Youtube 3-D

In the past I've mentioned the Youtube 3-D player, which was quietly implemented in 2009. I recently had the pleasure of meeting the programmer at Youtube who has been working on the 3-D functionality, and he showed me that the player is now embeddable in websites. This is an amazing breakthrough for the 3-DIY community, as we now have the capability to create video enabled 3-D websites. In addition, Youtube supports the "frame-compatible" side-by-side squeezed 1080p format supported in most of the new 3-D televisions coming on the market. This means that Youtube is now capable of providing a distribution platform for independent 3-D content to reach consumers in their homes. I'm very excited!

To this end, I have created a Youtube Group dedicated to providing a forum for the growth and exhibition of Do-It-Yourself 3-D content. I encourage anyone interested in creating their own 3-DIY movies to sign up with Youtube, and join the group which can be found at www.3-DIY.tv

Here is an example of the Youtube 3-D player embedded in a blog page - you can select a viewing method from the menu that pops up when you float your mouse over the 3-D icon.



It's still a beta release, so it will continue to evolve, and it has its quirks - for instance, the 3-D menu cuts off when displayed on a small playback window, and you must click "fullscreen" to see all of the options - but my new friend, "Youtube Pete" is working to make it more user friendly, and I'm sure he'll do a great job.

3-D Village at Maker Faire

Once again I'm at the Bay Area Maker Faire, and this time, I'm curating an entire room - the "3-D Village"

And check it out, Wired.com did a feature on  3-DIY at Maker Faire.

If you are planning to attend, stop by and check out the exhibits which include:

The LA 3-D Club (SCSC) - 50+ year old organization dedicated to stereographic imagery in  all its forms.

DIY 3D with me, Eric Kurland, Vice President of the LA 3-D Club -  Homebrew stereoscopic cameras and displays, including live 3-D video,  moving phantograms, homemade view master reels, and DIY 3-D photography workshops.

Stefano Corazza's [ I am a Bird ] - A time-of-flight camera tracks the motion of the spectator (real-time single camera motion capture) and that input drives the motion of a 3D Bird viewed with polarized glasses. The audience can in real-time animate the Bird by flapping their arms and hands, they can soar, turn, go at higher altitude and chase other birds in the sky.

Hologlyphics, Walter Funk - Real-time autostereoscopic video art integrated with live music & spatial sound. Musical keyboards, acoustic instruments and human interfaces controlling multiview autostereoscopic animations and multi-channel sound. Infinite perspectives of the imagery are seen as the audience moves, without any sweet spots in the viewing range.

3D Phantogram Imagery by Barry Rothstein, President of the LA 3-D Club.He will be demonstrating how they're produced and selling books and cards of them.

Heads-up display, Kate Compton, Technical Artist at Maxis - Wouldn't it be cool if there was an easy-to-assemble kit that would allow you to make your own fully interactive 3D Heads-up display with only a
smart-phone, a couple of lenses and a bit of plastic? It would be cool, and it is! Come try out this easy-to-make VR helmet, and the new apps available for it.

MAKER FAIRE runs
Saturday - 10am to 8pm - Sunday 10am to 6pm

San Mateo County Event Center, California

1346 Saratoga Dr., San Mateo, CA 94403

Maker Faire is the World's Biggest DIY Festival, Robots, Fire, Antique Computers, 3D Technology, Light Sculptures, Art Cars, Camera Obscura, Musical Instruments, R2-D2 Builder's Club and more



The 3D Village will be located inside the Fiesta Hall of the Event Center.

Be prepared for interactive stereoscopic art, 3D workshops, live autostereoscopic video art, phantogram display & demonstration, heads-up displays and 3D dome projections.

http://www.makerfaire.com

Apparently, I'm Buzzworthy!

