"Club Penton" - Ask questions to Hollywood insider "Penton-Man"

[ole geezer]

Originally Posted by Kris Deering

Hey Penton,

The problem I have with tying the success of TF to 3D is there is no way to gauge how the film would do without the 3D. Given the large sums of money the other two films did, without 3D, I think it is a bit naive for the studios to link the success of the third film with its 3D playback. Most theaters around me are only showing it in 3D if it is playing at a theater with digital projection (the majority around here). Same goes for IMAX. Who's to say it wouldn't have still posted big numbers for IMAX screenings if it wasn't in 3D but still shown in IMAX. TF is the kind of film most want to see on the biggest screen possible with the loudest sound imaginable, and you can't beat IMAX for that.

If I may....I'd like to think that the time is approaching where major studios and directors have to ask themselves...Dare we make this film without 3D.

I have to wonder what Super 8 would have done at the BO (especially the 3D hungry foreign BO) had it been converted to 3D.

Personally I still think Avatar has a more seamless 3D experience. I noticed a lot of issues with the 3D in TF3, which actually made the otherwise spectacular special effects seem a bit less convincing than the other films. Aside from the space shuttle launch and the part where they guys are paragliding out of the planes, I didn't think the 3D added anything to the film.

Of course, how 3D experience affects you is a subjective experience. Even the quite non-action dialog scenes in Thor were more "life-like" for me and added to my over all enjoyment of that film.

Man...I can't wait till Hollywood finally goes beyond animation/comic book material where movie goers can see a western, a Star Trek movie, a nice police drama or even something like the terrific Adjustment Bureau in 3D.

[sharkshark]

Ah, flattery...

It's very good... yet another love letter to a major city (think MANHATTAN, VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA)... It's completely accessible, and just a charming, silly little thing with a gorgeous take on Paris. Made me pine for pain au chocolat, sitting in cafes, and wandering the Seine in an almost elegiac haze...

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Break it to me gently , did you like the flick, hate it, or are completely ambivalent….as I find you to be a discerning, thoughtful theatrical critic.
B.T.W., I loved Owen in ‘Hall Pass’.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by ole geezer

If I may....I'd like to think that the time is approaching where major studios and directors have to ask themselves...Dare we make this film without 3D.

I have to wonder what Super 8 would have done at the BO (especially the 3D hungry foreign BO) had it been converted to 3D.

Ugh to that thought. Super 8 doesn't need a gimmick like that to sell tickets.

Conversions will be the death of the format.

[ole geezer]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Ugh to that thought. Super 8 doesn't need a gimmick like that to sell tickets.

Perhaps you're right, but...I still wonder what Super 8 would have done at the BO if it had been converted to 3D and as a juxtaposition to Mr Deering's line of thought (3D's impact on T3's BO), perhaps that's what studio heads might be wondering about more and more as T3 WW BO heads upwards toward $1 billion dollars.

Conversions will be the death of the format.

Not anymore. Not after Tron.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by ole geezer

Perhaps you're right, but...I still wonder what Super 8 would have done at the BO if it had been converted to 3D and as a juxtaposition to Mr Deering's line of thought (3D's impact on T3's BO), perhaps that's what studio heads might be wondering about more and more as T3 WW BO heads upwards toward $1 billion dollars.
Not anymore. Not after Tron.

Tron Legacy was shot 3-D, It's not a 2-D native conversion.

From E-Online's Five Biggest Movie Letdowns of the Summer:

1. 3-D Anything and Everything: The sky-high ticket prices, the dimly lit screens, the crappy conversions, the oversaturated market—you name it, and moviegoers are done with it. Since the long-ago days of Avatar, 3-D flicks have gone from making most of their money from 3-D theaters to Johnny Depp's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides making most of its money from 2-D theaters. Lotsa luck, Harry Potter. (One point of hope for the wizard: The new Transformers is actually doing great in 3-D.)



Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b250...ixzz1RAOqhRX6]

[coolmilo]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Hell, I'm told that the only thing Roger Ebert found wrong with the 3D was that it was still 'too dim' at his venue.

TF 3 was too dim in the high performance XD theater near me as well. I listen to Geektime and they interviewed the director, Joe Johnston, about Captain America. Joe stated that a problem with properly projecting 3D is it shortens the life of projector bulbs. The problem part is these bulbs are expensive. Therefore, cinemas run projectors at lower power to preserve the life of these expensive bulbs. He recommended that if customers are not happy, they should complain!!! Joe also mentioned that this should not be a problem with Captain America because they are going to compensate for dimly lit cinemas by brightening the film (or something like that).

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by coolmilo

TF 3 was too dim in the high performance XD theater near me as well. I listen to Geektime and they interviewed the director, Joe Johnston, about Captain America. Joe stated that a problem with properly projecting 3D is it shortens the life of projector bulbs. The problem part is these bulbs are expensive. Therefore, cinemas run projectors at lower power to preserve the life of these expensive bulbs. He recommended that if customers are not happy, they should complain!!! Joe also mentioned that this should not be a problem with Captain America because they are going to compensate for dimly lit cinemas by brightening the film (or something like that).

Oh boy...I can see it now: LOTR FotR debate ignites all over.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by ole geezer

Man...I can't wait till Hollywood finally goes beyond animation/comic book material where movie goers can see a western, a Star Trek movie, a nice police drama or even something like the terrific Adjustment Bureau in 3D.

Or, how about the antithesis of an adrenalin action movie - "the story of the eponymous orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station”…http://www.dailyblam.com/news/2011/0...lm-hugo-cabret

[ole geezer]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Tron Legacy was shot 3-D, It's not a 2-D native conversion.

