MUMBAI: George Lucas has predicted that filmmaking in 3D will eventually take over, the way color films replaced those in black and white.

Digital technology in general is revolutionizing filmmaking the way sound did in the 1920s, Lucas said. The new digital 3-D craze has had hits and misses but should one day become the big-screen standard over 2-D presentation, he is quoted to have said.

But Lucas, James Cameron and DreamWorks Animation boss Jeffrey Katzenberg were of the unified view that digital filmmaking was only in its infancy and will bring vast improvements to how films are made and seen.

Lucas was speaking at a digital-film panel alongside Cameron and Katzenberg. The hour-long discussion touched on new filmmaking tools, enhancements to theatre sound and how badly presented 3D films can sour audiences on digital 3D films in general.

Such bad 3D experiences generally have resulted when studios took movies shot in only two dimensions and did hasty conversions to give them the illusion of depth so they could charge the extra few dollars that 3D tickets cost.

Cameron, who shot Avatar in 3D and plans to do film its two sequels in 3D too, is converting his blockbuster Titanic to 3D for release next year. Lucas is doing the same with all six of his Star Wars films.