While attending NAB last month, I was interviewed for Larry Jordan's "Digital Production Buzz", the leading online source for streaming discussions on digital production, post-production and distribution, and the official NAB podcast. You can hear it at the link below:


http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/Archives/NAB2010-Day4-1100.mp3

3-D at NAB: The Digital Cinema Summit

I've spent the weekend at the Digital Cinema Summit at the NAB conference in Las Vegas. This year's summit was focused on all things 3-D, from cameras and acquisition, to digital 3-D theater statistics, to home 3-D broadcasting, to 2-D to 3-D conversion. Rob Engle, 3-D Visual Effects Supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks, invited me to speak on a panel about 3-D storytelling, and I was honored to share the stage with a distinguished group of 3-D experts - Rob; Bernard Mendiburu, author of the book 3-D Movie Making; 3-D Producer Phil Streather, and Chuck Comisky, whose many credits include Visual Effects Stereographer on Avatar.

The panel went very well, and I've received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback.

Details to follow soon....

Whatever Happened to Ro-Man?

Just a note to say that the 3-D movie "Whatever Happened to Ro-Man?" has now been posted to YouTube in HD.



This short 3-D video, written and directed by Ray Zone features a revealing interview with Ro-Man, star of the 1950s "Golden Turkey" 3D movie Robot Monster who was located recently living in North Hollywood, California (in a house that looks suspiciously like mine.)

Behind the scenes pictures and info about this stereoscopic production
can also be found at Ray's website. Click the image below to go there.

3-D Movie Night - Ray Zone presents “The 3D Train from Nowhere”

The LA3DClub has teamed up with the Downtown Independent Theater to present screenings of independent 3-D movies in Los Angeles.

Our next scheduled show of independent 3-D will be Tuesday, March 30th, at 8:30pm. We will present an illustrated 3D lecture by Ray Zone along with two nWave Pictures films about the history of 3D titled “Encounter in the Third Dimension” and “Misadventures in 3D.

Zone’s lecture addresses the 3D filming of the historic Lumiere brother’s ‘actuality’ titled “L’Arrivee du Train” and both the 2D (1895) and 3D version (1935) will be screened. As one of cinema’s founding myths, the screening of the Lumiere film in 1895 at the Café Grand in Paris evoked panic in the audience. Zone reveals some hitherto unknown historic facts that shed new light on this founding myth of cinema and he also explains the 3D camera system the Lumiere’s constructed to make this seminal work of cinema.

“Encounter in the Third Dimension” (1998)and “Misadventures in 3D” (2003) feature Stuart Pankin in groundbreaking stereoscopic visuals addressing the history of 3D and how stereoscopic perception works. Elvira-Mistress of the Dark is also featured in “Encounter in the Third Dimension.” Both films have presented in IMAX Theaters worldwide to great acclaim since their original release dates.

The nWave 3D movies feature highly sophisticated applications of computer generated (CG) and live-action stereoscopic filming, composited together in a sinuous visual blend that is intriguing, often humorous and features highly spectacular “ride film” sequences.

Come check out LA's only Indie-Friendly 3-D cinema. We hope to see you there!

LA3D Movie Division 3-D Movie Night - Ray Zone presents “The 3D Train from Nowhere”

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010, 8:30-11:30pm
Downtown Independent Theater
251 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012

Admission to the event is:
$5 for current LA3DClub members
$10 for non-members (admission is waived with USC Student ID)

Note: Paid parking is available at many parking lots in the adjacent area. The theater is also only several blocks from the MTA Red Line.

http://www.LA3-DClub.com
http://www.DowntownIndependent.com

SXSW

For the last week, I have been attending the SXSW Film and Interactive Conference in Austin, Texas. Yesterday, I moderated a panel on 3-DIY, with fellow stereographic filmmakers Noel Paul, Gray Miller, and Ryan Suits. The panel went very well, and included some great information for indie filmmakers looking to get started in 3-D. My presentation included this version of my 3-DIY powerpoint:



I'll have more links, info, audio and video from the panel soon. In the meantime click through to enjoy this 3-D video clip from Saturday's panel on "Viral Video"

L.A.'s Only Indie 3-D Cinema

The LA3DClub (of which I am Vice President) has entered into a partnership with the Downtown Independent Theater to provide a venue for independent 3-D movies to screen in Los Angeles. Thanks to Perry Hoberman at USC, who arranged for the donation of a theatrical silver screen, we now have a permanently installed screen in the theater. The club also recently acquired two ProjectionDesign F3 large venue projectors, which provide dual-digital polarized projection from the Downtown Indie's projection booth and project a sharp, bright, keystone-free image over 22 feet wide.