Opppps...my bad. I meant Thor. Most impressive, imho.

http://screenrant.com/thor-captain-a...3d-kofi-68484/

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

Ah, flattery...

It's very good... yet another love letter to a major city (think MANHATTAN, VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA)... It's completely accessible, and just a charming, silly little thing with a gorgeous take on Paris. Made me pine for pain au chocolat, sitting in cafes, and wandering the Seine in an almost elegiac haze...

Vive la France!
Vive Les États-Unis http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/mo...ge_victor.html

‘Tube of the Day –

YouTube - ‪Richie Havens, Freedom, (Woodstock)‬‏

[ole geezer]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Or, how about the antithesis of an adrenalin action movie - "the story of the eponymous orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station”…http://www.dailyblam.com/news/2011/0...lm-hugo-cabret

Thanks for the preview. Martin Scorsese...huh. Wow. Now that promises to be interesting.

Geeeeze...I feel like the little 3D child is finally entering puberty.

[coolmilo]

Originally Posted by rickah88

Oh boy...I can see it now: LOTR FotR debate ignites all over.

What's going to happen with Harry Potter DH pt2? This looks like a darkly filmed movie. If cinemas run their projectors in energy save mode...well hopefully they'll attach little flashlights to the 3D glasses so that customers will be able to see the film.

[Kris Deering]

Originally Posted by coolmilo

What's going to happen with Harry Potter DH pt2? This looks like a darkly filmed movie. If cinemas run their projectors in energy save mode...well hopefully they'll attach little flashlights to the 3D glasses so that customers will be able to see the film.

It is a bit scary. For the time being I think I would steer well clear of making dark films that are to be shown in 3D. If people are complaining about the brightness in well lit films and animation, something like HP is going to be brutal.

As for TF3, I'm sure some of those re-used shots from The Island that now just have some robots thrown in were probably done in post-3D!! Scary stuff those comparisons!

[sharkshark]

Originally Posted by ole geezer

Geeeeze...I feel like the little 3D child is finally entering puberty.

Yup, all sweat stains and inappropriate erections.


I'll note that few here have taken the time to see the likes of Herzog in 3D - even if shot with subpar equipment, it's still an experience that demands to be seen in 3D to fully appreciate.

[Elvis Is Alive]

I think Inception could have benefitted greatly from 3D. I think the additional depth would have been a major plus for that film. I am very interested in the conversion that Cameron is talking about doing for the film.

Regarding the LotR debate - Has anyone asked WHY the changes in color timing were made? That seems to be the most important question of it truly was P.J.'s intent. That is the answer I want to hear.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by coolmilo

What's going to happen with Harry Potter DH pt2? This looks like a darkly filmed movie. If cinemas run their projectors in energy save mode...well hopefully they'll attach little flashlights to the 3D glasses so that customers will be able to see the film.

I can play.

What’s going to happen to those 3D movies which have scenes with dark passages in ships or those in which even the characters need flashlights to find their way around….

YouTube - ‪The Adventures of Tintin 3D(official trailer)HD‬‏

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Kris Deering

It is a bit scary. For the time being I think I would steer well clear of making dark films that are to be shown in 3D. If people are complaining about the brightness in well lit films and animation, something like HP is going to be brutal.

Kris, as an interim workaround solution to viewing future 'darkly made 3D films', stay at home and watch 'em on your 3D set-up, see –

https://forum.blu-ray.com/insider-di...ml#post4878634
^ Especially, paragraph 2 ^, since, as by your signature, you’re a home theater guy.

Anyway, if your particular favorite commercial theater is light challenged at the current time…in the grand scheme of things, I think this will be but a blip (dim) on the radar screen (or sonar, in your case), for as I said in that linked post of a couple weeks ago, in 5 -10 years there will be laser projectors in the field and these should get the light level up to around 8-10 fL and that doesn’t even include any possible interim advancements in screen or glasses technology, should they occur.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Elvis Is Alive

I think Inception could have benefitted greatly from 3D. I think the additional depth would have been a major plus for that film. I am very interested in the conversion that Cameron is talking about doing for the film.

Regarding the LotR debate - Has anyone asked WHY the changes in color timing were made? That seems to be the most important question of it truly was P.J.'s intent. That is the answer I want to hear.

^
Not to my knowledge. You may want to pose that question on the dedicated LOTR thread as I find those folks more than willing to answer any questions. As an aside, I, just moments ago, did my humble part in contributing to the discussion by providing a WHY to one of Ken’s comments regarding another digital coloring matter there.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-mo...ml#post4925884

[ole geezer]

Well, I done got my monies worth with Transformers 3.

The story (if you can call it that), was actually worse than I feared though the mostly younger audience members seemed to be having a good time. No...where this movie positively shined was the 3D effects. Utterly F-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c is the word that comes to mind and by itself...worth the price of admission.

No IMAX theater for me (none in town), but I was fortunate enough to see it at at a newly opened all digital cinemaplex with stadium seating and with no light starved projection issues what-so-ever. TF3 gives Avatar a run for the money at least in the 3D department.

LOL. I know I sound like a crazed fanboy here but its been a very long time since I've been so enthused about anything involving motion picture presentation...the last being when most theaters began installing side and surround sound speakers and that was back in the '80's.

[Blu Tiger]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Anyway, long story short, I think ‘Dark of the Moon’ will go down as a 3D success story and even, as of this date in time, one of the better (if not, best, in the eyes of some) examples of a 3D motion picture and when ‘conversion haters’ find out the truth of the matter, it will blow their minds in regards to their preconceived notions of its practice and usage.

Oh, part of the movie with CGI was converted.
But what are your thoughts on 2d to 3d conversion? You for or against conversions?