Emily Carr University curriculum going 3-D

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Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver is putting together the infrastructure for a Stereoscopic 3-D (S3D) Centre of Excellence, meant to help the B.C. film industry, and the school's students, transition to the post- Avatar world.

"3-D is not only the future," said Emily Carr President Ron Burnett. "It's going to be the base of a transformation in how we view images, in how we relate to entertainment, and in how we live our lives. Because those little telephones that you carry around with you will also be 3-D." Burnett noted that the next phase of the technology will involve 3-D screens that do not require special glasses.

This sea change creates an opportunity, the university says, for the 30,000 people in B.C. who work in the film and television industry. And the university wants to play a key role in ensuring the workforce is adequately trained in the game-changing technology.

S3D is set to begin operating in September with workshops for industry professionals; it will become part of the regular curriculum at the university in September, 2011. On Thursday, university officials showed off a new $300,000 3-D camera system, purchased with funding from the federal government.

"I'm ... told that I'm the first Canadian politician to be filmed in 3-D," joked Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, in announcing $530,000 in federal funding for the centre.

The university is working with the California-based visual effects company Kerner Optical to create the new centre. "[Last year]witnessed a massive resurgence of stereoscopic 3-D film production and release, while doubling the size of film crews and exponential returns on investment," said Lynn Leboe, Kerner's Head of International Research and Development. "3-D is shifting the economic landscape."

Films released over the last year that use the technology include Up, Alice in Wonderland and Avatar, which has grossed $2.7-billion worldwide.