Looking deep into the sore throat of a sandy supermodel on a Hawaiian beach, it was impossible not to be introspective and take inventory of the events that led me to that point. I have an M.D. (neurology and psychiatry) and a Ph.D. (neurobiology & behavior), but about two years ago I partnered up with some folks to start a production company.
Mission #1: to work on cutting edge projects.
Mission #2: to make some money to fund Mission #1.
The fact that we were presented with something that could serve both purposes was precisely the cosmic intervention we needed to fuel us through the pitch meetings with Sports Illustrated and Sony.
If you have a few million dollars or compromising pics of James Cameron, you can make a 3D movie. But when “GO 3D” is the answer to the question of how SI can build even more currency and momentum into their already iconic and vibrant swimsuit issue, the road to 3D-glasses requires a more economical and efficient path.
The result of our pitch – the first 3D Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Special for Sony – will be available for download Feb. 15 on Playstation 3 consoles and Sony digital download platforms. You can catch a preview of some work we also did to produce the 2D version Friday on DirecTV’s 101 channel.
How many companies do original, live action, 3D content for the small screen? (Rhetorical -- although I’m sure this will elicit answers). I’d say none, when I’m full of bravado and chatting up my new swimsuit supermodels friends, and I’d say very few, when I’m more sober.
On the small screen, 3D has poked its head in on sports and on nature documentaries. In the former, the camera positions are generally fixed and in the latter there almost never any humans. But the SI Swimsuit/ Sony partnership sought to put an end to this – slightly experimental in notion, extremely experimental in 3D budget.
So we pitched them an idea: 3D, like fireworks, has novelty, in and of itself. Add to that the natural beauty of Hawaii and the genetic endowments of the most beautiful women on the planet and you might just have a July 4th display over the Hudson.
The most expensive part of this enterprise was the actual equipment and the technicians operating the cameras – that part we outsourced (only a couple of players in town) and it’s where we sacrificed most (internal voice saying “not most, all!”) of the budget. But what we learned from that, our virgin 3D shoot, was that 3D is a new space – that’s right, we learned the obvious, as is apt to happen in first-time experiences (although in our defense, it was hot and there were half-naked women everywhere).
But in more specific terms, filming a 3D world for a 3D screen added another layer of deception that simultaneously felt more real and more magical.
