News Stories

Asia's moviemakers embrace 3D revolution

10.10.2011

[AFP]

A 3D horror movie set in a public toilet block is part of a revolution underway in the Asian film industry as low-budget 3D productions take on the big studios at their own game.

At the 16th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), audiences have been lining up to see the likes of multi-million dollar 3D productions “The Three Musketeers” and the re-imaged version of the local monster hit “The Host”.

But there?s also been a groundswell of support for two debut features that use the same cutting edge digital technology to help entertain at a fraction of the price. …

“When I first started thinking about making a 3D film I thought about all the special effects but I wanted to use it to exaggerate what people are seeing in more normal situations and to then blur the lines between fantasy and reality,” said the director.

Park said 3D technology was a format more independent filmmakers were exploring, even though in the beginning they might have to work through a process of trial and error.

“At the moment, for small filmmakers, we don?t have a lot of knowledge about how 3D films are made,” said Park. “You have to figure it out for yourself. I spent nine months in post-production and I never really turned my computer off. I had to solve all the problems myself.

“But this is my first 3D feature so I knew I had to take everything on — and 3D is becoming more and more a part of the film medium.”  …

See the full story here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gt_NrKcFgN6TvwYmwBmS6BrDKyqA?docId=CNG.d58991fb87f986aa56a63cf0993e348c.331

PAIFF and Dolby “Excellence in 3D” Award to Be Presented at Palo Alto International Film Festival

10.2.2011

[Press Release]

Palo Alto International Film Festival (PAIFF) today announced “Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai” has been selected as the recipient of the 2011 PAIFF and Dolby® Excellence in 3D Award. 

“Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai” was selected by PAIFF as a film that exhibits great technical and filmmaking achievements. From depth of story to technical precision and execution, this award considers the entirety of the film and aims toencourage filmmakers to realize the full potential of stereoscopic filmmaking. 

“Dolby congratulates ‘Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai’ on receiving the 2011 PAIFF and Dolby Excellence in 3D Award,” said Robin Selden, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Dolby Laboratories. “As a pioneer in giving artists the tools they need to deliver their vision in the highest quality possible, Dolby is proud to sponsor this award that celebrates the filmmaker’s craft.”

The award will be presented on Sunday, October 2 at PAIFF’s closing night Sallie Gardner Awards Gala. The Gala will be held at the Computer History Museum, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., in Mountain View, CA, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.  

About “Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai”:

Reknown director, Takashi Miike teams up again with producers Jeremy Thomas and Toshiaki Nakazawa (“13 Assasins”) on the 2011Japanese 3D drama, “Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai”. The film is a 3D re-imagining of Masaki Kobayashi‘s 1962 film “Harakiri.”  It’s a tale of revenge, honor and disgrace, centering on a poverty-stricken samurai who discovers the fate of his son-in-law, setting in motion a tense showdown of vengeance against the house of a feudal lord. It was the first 3D film to premiere in competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. 

Tickets to the 2011 Palo Alto International Film Festival Sallie Gardner Awards Gala are now available at www.paiff.net.  Passes for PAIFF 2011 are also available. To be notified of any changes to PAIFF’s Program and Schedule, text PAIFF to 80474. 

About Palo Alto International Film Festival:
PAIFF’s goal is to facilitate, fuel and ignite current and future cinematic revolutions through education and entertainment. PAIFF convenes artists, media and technology professionals, and attendees in an intimate environment where they can experience great cinema, learn about cutting-edge technologies and ideas, and celebrate the artists and innovators shaping the world of moving pictures.  Experience. Learn. Connect.

< PREVIOUS ARTICLES NEXT ARTICLES >

Specification for Naming VFX Image Sequences Released

ETC’s VFX Working Group has published a specification for best practices naming image sequences such as plates and comps. File naming is an essential tool for organizing the multitude of frames that are inputs and outputs from the VFX process. Prior to the publication of this specification, each organization had its own naming scheme, requiring custom processes for each partner, which often resulted in confusion and miscommunication.

The new ETC@USC specification focuses primarily on sequences of individual images. The initial use case was VFX plates, typically delivered as OpenEXR or DPX files. However, the team soon realized that the same naming conventions can apply to virtually any image sequence. Consequently, the specification was written to handle a wide array of assets and use cases.

To ensure all requirements are represented, the working group included over 2 dozen participants representing studios, VFX houses, tool creators, creatives and others.  The ETC@USC also worked closely with MovieLabs to ensure that the specification could be integrated as part of their 2030 Vision.

A key design criteria for this specification is compatibility with existing practices.  Chair of the VFX working group, Horst Sarubin of Universal Pictures, said: “Our studio is committed to being at the forefront of designing best industry practices to modernize and simplify workflows, and we believe this white paper succeeded in building a new foundation for tools to transfer files in the most efficient manner.”

This specification is compatible with other initiatives such as the Visual Effects Society (VES) Transfer Specifications. “We wanted to make it as seamless as possible for everyone to adopt this specification,” said working group co-chair and ETC@USC’s Erik Weaver. “To ensure all perspectives were represented we created a team of industry experts familiar with the handling of these materials and collaborated with a number of industry groups.”

“Collaboration between MovieLabs and important industry groups like the ETC is critical to implementing the 2030 Vision,” said Craig Seidel, SVP of MovieLabs. “This specification is a key step in defining the foundations for better software-defined workflows. We look forward to continued partnership with the ETC on implementing other critical elements of the 2030 Vision.”

The specification is available online for anyone to use.

Oops, something went wrong.