On Monday 30 January 2017, a selection of thirty-one 3D films were showcased at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport hotel near San Francisco as part of the 28th annual Stereoscopic Displays and Applications (SD&A) conference 3D Theater Session. Attendees, including some of the world’s foremost experts in stereoscopic imaging technologies, were treated to a fantastic selection of 3D cinema and video content from 13 different countries. This annual event exhibits the wide range of 3D content being produced and exhibited around the world – from major studios to researchers to talented individuals.
In order to reward and recognize the high-quality work that is being conducted in this field, the producers and judges of the session are pleased to announce the following Best-of-Show award winners:
Best-of-Show Live-Action Category:
“From Great Depths 3D – Witnessing the Wrecks of HMAS Sydney II and HSK Kormoran” from Western Australian Museum and Curtin University (Australia)
Synopsis: Long considered one of the world’s most significant wartime mysteries, the fateful dusk encounter between HMAS Sydney (II) and the German raider Kormoran stands as Australia’s single largest naval disaster. The loss of both ships on the night of 19 November 1941 with Sydney’s full war complement of men and boys sparked a growing mystery spanning sixty-six years for Australia’s most famous fighting ship and for one of Germany’s best known raiders. This film explores the wrecks sites of both ships.
Best-of-Show Animation Category:
“Chrysalis” from Ina Conradi and Mark Chavez (Singapore)
Synopsis: Chrysalis is a tale of personal struggles and endurance. The film is based on an old legend about the butterfly‘s struggles to evolve.
The full list of 3D content exhibited at the event follows:
Competition Category:
1. “Anisomatropia (aka Segovia All Over Ya)” – Chris Casady (USA)
2. “BoooM” – Alonso Benavente Fortes (Canada, Peru, Ecuador)
3. “Chrysalis” – Ina Conradi and Mark Chavez (Singapore)
4. “From Great Depths 3D – Witnessing the Wrecks of HMAS Sydney II and HSK Kormoran” – Western Australian Museum and Curtin University (Australia)
5. “Half & Half” – John Hart (USA)
6. “Hidden Worlds in 3D” – Robert Bloomberg (USA)
7. “Little Red Dot” – Chanel Samson (USA)
8. “Lost Memories” – Volker Kuchelmeister (Australia)
9. “Microscapes” – John Hart (USA)
10. “Mind the Gap” – Karel Bata (UK)
11. “Mower Minions” – Bruno Chauffard and Glenn McCoy (USA)
12. “Reggae Temple 2015” – Fabien Remblier (France)
13. “Sing China 2016” – Percy Fung (China)
14. “Tenderness” – Wacław Mikłaszewski (Poland)
15. “Terracotta Warriors 3D” – Percy Fung (China)
16. “The First Stars” – Ralf Kaehler and Tom Abel (KIPAC/SLAC) (USA)
17. “The Simple Carnival – Smitten” – Jeff Boller (USA)
18. “Through Worlds and Meanings” – Aleksey Osipenkov (Russia)
19. “’Until Jesse 3D’ with Technical Voiceover” – Miriam Ross, Aaron Lewis, Rebecca Stuart, Morgan Fowler, Steph Miller, Henry Bennison, Paul Wolffram, and Neil Dodgson (New Zealand)
20. “3Deee Mirrors” – Franklin Londin (USA)
Demonstration Category:
1. “Cinema Bonus Card” – Giorgi Tavartkiladze and Elia Pharsadanishvili (Georgia)
2. “Finding Dory” – Pixar Animation Studios (USA)
3. “Habitus” – Peter Rose (USA)
4. “Harmony Lane (from 1954)” – 3-D Film Archive, LLC (UK)
5. “Journey to Space” – Giant Screen Films and K2 Communications (USA)
6. “Piper” – Pixar Animation Studios (USA)
7. “September Storm (from 1960)” – 3-D Film Archive, LLC (USA)
8. “Some Stereo Drawing Machines” – Sylvain Arnoux (France)
9. “The Adventures of Sam Space (from 1955)” – 3-D Film Archive, LLC (USA)
10. “The Good Dinosaur” – Pixar Animation Studios (USA)
11. “The Holland Biunnel” – Peter Rose (USA)
Each of the winners received as a prize a Blu-ray 3D disc from a selection of recent Disney popular films.
We wish to thank all of the contributors who kindly allowed their 3D content to be screened at this event. Some 200 people enjoyed this 90-minute session held as part of the 28th annual SD&A conference.
The judges at this year’s event were:
Emeritus Professor Dan Sandin from the Electronic Visualization Lab at University of Illinois at Chicago, who worked on the original vector graphics for Star Wars: A New Hope;
Eric Kurland from 3-D Space, who has worked on 3D productions for Fox and OK GO, and;
Chris Ward from Lightspeed Design Group and DepthQ Stereoscopic, developer of 3D cinema solutions deployed worldwide.
The producers were: John Stern (Intuitive Surgical, retired), Chris Ward (Lightspeed Design Group and DepthQ Stereoscopic), and Andrew Woods (Curtin University). Management and playback of 3D content was expertly handled by Dan Lawrence (DepthQ Stereoscopic).
We are grateful for the support of our projection sponsors: DepthQ Stereoscopic and Christie Digital; and our 3D Theater partners: LA 3-D Movie Festival and 3-D Film Archive.
About SD&A
The annual Stereoscopic Displays & Applications (SD&A) conference is the world’s premier conference for 3D innovation. It is the largest and longest–running technical conference dedicated to the discussion of stereoscopic 3D imaging topics. The next conference will run January 29 – 31, 2018 near San Francisco.
The SD&A conference is part of the International Symposium on Electronic Imaging organized by the technical society IS&T. The SD&A conference program includes a range of exciting and useful special sessions, as well as research-based oral and poster presentations dedicated to stereoscopic imaging topics. Special sessions include keynote presentations and live demonstrations of stereoscopic displays and applications.
Further information about the SD&A conference is available at: http://www.stereoscopic.org
Information about the SD&A 3D Theater Session is at: http://www.stereoscopic.org/3dcinema
Information about the Electronic Imaging Symposium is at: http://www.electronicimaging.org