Brain Farm Cinema—headed up by former snowboarder turned filmmaker Curt Morgan—are known for their makeshift rigs, high-tech camera gear, and undertaking the impossible in order to get that perfect shot. And The Art of Flight, which screened at The Creators Project: New York 2011, is no exception.The film follows snowboarders Travis Rice, John Jackson, Mark Landvik, Scotty Lago, Jake Blauvelt, Nicolas Muller, Gigi Ruf, DCP, and Pat Moore as they take on the powder in locations like Jackson Hole, Alaska, Chile, Aspen, Patagonia, British Columbia, and more.Earlier this year, they experimented with filmmaking drones, but most recently they converted The Art of Flight into 3D, and tonight you can see it in select AMC Theaters for one night only!Intrigued by the process of converting a film shot in 2D to 3D, we sent Morgan a few questions over email…The Creators Project: What made you decide to make The Art of Flight 3D?
Curt Morgan: We didn’t originally plan to make a 3D film. Although we wanted to, bringing stereo 3D camera rigs out into the backcountry was close to impossible. It was hard enough to get our single camera systems out there.After over two years of intense production, we finally released the [2D version of] The Art of Flight. It was a true success in the world of action sports, and with that came Venture 3D. They are the worlds leading experts in conversion from 2D to 3D. At first I was not interested, because all of the conversions I have seen in the past never stood up to shooting in true stereo. But once I saw a test they did with our movie trailer, I was sold. It was truly revolutionary and we were all excited to start the process.Can you explain more about the conversion process from 2D to 3D?
After nearly 68,000 man hours were spent in the conversion process, I went to Venture in L.A. and sat down to watch the final product and my jaw hit the floor. Maybe it’s just because it’s our film, but I will go on record saying that this is the best 2D to 3D conversion ever done. It has truly elevated the visual experience and helps the viewer get even closer to our world.Do you have plans to make another 3D anytime soon?
Brain Farm has just started making new films on skating, surfing, and snowboarding and we look forward to more great 3D from our friends at Venture in the near future. Stay tuned.Watch Curt Morgan and Brain Farm on set in our behind-the-scenes video below@CreatorsProject
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Curt Morgan: We didn’t originally plan to make a 3D film. Although we wanted to, bringing stereo 3D camera rigs out into the backcountry was close to impossible. It was hard enough to get our single camera systems out there.After over two years of intense production, we finally released the [2D version of] The Art of Flight. It was a true success in the world of action sports, and with that came Venture 3D. They are the worlds leading experts in conversion from 2D to 3D. At first I was not interested, because all of the conversions I have seen in the past never stood up to shooting in true stereo. But once I saw a test they did with our movie trailer, I was sold. It was truly revolutionary and we were all excited to start the process.Can you explain more about the conversion process from 2D to 3D?
After nearly 68,000 man hours were spent in the conversion process, I went to Venture in L.A. and sat down to watch the final product and my jaw hit the floor. Maybe it’s just because it’s our film, but I will go on record saying that this is the best 2D to 3D conversion ever done. It has truly elevated the visual experience and helps the viewer get even closer to our world.Do you have plans to make another 3D anytime soon?
Brain Farm has just started making new films on skating, surfing, and snowboarding and we look forward to more great 3D from our friends at Venture in the near future. Stay tuned.Watch Curt Morgan and Brain Farm on set in our behind-the-scenes video below@CreatorsProject