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3D Release Calendar 2012

5.29.2012

[BoxOffice.com]

2012 3D RELEASE CALENDAR
DATE DISTRIBUITOR(S) TITLE
Jun 1, 2012 Radius-TWC Piranha 3DD
Jun 8, 2012 Paramount / DreamWorks Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
Jun 8, 2012 Fox Prometheus
Jun 22, 2012 Fox Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Jun 22, 2012 Disney Brave
Jun 29, 2012 Phase 4 Films I Heart Shakey
Jul 3, 2012 Sony / Columbia The Amazing Spider-Man
Jul 5, 2012 Paramount Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D
Jul 13, 2012 Fox Ice Age: Continental Drift
Jul 27, 2012 UTV Communications Joker
Jul 27, 2012 Summit Step Up 4
Aug 17, 2012 Focus ParaNorman
Sep 14, 2012 Disney Finding Nemo 3D
Sep 14, 2012 Sony / Screen Gems Resident Evil: Retribution
Sep 21, 2012 N/A Dredd
Sep 28, 2012 Sony / Columbia Hotel Transylvania
Oct 5, 2012 Disney Frankenweenie
Oct 26, 2012 Open Road Silent Hill: Revelation 3D
Nov 2, 2012 Disney Wreck-It Ralph
Nov 21, 2012 Fox Life of Pi
Nov 21, 2012 Paramount / DreamWorks Rise of The Guardians
Dec 14, 2012 Warner Bros. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Dec 21, 2012 Paramount Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away
Dec 25, 2012 Warner Bros. The Great Gatsby (2012)

See the original post here: http://www.boxoffice.com/statistics/3d-release-calendar

One Hundred Years of 3D

5.29.2012

Edited by Michael D. Smith, Peter Lude and Bill Hogan, Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers, ISBN 978-1-61482-900-3.

Capturing images in three dimensions has been around for a long, long time, and with the current interest by both cinema and television players, it’s interesting to examine some of the technology and techniques used or suggested by players in 3D’s far-reaching history.

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers has been around for a long time, too (the organization will observe its 100th birthday in 2016), and has served as perhaps the largest disseminator of information on 3D. 

SMPTE’s recent publication of a large compendium of 3D papers should come as no surprise then, especially since its founder, C. Francis Jenkins, was a very early proponent of stereoscopic motion-picture imaging. The new 550-page book appropriately leads off with a description of a patent issued to Jenkins on July 5, 1898, “Device for Obtaining Stereoscopic Effects in Exhibiting Pictures,” and follows this with the oldest 3D motion-picture paper published in the SMPTE Journal (then SMPE), Jenkin’s “Stereoscopic Motion Pictures,” which first appeared in the October 1919 issue.

REFLECTIONS ON THE STATE OF THE ART

The new SMPTE book doesn’t stop with 3D history long past either. The final chapter in this massive volume (it’s about the same size and weight of a ream of copy paper) is titled “Stereoscopic Imaging Evolves 1961—Present” and concludes with a paper from Lenny Lipton of taking 3D imagery into the digital cinema environment.

For the techno-historians in the crowd, the book is a must-have, as it includes reflections on the state of the art from such giants as Bell Labs’ Herbert Ives. 

Be advised that this is not the sort of book that you sit down with and finish in one evening. This thick tome contains more than 50 complete papers published in the SMPE and SMPTE Journals, as well as a number of “letters to the editor,” discussions, and even reproductions of newspaper and other articles …

See the entire article here: http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/one-hundred-years-of-d/213253

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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.

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