Vancouver's Gener8 to Render Academy-Nominated Film 'The Grandmaster' in 3D

Published on May 8, 2014 in Techvibes NewsDesk

Gener8 Media, which specializes in 3D film conversion and data management software solutions for the entertainment industry, announced this week it has signed a 3D conversion contract for The Grandmaster.

Originally released in 2013, The Grandmaster is the story of martial arts master Ip Man, who later trained Bruce Lee. The film was directed and written by Wong Kar-Wai and stars Tony Leung as Ip Man; it was nominated for Best Cinematography (Philippe Le Sourd) and Best Costume Design (William Chang Suk Ping) at the 2014 Academy Awards.

“Our proposed partnership between Gener8’s stereoscopic 3D conversion division and FFD will provide Gener8 with the capital and economies of scale to further develop our 3D conversion services and gain increased access to film producers and movie goers in China,” said Rory Armes, founder and CEO of Gener8.

“We had originally planned to film The Grandmaster in 3D not only for the cinematic sensation, but also for the subtlety of the expression of this beautiful story,” noted Director Wong Kar Wai. “By partnering with Bona Film Group and the innovation of Gener8 we now have the opportunity to show the film as it was always intended—searching for a brand new aesthetic or cinematic language in the 3D format.”

Gener8's most recent 3D conversion, 300: Rise of an Empire, has earned accolades for its stunning 3D effects. Gener8, which currently has over 200 staff, continues to expand its operations.

The film, currently slated for the second half of 2014, will be distributed by Bona Film Group Limited.

Gener8 was founded in January 2011 by former Electronic Arts Canada and Radical Entertainment executives and that year raised a $1.5 million venture capital round.

http://www.techvibes.com/blog/vancouvers-gener8-to-render-academy-nominated-film-the-grandmaster-in-3d-2014-05-08

Gener8 lands 3D contract for The Grandmaster

Published on May 13, 2014

By Julianna Cummins

Vancouver-based Gener8 has landed a 3D conversion contract for The Grandmaster, marking the company’s entry into a Chinese film market hungry for three-dimensional entertainment.

“3D is massive in China – both from a TV perspective and from a film perspective,” Rory Armes, CEO with Gener8, told Playback Daily.

While the film was originally released in 2D in 2013, the filmmakers always intended for The Grandmaster to get a 3D treatment. Despite the popularity of 3D films in China, there are few companies that can complete the work, said Armes.

In addition to The Grandmaster contract, Gener8 is also working on a proposed partnership with the Chinese studio FFD to do 3D conversion work on a longer term basis.

“Not only can we help that studio grow…we also get an avenue into this massive growing Chinese film market,” Armes said. The partnership between FFD and Gener8 is expected to be finalized by the end of May.

The 3D conversion work on The Grandmaster will be completed using Gener8′s proprietary 3D conversion software. The project is slated to be completed by Sept. 1, with a theatrical release of the 3D edition of The Grandmaster set for later this year.

The Grandmaster was directed by Wong Kar Wai and produced by Jet Tone Films and Annapurna Pictures, in coproduction with Bona Film Group.

The film was distributed in its original format in Canada by eOne in 2013.

http://playbackonline.ca/2014/05/13/gener8-lands-3d-contract-for-the-grandmaster/