Tell the filmmakers they need to make more . . . and more in 3D . . . good stuff, Maynard.

- Brian

Stereo Photo Maker . . .. . . the new version kicks!

This is a BIG DEAL . . . exciting news . . . Masuji SUTO just announced Stereo Photo Maker (SPM) 3.1 which has auto-align and other kool options for 3D photography processing including the nifty new window adjustment options for batch processing.

• English -> http://stereo.jpn.org/eng/index.html
• German -> http://stereo.jpn.org/ger/index.html
• French -> http://stereo.jpn.org/fra/index.html
• Japanese -> http://stereo.jpn.org/jpn/index.html

I used version 3.0 to batch process over six hundred images from our trip to Taitung and it worked beautifully.  The new window placement tools should make it even better for batch processing.

I am starting to teach my Summer graduate course this week and setting up for more stage hypnosis shows so I'm a bit on the too busy to play side of things . . . but I'd be real interested in knowing how the new SPM compares to Cosima and Anabuilder with all the bells and whistles engaged. Perhaps someone with a bit more hard drive space and processor power and time would like to throw in a batch of say three hundred raw pairs and compare the results (large batch jobs interest me more than single images).

All the best,
Brian

Taitung Adventures . . .

The Phillips Clan . . . Kaye, Lorraine, and Brian . . . along with Gonggong who visited from Hong Kong (Lorraine's dad) . . . as well as with Gareth Cheng and his dad (Michael) and Kaye's friend Sun Hsiao-Han and Gareth's friend August . . . took a roadtrip to Taitung by way of Hualien and Yilan . . . long bumpy trip . . . . we took a sidetrip to Toroko Gorge as well on the way back.

The ocean water and the sky were so incredibly blue and sooooo beautiful!

The whole slew of over six hundred photos are in the online album here.  Most of the photos are 3D, taken with my Sony V3 Twin Rig.

All the best,
Brian

Superman . . . 3D doing well

It looks like the 3D footage added to Superman Returns is getting good reviews.  We haven't seen it yet . . . will be at the IMAX Tuesday. Looking forward to it . . . much.  I will post our impressions after we see the show.

- Brian

Superman . . . stereoscopic

Superman Returns opens in IMAX here in Taipei the day before we come back from our Taidong trip so we won't be seeing it on opening day. We're looking forward to it . . . although the decision to make only PART of the movie 3D seems silly to me . . . I guess they're trying to follow the Spy Kids model . . . a bad idea. If you're doing 3D then do the whole thing in 3D! Grrrrrr. All the best,
Brian

Tool . . . stereoscopic music

3D photographers just may have a new favorite band as Tool uses 3D album as part of CD. The band Tool has included a stereoscopic album in their 10,000 Days CD.

The stereophotos were taken by Travis Shinn and the idea for the project came from band member Adam Jones who is also a member of the Southern California Stereoscopic Club and thus knows his way around a stereocamera. The four individual stereoportraits are pieces to a kind of hidden puzzle thingie.

More Tool goodness can be found on the band's webpages here.

2007 . . . 3D Films

Lorraine Phillips writes about the coming wave of 3D digital films for theatres set for 2007 . . . 網路城邦｜【養貓讀書看電影】網誌 . . . assuming the studios can put together enough backing for the digital screen penetration needed. Many of the issues Lorraine brings up have been discussed here many times before but there is very little out there in Chinese on the subject so she's a bit further onto the pulse than others . . . then again, she has good reason to be as she is extremely knowledgeable about the film business - she has to be - and knows quite a bit about 3D as well.

