3-D Restoration and Consulting

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Bob Furmanek, Feb 7, 2012.

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  1. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    No, it sucks. You're seeing a simulation of what 3D is, and at best, it's like fake stereo. Really well done faux 3D has to be done by humans who carefully calculate image depth -- both in front of the main image and behind the image -- and it can't be done well on the fly. I think this is totally a gimmick.

    I do think home video 3D can be done well provided the monitor is precisely calibrated, the audience is seated at an optimum position, and the room's lighting is optimized solely for the screen. But I think these are conditions in which very few people are willing to watch TV.
     
    Deesky likes this.
  2. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    It is a gimmick and it's not really 3D. At best it can be described as 2.5D. Even big budget films that were shot in 3D come off looking like 2.5D. I had this issue with Avatar. The three dimensional effect is there, but it seems to appear in layers, background, middleground and foreground.
     
  3. mBen989

    mBen989 Senior Member

    Location:
    Scranton, PA
    Yeah, most 3D movies these have been good with behind the window composition (depth and layers) but haven't been good with before the window shots (think of the paddle ball man in House of Wax)
     
  4. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA

    That's a lot of cash for a conversion that pretty much HAS to recoup in theaters. 3D at home is pretty much dead.
     
  5. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I agree on both counts. But if you have a $100M summer blockbuster, another $12 million won't break the bank. And the overseas release alone will pay the extra dough for 3D. China in particular is a market very keen on 3D these days.

    I had no problem with the fake 3D in The Avengers or Alice in Wonderland, and each of those made over a billion dollars and got great reviews. So it can be done well. Guardians did nearly as well, grossing over $700M and getting very, very good reviews.
     
    Last edited: Nov 17, 2014
  6. Derek Gee

    Derek Gee Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit
    Perhaps you've never seen the new technology? I'm amazed that it works at all, but it works pretty well for what it is. For some films, it's better than the non-3D versions. Others, not so much. I used it to watch "Red Tails" in HD on cable, and it looked great. Really made the combat scenes much better!

    For giggles, I pulled out an old SD copy of "King King" ('33) that I recorded off TCM. The depth was very subtle, but there. Near point objects were at the stereo window and all other objects were placed behind. There was no comic book like layer effect. It all looked very natural. I suppose if I had a HD copy it might have looked better, but that one wasn't worth watching the whole film converted from SD into 3D. But if you just HAVE to see it in 3D, it's your only option...

    Derek
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2014
  7. Derek Gee

    Derek Gee Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit
    Huh? Most of the movie looks pretty natural. That's one of the reasons why all those people were falling in love with the film and going into depression after it left the theaters. It looked so real! A lot of the converted 3D films look layered if they were done on the cheap...

    Derek
     
  8. Derek Gee

    Derek Gee Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit
    A truly must-own 3D Blu-ray! I bought mine last year... I can't wait until "Kiss Me Kate" comes out in March 2015!

    Derek
     
  9. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    I'm not saying it was bad 3D. The reason it was having such a big effect on people is because the movie pioneered a new wave of 3D to audiences that never experienced it before, so it was novel. I also wanted to see it in 3D for this reason. But as a keen observer who was spevifically focusing on the quality of the 3D, I did notice the 'layering' effect in quite a few scenes. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the movie experience.
     
  10. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Yep, I've seen it, like with the Blackmagic products. I'm not impressed. To me, it's too imprecise and unpredictable to be useful. It's a gimmick just like even/odd-harmonic notching yields a stereo sound "effect." It's wider than mono, but it's not stereo. Same deal with colorization. All of these things are trying to yield something real out of something unnatural, and it doesn't work unless there's a ton of time, money, and human intervention spent on it.
     
  11. Derek Gee

    Derek Gee Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit
    I'm going out there ASAP and enter this contest! If I win that'll be one less 3D blu-ray that Santa has to carry with him! ;) I've commented before on how much like your work Bob, and I'm looking forward to the 3D Rarities Blu-ray in 2015! I wish I could join you at the MOMA for tonight's screening.

    Derek
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2014
  12. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Bob is a top-notch archival expert, and if his work on The Bubble is like his past projects, I bet it will look spectacular. I don't think there's a more knowledgeable expert on 3D film systems around, anywhere.
     
    lukejosephchung likes this.
  13. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Happy New Year from Greg Kintz, Jack Theakston and Bob Furmanek of the 3-D Film Archive.

