DreamWorks boss touts brave new 3D world
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DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg predicts that all movies will be made in 3D within "a reasonable period of time" and that 2D films will 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 3D, Mr Katzenberg spoke from the DreamWorks Animation campus in Glendale to an estimated 1,000 delegates - all wearing 3D glasses.
Mr Katzenberg said innovative glasses will be among the first steps in the 3D 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 theatre it transitions into 3D 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 predicts that 3D will roll out into "all facets of our lives and our culture," including the internet, laptops, computers and handheld devices.
Still, Mr Katzenberg was cautious when asked about converting 2D titles to 3D.
"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."
- Reuters
