Guillermo del Toro was out and about and apparently in a gabby mood. He dropped some nuggets of info on the new television series he’s developing based on The Strain, a novel her wrote with Chuck Hogan, and he tells … Continue reading →

Guillermo del Toro Dishes on ‘Pacific Rim’s 3D Conversion and ‘The Strain’ TV Show

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Guillermo del Toro was out and about and apparently in a gabby mood. He dropped some nuggets of info on the new television series he’s developing based on The Strain, a novel her wrote with Chuck Hogan, and he tells us a little about why Pacific Rim is being converted to 3D.

First, The Strain:

“Fox has commissioned a pilot. Fortunately for me, that means they’re not commissioning a screenplay or development. We’re going right to pilot. That’s a very good piece of news.”

Wow, straight to pilot. That’s good news.

And now about that Pacific Rim 3D conversion:

“What happened was, in the weeks and months following Comic-Con, what I asked from the studio was to agree to four points that I wanted to do. The more the ILM shots arrived, the more I realized that there were only a few shots that would miniaturize. I asked the studio, number one, that we would not hyper-stereo-lize the thing. That we would not force 3D on the beauty shots. That we would keep the giant dimensions. They agreed. Number two, they agreed to something very unusual. Normally a conversion takes a few weeks. I asked to start it immediately so we could take the full 40 weeks to do the conversion. As an example, ‘Titanic’ took about 50 weeks to convert. The final thing that I asked that they agreed to, which was amazing, was that I asked them to give me an extra budget, which is considerable, to actually have ILM composite the shots that are CG native 3D. We’re not giving elements. ILM is giving the composite in 3D from the get-go. That’s a huge, huge element. Now I’m going to be involved in supervising it. What can I tell you? I changed my mind. I’m not running for office. I can do a Romney.”

So that’s it. Del Toro changed his mind about the conversion. It’s his film, so it’s his call. I can’t argue with that.

Pacific Rim hits theatres July12, 2013.

SOURCE: Shock Till You Drop

  • MrGoyaOhBoya

    “It’s his film, so it’s his call. I can’t argue with that.”
    I can. 3D is superfulous.
    Just saw Nemo’s rerelease. While it was wonderful to see in a theatre again, the 3D added nothing to the experience besides padding the ticket price. More than once during the film I thought how much nicer it’d be to watch at a proper brightness. Hopefully Rim is also released for 2D projection, and hopefully the conversion doesn’t limit the scope of the shots Del Toro promised to deliver.

    Even if his comments aren’t in fact a diplomatic side-step (which I assume they are), just because a filmmaker changes his mind regarding his own film doesn’t mean it’s the right decision. For examples of this, see: George Lucas.

  • myclawismypenis

    3D is just a fact of life at the moment. I agree that we both hope for a 2D projection..which it should, at least here in CA. If a movie has to be in 3D to be made..then let it be, Im not going to pay for it…ill just go to the 2D..or wait for a blu ray release.

  • http://www.facebook.com/chris.groves.507 Chris Groves

    Some people are naive, if they don’t read what he said here and aren’t immediately relieved, then they just don’t fully understand what’s going on. All of the CGI in the film is going to be native 3D, it’s not a 100% conversion. WB and Legendary fronted extra cash so that ILM could deliver their shots in native 3D. Beyond that, Del Toro is taking the full 40 weeks to do the conversion correctly. He’s stated that his film is a little over 2 hours. Titanic is 3 hours and had about 50 weeks for it’s conversion. So Del Toro has plenty of time…and he said himself that the 3D will be modulated in order to keep the proper scale during certain shots.

  • myclawismypenis

    Most(all) regulars here know whats going on and just dont give a f’ck about 3D in general. If 3D gets a movie some extra mola so I can watch the glory in 2D..then thats fine with me.

  • MrGoyaOhBoya

    Naivete has nothing to do with it. For me, and subsequently my money, 3D is worthless. It adds nothing to the enjoyment of the film. In fact, I often find its surprising pop to distract me from suspending my disbelief. It constantly reminds me that I’m watching a movie, and therefore inhibits my immersion, the exact opposite of its intended effect and supposed inherent value.

    Stereoscopic imagery is also very limited in its story-telling ability. That is, for a careful filmmaker. A lazy, sloppy one will cut together a blurry, cropped mess. But Del Toro is no such artist. So he now has a choice to make: restrict himself to shots that work well in 3D, or make a shitty looking movie. We know he won’t choose the latter, so we can only hope this studio decision won’t deprive us of the Pacific Rim that could be, because my gut tells make this could be a very special film.