This has been my pet project for a while. Last July, when I shot my short 3-D project, Elevation, my co-producer, Roger Mayer, mentioned that he was programming the Downtown Film Festival of Los Angeles, and that it was "too bad we couldn't show 3-D at the fest." I assured him that the LA 3-D Club could show 3-D, and we put together a 2-hour program of independent 3-D shorts. Roger booked us into the Downtown Independent Theater, where we brought in a 12-foot silver screen, and a pair of projectors for the night. The show went great, and the theater invited us back to do a Halloween 3-D show. I mentioned to Jim Kirst, the Artistic Director of the Downtown Indie, that it would be great to eventually have a permanent silver screen, and projectors in their booth - but we figured the expense made that impossible. Lo and behold, I got a call a week later from Perry Hoberman, a friend and professor at USC. Apparently USC had a 40' silver screen that was being stored behind a set on a soundstage. The screen had been inaccessible, but the set had just been torn down, and for about a week, he had access to the screen. His question - "If we donate this to the club, could you find a use for it?" YES! We loaded up a truck and moved the screen to the theater. Shortly after that, the club was offerred a pair of large venue projectors, sans lenses, at a fraction of their original cost. We dipped into the club treasury, and made the purchase. On a whim, I checked Ebay for the VERY expensive long-throw lenses we would need to project from the theater's booth, and amazingly there was one available in New York - I "buyed it now." On Ebay, exactly one week later, a matching lens showed up in Kansas City, and I got that, too. Oddly, there hasn't been another matching lens on Ebay since, and apparently there hadn't been one for months before, either. Serendipity. On December 12th, 2009, the white screen came down, the silver screen went up, the lenses were married to their projectors in the booth, and the Downtown Independent Theater became the only place in Los Angeles to see regular screenings of independent 3-D content.

The LA3D Movie Division is offering monthly 3-D screenings to the public through this new venue. In January, we held an "open screen" night, inviting independent stereoscopic filmmakers to bring their work to the theater and have it shown on the big screen. That was followed in February by a screening of the indie horror feature SCAR 3-D, and featured a Q&A with Director Jed Weintrob and Producer Norman Twain. We also did a "William Castle" style promotion for SCAR, and had a (sexy) nurse standing by in the lobby with smelling salts during the screening to come to the aid of any unfortunates who were unable to handle the graphic subject matter. The next screening will be on March 30th, 2010. The program will be announced soon.

Come check out LA's only Indie-Friendly 3-D cinema. We hope to see you there!

CES is all about the 3-D!

Just got back to LA from the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and the buzz this year was definitely 3-D. I've attended the CES for about ten years now, and every year there is usually some company showing a 3-D monitor, or claiming to have invented a new head-mounted display, but this year, there was 3-D at almost every major manufacturer's booth. Sony, JVC, Panasonic, Toshiba, Samsung, Mitsubishi, Sharp, LG, practically every TV maker had their version of 3DTV. Some use active shutterglasses, some use circular polarized, some are embracing multiple technologies, and all are pushing it heavily. Projector manufacturers are releasing 3-D ready projectors for home theater, classroom, and business use. Players from the theatrical end of 3-D were present, as RealD and XpanD are both moving into the consumer glasses market.

In fact only one industry seemed to fall flat off the 3-D bandwagon - the camera companies. Panasonic was the only major player to show a 3-D video camera, and they are pricing it at $21,000! Fuji, of course, has their 1st gen 3-D still camera, but nobody else is joining that game - Canon's comment is "we're still investigating consumer needs." Even Sony, with their massive 3-D pavilion and live 3-D broadcasts in partnership with 3ality, had no answer regarding a consumer 3-D camera.

3-D Bluray was all over the place, despite my strong belief that optical media is a dead-in-the-water format due to VOD and digital downloads. (A friend of mine calls 3-D the "defibrillator of Bluray") And DVD is dead - not a single 3-D DVD solution to be found anywhere. In fact, almost no support for existing home 3-D solutions. This all fuels my fear of a consumer backlash against 3-D at being told by the big corporations that they need to buy completely new hardware, both HDTVs and players to enjoy the coming 3-D age, especially after being forced to buy new HDTVs or digital tuners only a year ago.

