by Jose Cruz on October 20, 2010
According to Box Office Mojo, Jackass 3d had an impressive $50.4 weekend debut. It’s also the most impressive debut for the franchise. Jackass 2 pulled in $29 million and the first installment pulled $22.8. Even more impressively, the 3d showings accounted for close to 90% of the business.
To me, as an avid 3d fan, that’s the most impressive of the stats. Some movies, audiences really do prefer to see in 3d. The 3d immersion factor is critical to some movies. Whether it’s Avatar that takes you to another world or Jackass that puts you right in the middle of the gross out action.
Audiences will pay the extra three or so dollars to watch a 3d movie, if they feel they are getting more bang for the buck. Although I must admit this movie would have been almost just as fun, gross and hilarious in 2d.
As far as the 3d in this movie, well it’s no where near the standard set by Avatar. Not even close. Yet the audience didn’t seem to mind. As a 3d aficionado, I could tell which scenes were converted, which were shot in 3d and which were left as is (in 2d). Maybe some of the audience also noticed, but they didn’t care, they were too busy laughing.
The opening sequence had amazing slow motion 3d effects. They were shot using a Phantom 3d rig. These were super slow motion shots of Johnny Knoxville and the gang getting pummeled by assorted objects. The audience really enjoyed those shots. After that sequence, the 3d was very inconsistent. Some of the sequences did not lend themselves to be shot in 3d. The hidden camera pranks, for example. It didn’t matter, by then the audience was fully immersed and felt like they were part of the gang.
The movie includes an introduction with Beavis and Butt-head explaining as only they can, the technology behind the movie. If you have a strong stomach and are not squeamish, go out and see this movie. In 3d.
by Jeff Horst on October 13, 2010
The new Call of Duty: Black Ops video game will action packed…in 3D! Watch for stray bullets and hand grenades coming out of the TV in your living room as you play this game. The new 3D option on Xbox 360 and Playstation®3 can be used with 3D-ready HDTVs and shutter 3D glasses, while the Windows PC version is NVIDIA® 3D Vision®-Ready. The best news is you won’t need a special disc to play in 3D, its included on the main disc. This should add a new level of play to this already intense game. Check out the intel on the subject at the official Black Ops website.
by Jeff Horst on October 8, 2010
Maxim magazine and Honda teamed up to bring you Anna Kournikova and the Honda CRZ in series of photos and advertisements using 3D. After popping out the 3D glasses from the CRZ ad, you were set to experience cool 3D that had Anna and the CRZ leaping off the pages. Then if you took you glasses online, you could experience a 3D video and more 3D photos of the CRZ on a page within the Honda website.
by Jeff Horst on October 6, 2010
As if the real world wasn’t 3D enough, now products are showing up with 3D branding. 3D is becoming a buzz word in almost every industry. Watch for more things that will be “Available in 3D”!
by Jose Cruz on September 29, 2010
Right now we are going through the second phase of the 3d revolution. People are aware of it. 3d movies are making money. More and more movies are being made in 3d. That being said, the naysayers are coming out in droves. The same type of people that scoffed at sound and color movies, when those first came out.
Some of the complaints are that it hurts my eyes, I get a headache, it distracts from the film, it cheapens the art of film. I could go on and on. Some say it’s a fad and it will go away just like it did before in the 50’s and 80’s. However back then the film industry was limited by the technology that was available at the time. Digital movie technology and smaller cameras are making it easier this time around.
The film industry is going full steam ahead in increasing 3d movie production. The type of movies that are being made in 3d is also expanding. One of the latest is Jackass 3d. That genre is better known for its “guerrilla” style of videotaping. Check out the interview with the producer. It will be interesting to see how the 3d looks in this movie. Other movies coming out soon include a new installment of Harry Potter , a remake of Tron and more horror movies of course.
The industry also feels there is a great demand for library titles, like Star Wars. They are currently being converted to 3d. If there is enough time and money spent on the conversion, they should look acceptable. Once again, George Lucas has found another way to make more money from the franchise. As an avid fan, I’m looking forward to seeing the movies in 3d.
More and more theaters are being set-up for 3d. The next generation of digital projects will solve some of the issues with the lack of brightness in the image. Hollywood believes 3d is here to stay. It is spending the money to make sure it doesn’t go away. Some believe 3d is saving the movie industry.
Some people hate 3d, some don’t care, some are ignorant about it, for some of us it’s our passion. As for the film industry, it knows eventually most of the audiences will accept it as part of the enhanced movie experience. Does the film industry know what’s best for its audiences? Who knows, but it knows what it has to do to keep people coming to the theaters and to continue to make money.
by Jordan Falk on September 22, 2010
I downloaded the newest system upgrade for my Playstation 3 last night, system upgrade 3.50. This update will allow me to watch 3D BluRays in addition to playing 3D games, which were made possible with a previous system update.
The only problem is I don’t have a 3D TV.
And there aren’t many 3D BluRays out there. In fact there are two titles that can be purchased without an expensive 3DTV/BluRay player bundle package.
And the only 3D games available for PS3 are a handful on the Playstation network.
So the obvious dilemma, aside from my not having three grand to drop on a high end 3D capable HDTV (donations accepted – reply to this post for a self addressed envelope!), is that there is VERY LITTLE CONTENT available for viewing in HD 3D. While this is not a new challenge for early adopters of the technology, it is in fact one that the consumer electronics industry is working in tandem with content producers to rectify quickly, according to info I learned at last week’s 3D Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles.
It was announced that there will be up to 15 3D BluRay titles available for purchase this holiday season, which will NOT be bundled with 3D TVs. Studio execs also made it clear that getting additional content out ASAP throughout 2011 is a top priority, made possible by a fairly large recent back catalog of dozens of 3D properties that have been in theaters over the past 2 or 3 years. In addition, many major cable networks have previously announced either 24 hour or “event based” HD 3D networks that will start coming on-line in 2011, including ESPN, Discovery Networks, and a joint venture between Sony and IMAX.
