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| Growth of 3D sees new players |
| Swarup Chakraborty / Mumbai Aug 03, 2010, 00:30 IST |
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K Sera Sera, a company in the work of film production and distribution, has jumped on the 3D (three-dimensional visuals) bandwagon, claiming it can convert 2D content to 3D on a real-time basis.
 “We have invested Rs 60 crore in the equipment and infrastructure for setting up a technology laboratory and Rs 10 crore in the 2D to 3D conversion technology,” said Sanjay Gupta, CEO of K Sera Sera Productions Ltd.
3D visuals create an artificial imagery of depth, while 2D or two-dimensional visuals just show the width and height of an object.
“The technology incorporates input from two formats, either from a high-definition source or uncompressed file sequences like TIFF or DPX, which converts them to 3D in real time. Output can be generated on any standard uncompressed file sequences like TIFF or DPX, which can be used for any mastering format to view 3D content on any digital format,” said Gupta.
Though Gupta said the technology would save time and money, people in the business are not sure of the quality it would deliver. Gupta said 2D films could be converted to 3D for less than Rs 1 crore.
Namit Malhotra, founder and global CEO of Prime Focus, which has worked on Hollywood films like Avatar and Clash of the Titans, asserts that high-end conversion is not possible through this technology. “For a film like Avatar, we had to be very sure of the aesthetics. It could not have been done by a hardware alone, as artistic involvement was needed,” he said. Malhotra said the time-frame for creative-interactive (where artistes work on computer graphics and visual improvement frame-by-frame) methods was also decreasing. “Prime Focus converted Clash of the Titans from 2D to 3D in eight weeks. We have also worked on another Hollywood movie for children, for which we took only five weeks,” he added. According to him, 3D treatment of visuals cost $8-15 million per film.
Plans
Gupta agrees the quality of conversion through his technology will not be in the league of Avatar but says it would be helpful to fill the present gap of 3D content. He said the company expects to recover the investment on the technology in 18 months’ time. “We are exploring the option of converting some of the available 2D content into 3D,” said Gupta. The company has a repository of 50 films and it might convert some to 3D.
K Sera Sera is also working on exhibition of 3D content through its new venture, Miniplex. It has plans to launch 500 miniplexes of 75 seats each and hopes to have 350 of 3D-compatible screens in the next one year. Presently, there are only around 75 of 3D-enabled theatre screens, managed by Scrabble Entertainment.
Banking on the 3D wave, UFO Moviez, which distributes films digitally, has invested around Rs 30 crore in the equipment infrastruture business. “We will facilitate Indian film makers by providing them equipment for making films, and take equity in films. So, we will not lease out equipment but be co-producers,” said Sanjay Gaikwad, MD, UFO Moviez.
The company is also investing to upgrade theatres to be 3D-compatible. Gaikwad said the company would make 250 screens compatible with 3D by March 2011.
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