The hope is that 3-D broadcasting will drive the market, and DirecTV has already announced both a Discovery 3-D Channel and ESPN 3-D. ESPN will launch their channel with worldwide 3-D coverage of the FIFA Soccer World Cup Championships in June - the largest single undertaking of live 3-D in history. The problem is that there will be a shortage of content in the immediate future to keep these 3-D channels "live". Hopefully, indie content producers like myself will be able to fill some of that void.

Which leads me to my observation that the Big Boys are missing a very important point. I attended a number of panels, and the "3D@Home Consortium" breakfast, where industry experts spoke of the future of home 3-D, both with rosy glasses (pun intended) and with a complete ignorance of the fact that independent content exists. Apparently, in the corporate vision of the future, only the major studios have the ability to produce viable 3-D movies and television programs, and they are missing the boat here. I stood up at the consortium breakfast, and asked why nobody was addressing what I see as the three 800-pound Gorillas in the room:

- first, that consumers will not be as eager to buy into a new technology if they can't create their own 3-D movies to view on that technology,

- Second, that there needs to be a distribution pathway for independent stereographic 3-D content to enter the game,

- and third, Youtube already delivers 3-D to the home via the beta player that has been active since last summer. Eventually, that player will finish it's beta stage, and any website will become a 3-D delivery platform via a simple embed. Most of the 3-D TVs on the show floor included direct Youtube streaming via WiFi as well. Now, Google owns Youtube, and Google has an OS that will be on millions of cellphones this year, also Youtube enabled. So, follow me here, Google is poised to become the LARGEST SINGLE AGGREGATOR AND DISTRIBUTOR of 3-D content in the world - both studio, indie and consumer produced content - and no one is talking about it.

I asked why Google was not invited to the table.

I left the consortium speechless.

My Latest Article

Check out this article I wrote for MaximumPC magazine. It's in both the current print issue and on the website (although the print edition is edited slightly differently than the web version).

Elevation

Here is my latest 3-D short film, Elevation. This little micro-budget short won a 1st Place Blue Ribbon at the National Stereoscopic Association convention in July, and was invited to screen at the Directors Guild Digital Day in August.

Here on the blog, the video is posted as an anamorphically squeezed crossview. Click through the video below to get to the youtube 3-D player, with a pulldown menu to allow you to select from a number of stereoscopic viewing methods including red-cyan anaglyph and parallel. And bug youtube to add the player to video embeds!



Elevation was produced as a sketchbook assignment through Filmmakers Alliance, a cinema collective based in Los Angeles, and had to follow the following rules: Make a film that is 3 minutes long, has only one line of dialog, uses primary colors, and includes a gun, a religious symbol, and underwear.

It was shot on a twinned pair of Canon TX-1 point-and-shoot consumer cameras, using a firmware hack to provide stereoscopic synchronization tools. The post production pipeline consisted of the freeware program Stereo Movie Maker, which was used for alignment and parallax convergence adjustments, and Adobe Premiere which was used for picture and sound editing.

The entire project was completed in less than 48 hours - the 3 hour shoot took place on the evening of Wednesday, July 1, 2009, and post production was finished by Friday afternoon, July 3.

The SCSC fall 3-D Movie/Video Division meeting

The SCSC fall 3-D Movie/Video Division meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 7:30 P.M. in the Downtown Independent Theater 251 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 - (213) 617-1033

Click through video for Youtube 3-D player

We fell in love with the Downtown Independent Theater when the Movie Division presented more than two hours of 3-D content at the Downtown Film Festival - Los Angeles this past summer. This little gem is ultra modern, has 200 stadium-style seats, accommodates our silver screen and has a nice space just the right distance from the screen for our club projectors. Other amenities include a snack bar which includes the sale of beer and wine, convenient (paid) parking next door, and a lovely rooftop patio area ideal for socializing and sharing the latest 3-D toys. The Downtown Independent is a comfortable walk from the Pershing Square Metro station. Come into town early. There are plenty of inexpensive eateries in the area, including a nearby Yoshinoya.

