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It’s starting to seem like every big film release is in 3D nowadays. And I’m really not all that convinced by the latest filmmaking format. Moreover, I think it’s important for us to remind ourselves that we aren’t ushering in the future of cinema... not quite yet, anyway.
You may see my dismissal of 3D as ignorant or blind (or both), but I honestly don’t think it is. I mean, this isn’t even the first attempt to create successful three-dimensional films, it's happened before (in the 50s and again in the 80s) and didn’t really catch on beyond the niche that it is. At present, the technology is still more of an eye-sore than a visual delight, and in live-action (as opposed to animation) it continues to end up looking layered and very much unlike the three dimensions we’ve grown so accustomed to in everyday life - as long as we’re seeing overblown holograms I won’t be able to bring myself to see 3D as effective.
Furthermore, does anyone actually believe that adding 3D to a film lends anything to it as a piece of storytelling? Yes, it might be a fun little gimmick every once in a while, but the whole “more-immersive-cinema-experience” thing is a total myth. I promise you, if you go and watch Toy Story 3 in the reliable and trusty two dimensions - you’ll find yourself just as immersed. There’s really no big secret to why this is too - it’s because you need a decent story to get invested, not a bunch of elaborate special effects.
There are some simple truths that have to be accepted as well. Most importantly, that 3D won’t be the “future of cinema” until it becomes a format that can be used in the comfort of your own home. If the experience of seeing a film in the cinema is too far-removed from what you can achieve with your own TV set, then cinema-goers are going to start to get irritated and begin questioning the use of buying a ticket at all. Thankfully, 3D TVs are mostly failures (dizzying or seizure-inducing failures) and they’re very expensive to produce - so I don’t think we’ll be seeing widespread 3D television anytime soon.
When it comes down to it, the whole 3D development has become a blatant Hollywood money-grab (most noticeably with the recent trend of converting films that were shot in 2D to 3D to generate some extra hype). I’m really not a fan of the significantly more expensive ticket prices (and those ridiculous glasses!) and I’ve just about had enough of constantly being told that 3D cinema is the best thing since sliced bread. I really wish that we, as the audience, hadn’t gone and made the spectacularly average Avatar the highest grossing film of all time because the current situation would probably be quite different.
I suppose what I’m really trying to say is that if you’re like me and you’re not a fan of 3D, don’t worry. You don’t have to buy into the myth that 3D cinema is the next step for the film industry. It could just as easily be consigned to the past if we stop kidding ourselves about how “visually immersive” it is. I'll admit that I’m not completely against the use of 3D in animation, as sometimes it can look quite nice... but it’s still only a visual fad, and it’s about time we stop calling it the “future” of film.
comment deleted by the author I really don't understand why the film industry has sporadic fits of attempting to force 3D on us. It only makes a difference in CGI action movies which are designed with it in mind from Day 1 (like Avatar), but they're usually the most forgettable because they tend to be chronically deficient in story (like Avatar). Outside of that genre, it's totally unnecessary.
I can't abide the stuff.
Headache-inducing, gratuitously overused, expensive, and utterly unnecessary.
What good's 3D if it forces you to focus upon a particular plane, cutting out all background details? With a 50% cut in the brightness of the picture?
Absolute travesty.
Are there any pro's to 3D?
Cons include: headaches, stupid glasses, being constantly aware you're watching a film, more expensive tickets, dizziness, forgetting you're watching 3d about half an hour into the film and remaining unimpressed by the entire experience.
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