MATTHEW BRISTOWE FOR FILMMART

Leading 3D film-industry player Matthew Bristowe, Head of Production for Prime Focus 3D in London, will attend the 2011 Durban FilmMart (DFM).

Welcoming the announcement Toni Monty, acting CEO of the Durban Film Office (DFO), says: “This is an extremely exciting time for the film-making industry worldwide and to have somebody of the calibre of Matthew Bristowe as one of our key speakers is a massive coup for the DFM.”

Matthew Bristowe’s attendance, together with the other lead specialists Juliane Schulze, Peter Broderick, Helen Kuun, Don Edkins, Hetty Naaijkens-Retel Helmrich and Bruni Burres, brings the very latest in global film industry developments and trends to the continent’s premier film market.

Bristowe’s visit has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of Durban’s COA Group and Microsoft, who together have sponsored the Digital Focus stream of Durban FilmMart 2011. The Durban-based COA Group, provides customised audio visual and digital production pipeline solutions to the digital content creation markets.

Matthew Bristowe, one of London’s foremost 3D producers, began his production career at MPC as a DI Producer where he worked on major feature film projects including 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, Troy and 10,000BC. His dedication and expert knowledge of issues both creative and technical, led him to assume the role of Senior DI Producer when MPC was taken over by Technicolor in 2009.

His essential input to feature films such as Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes and Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr Fox, reaffirmed his status in the industry. He has recently led the London arm of Prime Focus 3D in the 2D to 3D conversion of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which was completed across Prime Focus’ global facilities in LA, London and Mumbai.

“It’s fair to say that one of the key developments in the film Industry over the last 12-18 months is the dawn of a new era of 3D story telling,” comments Bristowe. “Prime Focus has, and continues to play a pivotal role in this through its global stereo conversion pipeline. We have enabled film makers to continue to shoot in 2D, but still create the highest quality 3D output in order to maximise the impact in theatres, not just from a creative perspective, but from a point of increased revenue as well.”

Prime Focus, through its worldwide facilities, is able to maximise time zone efficiencies by operating as a 24 hour a day production facility, enabling leading film studios to meet film deadlines without compromising on quality.

“Just over 12 months ago I was recruited to establish and lead the Prime Focus 3D London facility. What started out as a handful of VFX artists in a small rented space, has quickly grown to 100+ personnel, fully-trained and ready to compete for some of the largest stereo projects hitting the cinemas,” Bristowe continues. “I’m pleased to say that our global operation has been extremely successful, with some significant projects being completed in the last 12 months, including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two, Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, Green Lantern, Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, Shrek, and The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Bristowe’s presentations at Durban FilmMart 2011 will cover the Prime Focus journey from its 3D VFX work on Avatar through to the successful delivery of the final instalment of the Harry Potter franchise. He will also cover the building and development of the London studio, and the putting in place of a Global Pipeline and Infrastructure in order to meet demand. There will also be an overview of 3D as whole, covering broadcast, commercials, and live events … and everything in between!

A final word from Ross Joughin, marketing and research director of the COA Group who says, “Never before has there been more opportunity for companies to market themselves and compete internationally (if they have the skills), irrespective of geographic location. Although the base in South Africa is small (especially in Durban), COA’s drive on delivering world-class solutions to our customers irrespective of their size, gives us the confidence that we can add substantial value to growing the Durban market. By giving the same focused attention to small companies as we do to the large studios, advising on careful, cost effective, efficient and scalable pipeline planning, we believe that everything is available to them right here… to become proficient and grow into larger studios.”

Durban FilmMart, which takes place from July 22 to 25, is a joint venture between the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which runs from July 21 to 31, created to raise the visibility of projects from the African continent and to facilitate financing and networking opportunities with potential co-producers and other industry players.

To register as a delegate for the Durban FilmMart visit www.durbanfilmmart.co.za/DelegateRegistration.aspx or contact Kamille Padayachee at info@thoughtfire.co.za