Disney, IMAX win two 3D awards

October 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Chris Condon was honored with the first lifetime achievement “Charles M. Brewster” Award at the International 3D Society’s 3D Technology Awards tonight at the Hollywood Mann Chinese Theatre.

Condon joined Panasonic Corp. in receiving the first awards for breakthrough innovation and achievement.
Eighteen different technologies were recognized amongst the individuals and organizations honored for contributions to the advancement of the stereoscopic medium.
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A highlight of the program was an in-progress, four-minute clip presented by Susan Lloyd from her grandfather Harold Lloyd’s classic silent black-and-white film “Safety Last,” in which the famous scene including Lloyd hanging several stories high over a busy downtown street from a giant clock is being converted to 3D and colorized by Legend 3D and founder Barry Sandrew, who invented digital colorization. Even though the clip looked pretty amazing, Sandrew told 3DHollywood.net that it is still being improved and the final version will be shown at the second annual 3D Society Awards honoring creative arts on Feb. 9, 2011. There are no plans to convert the entire film, he noted.

Chris Condon, whose work in 3D filmmaking spans 50 years, was unable to attend due to health issues, but presenter Lenny Lipton of Occulus 3D, said the award would be taken to him Wednesday at his hospital room in Burbank.

As previously announced, Panasonic received the “Charles Wheatstone” Award honoring its advocacy, technology and consumer engagement in the development of the stereoscopic 3D products. Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company president Shiro Kitajima flew in from Japan to accept the award, and credited collaborators from James Cameron to DirecTV, Best Buy, Major League Baseball, the Olympics, the U.S Open, and many others for helping the company be an advocate for all forms of 3D.

Eleven companies received Lumiere Awards:
* 3ality Digital was honored for its Stereo Image Processor (SIP) technology
* Autodesk for its “Maya” 3D visual effects software technology
* Dolby Laboratories for its “Dolby 3D” system
* Steve Hines and The Walt Disney Studios for the “Disney Dual Camera Rig”
* In-Three for its “Dimensionalization” technology
* MasterImage 3D for its “Digital 3D Cinema System”
* Nvidia for its “3D Vision” technology
* Quantel for its “Pablo” 3D color correction and finishing system
* Sassoon Film Design for its “2D to 3D Conversion” technology
* Sony Pictures Imageworks for its “3D Pipeline”
* The Walt Disney Studios for its “3D Pipeline”
* XpanD for its “Active 3D Cinema System.”

Recipients of Gold Awards were:
* Colonel Robert Bernier for his “Optics” technology
* IMAX for its “Solido Dual Strip 3D Camera” technology
* IRIDAS for its “Dual Stream” technology

Also as previously announced, IMAX, RealD and Texas Instruments each received the Century Award, the highest honor for a company or individual recognizing major contributions over the past thirty years.
IMAX was honored for its “Solido Systems” technology; RealD for its “Cinema System” digital 3D projection technology and Texas Instruments was recognized for its “DLP Cinema” technology.

“These innovators are helping pioneer the next generation of storytelling. Without them, we, as creators, would not have the bright 3D future ahead that we do,” said Buzz Hays, Society Chair and Executive Stereoscopic 3D Producer for the Sony 3D Technology Center, Sony Corporation of America.

“There was an excitement in the theater tonight reflecting the growing confidence that 3D is an art, a craft and a good business to be in,” noted Jim Chabin, President of the International 3D Society.

Interspersed throughout the program were historic 3D clips from films such as “The Stewardesses” (1969) and a short black-and-white clip from 1935 called “Arrival of a Train,” filmed using a unique horizontally-running 35mm stereoscopic camera and projector created by prolific French inventor siblings the Lumiere brothers, for whom the Society’s award is named.

