[Studio Daily]

As consumer demand for 3D movies levels off in the United States and 3D television strains to attract eyeballs, some prognosticators are declaring the latest 3D renaissance to be a fad approaching its expiration date. In that environment, the combination of two of the biggest 3D technology providers, 3ality Digital and Element Technica, looks like a consolidation. But Steve Schklair, the CEO of the newly combined 3ality Technica (see our coverage here), insists that the companies are not shrinking, just combining forces in a way that will give customers more choice, not less. He’s still bullish on 3D — but he agrees with the critics that Hollywood needs to wise up. …

A lot of analysis recently has suggested a softening in the stereo 3D market, citing things like a reduced percentage of 3D ticket sales in U.S. theaters and slow adoption of 3D TV technology. How do you respond to that?

I wouldn’t have made this investment if I felt there was a softening of the market. With the introduction of any new technology, there’s a spike and then a growth curve, and now we’re in the growth curve. With the introduction of any new technology, people will go for novelty, but when the novelty wears off it goes back to business as usual.  …

…There are two projects in the works that I think will set the standards for 3D. One is Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, and the other is The Great Gatsby with Baz Luhrmann. I’m excited about Gatsby because it’s not an FX movie, it’s not a car chase movie, it’s not an action adventure or a fight movie. It’s a good old drama. Everybody wonders, why would Baz be making a straight drama, more dialog-driven than anything, in 3D? Well, he believes he can use 3D as a tool to help convey to the audience what he wants them to feel. He’s been rehearsing with the 3D cameras and restaging and readjusting how he shoots the movie based on the emotions conveyed by certain 3D settings. As I wrote to The Economist, 3D is in its infancy. It’s waiting for the storytelling language to be developed.

Read the full interview here: http://www.studiodaily.com/main/news/headlines/Q&A-3ality-Technica-CEO-Steve-Schklair_13391.html