'Resident Evil' director helms 3D advert

Resident Evil director Paul WS Anderson has created a new ad campaign using groundbreaking 3D time-lapse technology and starring Oscar-winning actor Christoph Waltz.

Anderson, who last year directed Resident Evil: Afterlife in 3D, produced the advert for Deutsche Telekom in native 3D, rather than converting it from 2D footage.

Shot on location in Los Angeles over five days (with additional filming in Berlin), the commercial uses the city backdrop to tell a story of "freedom, independence and liberation" to promote a new Entertain TV package from Deutsche Telekom.

Anderson cast Waltz - winner of a 'Best Supporting Actor' Academy Award for Inglorious Basterds - to star in the ad and also used members of his 3D production team working on the upcoming Three Musketeers movie.

The 90-second ad focuses on the lives of ordinary people in the city, showcasing the "epic" drama that can be held in mundane, everyday activities.

Vern Nobles, Anderson's long-time director of photography, said that the tough brief required the team to develop a new 3D camera system to make the ad possible.

"There was not one camera system that could do everything Paul wanted and we had to invent some new tech along the way," said Nobles.

"Tom Hallman from Pictorvision put together at short notice a stereo gyro stabilised helicopter system that we'd developed after Resident Evil 4 and we couldn't have done it all without the help of Vince Pace and the Pace fusion 3D system.

"Vince and Jim Hays opened their doors and gave us complete support, letting us come in over the Christmas holiday and build the systems."

Anderson's commercial producer John Brocklehurst added: "The pre-production on 3D is one of the hardest things I have ever done in my professional career but the first time you put the glasses on and look at the monitor you realise what all the fuss and hard work is about.

"There are many so called 3D 'experts' in film and advertising but, in my opinion, you need to have actually shot using it to be able to talk about it. And this puts Paul in a league of his own - he has shot two huge movies, with the best rig and the best crew in the world. Not only that, we had a great time and I am looking forward to our next 3D extravaganza!"

A 60-second version of the ad will screen in cinemas across Germany, with a further four product-based cut-downs being aired on television networks in the country. The full 90-second commercial will be shown worldwide at trade shows, exhibitions and festivals.

Yesterday, James Cameron and Vince Pace announced a new partnership aimed at making 3D technology more widely available to filmmakers, broadcasters and commercial directors.