The 3D Technology Awards Show featured MasterImage digital 3D cinema system technology and passive glasses, as well as NEC projectors and equipment.
XpanD, Panasonic and RealD were platinum sponsors of the 3D Technology Awards Show.
NEC Display Solutions, Deluxe and Texas Instruments were Gold Sponsors.
Nvidia, In-Three and Amazing 3D Post were Silver Sponsors.
International 3D Society underwriters include Signature Sponsor XpanD and Founding Sponsors MasterImage 3D, Panasonic Hollywood Lab, The Walt Disney Studios, PIXAR, DreamWorks Animation (DWA), Dolby Laboratories, Sony Corporation of America and IMAX; and Member Sponsors Discovery Communications, Autodesk and DirecTV

– By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: 3D event, 3D news, IMAX news, Video Gallery

Sarandos, Clark, BDA in Hall of Fame

October 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos, Anchor Bay Entertainment president Bill Clark and the Blu-ray Disc Association will be inducted into the Variety Home Entertainment Hall of Fame on Dec. 6, 2010, at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
It will be the 30th anniversary of the event founded as the Video Hall of Fame by Variety sister publication Video Business, the latter of which was shut down earlier this year.
All ticket sales for the Variety Home Entertainment Hall of Fame gala dinner and awards show will benefit Entertainment AIDS Alliance.
Dinner tickets may be purchased for $495 each, or $4,950 for a table of ten. Contact Maggie Moe at 310-308-1457 or maggie.moe@reedbusiness.com.

“Variety is proud to mark the 30th anniversary of the Hall of Fame by inducting Ted, Bill and the BDA,” said Linda Buckley-Bruno, publishing director of Variety and former publisher of Video Business. “Each of these inductees exemplifies the vitality of home entertainment as it evolves from purely physical distribution to a revenue-expanding mix of physical, digital, mobile and other models that provide increased convenience and value to the entertainment consumer.”

Sarandos has led content acquisition for Netflix since 2000, playing a key role in the service’s move to online distribution by expanding its streaming library to more than 17,000 movies and TV episodes. During his tenure, the company’s DVD library has also expanded from 2,000 to more than 100,000 titles. Sarandos has worked in the home entertainment industry for more than two decades, at companies including video wholesaler ETD and retail chain Video City.

Clark oversees all aspects of worldwide sales, marketing, acquisitions and product development strategy for leading independent distributor Anchor Bay and in 2008 launched theatrical unit Anchor Bay Films. A 25-year veteran of the home entertainment industry who is known for innovative deal structures, business models and operational improvements, Clark previously worked at Ventura Entertainment Enterprises, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Spelling Entertainment, and the Walt Disney Studios.

The Blu-ray Disc association (BDA) is an industry consortium that has played a key role in establishing the successful Blu-ray high-definition video format, through the setting of technology standards and format promotion. The induction will be accepted by BDA Promotions Committee chairs Victor Matsuda and Andy Parsons.

Under Variety’s direction, the scope of the awards has been broadened beyond traditional packaged video to recognize achievements in all home entertainment media and distribution formats, including DVD, Blu-ray, digital and videogames. Nevertheless, the purpose of the Hall of Fame remains true to the mission established at its founding 30 years ago: to recognize excellence in the home entertainment industry while aiding those in need.

EAA is a volunteer group that was formed in 1989 to respond to the urgent need for funding AIDS service organizations nationwide. Over 90% of funds raised are distributed to qualifying AIDS healthcare organizations and facilities.

To advertise in the commemorative issue of Variety, contact Andi Elliott at 301.774.6874 or andi.elliott@variety.com.

Filed Under: Blu event, Blu news

Beauty Diamond is Blu-ray jewel

October 1, 2010 By 1 Comment

Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” which is being released in HiDef for the first time in a Diamond Edition Blu-ray disc on Tuesday, Oct. 5, was not initially a musical, and Oscar-winning lyricist Howard Ashman came on board only after he had already begun work on Disney’s follow-up movie “Aladdin” and while he was literally on his death bed.

Nonetheless, the result in 1991 was a landmark achievement that represents the apex of the renaissance era of Disney animated films in the 1990s.

<Story continues below the following 3 1/2-min video highlights of a celebrity-filled red carpet Hollywood event to promote the new “Beauty” Bu-ray with a presentation of the sing-along version at the historic El Capitan theatre, featuring video interviews of Paige O’Hara and Robby Benson and clips from composer Alan Menken’s extended medley of his Disney movie compositions.>

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“Beauty” producer Don Hahn, who has many other Disney movies to his credit, shares the opinion that “Beauty” is a standout.