Star Wars in 3D

IF Magazine asked Rick McCallum about the Star Wars 3D versions rumored to be in the pipeline for 2007 . . . STAR WARS PRODUCER RICK MCCALLUM TALKS 3D & TV SERIES . . . the money shot question: "What can you tell us about the 3D versions of the STAR WARS films?" The money shot answer:

3D we’re working on, and it’s just a question of how many theatres are out there. Hopefully by the end of this year there will be about fifteen hundred theatres. We need about two or three thousand before it makes it viable for any of us to go forward with 3D. That looks like it’s going to happen sometime in the year 2007, so I am unbelievably happy about that. The 3D is something I’m really happy with. We’re not sure when the technology will be totally there. I think there are a lot of major filmmakers interested. [James] Cameron is interested in re-doing TITANIC and TERMINATOR 2. Peter [Jackson] wants to do all of the LORD OF THE RINGS movies. We want to do all six STAR WARS, and we know there is hunger out there. There is a dimensionalization process by a company called M3 that we’re all working with. They have proprietary software that creates a double image that produces a 3D effecting post-production after you’ve filmed a 2D film. It’s amazing. You use wonderful glasses that are flicker free, they are hooked up to a wireless transmitter in the theatre. It has to be digital cinema, that’s our problem. That’s what makes it great, and it makes it a problem because there aren’t enough theatres out there to make fiscal sense.

All those films would kick in 3D. Doesn't actually have to be digital, the process works for polarized as well (my good friend at Anachrome already has a non-digital kit that will convert film theatres cheaply to good solid 3D projection capability with much more light than traditional polarized systems (one of the big problems with polarized systems is the light loss). That would make the new wave of 3D films accessible to many more theatres rather than the proprietary digital 3D system Lucas is riding on partly due to the desire to push the digital transition and partly due to licensing and server controls among other reasons.

We still don't have any digital 3D theatres in Taiwan, let alone my neck of the woods . . . so . . . while this is all exciting stuff to me as I LOVE 3D cinema, it is all hypothetical as the expense of converting as well as this particular licensing strategy is out of the ballpark here . . . for now. I imagine someone will eventually put one in but studios need to guarantee more than one lousy kiddie 3D film per year (last year Chicken Little and this year Monster Houst) to draw exhibitors into the expensive gamble especially since a number of chains already bought into the previous digital system Lucas and friends pushed only to now be told they have to upgrade to another system in order to jump on the 3D bandwagon.

how to make a camera attachment to take 3D Anaglyph Photos!

The device looks clunky but the idea is interesting . . . how to make a camera attachment to take 3D Anaglyph Photos. It certainly is a better mount than holding anaglyph red-blue glasses in front of the lens although some folks on my 3D exchange list use a much more elegant design that is far easier to make (just a simple lens cap with two holes with red and blue filters without the big box thing).

Komamura's two-headed Horseman 3D camera

Engadget has an image of Komamura's two-headed Horseman 3D camera . . . like those folks I am disappointed that it's not digital. Instead of getting a film camera at this point, I would suggest sticking to the digital alternatives. See the other posts in the 3D category here for more.

3-D can save Hollywood

James Cameron is out hitting the pavement with his message of hope, joy, and box office success . . . 3-D can save Hollywood, says director . . .

James Cameron, director of Titanic, the most successful film of all time, has called on Hollywood to "fight for survival" with a return to 3-D movies. The process was a hit in 1950s classics such Creature from the Black Lagoon and It Came From Outer Space, which seemed to jump from the screen thanks to anaglyph" spectacles worn by the audience. Now, Steven Spielberg is pioneering a new technique based on plasma screens. Cameron sees 3-D as the only way for Hollywood to combat dwindling receipts at the box office and movie piracy through the internet. He said that 3-D with digital photography and sound was a "revolutionary form of showmanship that is within our grasp". He plans to re-release Titanic in digital 3-D. On its first run, the film made £1,036 million worldwide. Peter Jackson is also examining a 3-D format for King Kong and his The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Also, George Lucas is expected to re-release his original Star Wars in 3-D to mark its 30th anniversary next year.

I'm not sure what plasma technology Spielberg is working on but it sounds interesting.

Wouldn't it be awesome to see any or all of those films mentioned in stereoscopic 3D? Yes, it would.

Taipei still doesn't have a digital 3D theatre so the upcoming releases aren't going to be doing us any good here.

