Industry insiders shine light on 3-D movies
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Some movie industry insiders suggest that moviemakers exercise caution when producing 3-D movies.
"I don't think 3-D is the future of movies. It is a step of movies," said Eric Edmeades, CEO of Kerner Group, a leading American company in the production of 3-D technologies. "Avtar is a great movie and a great example of 3-D. But most moviemakers today are not thinking of making another Avatar."
Filmmakers cannot rely solely on big budgets and extravagant special effects. Citing 3-D movies My Bloody Valentine and The Final Destination 4 as examples, Edmeades said 3-D movies can achieve box office success if 3-D technology and good story-telling are integrated.
Even moviemakers have expressed concerns about the use of 3-D.
"A lot of people rushed to make 3-D movies after witnessing the success of Avatar," Hong Kong director Pang Ho-cheung said. "They noticed how much money Avatar made instead of the advancement of the technology."
"3-D is just a technological advancement and does not change the nature of movies. It cannot save a bad picture," he added.
Edmeades agreed with Pang. He said, "3-D just makes more the movie that already is: If your movie is good, then 3-D will give it depth and make it better. If it is bad, it exposes that badness."
"It is important that story, characters and the rest of the effects and so forth are of high quality," Edmeades added.
Edmeades does not believe that every movie should be made in 3-D. He also said that 3-D technology will evolve. The moviemaking process will undergo radical changes within 10 years.
For example, it's not just the picture that's 3-D anymore.
Paul Ottosson from Venture 3-D and Hyper Emotive Films said a German company has invented a 31.1 sound system which can precisely match the movement of subjects in 3-D movies. In horror movies, for instance, it can achieve incredible effects.
A side effect of 3-D benefits the movie industry because it protects intellectual property rights. "It is not easy to steal movies on the screen," Edmeades said. "It gives a level of protection."
For China to become a world leader in 3-D moviemaking, Edmeades said it should start developing the technologies itself or partner with field leaders to learn from them.
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