"Beauty" producer Don Hahn

“It was definitely a pinnacle,” he told HollywoodInHiDef.com, noting that while many movies that followed copied the Broadway musical style formula, it was never equaled. “It’s like striking a match,” he said. “You can’t do it twice, and who would want to?”

“The Little Mermaid,” which came before “Beauty,” is a pure delight, and many others that came after, from “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” to “Pocahontas” and “Mulan” have great appeal as well.

But “Beauty and the Beast” was the first animated film to receive an Oscar nomination for best film before animation was given its own category, and it even won the Golden Globe for best musical or comedy movie of the year. It also won Academy Awards for best song (title song) and best score, and was nominated for best sound and two other songs — “Belle” and “Be My Guest.”

All the reasons for this acclaim are showcased better than ever on the new Blu-ray. Not only does the movie itself look stunning, no matter which of the three versions you choose — an incomplete work-in-progress version shown with great fanfare at the New York Film Festival, and the previously-released special edition featuring the “Human Again” song from the Broadway adaptation set to new animation (Hahn and I are again in agreement in preferring the original movie without this added song) — but the hours of new retrospective bonus features provide a clear understanding and appreciation of the myriad elements that came together in what Hahn describes during one of his multiple featurettes and audio commentary on the disc as “a perfect storm” of creative talent confluence with the management evolution at the studio, the timing of the echo Baby Boomer generation being the perfectly receptive audience, and good fortune.

Even before the 1989 release of “The Little Mermaid,” which would revolutionize Disney films, the “Beauty” production team was in London working on a much different storytelling approach, much of which is included here. After months of that work was scrapped in late 1988, Disney turned to Ashman and composer Alan Menken, who had been hired after their successful outrageous Broadway adaptation of “Little Shop of Horrors” and had already finished work for Disney on “The Little Mermaid” and were well into work on “Aladdin,” scheduled for release in 1992.

During that time the studio was not aware that Ashman was suffering from AIDS. He would finish the work on “Aladdin” and work diligently on “Beauty” even after everyone became aware of his incurable illness, continuing to make calls from his bed about the project right up until he died in 1991 shortly before the film’s release.

A special featurette spotlighting the life of Ashman is one of several optional mini-documentaries that can be selected as temporary detours at various points during the Blu-ray’s primary new full-length documentary, “Beyond Beauty: The Untold Stories Behind The Making of ‘Beauty and the Beast’,” hosted by Hahn, which is featured on a second Blu-ray disc.

Hahn also hosts a wonderful conversation with Menken and Disney historian Richard Kraft about the production, during which Menken, sitting at a piano, repeatedly enhances an anecdote by playing and singing songs from the movie.

Disney gets high praise for including extensive interviews with former studio execs such as Jeffrey Katzenberg, who created Disney’s chief rival in DreamWorks Animation, and Peter Schneider. Of Katzenberg, Hahn told HollywoodInHiDef.com that he was a very central part of the success of that time when the animation unit needed structure and a leader.

Most of the many other bonus features and interactivities from previous video and DVD incarnations of this movie are included on the Blu-ray Disc. Fans of music group Jump 5 will be disappointed to see their music video version of the title song on the Platinum DVD edition has been cut from this Blu-ray. But in its place is a new music video with American Idol winner Jordin Sparks singing the same song.

Interactivities include a game involving answering trivia questions (oddly, the honor system is employed to determine whether you answered correctly) and using the remote to search rooms in the castle for hidden characters. Another new one, “Bonjour, Who is This?,” requires the Web-connected BD Live feature and a telephone to receive a message.
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By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: Blu event, Blu Pick, Blu Q&A, Video Gallery

Katzenberg, Landau at NYC 3D confab

September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Jeffrey Katzenberg, “Avatar” producer Jon Landau, and RealD CEO Michael Lewis will be featured speakers at 3D Media Markets, a daylong conference by longtime analyst Paul Kagan and his PK Worldmedia Wednesday, Oct. 27 , in the Empire Room at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.

<First published Sept. 22; updated Sept. 30>

Now that 3D has become a technological reality in theaters, homes, mobile devices and all manner of advertising, Madison Avenue and media companies must figure out how to create the marketing and content needed to push it into the mass market and make it a real business.

