Disney 3D Hannah Montana... Wow!

[Marty Hudzik]

I took my 6 year old daughter to see this concert movie last night in Disney 3d and I was completely blown away! The technology used to create the 3d is nothing short of amazing. There was absolutely no eye strain at all and the 3d effect was fabulous. I am not talking cheesy 3d effects (their were 3-4 of these) but I am talking about lifelike being there type of images. There were certain shots that were 30-40 ft back from the stage at a 3/4 angle that literally looked like you were there. It was that good. Wide shots definitely looked the most real....probably because that is how we view real concerts and out brain reconciles this easily. Cloese-ups are usually associated with zoom cameras and our brains realize this and you lose a little bit of immersion because you are consciously aware of the camera. Still good....but not as dramatic as the wides.

The cameras had a very deep depth of field (except on some of the zooms) which was actually very nice in this case. This one didn't look like film......it looked like real life. I was seriously, seriously impressed. I have seen 3d computer generated short films before but this was live action. Again....I am blown away. If this is where 3d movies are heading then I am starting to think this is not a bad idea.

Let me restate, the film was not full of cheesy 3d effects. The vast majority was simply a realistic looking concert film but in 3d and super HD on steroids. The resolution was astounding. Remember the first time you saw a live event on a really good HD screen and thought....holy schnikeys....that looks like real life? Well this just doubles the realism factor. It was completely immersive and not distracting at all.

I should add quickly that I have produced several short tradeshow videos in 3d using the old red/blue glasses trick and hated it. The effect was moderate but the color shifts and bleeding of images to both eyes gave me a headace. You know how you feel watching that....imagine editing one for 8 hours a day for 2 weeks.....it hurt my eyes and head. SO I watched the Disney 3D with painstaking determination, taking my glasses on and off frequently to see how it was working. The effect was almost flawless.

The concert itself was pretty good...I personally love all styles of music and found that the 5 piece band that "really" played all the songs (no samples or overprocessed prerecorded sequences) were pretty good. I did recognize all the songs as I actively participate in my daughter's life....barbies, horses, my little ponies and Hannah Montana too. I have had nieces and nephews who have gone through all the different teen bands and find the material that Miley Cyrus performs to be much more tolerable....heck...some of the songs are pretty good and with a live rock band they just sound even better.

If you have a little one....don't hesitate to go see this if it is playing in your area. If you don't have a little one and are brave enough.....check it out anyway. The tech is that good.

Sorry for the long post but I wasn't expecting the 3d effect to be so well done and seamless. Seriously check it out if you can.

Peace.

[Chris Hurd]

Moved from Awake to 3D.

My wife and I are probably the last folks who would ever care to leave the house to see this, but thanks to your review it's now on the short list of our things to do this weekend.

[Marty Hudzik]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

Moved from Awake to 3D.

My wife and I are probably the last folks who would ever care to leave the house to see this, but thanks to your review it's now on the short list of our things to do this weekend.

I hope I didn't overhype it! I went in hoping the 3d would be good and was blown away. Now that I have hyped the heck of of how good it was, I hope you don't expect too much and get let down! I guess a big part of my enthusiasm is the subtle use of it. Other 3d movies overdo it a bit and it's used here to make you feel like you are at the concert...not to shock you with 3d objects jumping out at you all the time.

I can definitely see this as a great venue for concert films because when it was over there was a definite feeling like we had been at a real concert. I mean we knew it was just a film but the immersion into the environment via the 3d added that much more to the experience.

Hope you find the visuals as amazing as I did and maybe the music won't be too annoying to those who are not familiar with it.

[Chris Hurd]

No worries; as long as it's not as bloody and violent as Beowulf was, my wife will enjoy it.

(I dug Beowulf actually, but am looking forward to seeing the opposite end of the 3D content spectrum).

[Meryem Ersoz]

I saw this with my 7 year old on Monday. It was completely engrossing. There is a ton of production eye candy, oh the cameras, the crane set-ups, etc. Great gear shots baked into and throughout the entire production. Then there is the unintentional sub-plot of the manufacturing of stardom, which was also pretty interesting.

And then there is Kenny Ortega himself, who is a genius at making kids' stuff matter, beyond the kids' stuff, who is a strong character in this production, taking us backstage and showing us how he works his particular brand of genius.

And then, there are some simply remarkable shot angles--this is actually light years better than being at a live concert. Getting these crane shots that move overhead and diagonally across the band from behind the band--whoa! In 3D! These are completely new and innovative ways of seeing, re-making the familiar and the obvious through a completely new way of seeing.

On the surface, this is a film about kiddie concert. But beneath the surface, what it really is, is a film about filmmaking itself--which is, I think, Kenny Ortega's true love, more than the outcome, he truly loves the process.

In a weird way, it actually reminds me of "Ghosts of the Abyss" which was another 3D film that pretended to be about the Titanic but was actually a film about film....

