Producer Says 3D Boosts Memory Retention in Ads Education

Advertisers looking to increase memory retention among audiences should seriously investigate 3D says James Stewart a stereoscopic 3D commercial producer. In a presentation delivered at the Ontario Centres for Excellence Discovery 2011 conference Stewart founder and director of the Geneva Film Company shared startling statistics. He showed the use of 3D in advertising yields returns in memory retention with audiences exhibiting 92 percent total recall of an ad with 68 percent of that number showing a higher likelihood of following through with a purchase of the product advertised a significant increase over the same commercial in 2D. Quoting studies from multiple independent sources including ESPN Xpand and Texas Instruments the data shows an average increase in viewer retention of 15 percent. Showing examples of his 3D work used in customer testing Stewart said For a nominal increase in production costs you get a 15 percent to 20 percent increase in ad recall. Who does not want that? But advertising is not the only medium where retention rates are boosted through the use of 3D. Stewart also provided the Discovery audience with powerful data from a study conducted in the UK on behalf of Texas Instruments showing that the use of 3D as a learning method in the classroom also improved a pupil's understanding of a difficult topic. Children's mean scores in lessons taught using 3D ranked 8.33 out of 10 while traditionally taught returned mean scores of 7 out of 10. 3D is now prominent in our movie theaters and is becoming increasingly acknowledged by the advertising community as the powerful and immersive advertising medium. And based on information I've shared at this conference clearly 3D has legs beyond commercial use said Stewart. Now we have the empirical research to validate what our gut and the rising audience attendance rates in theatres have been telling us all along. 3D is not just here to stay - it is going to dominate communication channels in the future.” Since producing its first 3D commercial in 2008 Geneva has produced 3D commercials for Sprint JC Penney and Lexus. Geneva Film Company www.genevafilmco.com ,2430
Does 3D Harm Your Eyes? No Say Eye Doctors,2011-05-31, According to a study regarding attitudes toward 3D content commissioned by VSP Vision Care the largest not-for-profit vision benefits and services company in the United States with 56 million members  one quarter of parents erroneously believe that watching 3D content – such as movies television shows and video games – will harm their child’s health and/or vision. While only 6.5 percent of parents identified that their children experienced discomfort watching 3D content the study found they still cited major concerns about the negative effects consuming this content had on their children’s health and vision. Of those parents who expressed concerns the study showed: 70 percent believe 3D will negatively impact short-term or long-term vision 69 percent believe 3D will cause headaches or dizziness 65 percent believe 3D will cause nausea 64 percent believe 3D will negatively impact visual development With the popularity of 3D showing no signs of slowing down – 49 percent of parents took their child to see a 3D movie last year and 56 percent plan on taking them to a 3D film this coming year – survey results found that some parents are misinformed about how 3D technology actually affects vision and whether or not it causes short- or long-term damage. “There are many misconceptions surrounding the true impact that 3D plays on a child’s health and vision ” says Dr. Justin Bazan a VSP provider based in Brooklyn New York. “There is no medical evidence that 3D is harmful to a child’s visual development or that it causes short- or long-term damage.  To the contrary 3D technology can actually help detect underlying vision problems which are often the cause of the discomfort some 3D viewers experience.” Bazan says “If a child has difficulty appreciating 3D effects or experiences discomfort while watching 3D it’s a good time to take him or her to the eye doctor for a comprehensive annual eye exam. This holds true for adults too.” Adults in the study showed a much higher level of discomfort while watching 3D content compared to children.  Nearly one-third (28 percent) of adults experienced discomfort while watching 3D.  Headaches (32 percent) and dizziness (22 percent) were the top two complaints followed by nausea (14 percent) and blurry vision (10 percent). Bazan says one of his patients is an aspiring young filmmaker who brought up the topic of 3D during a recent exam. While the young man had expressed no vision problems associated with watching 3D he was also not that impressed with it. Bazan conducted an eye exam and determined that the young man’s right eye was only half as strong as his left. In other words he couldn’t see 3D dimensions correctly in the real world let alone at the movies. Bazan says that after a period of therapy the discrepancy was corrected and the young filmmaker can now appreciate a true sense of depth. While Bazan concludes that viewing 3D will do no harm a person’s eyes he acknowledges that most everyone may experience some eye fatigue from watching 3D over an extended period. If that happens to you he offers this advice. “When viewing any screen – from a computer to a hand-held device to a movie theater screen – moderation is always best.  3D is no exception.  Symptoms associated with viewing 3D content such as headaches dizziness and nausea are short-term and will only last while watching the 3D content ” says Bazan.  “A good technique to mitigate discomfort while watching 3D is to follow the 20/20/20 rule.  Every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to give your eyes a rest.” Knowledge Networks conducted the nationwide online survey.  The survey elicited 1 010 responses from April 11 to May 3.  Due to the sample size the study says the results are representative of the whole U.S. population. VSP Vision Care’s parent company VSP Global 
