By Valentina I. Valentini West Coast Correspondent 3ality Technica had the reigning presence for 3D at the 7th Annual J.L. Fisher Mixer and BBQ and shared the J.L. Fisher lot in Burbank California with 20 other exhibitors including Arriflex Kino Flo Tiffen and Mole-Richardson where all who attended got to enjoy a relaxed peer-to-peer environment and a free BBQ lunch. J.L. Fisher SOC ICG and ASC all work together to put on this event so industry professionals can meet suppliers and learn about their latest products in a relaxed and cordial atmosphere ” said J.L. Fisher marketing director Frank Kay. “It’s our version of an industry block party with good food drinks and fun.” Last year 3ality Digital acquired Element Technica which was at last year’s BBQ and became 3ality Technica. Bettina Martin 3ality Technica’s 3D technical supervisor admits that the 3D business is a bit slow right now but chalks that up to the industry being a bit slow in general. She does see the demand for 3D increasing and they’re still quoting quite a few companies on a weekly basis that are looking to merge into the 3D arena. “We have small rental houses only interested in one rig and one system ” said Martin “because they know they’ll be able to rent it out for smaller indie productions. It doesn’t have to be a Peter Jackson with 30 rigs for them to come to us.” “This event is really fun for us ” said Martin “because we’re just recently coming from NAB which is so stressful. Here we get the people that are actually using our equipment. They appreciate not only the look the functionality how easy it is to set up and to use. To get the feedback from these users is invaluable to me. These are the people we want to make happy in the long term.” Events during the day include a tour of the facility by Jim Fisher and two panel discussions from the SOC and ASC. Industry vets like Donald M. Morgan Stephen Burum Dante Spinotti sat with their younger peers including Wally Pfister David Mullen and Amy Vincent to answer their peers inquiries in the relaxed Q&A environment. During the panel Vincent said she does feel that 3D equipment is facilitating better cinematography than it was two years ago but as a viewing experience her eyes are still adjusting. Photo: 16x9
