The 8th edition of 3D Stereo MEDIA - the international summit for the science, technology, art, and business of 3D - held at Théâtre de Liège in Belgium ended on Thursday 15 Dec 2016 with its magnificent and traditional Awards evening, organized in collaboration with the Advanced Imaging Society of Hollywood, California. The prestigious Lumiere Awards and the 3D Guild Awards were given out for the best scientific paper, the best content for 3D cinema & for 3D cinematic virtual reality (VR), and for the best stereographer.
3D Stereo MEDIA - acclaimed throughout the world for its quality and conviviality - brought together during 4 days in Liège several hundreds of speakers and participants coming from over 20 countries and 4 continents, all passionate about various aspects of 3D: scientists, engineers, producers & directors (of 3D films/contents for cinema and VR), investors, distributors, and other businesspersons. A significant emphasis was placed on 3D virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR, AR, and MR). VR and MR equipment of the latest generation was shown as Belgian firsts, such as the 360° Jaunt and OZO cameras and the HoloLens MR headset.
The event innovated with its press conference in VR - a first in Belgium and beyond - and its new "3D Film Booster", where directors that are holders of projects for 3D content (cinema & VR) had the opportunity to perfect them - guided by a coach who came from Paris - and to pitch them in front of international investors, distributors, and co-producers. The two best-pitched projects received, at the Awards ceremony, checks of financial support from Belgian Wallimage Coproductions and Wallimage Entreprises. It also innovated by organizing - in collaboration with idcampus from University of Liège and the "Agence du Numérique" of Wallonia - an ideation session with goal of generating new ideas of products & services in mixed reality (MR), that could then be developed and industrialized by companies in Wallonia.
3D Stereo MEDIA has dear to its heart to make the general public benefit from the latest advances in 3D. This public, together with the professionals present, was able to enjoy screening of 3D movies selected by the juries of the "International 3D Festival", and immersion in 3D cinematic VR contents in the VR cinema installed between the University of Liège and the Théâtre de Liège. This VR cinema - the very first in Belgium - held 27 sessions of 10 spectators each and had to turn away visitors. A total success for this Belgian first!
Photos of the event can be found on the Flikr account of 3D Stereo MEDIA.
During the Awards evening, the organizers announced that, as of 2017, the name "3D Stereo MEDIA" would become "stereopsia", result of the combination of "stereo" and "opsis" respectively meaning, in ancient Greek, "solid/volume" and "appearance/sight", this name representing more closely the domain of the event since its inception and for the future. They also announced that the event would take place both in Liège and in Brussels, the Capital of Belgium & Europe. The event remains however true to its scope and values. Stay tuned!
