All the vfx principals who worked on Journey agreed having live actors and objects interact in 3-D stereoscopic was the biggest challenge.

Aaron Dem, the former vp of production for Meteor and now president of production for Lumiere VFX, said they worked on several sequences. "We did full CG virtual environments for all of these sequences. We did effects animations throughout these sequences. We did the dinosaur. For the Mine Ride, [there was] a two-minute CG sequence and full environment that we did. We also did the Mine Crash and the Mine Entrance. Those were full CG environments as well.

"Challenges working on a stereo 3-D film were multiple. One was basically manipulating the stereoscopic images when Eric wanted the photography repositioned. We had to redo a whole layout and then figure out all the camera information and the 3-D information and then re-track that, replace it in a full layout and then re-render all the elements. Obviously the tracking was difficult and the rotopainting was difficult. The tracking primarily was the most difficult part.

"We built a proprietary software to deal with the lens issues within Maya and also we received some other data from the camera so we used that as well to get us started on our pre-tracking. Then we used 3D Equalizer. They [3D Equalizer] worked hand-in-hand with Meteor to develop new tools as well to tackle the challenges that we had to deal with in stereoscopic.

"The project was challenging because it was the first live-action stereoscopic film produced with the new technologies. So, being on set for almost all the shoot, you got to see first hand how the camera technology worked and processed daily. We'd shoot something then go into a screening room to make sure it looked great.

"Just the process of re-lighting stereo shots for a film of this magnitude was definitely a challenge because Eric had a big toolbox to work with, and he definitely wanted to use every tool in his possession. So, it was a challenge to keep up with him, and it was a pleasure to work with him. I think at the end of the day, it'll prove the new technology is here to stay, and it's a great theatrical experience."

J. Paul Peszko is a freelance writer and screenwriter living in Los Angeles. He writes various features and reviews, as well as short fiction. He has a feature comedy in development and has just completed his second novel. When he isn't writing, he teaches communications courses.