The 3D Film Festival has been around for a few years now, but instead of basing itself out of one theater or city alone, it’s traveled around the world on a tour of dozens of destinations, showing exclusively 3D films. The festival has found a new home in Los Angeles, where it will be stationed at The Los Angeles Film School, and is partnering with Sony and RealD to make it a huge event, with the best and newest 3D technology on hand. As the school begins offering classes in 3D filmmaking (a trend across many film schools- my own alma mater began developing a Stereoscopic Filmmaking class almost immediately after I graduated), the festival will host a “72 Hour 3DFF
Short Film
Festival” which will allow students to generate 3D films in 3 days to compete for a spot in the festival.

While I think the festival might need to make Advil a sponsor to be truly successful, it sounds like an interesting event. Those in LA who don’t find 3D too distasteful should consider checking it out and gauging the landscape of 3D storytelling for themselves (full press release below). Besides, they’ve got a great logo.

From my perspective, trying to compare today’s 3D trend to those that have occurred in decades past is becoming an increasingly narrow and useless way of looking at the market. The use of 3D has become a filmmaking issue with its own prophets, proselytizers, and politicians, all spouting rhetoric and spinning bullshit- kind of sad really. Almost makes you think Hollywood needs real problems.

The current landscape for 3D is difficult to be optimistic about though- high-prices for low-quality conversions that make up a wave of utterly transparent cash-grabbing from the studios. The current paradigm of the tech is still in its infancy as it still ultimately is a technology that forces our minds to process a visual phenomenon that is completely unnatural and unprecedented for the human eye (as I’ve heard Walter Murch explain it, we’re not built to focus on one thing -the projection screen- while looking at something else).

That said, the technology continues to progress, and more natively shot 3D films are on their way. Lots of them. And while it’s tough to argue for 3 – 5 dollar hikes in movie ticket prices, increasingly exciting filmmakers are looking to the new tools afforded them and instead of rejecting it, are diving right in. TRON, At The Mountains of Madness, and even something like Drive Angry are all films that promise to use the technology, be it for storytelling or more impacting spectacle. Add the wildfire growth in the home 3D television market, the overall interest in applying 3D tech in other industries, and the breakneck speed at which 3D camera tools are being made available to the public cheaply, and we’ve never seen anything like this trend before.

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THE DREAM FACTORY TEAMS WITH THE LOS ANGELES FILM SCHOOL, SONY AND REALD TO PRESENT NEW 3D FILM FESTIVAL

September 30th to October 3rd 2010
 
Festival celebrates 3D technology in the heart of the New Hollywood
 
Hollywood, CA (August 16, 2010) – The world’s first 3D Film Festival (3DFF) is back for its third season with a newly redesigned program and a new home in Hollywood.  After traversing the globe on a world tour of more than 50 cities, the pioneering 3D technology festival has announced its new annual residency at The Los Angeles Film School (LAFS) located in the heart of the stunningly redesigned Sunset and Vine district of Hollywood.
 
With support from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and City Council Member Eric Garcetti’s Office, “The 3D Film Festival celebrates the latest in film technology, ensuring Los Angeles remains on the cutting edge, and by working with the LA Film School, this festival will help to keep the film industry where it belongs — in Hollywood — for years to come,” stated Mr. Garcetti.
 
The 3D Film Festival will help promote the city’s re-development efforts in the area including the new Hollywood Subway Station, which transports passengers directly to and from the front steps of the new W Hollywood Hotel, the official hotel of 3DFF and a short walk to the main screening room at Los Angeles Film School.
 
The 3D Film Festival, presented by RealD and The Los Angeles Film School is produced by 3D live event pioneer The Dream Factory, will feature four days of events spread out over five city blocks with screenings and red carpet premieres being held at the Los Angeles Film School’s new RealD 3D-enabled screening room. In support of the screenings taking place at LAFS, Sony Electronics will provide its 4K digital cinema projector, with RealD being the exclusive 3D technology provider for the festival screenings.
 
The LAFS theater will also function as a classroom for 3DFF’s 3D Academy educational programs offering intensive training classes for 3D stereoscopic filmmakers and technicians. Beginning in 2011, LAFS will offer a 3D course of study for its students. The highlight of the 3D Academy program will be the “72 Hour 3DFF Short Film Festival” in which LAFS students will be given 72 hours to create a 3D short film that will be presented during the 3DFF Closing Night Event and Award Show.  “Our goal at the Los Angeles Film School is to be on the forefront of film education; hosting the 3DFF is the perfect opportunity to embrace this exciting technology of tomorrow,” stated Diane Cerycz-Kessler, Co-Chairman of the Los Angeles Film School.
 
3DFF will announce its full line up of nightly screenings this August to include the 3ology Short Film Program and a nightly 3D Horror Film Showcase at Midnight. The Festival will open on Thursday September 30th.
 
The 3D Academy Sessions will be daily from 8am to 3pm at Los Angeles Film School. The 3D Lounge will be open daily September 30th to October 3rd from 10am to 5pm at the Los Angeles Film School.
 
For more detailed information about the event schedule, tickets, or press junkets please visit www.3DFF.org or contact The Dream Factory at (415) 871-1707.
 
About The Dream Factory/3DFF
The Dream Factory Studio, with primary offices in Hollywood is the world leader in interactive live 3D events.  3DFF is noted as the first digital 3D film & interactive festival program of its kind in the United States. 3DFF’s non-profit initiative, whose mission is to educate and inspire independent filmmakers to use 3D as a new tool for telling their stories, operates on a sponsor supported eco-system. To become a supporter of 3DFF or for more information please visit www.thedreamfactorystudio.com or www.3dff.org.
 
About RealD Inc.
RealD is a leading global licensor of 3D technologies. RealD’s extensive intellectual property portfolio is used in applications that enable a premium 3D viewing experience in the theater, the home and elsewhere. RealD licenses its RealD Cinema Systems to motion picture exhibitors that show 3D motion pictures and alternative 3D content. RealD also provides its RealD Display, active and passive eyewear, RealD Format and gaming technologies to consumer electronics manufacturers and content producers and distributors to enable the delivery and viewing of 3D content. RealD’s cutting-edge 3D technologies have been used for applications such as piloting the Mars Rover.  RealD was founded in 2003 and has offices in Beverly Hills, California; Boulder, Colorado; London, United Kingdom; and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.reald.com.
 
About Sony
Sony’s Digital Cinema Solutions group combines Sony’s full range of technologies, purchasing options, alternative content offerings, training and service to provide a broad range of solutions for exhibitors. Products include Sony Digital Cinema 4K projection systems (projectors and media blocks); central servers; Sony TMS (theater management system); digital signage hardware, software and content development; security systems and Network Operations Center (NOC) services for the exhibition community.  Customers have the option of a turnkey solution through direct purchase or using Virtual Print Fee (VPF) financing support through Sony. For more information, visit www.sony.com/digitalcinema.
 
About Los Angeles Film School
The Los Angeles Film School (LAFS) is an accredited college with a campus located in the heart of Hollywood that includes the historic RCA Building at 6363 Sunset Boulevard. The private post-secondary educational degree-granting college, which has quickly become a leading academic center for aspiring filmmakers, offers degrees in film, computer animation, game production and audio with an exceptional curriculum in state-of-the-art facilities. Its campus comprises of over 250,000 square feet dedicated to labs, studios and theaters equipped with the latest technology including Avid, ProTools and Digidesign. The Hollywood Reporter named LAFS “One of the best-equipped private learning centers in the country.”