“We were too cautious with 3D” says Anthony Geffen

Having recently completed The Bachelor King 3D, Producer Anthony Geffen talks to 3D Focus about his hopes for 2012 saying that the industry has been too cautious with its use of 3D in the past.

In the third part of our “What Next for 3D?” series, we start by asking the Flying Monsters 3D producer if there were any special moments for 3D in 2011…

Anthony Geffen: There have been sparks here and sparks there and I would like to think Flying Monsters 3D was a big spark for showing the potential in that arena. When we look back at Avatar it now looks quite crude in a way but actually it was very exciting at the time and there are a number of other films that have touched on that. I think what we are getting now is the first set of films which are cracking it in 3D. I think maybe studios have learnt their lessons; that they shouldn’t just rush things out and dimensionalise them. It is not working and people are rejecting that.

3D Focus: Has the industry been too cautious with its use of 3D?

Anthony Geffen: We were too cautious but rightly one listens to the technical folks. 3D needs to make a difference and an impact. It doesn't need things hitting you in the face unnecessarily but it needs to offer that depth. I think that people are saying, actually we can make our own rules and that it won’t make people have squiffy eyes and hurt people. You need to know how to use it but we do need to use that negative space. We are learning how to play clever tricks on people so that they appreciate that depth.

3D Focus: Was 2011 a good or bad year for 3D?

Anthony Geffen: I think 2011 was a good year, I think it was a year that started with a lot of noise but I like the fact that it has settled down a bit. In a way, people getting dissapointed with 3D movies like Pirates of the Caribbean allowed us to get on with making the films in the way we should shoot them. Towards the end of the year, as those films started to come through, I think people got excited about it again so it has been seen as an up and down year. For people making 3D it has been a very exciting year; cameras are better quality, they are easier to use and we are learning techniques that we didn’t know before so it has been a very good year in terms of production. We need to wait for a batch of really good films before I can say what 3D is doing next, we can be judged on that. I hope Prometheus 3D and The Hobbit are creative with the negative space even though they are pretty conservative.

3D Focus: What are your hopes for 2012?

Anthony Geffen: I’m still hoping that we get the first 3D tablet this year. That will certainly stimulate 3D content. I know manufacturers have got it lined up but whether they will release it this year or not we don’t know but when it does suddenly everybody would be seeing 3D content. If you think about it, if you had a 3D iPad or other 3D tablet you are going to want to plug it back through your television set so I am hopeful that will be an awareness booster.

I think progress has been made and hopefully 2012 will be a very upbeat year but we don’t want to get carried away. It’s going to take a while to get where we all want to be in 3D but if used in the right way and for the right film, it is very exciting.

For more information about Atlantic Productions visit www.atlanticproductions.co.uk

MONDAY ON WHAT NEXT FOR 3D? – ANDY MILLNS FROM INITION

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