Math yields 'Potter' 3-D magic

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 11 (UPI) -- Algorithms, not alchemy, are behind the IMAX version of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," which presents the final 20 minutes in eye-popping 3-D.

The series' fifth movie is the first in IMAX's larger format and 3-D, USA Today reported Wednesday.

"Harry Potter is about magic, Hogwarts, Quidditch. It is a big experience," said Greg Foster, chief executive of IMAX Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif. "We look for movies about something you dream about doing."

IMAX producers converted the conclusion to 3-D by using image-enhancing tricks and lots of computer power, said IMAX producer Lorne Orleans. They also applied a basic trick of neurobiology.

Because human eyes separately see a slightly different view of an object, IMAX producers turned a two-dimensional screen image into a 3-D one, to simultaneously show viewers the two slightly offset views of the same scene and let the brain do the rest.

"We think 3-D works for blockbuster movies," Foster said. "It is not a panacea. Nobody wants to see (the almost entirely conversational film) 'My Dinner with Andre' in 3-D."