The Kagan conference, sponsored by Panasonic and its Ideas For Life, will feature executives from theatrical exhibition, TV distribution, videogaming, 3D technology, advertising/marketing, and media finance.

Among the companies represented will be CBS Sports, DirecTV, National CineMedia, JP Morgan, Panasonic, National Basketball Assn., ESPN, Cablevision, 3ality, Scalar Media and XpanD.

“Media companies have climbed a steep learning curve to meet the demands of their viewers, users, subscribers and advertisers,” Kagan said. “And though there is the usual skepticism that accompanies all new advances in technology, 3D is well-positioned to satisfy a demand that has been waiting patiently for years.

“The growth in the popularity of 3D feature films and the introduction of 3D TVs and 3D TV programming is revolutionizing the nature of popular entertainment, creating a new esthetic, new businesses and new business models,” said Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Chief Technology Officer of Panasonic.

Among the confirmed speakers:

  • Ken Aagard, Sr. VP, CBS Sports
  • Anthony Bailey, EVP/Technology, ESPN
  • Jim Blackley, EVP/Tech./Cablevision
  • David Chechelashvili, Head of Gaming/Retail, XpanD
  • Sandy Climan, CEO, 3Ality
  • Kurt Hall, CEO, National CineMedia
  • Sean Hanrahan, Sr. VP/Marketing Solutions, ESPN
  • Frank Hawkins, Founding Partner, Scalar Media
  • Steve Hellmuth, EVP/Technology, National Basketball Assn.
  • Cliff Marks, Pres./Sales & Marketing, Natl. CineMedia
  • Steven Roberts, EVP, DirecTV
  • Andrew Sriubas, Managing Director, JP Morgan
  • Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, CTO, Panasonic North America
  • John Rubey, Pres., AEG Network LIVE
  • Jonathan Small, EVP, Creative Lab, Break Media
  • Jonathan Dern, Pres., Cinedigm
  • Mark Hess, Sr. VP/Adv. Bus./Tech Dev., Comcast
  • James Bower, Pres., MasterImage Mobile
  • Phil Eisler, GM, 3DVision, NVIDIA
  • James Marsh, Sr. Equity Analyst, Piper Jaffray
  • Tom Winner, Media Director, Weiden & Kennedy
  • Stephen Blumenthal, Pres., 3D Fusion Corp.

For more information on 3D MEDIA MARKETS, go to www.pkworldmedia.com.  For sponsorship information and other queries, email info@pkworldmedia.com.

– By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: 3D event, 3D news

3D Summit: Katz blasts critics

September 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Jeffrey Katzenberg opened the 3D Entertainment Summit with his usual provocative verbal flare, defending 3D successes against the recent growing tide of critics claiming it is already dying — “It seems there are some in Hollywood who are determined to seize defeat from the jaws of victory. Six of the top 10 movies this year are 3D; I guess we have to have 10 of 10.” — and lambasting filmmakers and studios who convert movies to 3D after they are produced in 2D, calling them “downright ugly” and claiming they are endangering the technology that is single-handedly responsible for the industry’s growth in the past year.

Panelists who followed shortly after Katzenberg during the first of the two-day conference Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 15-16, took a less polarizing position in regards to 2D-to-3D conversion. Corey Turner of Sony Pictures Imageworks, Barry Sandrew of Legend 3D, Greg Passmore of Passmore Lab, and Yusuf Broachwala of BSAT Labs agreed that conversion can be done well, especially if it is planned in advance. And Katzenberg said during a follow-up Q&A with conference founder Bob Dowling that conversion actually works well for home 3D since the picture is smaller.
(Story continues below the following video highlights from the 3D Entertainment Summit.)

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John Lowry of TrioScopics had one of the only bits of news during the show, that his company produced an anaglyph 3D edition of “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur” for Fox to be released on DVD Tuesday, Sept. 22.

The large conference hall was near capacity Wednesday morning and throughout most of the day.

The second day featured a morning of speakers and panels about home 3D, from Blu-ray to TV, sposnored by the Digital Entertainment Group.

– By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: 3D event, 3D Q&A, Video Gallery

3D University Oct. 9, Sony Imageworks

September 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The International 3D Society‘s second 3D University will be held from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9, <UPDATE Oct. 4:> at Sony Pictures Imageworks, Harryhausen Theatre (formerly Ince Theatre), 9050 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, Ca. 90232.