    2014 was a great year for the Archive. We were honored to have our restoration of THE BUBBLE premiered in New York City on September 7 at the Museum of Modern Art as part of “To Save and Project: the 12th MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation.”

    Our first two releases on 3-D blu-ray – DRAGONFLY SQUADRON from Olive Films and THE BUBBLE from Kino-Lorber – were a great success and have opened many doors for us. As a result, 2015 will be the best year yet for vintage 3-D on blu-ray as we celebrate the centennial of stereoscopic motion pictures.

    We begin the New Year with big-screen premieres of THE BUBBLE in Los Angeles at the Aero Theatre on January 22 and Chicago at the Gene Siskel Film Center on January 30. THE BUBBLE will also return to MoMA in New York for a full week beginning January 18.

    Our next restoration project will begin in February. We’ll be working with the Toronto International Film Festival on preserving THE MASK, a classic 1961 horror film with incredible 3-D sequences originally conceived by Slavko Vorkapich.

    The first documented exhibition of stereoscopic motion pictures took place on June 10, 1915 at the Astor Theatre on Times Square in New York. The 100th anniversary celebration will begin with our release of 3-D RARITIES from Flicker Alley in June. This amazing collection has taken thirty years to amass and will include 2-1/2 hours of shorts, tests and trailers dating back to the earliest extant stereoscopic footage from 1922. You’ll be seeing some incredibly rare material that has not been shown anywhere in more than sixty years. Meticulously restored shot by shot for flawless 3-D alignment, this unique archival material has never before looked this good.

    Starting in the fall, there will be a steady stream of vintage 3-D releases on blu-ray. I’m not at liberty to announce the titles just yet but rest assured: there will be some amazing Golden Age gems coming to 3-D blu-ray in the near future. It’s all very exciting and we could not be happier.

    Here’s a photo of Greg and I with an original 24-inch 35mm reel used for projecting 3-D films theatrically in 1953. In fact, that reel holds part one of the left side of a feature that we will soon be restoring…

    Thank you very much for your interest, encouragement and support of our 3-D preservation efforts. Greg, Jack and I wish you peace, happiness, and abundant good health in 2015.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Oops, the premiere of THE BUBBLE at MoMA was November 7.
     
  15. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Don't be frightened; if all goes according to schedule, 3-D RARITIES will be available to pre-order from Flicker Alley on March 31!

    [​IMG]
     
  16. GlamorProfession

    GlamorProfession Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tejas
    looking forward to the reviews!
     
  17. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    We're sorry to spoil the moment, but special pre-orders with a discounted price for 3-D RARITIES should be available within 24 hours.

    Stand by for updates!

    [​IMG]
     
  18. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

  19. Evan L

    Evan L Beatologist

    Location:
    Vermont
    Where have I heard the phrase "Theakstonised" before?
     
  20. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Jack's father Greg Theakston used it on restoring comic book art.
     
  21. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    We are very proud to announce pre-orders for 3-D RARITIES!

    It has taken more than 30 years to locate the eye-popping stereoscopic treasures found within this set. The amazing archival material dates back to the earliest extant 3-D footage from 1922. The release date is June 16 but if you order now through Flicker Alley, you’ll get a special discounted price.

    Don’t delay!

    http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/3-d-rarities
     
    stereoptic likes this.
  22. Dave Garrett

    Dave Garrett Senior Member

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    I don't have a 3D TV, but this disc and the upcoming Warner release of KISS ME KATE are the only titles that have really made me regret not having one. I'll be buying this disc anyway, as I'll probably have a 3D-capable set eventually. I did see in the email I got from Flicker Alley earlier today that the content is also viewable in 2D for those who don't have the requisite equipment, but I'd imagine that's kinda like kissing your sister. ;)
     
    Bob Furmanek likes this.
  23. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

  24. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    We've just updated our website to include new information on the never-completed feature, THE 3-D FOLLIES.

    There's also new data on shorts and industrial films including the lost 1954 General Motors short, THIS IS PROGRESS. With 3-D footage of the XP-21 Firebird, this lost film must be found. Please share!

    http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/golden-age-3-d

    [​IMG]
     
  25. longdist01

    longdist01 Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    Thanks Bob for all the research, and products you are releasing!
     
    Bob Furmanek likes this.
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