In Broadcast September 2012 - 67

ISSUE 12 - SEPTEMBER 2012 | WWW.INBROADCAST.COM

InBOOK Space Exploration
For a new book, leading ﬁlmmakers talk to Adrian Pennington and Carolyn Giardina about treating stereoscopic 3D as a craft for enhancing storytelling…
Much of the talk surrounding stereoscopic 3D content has, to date, concentrated on the format as an opaque technical problem or an economic issue. Yet leading ﬁlmmakers contend that 3D should be integrated into production and treated as a creative tool on a par with colour, lighting design. At its best, stereo 3D can help create an immersive experience that enhances an audience’s appreciation and understanding of mood and emotion or help convey a feeling of connection with an actor’s performance, a landscape and a narrative. It can inspire ﬁlmmakers to create stories that could not have been told in the same way before. In their own words ﬁlmmakers discuss what is meant by 3D as craft and how a new language of ﬁlmmaking which encompasses stereoscopy is being developed. Those interviewed believe passionately that 3D is a creative discipline and that only a creative approach will determine whether stereo 3D will this time stay for good. “We have to deal with an art that has established itself over a century, with an incredibly intricate and elaborate grammar and vocabulary that we love and cherish, but which we should perhaps see as some sort of a mistake – a twodimensional ﬁlm with the second eye missing,” Wim Wenders argues. “If we agree that 3D is indeed not only a new technology, but also a new ﬁlm language, it is obvious that it needs its own grammar and its own vocabulary.” The authors have selected to case study the very best 3D work in each genre since the inception of the new age of digital 3D ﬁlmmaking in 2008 and have talked to the key filmmakers involved. These include directors Martin Scorsese (Hugo), Wim Wenders (PINA), Henry Selick (Coraline), Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon) and Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby) as well as the teams behind Avatar, Flying Monsters 3D and U23D. “With each new movie we produce, 3D is taking us to fantastic new places in visual storytelling,” declares DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg in his Foreword to Exploring 3D. “Master directors like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron are pushing 3D in innovative new directions. The cost barriers to this technology will be coming down, making it increasingly
Exploring 3D: The New Grammar of Stereoscopic Filmmaking

available to ﬁlmmakers at every budget level. So, we can expect the impact of stereoscopic motion pictures to continue to build and won’t be fully felt for years to come. “In the meantime, we have this book to serve as a roadmap to the revolution. For anyone interested in the history, the craft and, yes, the magic of movies, this is essential reading.” ■
Exploring 3D: The New Grammar of Stereoscopic Filmmaking, by Adrian Pennington and Carolyn Giardina, published by Focal Press is available now on Amazon. Cover Image: ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ ©2010, Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation

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In Broadcast September 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast September 2012