James Cameron and Vince Pace—co-founders of CAMERON – PACE Group (CPG)—will debunk the belief that separate 2D and 3D productions are required, during a two-hour IBC session today that begins at 16:00 in the auditorium and will include a 39-minute preview of upcoming feature Cirque Du Soleil in 3D, write Carolyn Giardina and Adrian Pennington.
“There is no business model that makes any sense for two separate productions,” Cameron asserted. “I just don’t know how you support that financially. There is no technical reason why you need to do that. … You want the best sports directors to embrace the 3D tools and then make their own creative decision about whether to have two separate line cuts or one that bridges both worlds.”
The CAMERON – PACE model is to merge 2D and 3D as a single production. Said Pace: “We want to raise the level of 3D production by delivering a business model which elevates the quality and reduces the cost.”
CPG’s R&D efforts also involve the development of production technologies that are smaller, lighter, easier to use, and smarter through the use of automation.
“Most of the things that are controversial on the cinema side are going to be resolved on the broadcast side,” Cameron suggested. “If thousands of people are shooting tens of thousands of hours of 3D, then cinema producers can’t say ‘this is too hard.”
As part of this effort the duo announced the imminent launch of CPG in the UK targeting live sports production. “We are having tremendous success domestically serving up to 140 live 3D sports productions to date based on the Shadow system (a CPG development that piggybacks a 2D and 3D camera setup),” said Pace, noting that this includes this week’s US Open Tennis Championship coverage. “We are now introducing that into the European market – globalising the model. We have a great test bed with ESPN and CBS and now is the time to migrate that same model into the UK.”
CPG aims to provide complete 3D mobile units as well to supply outside broadcast providers with its technology. Specifics of the UK OB partnership were not announced.
On Monday Night at the Big Screen, IBC is presenting an extended trailer Cameron’s Titanic 3D which has already undergone a digital remastering at 4K and is undergoing a $18 million 2D to 3D conversion for a theatrical re-release next year. Also courtesy of Lightstorm Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox the audience will get a unique chance to see some test clips that show the benefit of capturing and displaying 3D content at higher frame rates.
