Atlantic Receives IBC Special Award

Posted 12th September 2011

Atlantic Productions has received an IBC 2011 Special Award for its innovative use of 3D in the making of Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough. The film was made in collaboration with partners including Sky 3D, Onsight and SGO Mistika.

IBC, which takes place in Amsterdam every September, is the leading global tradeshow for professionals engaged in the creation, management and delivery of broadcasting media and entertainment. The Special Award – whose previous recipients include James Cameron, the BBC Natural History Unit and BSkyB – is given to a person, organisation or project that has made a particularly remarkable contribution to the industry and society beyond.

Anthony Geffen, CEO, Atlantic Productions said: ‘We are delighted and honoured to be receiving the IBC Special Award in recognition of the making of Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough. It has been incredibly exciting to be involved with making a film with David Attenborough that has combined innovative stereoscopic 3D production techniques with the best traditional storytelling. Flying Monsters 3D was an extremely ambitious film, and the production team and our partners allowed us to push the boundaries of documentary film-making into a new era. When we started this production, we didn’t know how we were actually going to finish it. I’m proud not only that we did so, but that we have embarked on a journey to go forward into ever more exciting projects in 3D.’

Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough is a film which looks at how pterosaurs took control of the sky when dinosaurs walked the Earth. Its use of stereoscopic 3D sets computer-generated pterosaurs in the environments they would have known, and allows presenter David Attenborough to interact with the pterosaurs. The film was produced for Sky 3D and also shot for cinema and giant screen release. The television version was first shown on the recently launched Sky 3D TV channel in the UK on Christmas Day 2010, and the movie version was released in cinemas across the UK and around the world in May 2011. The film is released in giant screen theatres across the US by National Geographic Entertainment on 7th October 2011.

This IBC award follows Flying Monsters’ recent success winning the first BAFTA award for a 3D film. Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough was also highly commended in the Content Creation Innovation Award category which acknowledged Onsight and SGO Mistika’s post production work on the film. Sir David Attenborough also received the IBC2011 International Honour for Excellence for innovation throughout his career, evolving film-making techniques in natural history programmes such as Zoo Quest, Life on Earth, The Blue Planet, First Life and Flying Monsters 3D.