Yidio Focus: 'Avatar' Director James Cameron Launches Major New 3D Initiative

Well, no one ever accused James Cameron of dreaming small.

During the keynote address of the massive annual broadcasting conference NAB, the “Titanic” director announced the formation of a exciting major new 3D partnership with “Avatar” collaborator Vince Pace, aimed at putting the pedal to the proverbial metal of the 3D production world. Yidio is on-site on the conference and will be reporting on developments throughout the week.

“Our goal is to banish all the perceived and actual barriers to entry that are currently holding back producers, studios and networks from embracing their 3D future,” said Cameron.

Cameron told the television industry audience that they would be well-advised to “be ready when (3D) content starts to flow. Because at that point, I think the people who are first and foremost as leaders of 3D content creation will be the winners in the overall broadcast marketplace."

Cameron, who, according to Boxofficemojo.com, has grossed a ridiculous $2,782,259,986 with “Avatar,” may not be the most unbiased source to ask, but even he is surprised at how quickly the technology has morphed.

“Some people say I’m just drinking my own Kool-Aid, but everything we've predicted about 3D has come true, and a lot of it faster than we thought would happen," said Cameron.

"In the next 3-5 years I think we'll see a 100% adoption rate in cinema, and that will sweep into broadcasting, which is why we're making this announcement here."

NAB feels this year much like it (and other conferences) did several years ago, when HD equipment suddenly emerged that was small enough, light enough, cheap enough and practical enough for the average film production team to use in creating content.

That format certainly caught on and was swiftly utilized. Does 3D, a format that has been around in some form for decades, have the same sort of rapid adoption potential and mass market appeal?

While the executives and producers we’ve spoken to at the conference acknowledge the format still faces enormous challenges, particularly in the size and cost of the equipment used in production, they can see the creative storytelling and commercial potential the format will soon provide.Cameron and Pace hope to accelerate the process of eliminating the logistical issues and serve as vocal advocate for 3D.

“CPG’s mission is to step up industry-wide efforts to help filmmakers realize 3D’s full potential as a creative and powerful storytelling medium and accelerate the growth of the next generation of 3D solutions across all platforms,” said Pace.

The group, which is already starting to sound like Cameron's own Industrial Light and Magic will also develop, sell and lease 3-D production technology to filmmakers and broadcast pros.

The Cameron-Pace Group already serves as the backbone for much of the film industry’s 3D production efforts. The group already has an extensive list of current and upcoming projects, including “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” “The Three Musketeers,” “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” “Life of Pi,” and “47 Ronin.”

Cameron is planning to shoot the next two Avatar sequels simultaneously, with a tentative date on the next film for 2014. The director recently said he has been meeting with indigenous Amazon tribes , and will be asking his cast to do so as well before shooting the next film. Sources also say the director will be shooting a portion of the new films underwater.

Meanwhile, back in the Windy City, Roger Ebert is seething.