There will be a $5.00 theater entrance fee. Grab a coke, beer or a glass of wine and come upstairs before the meeting. We'll try to start our meeting promptly at 7:30 in order to accommodate Metro riders.

The meeting will have a Halloween theme. You are encouraged to bring anything in 3-D you'd like to see projected on the big screen, and we will have a program of content with a "scary" theme for our enjoyment. Wear makeup and/or a costume if you can. Prizes will be awarded.

Speaking of prizes, we will be announcing plans for our next international competition ("The Seventh Ever") at the meeting, as well as sharing recent Movie Division activities (participation in the Big Bear Lake Film Festival and projection of Thomas Jane's directorial debut in his first 3-D feature, Dark Country, at the Long Beach Comic Con.

You need not be an SCSC member to attend Movie Division meetings. All are welcome. However, it is helpful if you RSVP your intention to attend so we can plan such things as the number of 3-D glasses we need and how much popcorn and drinks to have ready. (RSVP to movies3d@aol.com.)

I'm putting on an event this Tuesday!

3-DIY: Do It Yourself 3-D Movies
Short Films of the Desktop 3-D Revolution

A program of short digital 3-D movies Shown as part of the Downtown Film Festival of Los Angeles (DFFLA) Curated by John E. Hart, Chairman of the LA 3-D Club Movie Division
(Stereo Club of Southern California)

Emerging digital toolsets are driving a wave of independent production of stereoscopic motion pictures. New 3-D movies in every conceivable genre, from documentaries and avant-garde experiments, to dramatic and humorous narratives, are being made by fiercely individual filmmakers all around the world. In their hands, the 3-D film is evolving a new visual grammar for the motion picture screen.

This program, a stereoscopic showcase of short films curated by John Hart of the Stereo Club of Southern California, presents award-winning entries from the 6 international 3-D movie contests held by the LA 3-D Club Movie Division. Dedicated to independent production and the exhibition of stereoscopic movies, the LA 3-D Club unites both amateur and professional filmmakers by providing a platform for desktop 3-D movies. Learn how to make your own 3-D movies without the backing of a Hollywood studio as a panel of the filmmakers convene after the screening to discuss the new stereoscopic toolsets and their availability.

Tuesday, August 18
7:30 – 11 pm
Downtown Independent Theater
251 S. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

for tickets: http://downtownla.bside.com/2009/films

Screenings followed by panel discussion

The Program: (listed alphabetically by director’s last name)

Moving Still (2008) Colombia, 3 min. Dir: Santiago Caicedo
Come Coco (2009) Colombia, 7 min. Dir: Santiago Caicedo

Skydiving (2008) USA, 3 min. Dir: Eric Deren

Ztring Theory (2008) Norway, 5 min. Dir: Jo Eldoen

Ghost Car (2008), USA, 5 min. Dir: John E. Hart
Doggone (2009), USA, 11 min. Dir: John E. Hart

Wanderlust (Bjork video) (2008) USA, 7 min. Dir: Sean Helfritch
& Isaiah Saxon

Family Guy: Blue Harvest (2008), USA, 3 min. Dir: Sean Isroelit

Towers of Rodia (2007) USA, 14 min. Dir: Tom Koester
Ennis House (2008) USA, 6 min. Dir: Tom Koester

Elevation (2009), USA, 3 min. Dir: Eric Kurland

A Better Mousetrap (2005) USA, 2 min. Dir: Ron Labbe

Pump Action (2006) USA, 3 min. Dir: Phil McNally

Fireworks Symphony (2008) Japan, 5 min. Dir: Takashi Sekitani

Reminiscence (2007) France, 5 min. Dir: Celine Tricart

Slow Glass (2007), USA, 14 min. Dir: Ray Zone

Panel: Making Your Own 3D Movies
Moderated by Ray Zone
Panelists: Eric Kurland, Sean Isroelit, Tom Koester and John Hart

The moderator and all of the panelists have directed or produced award-winning short 3-D movies that have been shown in a variety of exhibition venues.

