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Martin Scorsese on 3D

Martin Scorsese spoke about 3D earlier today after a screening of his latest film in Los Angeles.

Martin Scorsese spoke about 3D earlier today after a screening of his latest film in Los Angeles.

Hugo is based on the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, and is the story of a young orphan (Asa Butterfield) living inside a Paris train station in the late 1920s.

After a sneak preview at the New York Film Festival (where an unfinished version screened) it played today in front of various press and (presumably) Academy voters.

Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere shot some video of the post-screening Q&A, which was moderated by none other than Paul Thomas Anderson and also featured DP Robert Richardson, production designer Dante Ferretti, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, visual effects supervisor Robert Legato and composer Howard Shore.

In the first video Scorsese talks about why he chose the material:

Aside from being Scorsese’s first film in 3D, it was a pioneering production that employed the latest in digital camera technology.

It was shot on a new 3D camera rig developed by Vince Pace, which combines two digital Arri Alexa cameras.

Here Scorsese talks about 3D in the context of cinema history, comparing it to the advent of colour:

The film was pioneering in other ways as it was the first major production to shoot with Cooke 5/i Prime Lenses and to employ Pace’s new data system, which allows the filmmakers on set to extract and manipulate digital camera information on set (rather than in post-production).

Gregor Tavenner, the first Camera Assistant on the film, talked about this in an interview last year with Film and Digital Times:

The Pace system has the ability to record all the metadata for every frame of every shot. Which it does. It links I/O data convergence, readouts, what’s where, and stores it.

The Alexas don’t have LDS or /i data contacts built into their PL mount yet. Maybe in the next model, later this year. But right now it’s a big plus to be able to plug the /i connector into the 5/i lens and extract all the data, and display it. The Transvideo monitors plug right into /i connectors—so I get a full readout of all the lens data on screen. It’s beautiful.

Post. It’s a new world. There is no post house. We’re doing it. Pace is doing it. It’s incredible. We built our own screening room, our own file room, we have coloring, our own grader on staff, so Bob can go in every day and grade his footage. And Marty can do stereo corrections right there. He can see finished product. And I tell you, it’s really beautiful. It makes a lot of sense.

Some other video was shot at the screening where Thelma Schoonmaker talked about editing and mixing in 3D:

And here is Richardson and Scorsese talking about shooting the film on the Alexa and how they played with colours on set:

Hugo is out in the US on November 23rd and in the UK on Friday 2nd December

> Official site
> IMDb link

2 replies on “Martin Scorsese on 3D”

I would be very interested to find out that if given the choice, directors who are championing the use of 3D technology would actually prefer to see their own films in 3D over a normal 2D release. And if they saw both could they honestly say that the 3D release is a better of the two. I have seen a lot of films recently in 2D and 3D and the 3D has been distracting everytime and has ruined the performance.

@Kinobick I think it depends on the film. I’d agree that recent 3D films have been disappointing. The main problem 3D has is the lower brightness levels (around half of a 2D film) which is unacceptable in the long term. But on the other hand, the trend has led to a lot of investment in the upgrade of projection systems and cinemas, which as a supporter of the theatrical experience I’d say was a good thing given that it may vanish in the next decade.

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