Even though 3D post-production is ‘a bit of a nightmare,’ veteran producer Don Carmody (Chicago, Meatballs) has a lot to smile about these days.

His ‘message’ film, Polytechnique, is nominated for 11 Genies (see story, p. 25), and his latest commercial outing, Resident Evil 4: Afterlife, rated a $60 million budget. So his biggest concern right now is whether Sony will manage to secure enough 3D screens (minimum 2,800) for its wide release on Sept. 10.

‘It’s all about finding enough 3D cinemas,’ Carmody told Playback at a pre-Genie celebration in Toronto. That, and surviving one’s first high-definition 3D post experience.

One of the biggest additional cost factors in 3D production is FX, he says. ‘Special effects have to be done twice in essence, once for each eye. And HD uses astonishing amounts of memory, but it looks sensational.’

Carmody says editing 3D on the Avid ‘isn’t that much of a problem, [but] it’s the issues beyond editorial, like the DI and multiple-format release prints, [that jack up the costs].’ And 3D meant adding two weeks to Evil 4’s shooting sked, ‘plus an additional $3.5 million in other costs – $2.5 million of that was the camera system [rentals] alone!’

On Evil 4, Carmody used the Pace Fusion System, which director James Cameron and Vince Pace developed for Avatar.

But on Hidden – a smaller 3D picture he’s currently shooting in Montreal – the production is using the SwissRig, which Carmody considers ‘a somewhat simpler, utilitarian system – think more Ford Focus than Rolls-Royce. This is what Bill White [of Toronto’s 3D Camera Company] is doing – much smaller cameras and hopefully saner post issues [see story, p. 15].’