[Marty Hudzik]

There are times where they are shooting and the camera is dollying stage right to follow the action and a giant crane comes into the shot and stays in there for several seconds...I tend to think this was left in on purpose as they could have edited away from this easily. They were trying to get the "you're really there" feeling...and if you were really there you would have to see the damn crane! Sometimes it really feels like the cranes and equipment are part of the event...left there in plain site for us to see.

However they did a great job of hiding any on stage camera men. There are clearly some steady cam shots that Miley and her dancers play to. They are in the center of the stage and turn and walk to the left up a platform. It cuts to a steady cam shot walking backwards as they walk and play toward the camera. This tracks all the up the platform and when they cut to another camera quickly there is nobody there! Either he ducked quickly out of site or they cut to a shot from a different night.

Glad to hear someone else like the " aesthetics" of the production as much as me.

[Ali Husain]

http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/u23d?q=u2%203d
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2_3D

the word is that you really want to see the u2 3d movie.

[Chris Hurd]

Well, I might see the U2 3D movie, most likely I will. But this thread isn't about U2. It's all about Hannah!

[Marty Hudzik]

From a technical point of view I don't think you will see that much of a difference between the 2.....if I am not mistaken the same production team handled both and they use the same technology. Obviously if you are a U2 fan then that film would be better suited to you. Personally, I never cared for U2....even back in the day. So I wouldn't much enjoy seeing them now unless someone states that the 3d in it blows away the 3d in HM.

It's sad but I haven't heard anything in the press regarding U2's film. I guess the industry knew that Hannah would draw all the kids....and a few techno-geeks like me! Honestly though I would never have seen it if it weren't for my 6 year old. Really!

[Christo Aaron]

Hello Meryem,
I was wondering about your viewing of this Stereoscoptic "Hanna film". Did it begin to cross your mind, what could be done, using your Red One in a stereo pairing? The resulting 3D offspring from your "High Country" filmmaking trec, I believe would be approaching the, "Spectacular"?
Cheers,
Chris

Originally Posted by Meryem Ersoz

I saw this with my 7 year old on Monday. It was completely engrossing. There is a ton of production eye candy, oh the cameras, the crane set-ups, etc. Great gear shots baked into and throughout the entire production. Then there is the unintentional sub-plot of the manufacturing of stardom, which was also pretty interesting.

And then there is Kenny Ortega himself, who is a genius at making kids' stuff matter, beyond the kids' stuff, who is a strong character in this production, taking us backstage and showing us how he works his particular brand of genius.

And then, there are some simply remarkable shot angles--this is actually light years better than being at a live concert. Getting these crane shots that move overhead and diagonally across the band from behind the band--whoa! In 3D! These are completely new and innovative ways of seeing, re-making the familiar and the obvious through a completely new way of seeing.

On the surface, this is a film about kiddie concert. But beneath the surface, what it really is, is a film about filmmaking itself--which is, I think, Kenny Ortega's true love, more than the outcome, he truly loves the process.

In a weird way, it actually reminds me of "Ghosts of the Abyss" which was another 3D film that pretended to be about the Titanic but was actually a film about film....

[Meryem Ersoz]

that's a mind-blowing idea...i'm completely uneducated about how to go about making 3D films. i wouldn't know where to begin, but maybe i should give that some consideration.

if anyone out there wants to come to colorado, play with my pair of REDs, and school me on this, in exchange for time on the cameras, i'd be interested.

[Christo Aaron]

Originally Posted by Meryem Ersoz

that's a mind-blowing idea...i'm completely uneducated about how to go about making 3D films. i wouldn't know where to begin, but maybe i should give that some consideration.

if anyone out there wants to come to colorado, play with my pair of REDs, and school me on this, in exchange for time on the cameras, i'd be interested.

Hi Meryem,
Too bad... my five days in the Colorado Rockies Aug 10-15 are booked up, and won't allow for any "Stereo" testing with you and your Reds. I sure would like to take you up on the offer if I had more time. Have you been up into the high country yet? For this short excursion, I'm "testing" a stereo shoot, using duel Canon HF-10 AVCHD cams. Mobility was my first concern. Also, I won't be able to make long remote shots, because of the rather small onboard storage. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...VCHD_16GB.html
Regardless, I would be glad to share what experiences I have shooting "Stereo"in the 14 ers and below. I'll keep in touch as thing go.
Cheers,
Christo

[Cole McDonald]

Originally Posted by Meryem Ersoz

that's a mind-blowing idea...i'm completely uneducated about how to go about making 3D films. i wouldn't know where to begin, but maybe i should give that some consideration.

if anyone out there wants to come to colorado, play with my pair of REDs, and school me on this, in exchange for time on the cameras, i'd be interested.

point them directly at one another and add a pair of mirrors 45 degrees from the lens so they both reflect to the same parallel axis. the centers of the mirrors should be about the same width apart as the human eyes.

On the editing side, I'm at a complete loss :)