Variety interviews Jeffrey Katzenberg
DreamWorks Animation topper expands on his 3D Summit comments
by David S. CohenAfter Jeffrey Katzenberg`s keynote at the 3D Entertainment Summit, we caught up with him for a one-on-one conversation expanding on his onstage remarks.
YOU MENTIONED THE LACK OF LIVE-ACTION FILMS IN 3D. HAVE YOU TALKED TO PEOPLE AT THE OTHER STUDIOS ABOUT THAT?
Katzenberg: I talked till I was blue in the face last year and at the beginning of this year, and then I just felt the results will speak louder than anything I have to say. Hopefully, be more meaningful and more impactful on people that are in a place to make these decisions. you only have to see the results to realize what`s going on. That`s why I think Jim Cameron`s "Avatar" will be the watershed moment; it will break the dam. It will show the live-action side of the business that it has the same value and opportunity we`ve seen with results on a worldwide basis for our product.
To me, most importantly it`s a tool for filmmakers, it`s a way to enhance their ability to tell their stories. If you look over the last 30 years or so, filmmakers that have embraced and utilized new technology as it has come along, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Bob Zemeckis, Jim Cameron, Peter Jackson, Michael Bay…they are the filmmakers who`ve seen technology as an asset. They have seen over the horizon.
I believe "Avatar" will be to 3D what "The Wizard of Oz " was to color. It was a seminal moment. If you go back and look, not only did "The Wizard of Oz" use color it used it in such an exciting and compelling way, that`s where the floodgates opened.
Read the whole interview here: http://www.variety.com/article/VR111800 … id=18&cs=1
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