'Clash Of The Titans' Sequel To Be Post-Converted Into 3D; Why It's The Time To Embrace This Decision

Last year's hit film Clash of the Titans is the poster child for bad 3D post-conversion. Everyone complained about getting headaches during the movie or there being little to no difference between watching the movie with or without glasses. Jonathan Liebesman is fully aware of this. The director of Battle: Los Angeles has been tasked with directing the sequel, Wrath of the Titans. Despite the negative 3D connotation attached to the first film, he'll be going the same route.

Wrath of the Titans, scheduled for release March 23, 2012 starring Sam Worthington, Rosamund Pike and Liam Neeson, will be shot on film and then post converted into 3D. But is he making the same mistake that was forced on his predecessor, Louis Letterier? Not according to Liebesman, who said the first film was never thought of as a 3D movie. This movie, however, is being totally conceived with the 3rd dimension in mind. Read some quotes and more reasoning after the jump.

Liebesman revealed the news while doing press for his March 11 alien invasion film with outlets such as Collider and Cinematical, among others. We'll let him get the ball rolling with a quote from Cinematical:

The big question was to shoot native 3D or not. I tested a lot of digital cameras, and quite frankly, because I'm going for a sort of much grittier, grounded look in Clash 2, the look I want is almost Gladiator with fantastical creatures in it, I found that the characteristics of film were more what I was going for.

He continues:

I didn't want to convert, but Warner Brothers showed me how far conversion's come. You've got Chris Nolan doing Inception, converting the DVD, you've got Harry Potter being converted, Star Wars being converted, so the conversion process has improved dramatically in the past two years.

[Note: We're trying to find out more information on that 3D Inception conversion.]

Liebesman expands a little bit on that in his conversation with Collider:

From the start, Clash 2 has been conceived as a 3D picture. The sets, the way I'm going to shoot the choreography of the shots, because what we're gonna instead of say 4 shots we're gonna do 1, I'm even gonna shoot it in a 1.8:5 aspect ratio. Sam Worthington put me in touch with Jim Cameron, we spoke a lot about aspect ratios and 3D. He said something that really stuck with me which was, 2D scope is 2.3:5. That feels scope in 2D, for 3D he felt like 1.8.5. And we have a lot of big creatures so I want that vertical space so I don't have to cut so I'm also gonna shoot in 1.8:5. I did a bunch of test with different digital cameras...and the one thing that was very difficult for me was, I felt for a Greek epic I wanted to shoot on film to get that texture that I was looking for with that motion blur. The clincher for me was Warner Bros. showed me how far conversion had come. They showed me Chris Nolan Inception converting for the DVD, they showed me Harry Potter being converted. So now what we're doing is, I wanna shoot film, we're gonna have what are called stereographers on set who are guys who are sitting there advising you. It's a completely different situation to Clash 1...Look I would always prefer to shoot native, I just feel like film is the way to go with a Greek epic. Especially the way I wanna shoot it, which is more old school.

And really, anyone who has negative things to say about 3D conversion has all of their points contested in those quotes. Yes the first film looked awful in 3D, but during shooting, 3D was never even a consideration and it was converted with haste. 3D is being considered on this film from the get go, there will be people on the set to keep an eye on it, and filmmakers such as James Cameron and George Lucas are currently allowing 3D conversion companies to painstakingly convert their old films into 3D. Also, I've said it before, in an interview I attended with Christopher Nolan last year, he said while he wasn't a huge proponent of 3D movies, if he had to make one, he'd shoot it on film – because he would never want to compromise his image in anyway – and then post-convert it.

Right now, post-conversion is the best way for filmmakers to get the exact image they're looking for as well as that money-making stereoscopic feel studios love. They can shoot with 3D in mind, and then tinker with the images ever so slightly after the fact to make the experience whatever they want it to be. Since, Liebesman has a very particular "old school" visual palate in mind for this film, it makes total sense that Wrath is being post-converted. He can have his cake and eat it too. And with the quality of conversions that are coming out now, chances are, if he didn't come out and tell us, we'd never know the difference.