Attention 3D Film Buffs: September Storm Movie Restoration Kickstarter Campaign




As a 3D film fan, I greatly admire the work of the 3D Film Archive. While the major movie studios push out both theatrical releases and Blu-rays of films that are shot on 2D and then converted into 3D during post-production, the 3D Film Archive has been involved in restorations of vintage films that were shot in 3D (both classic and obscure) in order to preserve their place in American film history. Previous Blu-ray titles that the 3D Film Archive assisted in releasing include Dragonfly Squadron (1954), Gog (1954), Kiss Me Kate (1953), Miss Sadie Thompson (1953) and 3D Rarities, a compilation of 3D film shorts that span from 1922 to 1962.

3D Film Archive's latest restoration effort utilizes a Kickstarter campaign to restore September Storm (1960). Not only was Storm the only American feature-length 3D movie made between Revenge of the Creature (1955) and The Bubble (1966) but it was also one of the few that was produced in Stereo-Vision, a short-lived process which combined the widescreen presentation format with 3D.

According to the Kickstarter page, "SEPTEMBER STORM hasn't been seen in its intended 3-D and widescreen format since its initial theatrical release in 1960, and the surviving film elements are deteriorating. If a digital restoration of the stereoscopic anamorphic version isn't done soon, it is at risk of being lost forever. ... The 3D Film Archive has already obtained, for a limited time, the rights to restore and distribute SEPTEMBER STORM, but the hard work is still ahead of us. Both the left eye and right eye film elements will need to be digitally scanned, frame by frame. We will need to assess the level of damage to these existing elements, and determine how to best fix the images. This will require a stereoscopic re-alignment pass, left and right color restoration and matching, and clean-up of scratches and other damages to the film surface. ... (T)he 3D Film Archive already has a great track record from its previous restoration projects, and by teaming up with 3D SPACE and maintaining this work "in house" costs will be kept at a manageable level. We are confident that we will be able to produce both a 3D blu-ray master and a digital cinema package (DCP) that will look fantastic."

Click here for more details and to make a donation to preserve another piece of 3D history from an era where many 3D films have already been lost. This Kickstarter campaign is scheduled to end on August 17th, so make your donation today!



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