Is 2009 Year of the 3D Movies?

Filmmakers take advantage of high-tech formats as the number of theaters able to show 3-D and Imax films increases.

This year, 3-D and Imax have a lock on blockbusters

With digital projection, Imax screens and movies in 3-D all coming to a theater near you, 2009 could go down as the year that high-tech became the indisputably dominant force in American movie theaters.

No less an industry force than DreamWorks Animation head Jeffrey Katzenberg, long the most vocal proponent of high-tech wizardry in moviemaking, is predicting that all movies may one day be shot in 3-D, and he's already decreed that all DreamWorks' animated films be shot using the extra-dimensional process (Disney has the same plans).

Imax and the AMC theater chain are well along in their bid to put Imax screens, with their bigger, brighter pictures and clearer sound, in multiplexes throughout the country.

The spread of both 3-D and Imax is being made possible by the increasing popularity of digital projection, which eliminates the need for bulky (not to mention breakable) film spools.

And technical innovation affects more than simply how a film looks. Increased reliance on computer-generated imagery (CGI) continues to expand the realm of what can be shown onscreen. Filmmakers revel in pushing that envelope ever further.

"Time and money is the only barrier now," says Conrad Vernon, director of DreamWorks' animated "Monsters vs. Aliens," set to debut in both 3-D and Imax this month. "You can pretty much take technology anywhere the mind can go."

As many as a dozen 3-D films are on tap for this year. Disney has four, including a Jonas Brothers' concert film (Feb. 27); Pixar's animated "Up," about a balloon salesman floating his way to South America (May 29); the animated "G-Force," the story of guinea pigs trained in espionage (July 24); a rerelease of Pixar's "Toy Story" (Oct. 6); and Disney's "A Christmas Carol," directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Jim Carrey as Scrooge.

Even horror movies, a staple of 3-D films during the 1950s and 1980s, will once again be jumping off the screen with "My Bloody Valentine 3-D" (Jan. 16).

Movies set to be released in the Imax format include Alan Moore's "Watchmen," in which a group of retired superheroes look to ease the Earth from the brink of Destruction (March 6, if a court battle between Fox and Warner Bros. doesn't delay it); "Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian" (May 22); "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (June 26) and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (July 17).



The year's most eagerly anticipated movie, however, involves director James Cameron. Eleven years after his last movie, a minor hit called "Titanic," he returns to theaters with "Avatar" (Dec. 18). In the film, a group of human extraterrestrial space pioneers find themselves in pitched battle against their new planet's native population. And like so many other of 2009's potential blockbusters, it's being released in 3-D and Imax formats.

Of course, knowing Cameron as the inveterate tinkerer he is, it will probably feature about half a dozen new technologies as well -- the sort of stuff the new releases of 2010 will find themselves trying to emulate.

Source:LA Times
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Transformers2: The World's First Look Photos

The anticipated sequel, starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Isabel Lucas, Rainn Wilson and Jennifer Alden, opens in conventional theaters and IMAX on June 26.

To prove just how much is going into Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, USA Today talked extensively about their military interaction. "The Pentagon gave its stamp of approval to the film and allowed production amid the dunes of the Army's New Mexico missile range. 'They let us do the run of things,' Bay says. 'We have so many military assets. Plus, this is a missile range — we can just fire into the set. It's a great place.'" And to top that off, for the first time in history, they were allowed to shoot in Giza, Egypt near the pyramids and were even allowed to shoot on them, which has never been allowed before.



In regards to the last photo, USA Today says: "In the sequel, humanity is still trying to sort out which Transformers can be trusted and which mean to exterminate humans. Authentic military personnel were hired to show just how they might actually handle an over-the-top situation like an alien robot invasion."

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Night At The Museum 2 Trailer

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Transformers 2 Gets at Least 3 IMAX Scenes

Variety reports that director Michael Bay will film at least three action set pieces using IMAX cameras for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The trade adds that director Jon Favreau has discussed using IMAX cameras in filming Iron Man 2, while director D.J. Caruso has expressed interest in doing so for future projects such as Y: The Last Man.



LOS ANGELES /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - IMAX Corporation, DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures today announced that director Michael Bay will shoot key sequences of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with IMAX® cameras. Bay will integrate the IMAX footage with state of the art CGI to create an unprecedented look and feel for the highly anticipated sequel to last year's box office hit, Transformers. As previously announced, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be released to IMAX® theatres simultaneously with the movie's wide release on June 26, 2009.

The movie sequences shot in traditional 35mm will be digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The IMAX DMR scenes will appear in the traditional "letterbox" shape, while scenes shot with IMAX's cameras will expand vertically to fill the entire IMAX screen.

"The extraordinary level of detail and intensity captured by the IMAX camera creates many exciting possibilities for us with this film," said Michael Bay, the film's director. "IMAX's all-encompassing format will take this story to a new level, and I am once again very excited to share The IMAX Experience with Transformers fans around the world."

"The addition of another amazing title from DreamWorks and Paramount, combined with more groundbreaking use of IMAX technology by Hollywood's top filmmakers, are examples of how far we have come as a company and a distribution platform over the past several years," said IMAX Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler. "The growth of the IMAX theatre network, fueled by the economical benefits of the new IMAX digital system, is driving interest from virtually all of the top studios, which is resulting in more IMAX movies for audiences to enjoy."

"Michael Bay's innovative use of IMAX cameras will create a spectacular cinematic adventure for moviegoers next summer," added Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "We're very excited to be integrated as a core part of the Transformers production, and with the skilled marketing and distribution teams at DreamWorks and Paramount, the timing is ideal given our expanding global audience and network footprint."
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‘The Dark Knight’ Shatters DVD And Blu-ray Sales Records

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According to the statement released by Warner Bros., Blu-ray sales alone have topped 1.7 million units, and total DVD and Blu-ray sales have hit 13.5 million units worldwide (including consumer and rental sales). Again, given that the film has been available for just over a week — coupled with the fact that we’re in the thick of holiday shopping season — it’s clear that we are witnessing “The Dark Knight” setting the bar in terms of DVD and Blu-ray sales, as it has already become the best selling DVD of 2008 (not to mention on iTunes).



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In the statement released by the studio, which included all of the aforementioned sales figures, Warner Bros. also commented on the groundbreaking filming techniques used by director Christopher Nolan which gave fans a truly unique experience in terms of the transfer from IMAX to Blu-ray.

“‘The Dark Knight’ marks the first time that a major feature film has been shot in part using IMAX cameras, marking a revolutionary integration of film formats. ‘The Dark Knight’ Blu-ray disc takes advantage of the marriage of IMAX and 35mm formats by using the hybrid master to replicate the unique theatrical experience. The IMAX scenes are also included on the 2-disc Special Edition as bonus materials.”

Do you already have your copy of “The Dark Knight” on DVD or Blu-ray? Or are you hoping someone will hook you up with it for the holidays?
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