Dimension 3 goes HD with Bluefish444

More high definition 3D is on the table . . . anaglyph and otherwise . . . Dimension 3 goes HD with Bluefish444 . . .

Dimension 3 goes HD with Bluefish444 April 7, 2006—Dimension 3 (www.d3.com) has recently started using Bluefish444's HD| Lust video card on several 3D projects (8212Bluefish444 (www.bluefish444.com). Dimension 3 offers products and services for 3D glasses, 3DTV (3D video), 3D film (3D motion picture), 3D art ,and 3D print media. Having moved into professional HD after several years of working in SD, Dimension 3 used Bluefish444's HD|Lust on two recent projects: "Night Of The Living Dead 3D" and "The Stewardesses 3D." Slated for a 4th quarter 2006 release, "Night of the Living Dead 3D" is an homage to and re-imagining of the 1968 film. The 3D process, trade named Natural Vision, is based on the anaglyph principle (red/blue glasses). For filming, Dimension 3 built two custom lightweight dual, HDV 3D cameras, and filmed out to 35mm. The film features extensive handheld and Steadicam shots, a first in 3D films, according to company claims. Real-time 3D monitoring was also used on the set. After investigating a number of products on the market, Dimension 3 decided upon Bluefish444's HD|Lust for its feature set and integration with Dimension 3's current technology.

'Superman Returns' To Go 3D

The good news . . . Superman Returns is set to be the first live action film converted to IMAX 3D for simultaneous release in regular and IMAX theatres in both 2D and 3D formats. The bad news . . . it's only twenty minutes of screen time that's going to be in 3D . . . 'Superman Returns' To Go 3D . . .

IMAX Corp. and Warner Bros. Pictures announced that Superman Returns, directed by Bryan Singer, will become the world's first live-action Hollywood feature to be converted from 2D to IMAX 3D. IMAX will convert approximately 20 minutes of the film into an IMAX 3D Experience, the most immersive cinematic 3D in the world. "Releasing select sequences of Superman Returns in IMAX 3D marks a groundbreaking moment in movies," said Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures. "This film is going to give fans an opportunity to be immersed in a major live-action motion picture like never before." "The test scenes that have been converted into IMAX 3D look, sound and feel absolutely amazing," added Bryan Singer, Director of Superman Returns. "The magic of IMAX 3D will envelop audiences in this story, enabling them to feel the emotion, drama and suspense in a completely new and unique way." During select sequences of the film, a visual cue designed by Singer will indicate when audiences should put on and remove their IMAX 3D glasses. The film will be simultaneously released to IMAX and conventional theatres on June 30, 2006.

While I think it's super kool that we'll see Superman cavorting in cape and tights in stereoscopic very large screen superness, the conversion of only twenty minutes of screen time into the format is a bit on the lame side.

Well, hopefully Peter Jackson's conversion of King Kong will be more.

Of course, this is all moot as we don't have that many IMAX 3D screens available to us here and none of Taiwan's theatres have opted for Digital 3D conversion yet. So, all the kool news from the other side of the planet is kool but frustrating. Ah well, there are other things we have that they don't have on the other side of the big blue . . . like betelnut beauties and the like.

Stereoscopic Bridges

Amanda Pierre writes about an exhibit that displays bridges in stereoscopic glory . . . Bridge exhibit shows off engineering feats . . .