This course for 3D Society members will feature top filmmakers discussing 3D Television, Pre-Production and Pre-Visualization, Writing For 3D and 2D to 3D Conversion.

The program and speakers:
* 9 a.m. – 9:55 a.m: “U2 3D” director Catherine Owens on directing  live events

* 10 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.: Society chair and Sony 3D Technology Center executive Buzz Hayes on preproduction planning.

* 11 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.: 3D Zone president Ray Zone on writing for 3D.

* 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.: UPDATE Oct. 4 -Sassoon Film Design president & creative director  Tim Sasson on 2D to 3D Conversion.

* 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.: Innoventive Software. LLC lead program architect Ken Schafer on 3D previsualiztion.

Members should RSVP to the e-mail: info@international3Dsociety.com
This will ensure your name is on the list for drive-on clearance at the gate .

– By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: 3D event, 3D news

Disney, Imageworks 3D Lumiere Award winners

September 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Disney Studios, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Dolby Labs, MasterImage, XpanD, 3ality, In-Three, and Nvidia are just a few of the companies and individuals who will receive the first Lumiere Awards at the International 3D Society‘s first Technology Awards on Oct. 19 at Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

IMAX and several other companies will be recipients of the Society’s Gold Award.

The Lumiere Award, the highest honor of its kind, recognizes the most important accomplishments within the stereoscopic 3D medium from Jan. 1, 1980 – Dec. 31, 2009.
Winners are selected by Society membership and a blue ribbon panel of stereoscopic 3D experts.

The complete list of first-time Lumiere recipients:

3ality Digital                Autodesk            Dolby Laboratories
Steve Hines                In-Three            MasterImage 3D
Nvidia                    Quantel            Sassoon Film Design
Sony Pictures Imageworks        The Walt Disney Studios    XpanD

“Recent advances in stereoscopic 3D are revolutionizing the entertainment industry, and we are proud to acknowledge the medium’s most innovative pioneers,” said 3D Awards Committee Co-Chair and Oculus3D President Lenny Lipton. “The groundbreaking work of these companies and professionals will influence motion picture storytelling for generations to come.”

3ality Digital will be honored for its Stereo Image Processor (SIP) technology; Autodesk for its “Maya” 3D visual effects software technology; Dolby Laboratories for its “Dolby 3D” system; Steve Hines and The Walt Disney Studios for their “Disney Dual Camera Rig”; In-Three for its “Dimensionalization” technology; MasterImage 3D for its “Digital 3D Cinema System”; Nvidia for its “3D Vision” technology; Quantel for its “Pablo” 3D color correction and finishing system; Sassoon Film Design for its “2D to 3D Conversion” technology; Sony Pictures Imageworks for its “3D Pipeline”; The Walt Disney Studios for its “3D Pipeline;” and XpanD for its “Active 3D Cinema System.”

The International 3D Society Gold Award recipients also were announced today. There are three technologies being honored for their contribution to recent advances in stereoscopic 3D technologies: Colernial Robert Bernier for his “Optics” technology; IMAX for its “Solido Dual Strip 3D Camera” technology; and IRIDAS for its “Dual Stream” technology.

The 3D Technology Awards Show will feature MasterImage digital 3D cinema system technology and passive glasses as well as NEC projectors and equipment.

XpanD and Panasonic are Platinum Sponsors of the 3D Technology Awards Show. NEC Display Solutions is a Gold Sponsor; Nvidia and Quantel are Silver Sponsors. International 3D Society underwriters include Signature Sponsor XpanD and Founding Sponsors MasterImage 3D, Panasonic Hollywood Lab, The Walt Disney Studios, Pixar, DreamWorks Animation (DWA), Dolby Laboratories and IMAX; and Member Sponsors Discovery Communications, Autodesk and DirecTV.

