invaZion ‘09
3D Digital Cinema is the new trend – particularly in the US. more3D and its partners Adobe, Maxon, fmx/09 and the Digital Production Magazine now start “invaZion ‘09″ the world’s first challenge for stereoscopic short films. Among many other prizes, the grand prize includes a complete 3D stereo projection system by more3D. Ambitious 3D artists from all over the world are invited to join at.
Thanks to the unrivalled success of the latest digital 3D movies particularly in the US, a new interest in 3D stereo has awoken world wide. Hollywood studios, movie theatres and even manufacturers of home cinema equipment are jumping into the quickly emerging market. No wonder, because 3D movies have many economic advantages over regular 2D film releases: movie theatre managers celebrate rising visitor numbers, against the overall trend. The greater visual experience of 3D films lures back old customers and attracts new ones alike. Film distributors and producers warmly welcome higher box office results. An additional bonus is the fact that 3D movies cannot practically be illegally copied – a brought in camera would only record two overlaid images.
The overall 3D market suffered from a classical “chicken egg problem” for many years. Without good 3D content there is no sufficiently sized demand for home cinema or 3D-TV equipment and vice versa. 3D viewing pleasure in the cosiness of ones home was therefore restricted to a few individuals with slide projectors or PC based projection systems. Until now. The home entertainment industry is working hard to create a standard, but it will take a minimum of 1-2 years for something to be published and converted into actual products. Until then viewers will have to utilize the legendary but unloved pair of red-cyan anaglyph glasses. At least they can be used with almost any existing TV device.
“But why are there so few 3D movies on the market?”, one might ask. It is not at all simple to create good looking 3D movies. While editors know the do’s and don’ts of classical 2D films, making a 3D film is a totally different challenge because every object now has a place in space which has to be considered. It offers a whole new toolset for dramaturgy and storytelling which emotionally involves viewers deeper into the action. Professionals use 3D to support their story and avoid “throwing pie at the audience” for pure effect.
Ingo Nadler, co founder of more3D, Germany says: “Just adding a second camera does no good. 3D film is a new medium, just as colour film used to be. The laws and possibilities of this medium have to be researched and probed in practice. more3D intends to give creative talent all over the world the opportunity to use the invaZion challenge to tell their stories more intensively than ever and create compelling “tangible” viewing experiences. While invasion is just the beginning, more3D and its partners now already offer the tools for great 3D content.
Producers have had access to professional tools for the creation of 3D movies since the dawn of digital film making. Yet still, newcomers and pros have to learn the new dramaturgical rules and visual opportunities of 3D production. For this very reason more3D and its partners Adobe, Maxon, the fmx/09 and the Digital Production magazine send a clear signal towards 3D stereo, the medium of the future with invaZion – the first worldwide challenge for stereoscopic 3D short films.
3D artists, designers and film professionals all over the world are invited to create complete new films tailored to 3D or transfer existing films into the new dimension and register at www.invazion.org. Early 2009 a high class jury with film and industry experts will closely evaluate the participants’ productions in the categories “Stereoscopic Storytelling” and “Excellence in Visual Arts”. The winners will be rewarded with valuable prices, including among others a complete more3D projection system worth over 15.000 Euro that plays 3D films, applications and even games in 3D stereo. Many more awards are sponsored by the invasion partners. The winners will be announced in May, 2009.
“invaZion’09″ is a great opportunity for young film makers to gather experience with 3D film production and post production. With Adobe Creative Suite Production Premium and products like After Effects and Photoshop, Adobe offers the ideal tools for this task today”, says Michael Moertl, Business Development Manager with Adobe Germany.
Matthias J. Lange, Chief Editor DIGITAL PRODUCTION, comments: “invaZion is refreshingly different from other competitions. It is the challenge of a new dimension. Stereoscopy is the trend of the future and invaZion fills this future with new content.”
“The signs of the times point towards stereoscopy. CINEMA4D and the stereo camera setup for download at the invasion web site provide an invaluable contribution. Ease of use and the seamless integration into a production pipeline (e.g. using Adobe After Effects) make CINEMA4D the ideal tool for stereoscopic film making”, says Dirk Beichert, Marketing Director of MAXON Computer GmbH.