There are several large game releases in 2011 that are predicted to drive additional 3D TV sales, including Crysis 2 and Killzone 3, both first person shooters with established fan-bases. I for one am excited to see how stereoscopic 3D drives progression in the console gaming industry, as it has already done for PC gaming, which has supported stereoscopic for the past few years and has a dedicated S3D gaming base of over one million gamers.
In short – the PS3 system upgrade will make millions of households one step closer to being 3D capable. Availability of quality content is still the limiting factor (aside from price) in driving 3D TV sales, but all indications are that there will be dramatic improvements in this area in 2011.
by Jose Cruz on September 20, 2010
I attended the 3d Summit at the Universal Hilton last week. Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg was one of the featured key-note speakers. He blasted 2d to 3d conversion. Check out this article and youtube upload. Jeff said “When it comes to 3D conversion, here’s the bottom line: over the years the film industry comes up with new ways to make a bad movie worse. Conversion of 2D to 3D is just the newest.”
Is 3d, the latest and greatest filmmaking tool or is it a box office gimmick? Or is it both? I believe it’s both, but the perception by many is that it’s a box office gimmick. Sometimes perception can be reality and it’s up to filmmakers and producers to make the sure the correct perception of 3d is out there.
The film-going audience is not stupid. They are savvy and they know what’s good and what’s not. They may not understand how 3d works, how it’s made or what constitutes good 3d. However, they know what they like and what they’ll pay to see. Right now 3d is a premium movie experience. That’s how it’s being marketed and it’s up to the film industry to make sure they deliver a premium movie experience. Failure to do so, could mean the end of another era of 3d.
3d came and went in the fifties and eighties. It is here to stay in 2010. That is of course, if the audience gets what they want. The bar has been set high by Avatar and audiences will not put up with subpar 3d. Converted 3d is not necessarily a bad thing if it is done right and enough money and time is put into it. The industry cannot survive another summer of half-baked batch of 2d movies converted to 3d.
So is 3d a filmmaking tool or a gimmick? When used correctly, as a tool to get the audience immersed in the story as it was done in movies like Avatar and Toy Story 3d, it’s a filmmaker’s tool. Much like lighting and sound. Like sound in a movie, it can be controlled, enhanced, amplified, isolated or anything that will further enhance or help tell the story. Lighting, music, sound, camera angles all are tools filmmakers use to help tell the story. As a filmmaker myself, I am excited to have this latest and greatest tool in my filmmaking toolbox. I want to make sure I use it creatively, artistically and responsibly.
When 3d is used incorrectly, as an afterthought or as a box office tool, it can make the movie experience worse. The audience knows when it’s being misled. They don’t understand what makes great 3d or how to make good 3d, but they know bad 3d when they see it. No one wants to pay a premium for a 3d movie only to be treated to a bad 3d experience. The latest era of 3d is no longer in its infancy. It can mature and be here to stay, if the film industry is responsible and takes good care of this “child”.
by Tessa Boettner on June 14, 2010
3D is everywhere! It’s HOT in Hollywood… with more than 23 3D movies slated to be released in movie theaters this year. But 3D is not just for movie studios. 3D is making a huge impact on product promotions and brands everywhere– especially product packaging.
Check out this super cool 3D video (put on your red/blue 3D glasses now). Our in-house design team put this video together and posted it on YouTube to help demonstrate the effectiveness of incorporating 3D effects into product packaging.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCchB-uZaN4&feature=channel
When former Univeristy of Minnesota basketball star, Lindsay Whalen, returned to Minnesota to continue her professional career playing for the Minnesota Lynx, it was only fitting to celebrate the athlete’s debut with a warm Minnesota welcome (back)!
Whalen’s return created buzz throughout the state, and executives with the Lynx wanted to match this excitement by offering a lenticular trading card as the promotional giveaway at her Lynx home debut. So they partnered with Virtual Images to produce the eye-catching promotional pieces. Everyone entering the Target Center the evening of the Lynx’s first home game received the lenticular piece; it was a HUGE hit!
The lenticular card incorporated a 2-phase animation, flipping between Lindsay Whalen (#13) as a Minnesota Golden Gopher and Whalen (#13) in her newly acquired position as a Minnesota Lynx Guard. The back of the card contained stats and on Whalen’s college and professional career.
by admin on April 19, 2010
Above: Large format lenticular posters displayed in New York's Grand Central Station
What if you could put a three second commercial in your customers hands? What if you could show how your product works on the package it’s in? What if you could deliver a heart-pounding scene from a new movie on a collectible product?
Full motion video lenticular creates an emotional bond between the consumer and your brand by making them part of the action. Our precise printing techniques allow us to fit a large amount of images under our lenticular lens. This means your product will come to life and grab the attention of the consumer.
When you are designing for full motion video lenticular the number one tip is to use video in which the action happens on top of itself. Imagine a football player running into the end zone and leaping above a defender to make the game winning catch– if you use a video sequence where the camera is still and all of the motion happens as he is running across the scene, you will end up with a blurry lenticular piece because everything is moving by quickly except the background. Now imagine the same scene but the camera moves with the player, keeping him in the center of the action. By doing this, it creates continuity under the lenticular lens and you will end up with a great full motion video lenticular.
Lenticular full motion video effect uses multiple frames of an action to show movement from the beginning to the end. It is like watching a movie clip, but on a medium that requires no power. And when you put this powerful technology in consumers’ hands, you’ll want to make sure you work with experts to make an impact and get results—that’s where we come in!