 has a blog with more information about the effects of 3D on vision: http://vspblog.com/ ,2431
ALT Systems Offers Smoke Classes,2011-05-31, ALT Systems has expanded its training programs and appointed Brent Gilmartin as artist advocate and senior trainer. In that position Gilmartin a certified Autodesk trainer will lead the company’s efforts in developing and implementing proprietary courses for Autodesk creative finishing products beginning with its new Smoke for Mac curriculum for professionals new to finishing or unfamiliar with the Smoke interface. Last year we saw a robust interest in the adoption of Autodesk Smoke for Mac OS X from customers who had never before used Autodesk. It was a meaningful change in toolsets that created a massive learning curve for those facilities says Jon Guess president of ALT Systems. With the addition of Brent and the expansion of our training programs we can now help pro users enhance their skillset in a distinctive cost-effective way. Gilmartin brings over 20 years of industry experience to his role at ALT Systems. A collaborator with the ALT team since 2005 he has worked with them on assignment to develop top-tier Autodesk training and demonstrations. He will also oversee the expansion of the company's advanced customized training offerings to artists who need to utilize all the technology available to them in the Autodesk Creative Finishing product line. Training is a crucial component of success in the advanced use of the tools available today says Gilmartin. My objective is to seek out the best techniques and methodologies to help users understand how to integrate evolving software hardware and digital systems and make them work well together. I'm excited to be part of team that recognizes the contribution of the skilled VFX technician to the art of storytelling. Gilmartin began his career as an on-line editor and designer. He joined Modern VideoFilm in 1997 concentrating on visual effects for episodic television and feature films. He went on to work on feature films as a visual effects supervisor. Gilmartin began working with Autodesk in 2004 conducting training and product feature demonstrations for Flame and Smoke. His freelance work also consists of compositing and effects for television commercials theatrical trailers and features at such facilities as Sony Imageworks Digital Domain and Lola FX. His credits include Date Night Eclipse The Day the Earth Stood Still Hancock Seabiscuit Boogeyman and What Dreams May Come. At ALT Systems we navigate the ecosystems of technology and creativity where our customers – and our customer's customers – must thrive says Guess. We know it's not simply the tools but the talent using the tools that make the difference. We aim to be a dedicated partner with our customers in evaluating the situation providing insight and helping them immediately capitalize on their upgrades and installations. Having worked with Brent for a number of years and understanding the depth of his talent and expertise we are looking forward to an expanded training initiative that brings value to our customers' technological adaptation and success. ALT's new Smoke for Mac University program starts by assisting participants with loading a trial license on their own Mac Pro or MacBook Pro. During class meetings students will have the opportunity to drive one of ALT's professionally configured workstations. This combined in-person instruction and experiment-at-home model is designed to improve the educational experience in ways that other training courses do not and make it easy to learn new software inexpensively. The first full-day course will be held June 11 introducing users to the software its interface and tools. A second class for those who want to delve deeper into the toolsets will follow on June 25. An additional course into advanced techniques and new features is available on July 9. Gilmartin will also hold several virtual professor office hours throughout the course sequence to answer questions and assist users during their at-home experience. Class sizes are limited and the cost is only $200 for each one-day course. Lessons take place at ALT's Autodesk Authorized Training Center in Sun Valley California. For more information or to register visit www.altsystems.com/training. ,2432
CineSystem Installs Barco Projectors,2011-05-31, CineSystem in Brazil has selected six DP2K-23B digital cinema projectors for Rio de Janeiro's first all-digital cinema complex. CineSystem is one of the largest cinema chains in Brazil with 81 screens in six states. In 2010 the chain more than doubled its ticket sales a growth percentage high above the national average. The company has even been voted Best Brazilian Movie Chain by the Movie Exhibitors' Union of the state of São Paulo. 

Last month CineSystem further strengthened its market position by opening a new fully digital multiplex in the Via Brasil Shopping Center in Rio de Janeiro. One of the most high-tech facilities in the region the multiplex has a capacity of 1160 stadium style seats and six Barco ultra-bright DP2K-23B digital cinema projectors two of them equipped for 3D. “With this multiplex CineSystem is the only cinema chain in Brazil with two fully digital DCI compliant cinemas ” says Marcos Barros CEO of CineSystem. “We strive to deliver a premium cinema experience for our customers and so we want only the best equipment. Barco's DP2K-23B projectors deliver a brilliant image quality and are extremely easy to use thanks to their modularity. The Barco digital cinema projectors will provide us with more opportunities for content diversification more varied programming and flexible scheduling. 

 CineSystem at the Via Brasil Shopping Center is made possible through the Federal Government project Cinema Near You - Exhibitors Expansion Integrated Program coordinated by ANCINE (National Cinema Agency) in partnership with the Ministries of Culture and Finance and managed through BNDES (Brazilian Development Bank).