Hey College Kids! Now You Can Major in 3-D!

Everyone listens to Harry Knowles, but nobody listens to Harry Knowles. I've failed to find a link to his original rant, but a while ago the AICN headgeek was ranting about how 3-D was going to be the future of the medium. He had his own fan perspective as a lover of the gimmick, but more importantly I recall his rant mentioning the business incentive studios had (higher ticket premiums, motivation to back to theaters again, renders piracy pointless) to make all of their tentpole films in the third dimension. And yet no one really took him seriously, it was just another in a long line of Harry's infamous ravings.

That was a year ago, maybe even two. Now the world has more 3-D films than theaters to display them in and it seems like a new production is announced every other day. Whether or not you agree with me that an Oscar for Best 3D is only a matter of time at this point, there is a booming need to accommodate Hollywood's extra-dimensional lust. And if the sheer volume of films looking to capitalize on the tech wasn't sign enough of things to come, now the University of Southern California has announced the creation of a new program within its School of Cinematic Arts to train and challenge students in the still-developing field of stereoscopic 3-D.

As relayed by Variety, "[USC professor Perry] Hoberman and Scott Fisher, chair of USC's interactive media division, are setting up an interdisciplinary program at the School of Cinematic Arts that will address how the technology can be used in narrative-based production such as movies and scripted television, as well as in gaming and immersive media. According to Fisher, the program should commence next fall."

Is this an ironclad sign that 3-D is here to stay? No, but it is yet another extra push to the already impressive momentum 3-D has gained over the past two summers at the box office. Depending on how cynical you are, this may just be USC capitalizing on Hollywood's latest trend or it may be their validation of the re-born medium, but either way it gives the already well respected USC film school another one-up on programs at competing institutions.

Does make me wonder though, if USC had a 3-D program when George Lucas was a student there, would we have grown up with an entirely different Star Wars? I shudder at the thought.