3DMG Helps Superman Returns Fly for IMAX
When SUPERMAN RETURNS debuts on IMAX screens June 27 and June 28 with 20 minutes in 3-D, the conversion was achieved with the help of inventor and computer graphics pioneer David M. Geshwind, president of Three Dimensional Media Group Ltd. (3DMG).
The company has licensed two U.S. Patents to enable IMAXs conversion. However, while Superman may be faster than a speeding bullet, time constraints prevented IMAX from converting the entire movie.
With only a few weeks between the completion of a 2-D film and its release, there is not enough time to economically convert a two-hour film to 3-D using our original process. We have been working on solving that problem, and have developed advanced patent-pending technology that permits an entire film to be converted to 3D for simultaneous day-and-date release with the 2-D version, offered Geshwind.
Geshwind believes 3-D conversion offers a unique opportunity to bring blockbusters back into theaters with something new to offer. Consider the box-office that a relatively low-cost re-release in 3-D of STAR WARS, E.T., INDIANA JONES, HARRY POTTER, LORD OF THE RINGS, THE MATRIX or even THE TEN COMMANDMENTS would bring to theaters.
Conversion of such library films can be done at a slow pace, but what excites me is the ability to show an entire new film in 3-D on the same day as the 2-D release, added Geshwind. We look forward to licensing the first production with our new technology soon.
While SUPERMAN RETURNS is the first widespread public use of Geshwinds 3-D patents, he first demonstrated his patented ChromaSynthesis and StereoSynthesis processes in the early 1990s to enhance a segment of the original KING KONG adding both color and 3D depth.
Geshwind, who holds seven other patents in media technology, with others pending, originally developed StereoSynthesis as a low-cost alternative to virtual reality, and to adapt the huge resource of existing 2-D media for 3-D systems. The effective use of 3D adds greatly to the suspension of disbelief that is key to entertainment. We will bring this same realism to other fields to enhance medical imaging, educational materials, scientific visualization, TV, games, the desktop, advertising and anywhere else digital displays are utilized.
For more info on 3DMG, go to www.3dmg.com.