Flatley talks about 3D film

Michael Flatley, the Lord of the Dance himself, was in Berlin to talk about the new 3D event film Lord of the Dance 3D, being launched around St. Patrick’s Day in the US and UK, before rolling out around the world.

Flatley got the idea by seeing his young son transfixed while watching a 3D animation film. “I thought, wouldn’t that be fabulous for dance, so I did some exploring,” Flatley told Screen.

The project was filmed during five nights of live performances, using 20 3D cameras at every possible angle.

“We could have filmed it on a soundstage, but it was important to film the show live, you get the great whack of it,” he said.

He continued: “It’s not just the view from the best seat in the house, it’s also looking out into the audience, like being on stage. People will be seeing things they’venever seen before.”

More than 60 million people have seen the stage shows in 60 countries, so is Flatley worried that the film will replace the live experience? He hopes, “if anything it will heighten the appetite.”

Marcus Viner directs the film for UK 3D production house Nineteen Fifteen Productions in association with ITN Productions, and distributed by SuperVision Media (Kaleidoscope is handling ancillary formats).