MUMBAI: Filmmaker James Cameron has entered into a joint venture in China for developing and expanding the technology in the country.
The filmmaker‘s Cameron/Pace Group (CPG), that specialises in 3D technology, has partnered with two Chinese firms from the city of Tianjin, Tianjin High-Tech Holding and Tianjin North Group, it is learnt.
“The future of entertainment is 3D and we believe that the future of 3D is right here in China,” said Cameron in a statement adding that he was in the Chinese capital not as a director but as a businessman.
The noted director, who is convinced that the transition of the film industry from 2D to 3D is inevitable, believes that “China is the most fertile soil to plant that seed”.
“We are here to make movies better by working with film-makers here in China,” said Cameron. “We are here to give them the tools and the techniques to make the transition from 2D to 3D,” he added.
Cameron hopes to take advantage of a box-office explosion in China, where the film industry is booming and the number of cinema halls is on the rise, potentially offering one of the most lucrative markets in the world.
Cameron‘s Titanic and Avatar, incidentally, broke all records in China.
Tag: James Cameron
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James Cameron in JV in China for developing 3D
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Landau reveals Titanic 3D making
MUMBAI: A library of 3D titles will hold a greater value than one that is in 2D, according to Titanic and Avatar producer Jon Landau.
Talking at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show, Landau said that 2D to 3D conversion isn‘t “a technical process, it‘s a creative process that uses technology.”
For Titanic, the conversion was a detailed process that took 14 months and cost $18 million. The Titanic producer said that getting it right means “finding a library title that justifies [3D conversion] and a filmmaker who can be involved. The creative team needs to be a part of the process.”
The project began with remastering the film in 4K (which was accomplished at Reliance MediaWorks) and then Stereo 3D took it into the 3D realm with a team of about 450 people.
Landau confirmed that director James Cameron‘s “imprint is on every shot.” “He used what he remembered from the set,” explained Landau, citing the dinner table scene as among the most challenging. “The detail was so complex, and Jim was able to look at a shot and recall that the table was ‘this big‘ and really place it and make it feel comfortable.”
“We used our learning experience from Avatar on this film,” Landau continued. “Action is not necessary where you want to emphasize the 3D. At the end day, movies are about the close up. People go back because of the narrative story.
“The subtleties in the performances — to me 3D is about enhancing those types of moments,” he added.The idea to realize Titanic in 3D was not a recent one. Landau related that he and Cameron first started to think about it in around 2000. Then, in the following four years ago,both the director and producer gave one minute of Titanic to roughly 15 different companies as test material. “We felt the potential was there,” Landau averred.
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Sequel of Avatar delayed
MUMBAI: James Cameron‘s highly anticipated sequel to Avatar has been delayed.
Earlier, the makers had planned to bring Avatar 2 in December 2014 followed by Avatar 3 next year but producer Jon Landau has confirmed that bringing back-to-back sequels would not be possible, it is understood.
“We‘re not naming dates, but I think 2014 will be a tough date for us to make. It‘s about getting it right… movies make release dates; release dates don‘t make movies,” that producer has reportedly said.
Cameron spent a lot of time and research on his recent dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench and he was also involved in the 3D conversion of Titanic, which is said to be the cause of the delay.
It is said that Landau had already started work on the sequels with his core team including New Zealand effects company Weta Digital that is developing an underwater motion capture system that will help Cameron explore the oceans on Pandora.
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Censor Board retains two cuts of Titanic in 3D version
MUMBAI: Fox Star Studios, India’s forthcoming release of the 3D version of James Cameron‘s Titanic, has been passed without any cuts and has received a clear U/A censor rating by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
This time, the Board has retained two scenes of which one was where Leonardo Di Caprio sketches a nude Kate Winslet. The scenes were cut when the film was released here in 1997.
The film, to be released in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, is a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and a special tribute to the tragedy that took place in 1912.
The film releases on 5 April.
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James Cameron is 3rd to go sea bottom
MUMBAI: With his visit to the floor of the Mariana Trench‘s Challenger Deep, the deepest known point on Earth, James Cameron has joined the tiny club of explorers who have taken a submersible to such depths.
Talking of his travel, Cameron said that hr had to cut short his record solo descent due to a hydraulic fuel leak in his Deepsea Challenger sub that was later plucked from the Pacific about 300 miles southwest of Guam.
“I see this as the beginning … of opening up this frontier to science and really understanding these deep places,” Cameron has been quoted to have said. The filmmaker is a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence.
Cameron‘s trip to the murky floor of the Mariana Trench was as deep as any human has gone since retired U.S. Navy Capt. Don Walsh and the late Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard dropped down a watery elevator to the bottom of Challenger Deep in the submersible Trieste in 1960.
