FilmFunds Acquires 3D Conversion Specialists Duran Duboi U.S.

FilmFunds, a Los Angeles-based production and marketing company that uses social media to test market and promote prospective film projects, has acquired Duran Duboi U.S., a California-based company that holds a patent for 3D LiveFlix technology, which specializes in 2D to 3D conversions. It recently handled the 3D conversion of Conan the Barbarian.

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In announcing the acquistion on Tuesday, FilmFunds also said it has made a formal bid for France’s Studio Duran Duboi, the Paris-based visual effects company, which is a subsidiary of Quinta Industries, which is currently undergoing judicial liquidation. In its bid, FilmFunds has promised to complete outstanding projects undertaken by Duran Duboi, including the Luc Besson-produced film The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart. 

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FilmFunds said that it will use its own digital crowd-sourcing technology to poll audiences about what library titles they would like to see converted to 3D. Voting by the FilmFunds community will determine the most popular projects for conversion, and based on audience response, the company will approach studios and other content owners with both the data to prove an audience for a 3D version of a film and the conversion technology. FilmFunds’ goal is to partner with studios on a project by project basis.

“While popular films like Star Wars and Titanic will soon be coming out in 3D, there are many others that have a built-in audience, if only studios and filmmakers had an easy-to-use, crowd-sourcing social marketing tool to prove it. FilmFunds looks forward to working with content owners to help identify and convert the most beloved 2D films for 3D-hungry audiences everywhere,” FilmFunds co-founder and chairman Carl Freer said.

With the acquisition of Duran Duboi US, its president Christian Paris will become vice president of FilmFunds.  “I look forward to marrying our proprietary technology with that of FilmFunds, which truly offers a 21st century solution for filmmakers,” Paris said.