[Press Release]
Three luminaries in the movie world’s visual effects industry – Dean Lyon, Doug Trumbull, and James Fancher – want to transform the way 3D movies are made, distributed, and experienced so that going to see a movie shot in 3D is a big event. To achieve this, the trio has launched The Lab, an endeavor aimed at addressing key challenges in the movie industry. Lyon, Trumbull, and Fancher are currently seeking funding for The Lab.
Dean Lyon, Dough Trumbull, and James Fancher believe that Hollywood is at a potentially game-changing crossroads when it comes to producing, distributing, and exhibiting 3D feature films. ”We want to change and improve the production process for 3D filmmaking, rather than shoe-horn a new process into an old, broken one,” says Dean Lyon, one of the visual effects supervisors on the Lord of the Rings film trilogy and a member of Visual Effects Society since 2004.
“Continual improvement of the final product is not optional. Audiences are jaded, the market is crowded, and viewers’ expectations of 3D films are not being fully met. The current market for theatrical film exhibition is threatened by home theaters and streaming media,” said Lyon, head of Splinter Studios and a spokesperson for The Lab.
Doug Trumbull, visual effects veteran and filmmaker, challenged Hollywood last year when he posed a question: How do you make the experience of going to the movies so spectacular and so different from watching a film at home on your television, tablet, or smartphone screen that audiences will embrace 3D and pay a premium price to see it?
Trumbull’s – and The Lab’s – answer? Shoot 3D films at 120 frames per second (fps), five times today’s standard 24fps and project them onto giant screens at seven times the luminosity found in most standard theaters today. The Lab’s team has been busy making this vision a reality and has already built a prototype 120fps 3D workflow, which will be used on Doug Trumbull’s next three 3D feature film projects.
According to Dean Lyon “Development of higher frame rates means that the viewer is more ‘fully immersed’ in the 3D experience,” thus differentiating a film shot at 120fps from other 3D offerings in the market. “Other filmmakers are keenly following The Lab’s progress – think 3D heavyweights like James Cameron (Avatar) and Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings), among others.”
2012 is proving to be a big year for Doug Trumbull. He received the Gordon E. Sawyer Award – an Oscar® statuette – for his lifetime of technical contributions and leadership in the motion picture industry at the Scientific and Technical Awards presentation on February 11. Additionally, Trumbull received the 2012 George Méliès Award on February 7 at the 10th Annual Visual Effect Society Awards. The award honors individuals who have “pioneered a significant and lasting contribution to the art and/or science of the visual effects industry by a way of artistry, invention and groundbreaking work.”
About The Lab
Founded in 2010, The Lab is the brainchild of three visual effects luminaries – Dean Lyon, Doug Trumbull, and James Fancher – who want to reinvent the movie-going experience. By building ‘The Lab’, they will develop a neutral playground to showcase technology to filmmakers, (i.e. James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Ridley Scott, JJ Abrams, and others), license technology to their projects, and provide consulting and services.
The Lab is seeking funding to develop software and patents for next generation 3D feature film production and distribution. This new technology will find immediate application in new productions being readied by Doug Trumbull and other creative pioneers.
To learn more about The Lab, visit http://www.splinterstudios.com
See the press release here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9242285.htm