Rooftop wine and cheese reception to follow


for tickets: http://downtownla.bside.com/2009/films

DGA Digital Day

Today I'm giving a presentation at the Director's Guild as part of their Digital Day 2009. My talk covers the topic "3-D on a Dime" and I'll be outlining my hardware and software solutions for creating microbudget 3-D content, including a screening of my short Elevation.

My friend Ray Zone calls what I do "3-DIY" or Do-It-Yourself 3-D, and I like that so much that I'll be starting a website soon full of resources for the indie 3-D filmmaker. It'll be located at, appropriately enough,
www.3-DIY.net

Here is my powerpoint presentation from the event:

San Diego Comic-Con 2009

I've made the annual pilgimage to San Diego for Comic-Con. Some amazing 3-D content in Hall H from the studios this year. Avatar looks amazing, and I'm really looking forward to Tron:Legacy, too.

Here's some images from around the con:

NSA 2009

I'm posting from the National Stereoscopic Association 2009 Convention, in Mesa, Arizona, where I am co-chairing the Stereo Theater. In just a few hours, we open the doors to 3 full Days of 3-D content, from vintage stereocard images to the latest in independent 3-D cinema, all digitally projected in HD.

Oh, and did I mention, my short 3-D film "Elevation" will be screening this Saturday, at 11am!

If you're anywhere near Phoenix this weekend, stop in and check it out!

Frak Yes!

Last Saturday, June 13, 2009, I attended the Los Angeles Grand Performances season opener concert - Bear McCreary and the Music of Battlestar Galactica. The evening kicked off with a performance by "Brendan's Band", featuring Brendan McCreary, Raya Yarbrough, and Steve Bartek. Then Bear and the BSG orchestra took the stage and performed an amazing evening of music from the TV series. At one point Bear was even joined on stage by Katee "Starbuck" Sackhoff for a piano duet. I somehow managed to avoid the camera ban enforced by some overly zealous security guards and took many 3-D photos.

Click for a slideshow

Maker Faire 2009

This year at Maker Faire, I spent two days at my booth showing a bunch of my 3-D contraptions, including the video phantogram tabletop, live camera projection and the stereoscope PSP. I had all of the gear featured in my Make: article from last year. The newest additions to my exhibit were my homemade View Master reels made from digital 3-D photos I took at last year's Maker Faire, and my latest camera rig - the twinned Canon TX1s that I use to shoot HD video.

Overall the faire was a success - everyone who came by the booth seemed very interested and engaged, and they loved seeing themselves in 3-D on the big 6-foot screen.

We were kept so busy, that I didn't get to visit the rest of the faire and take pictures like last year. But I did manage to sneak away on Sunday to shoot video of the Diet Coke and Mentos Fountain performance done by the crazy mad scientists at Eepybird.

It's been a while...

Okay, so I haven't updated the blog since last summer - but I've been busy! I've setup a 3-D media lab in my Secret Underground Lair, and I'm working on all kinds of cool stereoscopic projects. I'm planning to go through the last 10 months of 3-D and start posting back-dated content to fill in the HUGE hole left by my neglect. Stay tuned...


...in the meantime, enjoy this short video from the setup day at Maker Faire 2009:

Last Sunday I participated in this event at Machine Project:

“A Practical Demonstration”

Part One: On Sunday July 6th at 6pm a stuntman will leap from Machine Project’s 2nd story window. We would like to invite folks to attend the leap, with a miniDV video camera (everyone’s got one nowadays, we can probably even supply you with one if you don’t). The videographers will be arranged in a large circle on the ground around the spot where the body will fall. They will document the leap and then turn over their video footage (tapes to be provided, unless you want to donate one). This footage will then be edited to create a very clumsy “Matrix” effect that suspends the stuntperson in mid-air with a 360 degree pan. We would like to get at least 40 people to film, so tell a friend.

This Friday is part two:

All day at the gallery we’ll be projecting continuous live broadcasts tracking the sun as it travels around the Earth, with help from camera-ready friends and volunteers worldwide. (We still need a volunteer cameraperson in Cape Verde if you know anyone.)

We’ll also be screening the final edited footage of our stunt jumper.

I cut together some of my own 3-D footage of the stunt jumping.

Stunts at Machine Project 3-D from Eric Kurland on Vimeo.