Indies Eye 3D in Search of Revenue Bump - The Hollywood Reporter

Not everybody in 3D film is a Jeffrey Katzenberg.

There's been a steady drumbeat of interest in the indie film community, as producers of more modestly budgeted fare eye the 3D revenue bumps enjoyed by tentpole studio pics from DreamsWorks Animation and others and say, "I'll have some of that please!"

This year's American Film Market reflects the trend, with a whopping number of indie 3D titles. Those similarly tempted should be advised that the road to extra-dimensional riches is fraught with peril, and unsurprisingly most of the potholes are traceable to budgetary constraints. There's also this big fork in the road: whether to shoot in native 3D or convert to 3D after the fact.

Execs lining studio budgets have the same decision, but the economics are tighter for indies. Essentially, it's financially unfeasible to convert imagery to 3D in postproduction for the lowest-budget films.

"The truth is, if you are going low budget, make sure it's a really good story and forget about 3D," one in-the-know industryite recently observed.

Read more at: Hollywoodreporter.com