James Cameron will be addressing the 2012 NAB Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The session is titled, appropriately enough, “The Secrets of Making 3D Profitable”, on April 16th from 10:30 to 11:45 AM conducted by Cameron and Vincent Pace for their company Cameron | Pace Group (CPG). The decription of the session follows:
CPG is the leader in integrated 3D technologies and production services having supported dozens of feature films and more than 200 sports productions to generate more than $8 billion in box office. Before CPG, broadcasters were unable to make a viable business case for 3D. But now, CPG’s revolutionary 5D solutions enable crews to shoot 2D and 3D at the same time, without a significant increase in production cost or personnel. By focusing on meeting the creative, technical, and cost demands of productions, CPG elevates the entertainment experience while making 3D profitable for broadcasters and filmmakers.
In this session, CPG will reveal the strategy and the details behind 5D productions, including the ESPN Winter X Games where 35 rigs were used to accomplish the largest 5D production in history. See how only the 5D methodology enables broadcasters to increase revenue by integrating 3D into their existing 2D business model.
The NAB Show, held April 14-19, is the world’s largest electronic media show covering filmed entertainment and the development, management and delivery of content across all mediums. With more than 90,000 attendees from 151 countries and 1,500+ exhibitors, NAB Show describes itself as the ultimate marketplace for digital media and entertainment.


Rule #1: Charge customers more for 3D.
Secret No. 1: Be James Cameron.
Rule #3: Make really good movies, so people will want to see them even in 2d.
Rule #4: Don’t do lousy 3D.
Rule#5: Don’t play up the 3D in the film, resulting in mindless, eye-rolling scenes in the movie when it is watched on home video.
3D isn’t profitable because they keep placing bad movies in 3D as a gimmick, films that people don’t want to see in the first-place, that serve to cheapen the 3D experience and make it run-of-the-mill, everyday thing, not a special occassion, as it should be. You want me to pay a premium-price, but you give me a lesser film? No way! This is something James Cameron has pointed to before, yet the industry ignored him, and now they are suffering for it. Also, I would say the process is over-used, even in the good films that have employed it, and not used in a way that would be most effective, visually. I have some ideas on it, that I won’t share here, as people will just pick-up the ideas, and use them, with no credit or money going to me. As they say, this is show-business, not show-freebee.
PS: Time to bring 4D to all cinemas, as you can see 3D playing on home systems. We need chairs with audio pumped through them, audio that rattles the chairs, and chairs that shake and move to the sound-effects of a film, as well as lighting effects within theaters that are synched with the on-screen action. They are doing this at some limited levels in South Korea, and have experimented at special amusement theaters in the U.S., but it needs a wider try-out in the U.S. at major theaters. Lastly, we need 3D without glasses. We know that is being developed for TV, so the question is, what will theaters do in response?
I’ll pass until 5D comes out.
5D? That’s so 30 seconds ago.
The secrets of making 3-D profitable:
1.)Have a screenplay/story that would work just as well without 3-D. 2.) Cast it properly.
3.) Get the right director.
4.) Get the right editor.
5.) Then do NOT use 3-D.
1)Lie to enough gullible people about what they can expect to get for paying more than a ticket is worth for 3D. [See: The housing and tech bubbles.]
2)Rip off shitty and awesome cartoon shows and movies no one remembers, and pay hundreds of millions of dollars to remake them.
3)Insert political commentary to make the sheeple think they’re watching something timely and relevant.
4)Cross your fingers that the movie-going public is too stupid to realize they’re subsidizing future rip-offs by essentially paying for studio cost overruns with ticket surcharges.