Filed Under: 3D event, 3D news

Digital Media Pipeline Sept. 15

August 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Executives from Best Buy, DISH Networks, Image Entertainment, Lionsgate, Microsoft, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., and YouTube will be part of the second annual conference called “Digital Media Pipeline ’10: The Business of Digital Entertainment,” presented by the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) on Sept. 15 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

“Digital delivery is a key element of our business strategy, and Digital Media Pipeline allows us to network with our partners in the digital marketplace and share knowledge about this growing business,” said Mitch Mallon, Vice President, Sales and Marketing – Digital Distribution and Television, Image Entertainment.

At the conclusion of the one-day event, which brings together digital entertainment content owners, service providers, and retailers to focus on business-to-business opportunities in the digital delivery of home entertainment to consumers, EMA will present its Digi Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in digital entertainment retailing, content, and innovation.

The registration fee for Digital Media Pipeline, which has The Hollywood Reporter as the media sponsor, is $295 for EMA members and $395 for non-members. Discounts are available for multiple attendees from a single company.

Filed Under: Events

ESPN’s Burns at 3D Ent. Summit

August 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ESPN VP of strategic business planning and development Bryan Burns will outline the sports network’s commitment to 3D at the third annual 3D Entertainment Summit Sept. 16.

Burns will speak on “Turning The Corner From SD to HD to 3D,” one of four panels in the DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group’s conference programming block called Home 3D: Solutions and Strategies.

“I’m looking forward to examining the events of the last decade that have led ESPN to its industry leading position in 3DTV,” Burns said, “as well as considering the challenges and alliances that need to be formed between those who have business interests in 3DTV to further ‘turn the corner’ and drive future consumer interest in this new opportunity.”

The two-day conference produced by The Bob Dowling Group and Unicomm on Sept. 15/16 at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City, Ca., is presented in association with Variety.

“With ESPN leading the charge, televised sports is proving to be a powerful driver for consumer adoption of 3D,” said Dowling,” and we are delighted that Bryan Burns, the network’s go-to executive on all things 3D, will address our conference on one of the industry’s hottest sectors.”

In addition to ESPN 3D, Burns currently leads ESPN’s domestic high-definition services, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, ESPNU HD and ESPNEWS HD, and has been an integral part of creation of the HD services from business planning prior to the announcement of ESPN HD in 2002.

3DHollywood.net is an industry partner with the 3D Entertainment Summit.

– By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: 3D event, 3D news

Panasonic presents underwater 3D

August 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Panasonic will demonstrate 3D filmmaking equipment, including a new underwater housing unit for the company’s indie pro 3D camcorder, at this week’s Blue Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit for underwater filmmakers, marine researchers and conservation leaders in Monterey, Ca..

The company, which is the official 3D sponsor of the festival running today (Tuesday) through Sunday, Aug. 29, at the Portola Hotel & Spa, will demonstrate a new underwater housing for the 3DA1 — the professional camcorder targeted at independent filmmakers — that will allow videographers to capture life beneath the surface of the ocean in full HD 3D.

Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic’s Chief Technology Officer for North America, will be among the featured panelists at the Panasonic-sponsored panel discussion “3D: Nature’s New Dimension” at 9 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 27.

Tsuyuzaki will also join the discussion on the following Panasonic-sponsored panel at 10:30 a.m., “3D: Challenges and Opportunities.” That panel includes director Don Hahn of Walt Disney Pictures and Disneynature.

“Panasonic is proud to support the Blue Oceans Summit and have the opportunity to share with many of the world’s leading oceanographic filmmakers and experts our industry-leading work in 3D technology,” said Tsuyuzaki, who is on the board of directors of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Ca.

“We are very excited to have Panasonic as an official sponsor…,”  said Debbie Kinder, CEO / Executive Director, Blue Oceans Film Festival. “The arrival of the 3D era is a very exciting time for the talented film makers that participate in Blue Oceans…”

Also on display will be the VT25 Series of 3D Viera plasma HDTVs and 3D Blu-ray Disc players. One summit attendee will win a Panasonic Full HD 3D Viera Home Theater System, which includes a Viera VT25 Series Plasma, Panasonic 3D Blu-ray Disc Player and four pairs of Panasonic Active Shutter 3D Eyewear.

The festival also provides the public the opportunity to experience the world’s largest collection of ocean films, including the Thursday evening screening of the Disneynature film “Oceans,” which was released last April in conjunction with Earth Day. Hahn will introduce that film.

– By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: 3D event
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