3D Roars Back: From Hollywood to Product Marketing - Lightspeed Completes 3D Ride-Film for Continental Teves

BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 12 -- Lightspeed Design Group today announced the completion of a stereoscopic 3D motion simulator ride-film for automotive supplier, Continental Teves.

The 3D film was written, produced, and visually realized by Lightspeed, and will educate the public about Continental's innovative safety technology, Electronic Stability Control (ESC).

Eye-popping 3D movies have caught the public's attention again, with viewers rushing to see everything from Hollywood's "Spy Kids 3-D" to James Cameron's IMAX documentary "Ghosts of the Abyss."

Marketing companies are also catching on to the sizzle created by high-quality 3D films, as proven by the success of Continental's "Safely There" mobile exhibit and marketing campaign. A 3D high-definition film by Lightspeed Design Group (www.LightspeedDesign.com) is now crisscrossing the country in an 85-foot mobile exhibit.

"Today's consumer audience is rightfully cynical and demanding. Disney and others have created a legitimate expectation of excellence in info/entertainment messaging. Continental's ESC exhibit will typically be only one of many competing attractions for the consumer in each of its national tour markets," said Mike Adams, account executive for H.B. Stubbs Company in Warren, Michigan, charged with building out the tractor trailer exhibit. "We enthusiastically supported our client's preference for 3D with motion as a way to bring their messages effectively to a larger audience. It generates a buzz all unto itself."

The realism of the film is heightened by Lightspeed's proprietary 3D technology, which immerses viewers in an eye-opening 3D world that seems lifelike and natural. "We've been refining 3D technology for ten years, working on everything from precision computer graphics to live action shots," said Lightspeed President Chris Ward.

To reach Continental's targeted demographic -- women in their 30's and 40's -- Lightspeed eschewed the in-your-face effects common to most 3D productions. Instead, the rich, captivating 3D look of the film was combined with a content-driven story about two mothers having a "kitchen table" talk in the front seat of a car.

"The film's message", said Lori Pavelich, Continental's Supervisor, Marketing Communication, "is very subtle, in that we are not trying to scare the audience out of their seats, but we do want to make people realize how valuable ESC can be. That's why I think the 3D works so well with the film's story line -- it brings a realism to the message that makes it more credible and believable."

The film was created with the most current 3D High Definition technology, which utilized Sony CineAlta digital cameras, controlled by Lightspeed's innovative 3D computer pre-visualization techniques.

Although the 3D technology involved in the Continental film generates lots of sizzle at the entrance gate, Lightspeed's 3D filmmaking and projection techniques are cost-competitive with 2D film projects, making the technology accessible to a wide range of corporate productions.

No matter how intense the buzz over special effects can become, however, Ward's philosophy is that the story must come first, the technology second. "We balance the media with the creativity of the story, and everybody comes out ahead."

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Lightspeed Design Group, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, is a highly skilled visual communications company providing creative design services for corporate events, museums and attractions. Clients include: Procter & Gamble, Nintendo of America, Continental, Sony, Busch Entertainment. www.LightspeedDesign.com .