Star Wars Phantom Menace 3D Conversion a Success Says Lucas
Scheduled for release February 10th, 2012, the 2D to 3D conversion of Star Wars Episode 1 the Phantom Menace has satisfied Director George Lucas who wanted subtle 3D conversion.
Star Wars: Episode 1 Phantom Menace has been converted to 3D by visual entertainment company Prime Focus, the same company who converted Clash of the Titans and Chronicles of Narnia into 3D. They were selected by both Lucasfilm and ILM after an “exhaustive testing process”.
The first Star Wars 3D conversion is being done with the help of a team of over 1000 rotoscope artists based in India as well as visual effects artists in LA and London all connected by a massive global network which can quickly shift data between each facility.
"It was incredibly important to me that we have the technology, the resources and the time to do this right," said Star Wars creator George Lucas. "I'm very happy with the results I've been seeing on Episode I."
Prime Focus founder and CEO Namit Malhotra said: "Wherever you are in the world, the Star Wars films have become part of the very fabric of film-making – the epitome of the big cinema experience. To be chosen by Lucasfilm as a trusted partner and to be given the time and opportunity to re-present this series as a new experience to both old and new audiences alike, is an incredible honour. For a project of this importance and magnitude, Lucasfilm and ILM would only have chosen a company with the best talent in the industry, leading proprietary technology and infrastructure, a production-proven pipeline and unmatched scale. I'm hugely proud that Prime Focus is that company."
The extensive conversion process is being completed under the close supervision of John Knoll, Visual Effects Supervisor for ILM.
"Getting really good results from stereo conversion requires a lot of attention to detail and it is imperative that you take the time to get it right – and that's just what we're doing," said Knoll. "We're taking a different approach than you might expect. George's vision has been to add dimension to the film in subtle ways. This isn't a novelty conversion, with things jumping out at the audience; our goal has been to enhance the classic Star Wars theatrical experience, utilising the latest cinematic tools and techniques."
Prime Focus came under fire for the conversion of Clash of the Titans which was slated by James Cameron but in an exclusive interview with 3D Focus coming soon, Matthew Bristow defended the company’s work on the title and highlighted their conversion of Chronicles of Narnia which was voted the best live action 3D movie at the International 3D Society. Prime Focus were also involved in conversion work for Tron: Legacy, Avatar and currently have three films going through their facility which Matthew claims to be "arguably the biggest films on the planet". One might suspect that this is the Star Wars trilogy conversion after today’s announcement.
Read the exclusive interview with Prime Focus before anybody else by signing up to the 3D Focus newsletter on the top right column.
To read more about Prime Focus click here.
FREE WEEKLY 3D NEWS BULLETIN –
