AMSTERDAM - DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg
predicted that all movies would be made in 3-D within "a reasonable period of
time" and that 2-D films would be "a thing of the past."
He issued his forecast during a keynote speech at the
International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam. Appropriately for the
occasion, the speech made broadcasting history.
In the first live transatlantic telecast in high-definition
digital 3-D, Katzenberg spoke from the DreamWorks Animation campus in Glendale
to an estimated 1,000 delegates — all wearing 3-D glasses.
Katzenberg said innovative glasses will be among the first
steps in the 3-D revolution, and that DreamWorks Animation has been
collaborating with eyeglass firms Luxottica and Oakley. "They’re at a point
where they are about to introduce a transition lens that where you go outside
its your sunglasses, and when you go into the movie theater it transitions into
3-D glasses," he said. "People are going to own their own glasses. I think from
a fashion standpoint and a coolness standpoint people will want to have their
own glasses. I think that will be among the many changes that will come along."
He predicted that 3-D would roll out into "all facets of our
lives and our culture," including the Internet, laptops, computers and handheld
devices.
He also cited some early advertiser interest. "We have
started working with some of the biggest advertisers in North America about
trying to create some fun and unique 3-D events."
Still, Katzenberg was cautious when asked about converting 2-D titles to 3-D.
"With the existing tools that are here today, we have not been happy with the
quality," he said of some tests. "But the tools are getting better. I don’t want
to say it’s not going to happen, I just don’t know when." During the program, he
showed a 3-D test clip from the studio’s recent summer smash "Kung Fu Panda" and
previewed a scene from the firm’s first digital 3-D title, "Monsters Versus
Aliens," which is slated to open March 27. – Reuters