Swiss designers and their landmark works are featured in the display at Grinnell College. It's been a long time since basic bridges were considered feats of engineering. But now, it's not a stretch to consider some bridges feats of engineering because of their beauty. Consider the majestic, tight-rope-like displays of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in New York City, the Bunker Hill Bridge in Boston and other delightful spans that can be considered the landmarks of great cities. David Billington, a Princeton University professor of civil engineering and operations research, asks viewers to consider such specimens in an exhibit now at the Faulconer Gallery in Grinnell: "The Art of Structural Design: A Swiss Legacy." Swiss designers have been behind some of the most impressive bridges in the United States, as well as some in their own country, such as the Sunniberg Bridge over the Landquart River Valley. Othmar Amman created the George Washington, Bronx-Whitestone and Verrazano Narrows bridges in New York City, all long-span steel bridges. Christian Menn constructed the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge in Boston. It is the widest cable-stayed bridge in the United States. Amman and Menn are part of the Swiss designer legacy because they studied under bridge-building masters Wilhelm Ritter and Pierre Lardy. Billington ranks all these men among "the most impressive group of structural artists in the 20th century." The exhibit includes photos of the people and models of the bridges previously mentioned. The large and detailed three-dimensional models were crafted by Princeton students. Part of "The Art of Structural Design" has been engineered to entertain as an "interactive stereoscopic photography display." In layman's terms, it's 3-D. A piece of reflective glass has been positioned so that when a viewer puts his or her nose up to it, photographs of some of the bridges appear with stunningly realistic detail.

The description of the exhibit sounds interesting. Taking stereoscopic 3D photos of architectural constructions is nothing new, in fact, it's really the best way to preserve the sense of depth and reality of a bridge or building or natural formation in photography as regular common two-dimensional photography doesn't quite catch the depth that a bridge or building needs to convey scale. Unfortunately, with very large construction you can't just use the same stereocamera with a common 2-2 1/2 inch stereo base, you need to shoot a little or a lot hyper depending upon the size of the subject and the distance involved in order to create a sense of depth . . . this can cause some images to appear lilliputian so observing the 1/30 rule will help out. My understanding is that everything looks wonderful in this exhibit and the majesty of the achievements are truly recorded lifelike for viewers to see.

1st 3-D image of coelacanth produced

A bit on the kool side . . . 1st 3-D image of coelacanth produced . . .

The Tokyo Institute of Technology and GE Yokogawa Medical Systems Ltd. have joined forces to successfully produce the world's first 3-D image of a coelacanth, a species of fish that has survived unchanged in the Earth's oceans for 400 million years. The Hino, Tokyo-based company scanned a coelacanth that the university had received from Tanzania using a cutting edge computerized axial tomography imaging system. This system can simultaneously record 64 images per second, each image representing a "slice" of the object being scanned. The gap between slices is 0.6 millimeter. The 3-D image constructed from the scans clearly shows the fish has a tubular, fluid-filled spinal column. It also shows the sturdy bone structure within the ventral fin, a company spokesman said. The name of the fish means "hollow spine" in ancient Greek. The spokesman added that the stereoscopic images of the fish's bone structure and internal organs will help explain why the living fossil has survived for such a long time. "The image clearly shows the coelacanth's features," said Tadasu Yamada, chief of the Mammals and Birds Division at the Zoology Department of the National Science Museum. "I'd like to use it to analyze how the fish swims. It could be useful as a teaching aid at schools." Previously thought to be extinct, the coelacanth was discovered in 1938 in waters off southeast Africa.

The slicing of the images should allow for stereoscopic viewing, although it's not clear from the article if that is the goal for analysis. I would hope so as that would give a great deal more insight into the beastie. In any case, nifty science.

Japanese researcher shows off real 3D images

Right now, it's not that great a product . . . just some dots . . . but the potential and implications go much further . . . Japanese researcher shows off real 3D images . . .

The National institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology invented the device displaying "real 3D images" which consist of dot arrays in space. Although 3D displays might have existed in the past, researchers say that most 3D displays reported are made up pseudo-3D images on 2D planes viewed by using the human binocular disparity. This is a real 3D image - admittedly only spots of light so far - floating in free space. The images are formed from plasma formed at the focal point of the lasers. Previous 3D images have all relied on human binocular vision to create the illusion of three dimensions. But there are no 3D goggles or red and green filters needed here. This is the real thing. Inevitably, the senior researcher on the project, at Japan's Advanced Science and Technology institute, sees it as a way of carrying advertising. The rest of us are looking forward to football matches played out on the living room floor.

