"Shooting and producing in 3D format?" Murphy looked at Kara Faith, immediately frowning. "Is this your idea, or is it a requirement from 20th Century Fox?"
"It's just a preliminary idea from the company," Kara Faith shook her head. "It's not about shooting; it's about converting the film into 3D in post-production."
Murphy frowned even more. "Like 'Alice in Wonderland'?"
Kara Faith nodded. "Many people within the company believe that 'Alice in Wonderland,' which was an average film, almost broke the $1 billion mark globally due to its 3D appeal. They think converting your film to 3D could increase its box office revenue by at least 30%."
"Haven't they considered," Murphy spread his hands, "that the success of 'Alice in Wonderland' was an exception, not the norm?"
Without waiting for Kara Faith to respond, Murphy continued, "James Cameron's 'Avatar' sparked an unprecedented 3D craze, and aside from 'Avatar,' there weren't any other notable 3D films at that time. 'Alice in Wonderland' filled a significant market gap, which led to its box office explosion..."
Kara Faith naturally understood Murphy's points. She also believed that 'Alice in Wonderland' was a product of its specific time and unique market conditions. Despite attracting many viewers, the film didn't receive positive reviews; many viewers harshly criticized it afterward.
However, 3D films undeniably boost revenue, a fact clear to everyone.
Since 'Avatar,' almost every major Hollywood studio has embraced 3D films, eager to capitalize on the 3D boom. As the producer and distributor of 'Avatar,' 20th Century Fox certainly wanted to maximize the benefits from this trend, including having Murphy, another major asset besides James Cameron, join the 3D lineup.
But Murphy's new project proposal didn't mention 3D at all.
So they sent Kara Faith to gauge Murphy's stance on 3D films.
From a profit perspective, Murphy was more crucial to them than James Cameron.
No one knew how long it would take for Cameron's next film after 'Avatar,' but Murphy's annual film production pace was reliable. While Cameron might have higher single-film box office numbers, Murphy's total film earnings were more substantial due to his consistent output.
20th Century Fox hoped Murphy would join their future 3D film plans, even if it meant converting the film to 3D in post-production.
"The company is just suggesting," Kara Faith knew that 20th Century Fox had limited means to force Murphy. Many studios were eager for their collaboration to break down. "You can think about it."
"Kara, if it were another type of film, I might consider 3D," Murphy said directly. "But this film can't be 3D. Most scenes, especially the action scenes, will be at night. Dark tones will severely affect 3D imaging, making the film darker and straining the audience's eyes."
Even though James Cameron's 3D technology was a significant improvement over older 3D tech, and worked well in bright and colorful scenes, the imaging effect in dark-toned films would suffer significantly, causing issues like ghosting and blurriness.
Murphy didn't reject 3D technology outright, but the current 3D tech wasn't suitable for dark-toned films.
Simply put, modern 3D involves special handling of light. Light can be polarized, and treated light retains its polarization direction. Though the light direction remains unchanged, it appears as the original light.
There's a lens called a polarizing lens with a specific polarization direction. Light with the same polarization direction can pass through, while different directions can't.
When shooting a 3D movie, two cameras are used at slightly different angles, akin to the distance between human eyes. The resulting images undergo different polarization treatments and are projected onto the screen.
Without 3D glasses, the audience sees two blurred images. With 3D glasses, the lenses filter the polarized light, creating a three-dimensional effect by presenting slightly different images to each eye.
However, during this process, light reflecting off the screen and passing through 3D glasses to the retina loses about half its brightness.
Murphy understood this, as did Kara Faith. They quickly agreed that converting to 3D was not feasible.
Murphy also sensed that Kara Faith initially aimed to persuade him to use 3D technology for filming, given that 3D ticket prices were about 30% higher, which would significantly boost box office revenue.
Murphy admitted that using 3D could increase his film's revenue, but it wouldn't help the film itself and might harm its overall reputation. After all, this film had a dark tone and theme.
In the short term, the box office might rise, but it would harm the series' profitability in the long run.
Beyond the film's specific issues, Murphy also noted that audience reactions to 3D films since 'Avatar' were mixed. In both North America and other regions, dim screens were a common complaint.
Many theaters lowered projector bulb brightness to extend the expensive bulbs' lifespan. This practice barely affected 2D films but made a noticeable difference for 3D films, which already suffered from brightness loss.
Many moviegoers in North America faced a dilemma: choose between clear, comfortable 2D films with less visual impact and 3D films that were immersive but dim and tiring to watch.
Dim screens paired with 3D glasses created a "double dim" effect, making viewers feel "dizzy" and causing visual fatigue.
Murphy wasn't a purely technical director but stayed informed about film technology developments. He had experts investigate 3D technology and found that even in major cities like New York and Los Angeles, 3D screen brightness varied, often due to cost-saving measures by theaters.
The 3D market in North America was somewhat chaotic, and Murphy preferred not to get involved.
Murphy valued his films' reputations. A good reputation might take years and several films to build, while a bad one could result from a single flop.
3D technology had potential, but it needed to be paired with suitable films to shine. Making all films 3D, including comedies and romances, purely for profit, was unacceptable.
Audiences weren't fools. They might buy into 3D once or twice, but what about repeatedly?
This behavior could harm the entire film market, potentially causing a significant drop in ticket sales.
Some decisions might offer short-term gains, but Murphy avoided them for longer-term benefits.
Moreover, he still had IMAX technology at his disposal.
Murphy quickly reached an agreement with 20th Century Fox on using IMAX cameras for some scenes. Producer Phil LaSher and another producer began negotiating with IMAX. Though IMAX cameras were rare and expensive to rent, they managed to secure two for $16,000 per week.
Murphy didn't plan to shoot all scenes in IMAX, so the timeline was feasible.
IMAX cameras would mainly be used for panoramic and some action scenes.
The rented IMAX cameras used 70mm film, offering over ten times the resolution of standard 35mm film. This made them the highest-resolution cameras available, providing unmatched clarity and color saturation.
IMAX technology didn't compromise the film's light or brightness and didn't negatively impact its dark tone.
Murphy quickly finalized a rental agreement with IMAX for two 70mm cameras at $30,000 per week.
After securing the IMAX cameras and finalizing the storyboard and shot list, Murphy turned his attention to the auditions. With initial auditions completed, he needed to personally oversee the final selection for the lead roles and other key supporting characters.
The supporting role auditions proceeded swiftly. Over two days, Murphy confirmed his preferred actors: Christoph Waltz as the main realistic cop and Liam Neeson as the primary antagonist.
During the male lead auditions, Murphy also found some promising candidates.
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