“I selected Christie for this ‘journey of discovery’ because the company is fully committed to my vision and shares my dedication to continually push the boundary of digital cinema,” said Cameron.
“Lightstorm is committed to realizing the full potential of 3D and high frame rate technology to fully immerse audiences in the world of the movie before them,” said Craig Sholder, vice president, Christie Entertainment Solutions division. “This alliance promises to spark a new wave of excitement, creativity, and innovation in filmmaking that will provide audiences with an unparalleled sense of total immersion in the movie-viewing experience.”
As part of the agreement, Christie will supply the latest Solaria Series of 3D-capable projectors, ongoing access to emerging research and development on 3D and input into Lightstorm’s mission-critical engineering related to 3D and high-frame rate innovation. Christie will also assist in outfitting Cameron’s new production facilities, including two screening rooms that will serve as virtual production sites for the next two installments of Avatar.
In exchange, Lightstorm will share its findings in 3D, high frame rates and the enhancements, format, and color space requirements for achieving the optimal viewing experience. This knowledge in turn will be used to enhance Christie’s 3D technology as it relates to desirable projector and server functionality, as well as help Christie create new tools for exhibition and postproduction markets and applications. Lightstorm will also provide sample content for testing and demonstration of technical enhancements, for the overall promotion of Christie’s 3D technology.
“At CinemaCon, Christie projectors were critical in helping me to demonstrate higher frame rates of up to 60 frames per second (fps) which dramatically improves the viewing experience,” said Cameron. “Most importantly, Christie engineers share the same passion for perfection, for continuously raising the standard of excellence that I do. I have full confidence that this collaboration will yield exceptional results.”
“With the right server technology, our Series 2 projectors are already fully capable of being upgraded to deliver higher frame rates. Further collaboration will provide us with a wealth of information from Cameron’s award-winning production studio that will allow us to rapidly advance our pace of innovation in the development of 3D,” Sholder added. “Cameron demands – and delivers – nothing less than perfection in all of his movies, which do more than break global box office records. They are true cultural phenomena that mark new milestones in visual entertainment.”
