SIGGRAPH Announces Stereoscopic 3D Cinema and Home Theater Trends

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SIGGRAPH 2009 will present a dynamic line-up of speakers and sessions that will discuss trends and future directions for Stereoscopic 3D both for the Hollywood movie industry as well as for the general public home theater experience.

“Stereoscopic filmmaking is a technology that is going to go from the cinema experience to the home theater environment faster than we expected, and this content will provide the information needed to understand what’s coming in the very near future.”

“Stereoscopic visuals are a hot topic right now. The Computer Animation Festival programming aims to give the attendees, whether they have a technical or a general entertainment interest in 3D, a full view of what is happening with the genre, both artistically and technically as it evolves,” stated Carlye Archibeque, SIGGRAPH 2009 Computer Animation Festival Executive Producer. “Stereoscopic filmmaking is a technology that is going to go from the cinema experience to the home theater environment faster than we expected, and this content will provide the information needed to understand what’s coming in the very near future.”

Following are only some of the highlights of this content. High resolution images and interviews are available by request:

3D to the Home: What Can Possibly Go Wrong?

Peter Ludé, Senior Vice President, Engineering, Sony Electronics

There are over two million 3D-ready televisions already in US households, but the industry remains divided about delivering stereoscopic content to the home. How much programming will be available, how will it be delivered, and by when? Will consumers need to wear those funny glasses? Will the world adopt 3D standards, or will competing formats emerge? Will the images on the small screen look as good as in the cinema? Peter Ludé will review these thorny topics and address the technical, business, and creative decisions that will be required over the next few years in the transition to 3DTV.

Visual Storytelling in Three Dimensions

Bob Whitehill, Stereoscopic Supervisor, Pixar Animation Studios

In combination with other visual techniques such as color and composition, stereography (if used wisely) can enhance mood, evoke emotion, and draw an audience further into a film's story. Using examples from UP, Toy Story, and Toy Story 2, Bob Whitehill discusses the use of 3D as a visual storytelling device in Pixar's films.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs: Making Mouthwatering 3D

The Sony Pictures Imageworks production team discusses and demonstrates the creative and technological elements that helped them achieve the most delicious event since macaroni met cheese. This behind-the-scenes look at the making of an epic food-filled film featuring food clouds and spaghetti twisters reviews the early design decisions that drove the look of the film, the global illumination renderer used to bring the movie to life, and more. Plus, there will be a special first-time screening of major portions of the film during conference week.

Additional 3D programming will focus on Production Sessions that take the festival attendees behind the scenes into the production pipeline of a variety of this year’s 3D films, including: Coraline, Monsters vs Aliens, G-Force, and key 3D sequences from the upcoming September release, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Additional programming will focus on the developments in stereoscopic gaming, scientific and biomedical research, and the evolution of 3D standards for film, broadcast, and the home.

For detailed information on the entire program, visit http://www.siggraph.org/s2009/computer_animation_festival/stereo/index.php.

About SIGGRAPH

SIGGRAPH 2009 will bring an anticipated 20,000 computer graphics and interactive technology professionals from six continents to New Orleans, Louisiana, USA for the industry's most respected technical and creative programs focusing on research, science, art, animation, music, gaming, interactivity, education, and the web from Monday, 3 August through Friday, 7 August 2009 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. SIGGRAPH 2009 includes a three-day exhibition of products and services from the computer graphics and interactive marketplace from 4-6 August 2009. More than 200 international exhibiting companies are expected. More details are available at www.siggraph.org/s2009.

About ACM

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery www.acm.org, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.