While Walsh and Piccard had gone down 35,797 feet, Cameron‘s Deepsea Challenger nearly matched by going down 35,756 feet.
In recent years, there have been a pair of descents to similar depths made by remotely operated, robotic submersibles.
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Titanic sails back to India after 15 years, to show in 3D avatar
MUMBAI: James Cameron’s Titanic is going to be re-released in India on 5 April, albeit in its new 3D makeover in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
The release marks the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the sailing of the Titanic while paying a special tribute to the tragedy that took place in 1912.
As a promotional initiative, Fox Star Studios India has flown down producer Jon Landau, the man behind the two biggest grossers Titanic and Avatar , for a tour of Mumbai and Delhi. The producer will present 45 minutes of the film in 3D to media and prominent Bollywood personalities at PVR Juhu on 22 March. What‘s more, he is carrying with him the prestigious Oscar statuette he won for Titanic in 1997.
Confirming Landau‘s visit, Fox Star Studios India CEO Vijay Singh said, “We are extremely happy to host Landau, who is in the city. There is huge excitement for Titanic 3D in India with an unprecedented 2.5 million fans on its social networking page.”
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, Titanic first released in 1997 and is one of the greatest love stories of all time, having won 11 Oscars.
Speaking about his film, Cameron has said in a statement, “We get to bring Titanic back to the big screen after having been gone for 15 years. I‘ve always thought of watching this film in theatres as a social phenomenon where parents will take their children or teenagers would go with their mom. I‘m a strong believer in the theatrical experience in general and specifically for this film.”
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Titanic set to sail on 4 April
MUMBAI: Good news for fans eagerly waiting for 6 April to see the new Titanic.
The newly-converted 3D version of James Cameron’s Titanic will set sail a few days earlier than originally planned. Paramount has decided to release the film two days ahead on 4 April.
The studio also has preponed the release of A Thousand Words, Brian Robbins’ comedy starring Eddie Murphy from 20 April to 9 March when it will compete with Disney’s sci-fi tale John Carter.
It also slated a limited release on March 16 for the Duplass Brothers’ film Jeff, Who Lives at Home, starring Jason Segel. The film, which was originally scheduled for a 2 March release premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
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Avatar 2 will release in 2016
MUMBAI: James Cameron‘s Avatar 2 has reportedly been delayed. The much-awaited film was originally scheduled to release in 2014, but there is news that the Avatar sequel may be pushed back for a 2016 opening.
It has however been revealed that the new film will showcase advanced technology that includes a higher rate of 3D camera system and the CG and performance capture.
Way back in October 2010, 20th Century Fox had announced that Avatar 2 would release in December 2014 and Avatar 3 in December 2015.
Cameron has signed up to return to the director‘s seat and has planned to film the two sequels back-to-back.
Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver, Avatar released in 2009 and was named the highest grossing film of all time.
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Cameron displays 18-minute 3D footage of Titanic
MUMBAI: James Cameron recently unveiled an 18-minute footage from his new 3D version of the 1997 blockbuster hit Titanic. The 1997 disaster epic is in the process of being converted into 3D at a cost of USD 18 million.
Among the footage that was screened include the Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose DeWitt Bukater‘s (Kate Winslet) encounter on the Titantic‘s grand stairwell, their kiss on the bow of the ship and its sinking.”There are certain films that aren‘t being brought back to the theater. There is a whole generation of people who haven‘t seen it at all,” Cameron has been quoted to have said. The director said that there would be no changes to the content of the film.
Titantic grossed $ 1.84 billion worldwide and won 11 Oscars, including those for best picture and best director. It is the second highest grossing film of all time next to Cameron‘s own Avatar that grossed nearly double that amount.
Cameron also said that while he is typically very much against converting traditional films into 3D, he believes the conversion enriches the film.I totally believe 3D is an enhancement for the dramatic scenes not just the big action,” he added.
The new version of the film is due to be released on April 6 next year.
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Avatar most downloaded film
MUMBAI: According to a study by TorrentFreak, James Cameron‘s 3-D blockbuster Avatar has been the most pirated film in the history of Hollywood.
The film has been downloaded some 21 million times since it was released in 2009.
It may be remembered that Cameron once touted 3D filmmaking as the entertainment industry‘s best hope for combating piracy, but there has been no respite and the 3D spectacle could not escape the wrath of torrent sites, it is said.
Avatar‘s 21 million downloads beat out 19 million downloads apiece for The Dark Knight and Transformers. The Leonardo DiCaprio starrer Inception and Todd Phillips‘ Hangover ranked fourth and fifth respectively in the most pirated list.
Following them were Star Trek, Kick-Ass, The Departed, The Incredible Hulk, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World‘s End to round off the top ten.
All of the films on the TorrentFreak‘s all-time list of “most pirated movies” did quite well at the box office.