It'll be quite some time before we can send "help me, Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope" messages and until then the ol' binocular disparity effect will do just fine . . . but . . . someday.

Thorpe Digital Stereoview Standard

While I don't use the "standard" per se, this is an interesting and helpful approach to setting up digital stereoviews . . . Thorpe Digital Stereoview Standard. I tend to use a format that will give me full 4X6 prints with all image and no text as I will normally print views with the local lab and use a Loreo Deluxe Stereoscope to view them. For online views, then I use whatever size the final image happens to be at after I edit and format to my heart's content. However, eventually . . . when we finally see some mass market stereodigicams, a standard is likely to emerge - most likely associated with the 4X6 etc. print scheme already in wide use.

Cascade Stereo Galleries

Some wonderful images in a variety of formats in the Cascade galleries for the CSC 2005 Events.

Stereo-Club Francais Gallery

Whether you read French or not, the online stereographic galleries of 3D images of all variety at the Stereo-Club Francais Gallery are well worth a visit. The menus are fairly intuitive and for image types they use icons at the main page to guide you. Of course, my wife will head straight toward the stereoviews of chats (cats).

eyeFx 3D Adapter for PS2 . . . . . . SplitFish GameWare

The folks at
SplitFish GameWare are marketing their eyeFx 3D Adapter for Sony Playstation 2. This is the only true 3D console game adapter.

It doesn't work with all games, they do have a list of compatible games on their webpages and you can play around with those not on the list to see what the level of compatibility is.

The adapter only works with CRT televisions . . . and they should be the regular ol' plain vanilla kind, not the ones with digital enhancements that correct image quality (those tend to interfere with the quality of the stereoscopic 3D output). This meant that I was out of luck when we first got the doodad as our living room television is an LCD projector that projects to a screen several feet across and the television in our master bedroom is a plasma beastie. So, when the old television in my office conked out on me, I made sure that we got a standard CRT (after much discussion with Lorraine who thought it silly to get an outdated machine . . . but it's pretty much the only way I can watch my old 3D movies or play PS2 in 3D and regular readers of this blog know how much I love my 3D content).

If you have the right equipment, then this may be an adapter for you.

Like most CRT stereoscopic solutions, there are problems. The flicker can be pretty annoying so you won't be playing for long hours. I found that many of my favorite games just aren't compatible with the 3D (which is okay as I can still play them without the stereo effect) and the ones that are vary in terms of quality. However killing monsters in true 3D or doing air combat moves and feeling the virtual becoming so much more real . . . the reality of virtual reality . . . makes the system worth the downsides.

The adapter plugs between the controller and the PS2 rather than in the video end, an interesting approach. It is not an intuitive system to use, but you'lll get tha hang of it soon.

While it is a very creative product and the best solution to the desire for true stereocsopic gaming on a console at this time, there is still a lot to learn and much more to do before it becomes a true mass market application. It's still pretty much a niche device, as is all stereoscopic 3D at the moment. However, it is an excellent first go and those with an interest in such things - and the appropriate equipment - will find it to be of interest. I would not reccommend it for folks expecting perfect 3D or flicker-free experience yet. This is not an IMAX or Digital Dimensions experience . . . albeit, I would hope they tweak things in the next version to make it anaglyph compatible and/or definately compatible with the new cheap IBM polarized solutions as well as autostereoscopic displays.

Color Stereo Stereograms

Gene Levine has created a very interesting collection of original Color Stereo Stereograms, including stereo pairs, anaglyphs, animated stereograms, anaglyphs, and much much more. The site is an intriguing display and well worth the visit.

photos en relief

Some amazing red-blue anaglyphs in the Photos En Relief Anaglyhp Gallery . . . of special interest to my wife and daughter are the cat and other animal pieces.

More Victor Bach 3D Photos

Even more of Victor Bach's entertaining 3D photographic images here. I had missed the root gallery in my previous post about his Lemons in Water. Worth a look-see.