The 4th Annual China 3D Expo took place in Beijing last week. Chuck Comisky of “Avatar” fame delivered a speech demystifying 3D. Ryan Erwin, General Manager of Red China was on hand, showing off a fully automated Stereotec beam splitter rig with two Red Epics.
3DGuy’s own, Al Caudullo delivered a keynote speech on “China’s Opportunity in the 3D Industry“. In the speech Caudullo was quoted as saying, “The list of opportunities is ever expanding, much like China’s growth. The possibilities are tremendous. China has already taken the first tedious steps in the 3D industry, now, it has the opportunity to leap ahead of everyone else.” The speech was well received by both the government officials and private sector 3D industry professionals.
The event was attended by prominent Chinese government and 3D film industry professionals; Mr. Huang Hai, from the 3D League of Theater Chains and Mr. Bai Qiang, the CEO of 3D China and the founder and 3D Experience Center. New Sponsor, the Chinese Institute of Electronics was represented by Mr. Lui Mingliang. Round table discussions about 3D film and TV were held with a mix of Chinese and Western participants on many 3D related topics.
The evening program included screenings of 3D films from a wide spectrum. Filmmaker Ole Shell previewed his “The Sunday Morning Drive” 3D film. The film shot on the famous Pacific Coast Highway near Big Sur in California used a mixture of GoPro Hero 2 And Sony TD 20 cameras. The edit was accomplished using Sony’s Vegas Pro 3D software.
Torsten Hoffman from 3D Content Hub, an international 3D content distributor, showed “Goliath 3D”. Hoffman was quoted as saying, China remains the most promising market for the 3D industry for both in theatrical and 3DTV distribution.”
“The 3D Expo 2013 in Beijing brought together the most important people from the Chinese 3D industry to talk about the prospects and challenges of the industry, filmmaking and the technology. For 3D Content Hub, as a specialized 3D distributor, this was an important event to meet local producers as well as VOD and Broadcast clients”.
The evening was capped off by the Premiere of Chinese 3D animated film, “Fantastic Adventure”.
Grass Valley China’s John Xiao and Robert Song were on hand to show off their Grass Valley Edius 7 3D Editing software using 3D footage from Al Caudullo Productions. 3D scenes from Thailand’s Ghost Festival and from Caudullo’s visit earlier in the week to the Great Wall were used to showcase the 3D workflow. Shot with Panasonic HDC Z10000 with modifications that included the FCA and custom Sun Shade from Cyclopital.com.
For the first time, Caudullo utilized the new Atomos Samurai Blade. Asked about the newest external recorder offering from Atomos he replied, “the Blade is just that, a cutting edge device that not only offers filmmakers high bit rate 10-bit 4:2:2 recording in either ProRes or DNxHD but also built in Waveform Vectorscope and RGB Parade plus more. The monitor screen is eye popping with its 1280 x 720 SuperAtom IPS touch screen, a 325ppi 179-degree viewing, 400nit brightness level. Honestly, I don’t ever want to shoot without it again.”
Caudullo also debuted his new 3D System to a very enthusiastic crowd. Dubbed the Superhero 3D System. Designed and created by Caudullo, this 3D rig and software/hardware system utilizes the popular GoPro Hero3 and the new Hero3+. The rig and accessories for the system are all printed using a 3D printer thus keeping it a very affordable, lightweight and easy to use system.
With China’s aggressive plan for 10 3D channels nationwide, this event will continue to draw attention worldwide. 3D films will continue to grow in China as ever growing box office receipts insure that. 3DTV in many areas around the globe is still expanding, although at a slower rate than last year. A resurgence of 3DTV is predicted with the upcoming arrival of autostereoscopic 3DTVs. In any case, China’s place in the world stage has been established.