Producer Charlotte Huggins has teamed with Hollywood-based studio Super 78 to produce "Flight of the Dragon."
The live-action film will be made in 4K resolution for release in Imax and other giant-screen venues. The use of 4K — which contains four times the amount of picture information typically used in digital-cinema production — in production and post has been limited because the volume of data and developing toolset makes it a complex option.
Written and directed by Super 78 principal Brent Young, "Dragon" is described as a hybrid documentary and fantasy that tells the story of a young boy’s desire to discover China from the sky while flying with a mystical dragon over exotic and mysterious landscapes.
Dina Benadon, Super 78 principal and executive producer, has been developing the property for two years. The film will be a co-production with two China-based partners: an undisclosed production company and a financier.
"Dragon" will be lensed entirely in mainland China, principally from aerial perspectives in locations across the country.
Plans call for the motion picture to be shot using a Red One digital camera and posted in 4K resolution.
Huggins, producer of the soon-to-be-released 3-D titles "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "Fly Me to the Moon, " enjoys a technology challenge. "4K is the next challenge … and the special venue really pushes the envelope, " she said.
She added: "I also love the idea of doing a production in China; it’s challenging from a production standpoint. We’re going to be shooting in very remote, beautiful locations."
Sean MacLeod Phillips ("Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D") will serve as director of photography, and Peter J. McKernan ("Land of the Lost") will be the helicopter pilot and aerial coordinator. Principal photography began in September.
