Times Article Says Hollywood Believes 3-D Is the Future
Filed under: Action, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Tech Stuff, Exhibition, Dreamworks, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Comic/Superhero/Geek
The New York Times is reporting this week on a new wave of 3-D movies that Hollywood thinks will forever change the future of cinema. Christopher and Scott brought you stories about the 3-D "Tintin" trilogy that Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are planning. A U2 concert film called U2 3D premiered footage at Cannes this weekend (I love U2, but I find that thing where Bono shoves his face into the camera obnoxious without 3-D technology). And James Cameron, who made the 2003 3-D IMAX documentary Ghosts of the Abyss, is shooting the highly-anticipated Avatar in 3-D using both computer animation and motion-capture technology. Avatar's producer, Jon Landau says: "This is a different experience; it's much more voyeuristic. The screen has always been an emotional barrier for audiences. Good 3-D makes the screen go away. It disappears, and you're looking at a window into a world."
3-D technology was fairly big in the 1950's, but aside from a few sad attempts to revive it (Jaws 3-D, anyone?), it never really hit the mainstream. Recent movies like Monster House, Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, and Spy Kids 3-D have attempted to make that happen, and we're about to see a whole lot more. Robert Zemeckis' upcoming adaptation of Beowulf will be screened in 3-D wherever possible. Trouble is, it's not possible in that many places. Digital projection is only in roughly 2,300 of the 37,000 theaters in America, and 3-D projection is only in 700. Theater owners have been hesitant to install the projectors, because it is unclear whether moviegoers will pay extra to see a 3-D film. Jeffrey Katzenberg, chief executive of DreamWorks Animation, thinks that they will, saying "I believe that this is the single greatest opportunity for the moviegoing experience since the advent of color. It has been more than 60 years since there has been a significant enhancement or innovation to the moviegoing experience." Katzenberg predicts that starting in 2009, "a significant percentage of the big mainstream films will be made and exhibited in this format."
DreamWorks Animation SKG recently announced that all of its future movies will be shot in 3-D. Katzenberg believes that after 2009, "consumers will own their own 3-D glasses in the same way they have sunglasses for going outside."Far be it from little old me to disagree with Mr. Katzenberg or the New York Times, but I'm not a big fan of 3-D movies. I saw The Polar Express in 3-D, and found myself sick of wearing the glasses almost immediately. I also wound up with a splitting headache, and was mocked by little children when I would reach out for the delicious treats floating in front of me. I don't want to seem old-fashioned, but I really hope Katzenberg is wrong about all of this stuff. I at least want to be given the option when I go to the theater.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-25-2007 @ 8:46AM
Jonathan said...
Wrong. Digital 3D will be what is going to save the local cineplex. With HD plasma prices dropping like rocks and most people getting HD over cable at no extra cost and with either HD-DVD or BluRay winning out, the advent of same day release (but not at $50)... do I need to say any more? Theaters have to give us something we can't get at home. And having been to several IMAX 3D movies, it's very easy on the eyes.
3D of today is not your fathers 3D from the 50's
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5-25-2007 @ 10:05AM
Derek said...
There's expectations in a 3D film to make every shot novel or exciting - that's not going to make a movie better. In fact, that's the problem with most lousy movies! This will dumb-down Hollywood even further.
Get ready for a lot of Michael Bay-esque moviemaking!
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5-25-2007 @ 10:48AM
Rich Drees said...
I have to admit that I'm a bit distressed by the thought that 1950s 3-D faded away due to the low quality of the films it was used in. Out of the 50s some feature length 3-D films released during the 1950s 3-D boom, one can find THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (and to a lesser extenant its first sequel REVENGE...), Hitchcock's DIAL M FOR MURDER, John Wayne's HONDO, the musical KISS ME KATE and HOUSE OF WAX are all good to great films on their own, with or without the 3-D. That's approximately 10% of all 3D flicks made during those few years. I dare say Hollywood today barely averages the same quality film ratio.
(I remember reading somewhere that they had at one point announced that MISTER ROBERTS (!) was going to be shot in 3D before producers changed their minds...)
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5-25-2007 @ 12:59PM
Andy Grey said...
Was the Polar Express in this new 3-D or the old Red-Blue glasses 3-D. Your comment about grabbing at treats in front of you don't make sense if its new 3-D. Because the new 3-D doesn't make the objects seem like they're coming at you, it creates the illusion of depth. The new 3-D from ticket sales for movies like Monster House was way higher than traditional theaters and universally regarded as a better movie experience. It doesn't sound like you saw The Polar Express in the new type.
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5-25-2007 @ 11:24PM
soundoftheground said...
"...It has been more than 60 years since there has been a significant enhancement or innovation to the moviegoing experience."
maybe because it's not necessary. using gimmicks to make up for original and good storytelling will not revolutionize the movies and will ultimately fade away just like the 3-D from the '50's.
you want to enhance the moviegoing experience? drop the prices and start enforcing some rules regarding audience behavior.
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5-26-2007 @ 5:14PM
jameswt said...
I saw some of the U2 3-D footage at ShowCanada and it was very cool. They also showed us some of the redone Nightmare before Christmas in 3-D. The effect looks very real.
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5-26-2007 @ 6:12PM
stephen martin said...
I have only seen Chicken Little in 3-d and that really blew me away! Too, in case anyone has forgotten, the new 3-d is such that for an extra million, you can tack the feature onto ANY movie that has ever been!Imagine any clssic movie that you love in 3-d.I believe 3-d is to be the future.
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