Jon Starr
Veteran
Is it really just a "fad?" I've heard this many times. "It's a gimmick", "it's to make money", "it'll die out just like it has many times before." Whether it's in the Avatar thread, or in the many other 3D movie threads.
But what if it's really the way of the future? A big claim, I know, but let's look at the facts. Way back when film first came about, it was simple, it had very few cuts, if at all, and was simply black and white. Most importantly, it was silent (usually with some music to accompany live in theaters). A lot of technology had to develop for it to get to what it is today. Sound wasn't always perfect when it first came out. It was difficult to record things on set, and to mix, and to play it back. Things were clunky, cameras were noisy, and the technique was most likely costly (I'm assuming, though this is more of an assumption). The first film with sync sound was the Jazz Singer and that was only 1 scene in the entire film. It was first used as a "gimmick" to draw in crowds. Color was also a gimmick, as was wide screen. But now these are all norms because the technology is there, and easy to apply.
3D has had an interesting history. It has been around for a LONG time. Stereoscopy was developed in the early 1800s. In the 1950s there was a big boom in film using this technology, where simple 3D was becoming popular, and was a big 'gimmick' to draw in crowds. Then again in the 80s. Then Imax started using the technology with a lot of success, filming a lot of it's films in real 3D, with two images at slightly different angles giving real perspectives, and using polarized lenses, rather than two colors. It never left Imax, and became a norm. They've had a lot of time to help develop the technology. While still difficult to use and expensive, it's come a long way.
Now we've had yet another "age" of 3D, where some CG movies (like Pixar) really started using 3D properly, and the Dark Knight shot one scene entirely in Imax 3D. Then the big milestone had to be Avatar. I don't think anyone can argue that the technology was used improperly for the film.
Now, unfortunately, producers see the big money. They use post conversion on films that weren't shot in 3D because people are willing to pay more money for 3D films. This money-maker attitude can very easily be the death of 3D. But if it's used properly, and responsibly, it can be the way of the future. Tron used it beautifully, and I think we'll start seeing a lot of similar examples in the near future.
So what do you think? Will it die out? Is it really a fad? Or will it become a norm like color, sound and wide screen?
But what if it's really the way of the future? A big claim, I know, but let's look at the facts. Way back when film first came about, it was simple, it had very few cuts, if at all, and was simply black and white. Most importantly, it was silent (usually with some music to accompany live in theaters). A lot of technology had to develop for it to get to what it is today. Sound wasn't always perfect when it first came out. It was difficult to record things on set, and to mix, and to play it back. Things were clunky, cameras were noisy, and the technique was most likely costly (I'm assuming, though this is more of an assumption). The first film with sync sound was the Jazz Singer and that was only 1 scene in the entire film. It was first used as a "gimmick" to draw in crowds. Color was also a gimmick, as was wide screen. But now these are all norms because the technology is there, and easy to apply.
3D has had an interesting history. It has been around for a LONG time. Stereoscopy was developed in the early 1800s. In the 1950s there was a big boom in film using this technology, where simple 3D was becoming popular, and was a big 'gimmick' to draw in crowds. Then again in the 80s. Then Imax started using the technology with a lot of success, filming a lot of it's films in real 3D, with two images at slightly different angles giving real perspectives, and using polarized lenses, rather than two colors. It never left Imax, and became a norm. They've had a lot of time to help develop the technology. While still difficult to use and expensive, it's come a long way.
Now we've had yet another "age" of 3D, where some CG movies (like Pixar) really started using 3D properly, and the Dark Knight shot one scene entirely in Imax 3D. Then the big milestone had to be Avatar. I don't think anyone can argue that the technology was used improperly for the film.
Now, unfortunately, producers see the big money. They use post conversion on films that weren't shot in 3D because people are willing to pay more money for 3D films. This money-maker attitude can very easily be the death of 3D. But if it's used properly, and responsibly, it can be the way of the future. Tron used it beautifully, and I think we'll start seeing a lot of similar examples in the near future.
So what do you think? Will it die out? Is it really a fad? Or will it become a norm like color, sound and wide screen?
I havent seen any yet but I seriously doubt it wil stop bootleggees from bootlegging 3d movies .