Entire Shrek Series Converted to 3D

2D – 3D conversion company Legend3D, famous for converting some of the most high profile 3D movies of all time, have just finished converting Dreamwork’s Shrek 1, 2 and 3 into 3D for 3D Blu-Ray Home Release

(Includes Interview With Legend3D Founder Dr Barry Sandrew).

In a marketing deal with Samsung Electronics, the converted Shrek titles will be bundled with the fourth installment Shrek 4: Shrek Forever After (which was an original 3D release) and shipped with new 3D Samsung televisions in America.

A massive team of about 240 conversion artists in two continents have been working to a tough schedule to convert the Shrek series into 3D and have achieved the “best stereo conversion that’s been done to date in the industry” according to Legend3D founder, Dr Barry Sandrew.

“Converting the most successful animated franchise of all time was a daunting task that has resulted in a validation of Legend3D’s high-quality conversion technology,” said Barry Sandrew, “Completing the conversion of three feature-length CG animated films, and creating such a high-quality product, was a tremendous achievement.”

3D Focus managed to get some time with Dr Barry Sandrew, and started by asking what help did Dreamworks offer in the 2D to 3D conversion process of Shrek…

Dr Barry Sandrew: We feel that the conversion we produced on Shrek 1, 2 and 3 is the best stereo conversion that’s been done to date in the industry.  It will be up to the consumers to decide how the Shrek trilogy we converted holds up to Shrek 4 which was produced from “native” assets.  Wherever possible, DreamWorks provided CG assets which we incorporated into our proprietary conversion process.  While not quite the same as an original or “native” CG render, all the image information is available when and if we have access to CG assets.  However, not all of the assets were available on these films, but since this was animation, it was a rather straightforward process for our artists to reconstruct certain background elements that might be exposed in stereo.

3DF: How long did all Shrek films take to convert from 2D to 3D and what size team would you estimate were involved?

Dr Barry Sandrew: During the conversion of the ‘Shrek’ trilogy, we were in the beginning stages of a strategic ramp up that we put in place in order to be able to effectively handle several films that we are currently converting for 2011 studio release.  We had approximately 120 artists working on the trilogy in San Diego and approximately the same number in India completing masking.  All three feature films took six months to complete, which breaks down to approximately eight weeks per title.  This was a very aggressive schedule from which to work but we hit our marks during the entire process.  Typically, our preference is to work within a production timeline of 12 to 16 weeks per title.

3DF: What were the biggest challenges in 2D – 3D conversion of the Shrek series?

Dr Barry Sandrew: We were fortunate enough to have Nancy Bernstein (VFX producer), Wendy Rogers (VFX supervisor) and Phil “Capt. 3D” McNally (senior stereographer) in charge of the entire project on the DreamWorks side.  They were perhaps the most dedicated production professionals anyone could have the opportunity to work with and everyone at Legend3D benefited greatly as a result of the experience.  I believe that other conversion companies are producing subpar product because they either don’t have the necessary oversight from the studio or the partnership is a bit more “hands off” in nature.  Without strong collaboration and transparency, the whole issue of shortcuts can be introduced and the subsequent exploitation can inevitably compromise the quality of the conversion.  Due to the fact that we worked with incredible task masters at Imageworks during our work on the “Alice in Wonderland” conversion, as well as these seasoned professionals from DreamWorks, we have been able to achieve and maintain the highest level of quality conversion at Legend3D. It is this level of excellence that studios continue to expect from us and that we continue to deliver.

For more information about Legend3D, visit www.Legend3D.com.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH DR BARRY SANDREW FROM 2D – 3D CONVERSION EXPERTS LEGEND3D

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