A Do-It-Yourself 3D Roadmap

HDVideoPro by Dan Brockett

With 3D currently in the mainstream, is it now possible to create your own 3D independent movie?

Ghosts of the Abyss. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour. The Polar Express. Up. U2 3D. Coraline. Success stories, one and all, but aren’t these films mostly mass-market, high-budgeted studio projects? Why should 3D films like these matter to someone creating a low-budget feature today? Is it even possible to produce a genre film with a low budget—say, between $500,000 and $1 million—in 3D? Some forward-looking 3D experts say that it’s not only possible, but even inevitable.

FORCES CONSPIRED
2010 will go down in history as the year that 3D features went mainstream. Two big factors in the explosive popularity of 3D were the release of James Cameron’s Avatar and a well-timed series of announcements by electronics manufacturers, cable channels and satellite networks. Avatar opened on December 18, 2009, to critical acclaim and commercial success. Within three weeks of its release, with a worldwide gross of over $1 billion, Avatar became the second-highest-grossing film of all time. The bottom line is that Avatar has become the most compelling commercial for 3D.

The second factor adding heat to 3D filmmaking was the simultaneous announcement of relatively affordable 3D televisions and 3D Blu-ray players at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show. 3D in the home will be more than just feature films, though. DirecTV, U.K. satellite provider Sky, Discovery, Sony and ESPN announced 3D networks and channels coming in 2010. YouTube has announced that it’s introducing 3D, which undoubtedly will open up exciting, new opportunities for 3D online. 3D content is clearly going from novelty theatrical experience to mainstream sensation in 2010. read more...