Ben Stassen

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Ben Stassen is a Belgian film producer and director He founded nWave Pictures in 1994 producing highly successful CGI ride films including the groundbreaking Devils Mine Starting in 1997 Ben Stassen began focusing on large format films usually screened at IMAX theaters and made some of the most successful large format films to date including Thrill Ride The Science of Fun and Alien Adventure Contrary to most large format films which mix education with spectacular visuals most of Stassens films are aimed exclusively at the entertainment market As IMAX theaters around the world increasingly became capable of screening stereoscopic 3D films in the late nineties Stassen quickly embraced this new technology and directed a succession of popular 3D large format films such as Encounter in the Third Dimension and Haunted Castle Upon screening Haunted Castle Imax corporation sent a fax to all the exhibitors warning them about the content of the film Imax went as far as labeling Haunted Castle as degrading to the brand This triggered a strong reaction from both the exhibitors and the press The film was marketed as The film Imax corporation does not want you to see It went on the become a huge success worldwide In 2004 Stassen produced and directed Wild Safari the first 3D wildlife film for the giant screen Imax nWave is also the leading producer and distributor of 3D ride films and 4D attraction films with over 30 titles in their library Over 200000 people a day see one of nWaves films in theme parks science centers zoo aquaria and musea around the world Ben Stassens first feature length animated film Fly Me to the Moon was released in North America on 15 August 2008 on both regular size and IMAX screens exclusively in 3D According to nWave Fly Me to the Moon was the first animated film to be designed created and released solely in 3D The film was originally announced for the spring or summer of 2007 The delay is believed to be the result of the slow rollout of 3D projection technology On 7 May 2008 nWave announced that its next feature length animated film would be titled Around the World in 50 Years and that it too would be directed by Ben Stassen It was released in 2010 titled Sammys Adventures The Secret Passage Stassen was also involved in the production of several movies directed by famed Croatian film director Krsto Papić most notably My Uncles Legacy Život sa stricem the film was nominated for a Golden Globe Best Foreign Film category in 1990 Stassen is widely quoted as a leading pioneer of 3D cinema considering 3D as the 2nd revolution in the history of cinema second only to the transition from silent film to the talkies He mostly refers to American 3D film as 25 D cinema In his opinion most filmmakers do not make any effort to use 3D as a new language of cinema They simply shoot their 2D films with two cameras creating a little depth behind the screen with the odd inyourface effect He is also quite outspoken about the inadequacies of the 3D digital theaters The essence of 3D cinema is its ability to greatly enhance the sense of immersion in the story being told But there is no way to achieve real immersion unless you have floortoceiling and walltowall screens The image must fill you field of vision as much as possible The long term viability of 3D cinema will depend on the exhibitors willingness to build theaters designed specifically for 3D immersion nWave Pictures is currently producing two 3D features The sequel to Sammys Adventures Escape From Paradise and African Safari 3D a live action 3D adventure documentary taking the audience from the cost of Skeleton Coast in Namibia to the top of the Kilimanjaro Description above from the Wikipedia article Ben Stassen licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia