Communiqué en anglais
First International Title to be DreamWorks Animation’s “Shrek Forever After” in 3D
PARIS, France & HOLLYWOOD, Calif., – (June 17, 2010) – Following on the successful launch of Technicolor 3D in North America, Technicolor (Euronext Paris 18453; NYSE: TCH) today announced it has secured broad support from several major motion picture studios for the international release of theatrical content in the Technicolor 3D format. Studios providing international support are DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (Nasdaq: DWA), Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, The Weinstein Company and Warner Bros. The first international release in Technicolor 3D will be Shrek Forever After from DreamWorks Animation in Germany. Other countries included in the international launch of Technicolor 3D are the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and Japan.
Technicolor 3D is an affordable solution for 35mm projectors, enabling exhibitors to equip theatres for high-quality 3D at a fraction of the cost of installing a digital 3D projection system. The Technicolor 3D system utilizes a next-generation 3D lens for projectors and over-under film prints created with patent-pending digital processes to optimize the motion picture image for 35mm 3D projection. To date, Technicolor 3D has been installed on more than 200 screens in North America.
“We are very pleased to announce the progression of Technicolor 3D with the international support of five major motion picture studios” said Joe Berchtold, president of Technicolor Creative Services. “The support from these studios further demonstrate that Technicolor 3D is a viable solution to bridge the gap to digital and we are pleased to bring 3D to even more consumers in these key international territories.”
“There are a number of exhibitors around the world that don’t currently have access to the capital required to convert to digital. Until digital conversion is possible for these exhibitors overseas, we believe Technicolor 3D provides a valuable service in enabling certain theaters to show our movies in a high quality manner to audiences who may not otherwise have had the opportunity to experience them in the theater in 3D,” said Ann Daly, COO, DreamWorks Animation.
More than 20 3D titles have been announced for 2010, including Shrek Forever After and MegaMind from DreamWorks Animation/Paramount; The Last Airbender from Paramount; Cats and Dogs, Legend of the Guardians and Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 from Warner Bros.; Despicable Me and My Soul To Take from Universal Pictures and Piranha 3D from The Weinstein Company.
How Technicolor 3D Works
Technicolor 3D employs a proprietary ―production to projection system that leverages 35mm film projectors, in use today by the majority of U.S. and international theatres, to deliver a high-quality 3D presentation to moviegoers. A patent-pending lens system splits the left and right eye images as the film runs through the projector and delivers a 3D-ready image onto a silver screen. The solution works with circular polarized glasses — identical to the ones used for existing digital 3D cinema — to ―translate the film’s content into an image that is perceived by the viewer as being three-dimensional. The silver screen can be used for the projection of both Technicolor 3D as well as digital 3D content. Technicolor 3D is available now in the U.S., Canada, select European countries, and Japan.