The Text
Asteroids whizzed at Matilda Root during a 3-D showing of Monsters vs. Aliens, and that’s all it took to convince the 7-year-old that 2-D movies just don’t pop.
“2-D movies are just flat on the screen,” she says.
Root’s not the only one impressed with what an extra dimension can add to a cinema experience. As attendance at 3-D movies increased, so have the number of releases. About 40 3-D films are expected to be released in the next three years, the Los Angeles Times estimates.
And they’re not all oh-happy-day children’s films either. My Bloody Valentine raked in horror fans in January, and The Final Destination — the fourth in a series that seems never to die off — will be released in August.
In Columbia, Forum 8 Cinemas transitioned one of its screens to 3-D in June 2008. Theater manager Brandon Casey says customers now come from as far as Fulton just to see movies in 3-D.
The 3-D technology appears to be here to stay, especially when it comes to animated films. DreamWorks Animation has committed to producing all of its features in 3-D from now on says Jim Mainard, the company’s head of production development.
Likewise Chuck Viane, the president of domestic distribution for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, says the re-releases of The Nightmare Before Christmas were such an “extreme success” that audiences can expect its fourth 3-D release this October.
But hold up on thinking Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep might soon appear close enough to touch. Chad Freidrichs, an instructor of digital film at Stephens College, says 3-D is still a gimmick at this point — one that is likely to be fleeting.
When 3-D first hit movie theaters in the 1950s, it didn’t last long. The trend popped back up again in the 1980s. Now, nearly 30 years later, this third appearance makes Freidrichs think it’s just another generational trend.
“People forget about 3-D for a little bit, and they forget about the hassles of 3-D, so then all of sudden, it’s offered to a new generation,” Freidrichs says.
However, with the changes in 3-D technology, Casey says most of the problems with nausea and headaches have disappeared.
In the past, the illusion of 3-D was created by using red and blue filters on the glasses to alter which eye saw what, which created depth as a result. Now, theaters such as Forum use a technology called RealD, which uses polarized lenses to block different wavelengths and only allows certain images to come through.
The glasses aren’t the flimsy, paper ones of the past either. But moviegoers are encouraged to return the new black plastic frames with clear lenses for recycling.
3-D might be eco-friendly, but Freidrichs says the technology isn’t quite there. Traditional filmmakers use editing, lighting and even the acting in ways that the audience doesn’t realize; however, 3-D is pretty hard not to notice.
Perhaps that’s why Disney is flirting with 3-D but not eliminating 2-D. Interestingly enough, one of its most anticipated movies this year is The Princess and the Frog, a production that employs the old school, hand-drawn style.
Production companies might also be concerned about scaring away cash-strapped moviegoers. At Forum, it’s an extra $2.50 for a 3-D movie.
Part of the increase helps the theater pay for the new, pricier 3-D projector and screen, which can cost about double the price of a regular projector.
Also, making movies in 3-D costs about 10 percent more, Mainard says, so some of the money from ticket sales goes back to the production company.
But despite all the hype, money isn’t the only deciding factor and neither is the cool factor.
Take Chris Huffman, for example, who enjoyed seeing Up in 3-D with his daughter, Kaya, and likened it to watching moving “pop-up books.”
“It was really cool,” Huffman says. “The 3-D is a lot better than when I was a kid.”
When it came to taking his daughter to Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, however, he plopped down in front of a 2-D screen at Hollywood Stadium 14 Cinemas … mostly because driving to Hollywood was just more convenient.
“2-D movies are just flat on the screen,” she says.
Root’s not the only one impressed with what an extra dimension can add to a cinema experience. As attendance at 3-D movies increased, so have the number of releases. About 40 3-D films are expected to be released in the next three years, the Los Angeles Times estimates.
And they’re not all oh-happy-day children’s films either. My Bloody Valentine raked in horror fans in January, and The Final Destination — the fourth in a series that seems never to die off — will be released in August.
In Columbia, Forum 8 Cinemas transitioned one of its screens to 3-D in June 2008. Theater manager Brandon Casey says customers now come from as far as Fulton just to see movies in 3-D.
The 3-D technology appears to be here to stay, especially when it comes to animated films. DreamWorks Animation has committed to producing all of its features in 3-D from now on says Jim Mainard, the company’s head of production development.
Likewise Chuck Viane, the president of domestic distribution for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, says the re-releases of The Nightmare Before Christmas were such an “extreme success” that audiences can expect its fourth 3-D release this October.
But hold up on thinking Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep might soon appear close enough to touch. Chad Freidrichs, an instructor of digital film at Stephens College, says 3-D is still a gimmick at this point — one that is likely to be fleeting.
When 3-D first hit movie theaters in the 1950s, it didn’t last long. The trend popped back up again in the 1980s. Now, nearly 30 years later, this third appearance makes Freidrichs think it’s just another generational trend.
“People forget about 3-D for a little bit, and they forget about the hassles of 3-D, so then all of sudden, it’s offered to a new generation,” Freidrichs says.
However, with the changes in 3-D technology, Casey says most of the problems with nausea and headaches have disappeared.
In the past, the illusion of 3-D was created by using red and blue filters on the glasses to alter which eye saw what, which created depth as a result. Now, theaters such as Forum use a technology called RealD, which uses polarized lenses to block different wavelengths and only allows certain images to come through.
The glasses aren’t the flimsy, paper ones of the past either. But moviegoers are encouraged to return the new black plastic frames with clear lenses for recycling.
3-D might be eco-friendly, but Freidrichs says the technology isn’t quite there. Traditional filmmakers use editing, lighting and even the acting in ways that the audience doesn’t realize; however, 3-D is pretty hard not to notice.
Perhaps that’s why Disney is flirting with 3-D but not eliminating 2-D. Interestingly enough, one of its most anticipated movies this year is The Princess and the Frog, a production that employs the old school, hand-drawn style.
Production companies might also be concerned about scaring away cash-strapped moviegoers. At Forum, it’s an extra $2.50 for a 3-D movie.
Part of the increase helps the theater pay for the new, pricier 3-D projector and screen, which can cost about double the price of a regular projector.
Also, making movies in 3-D costs about 10 percent more, Mainard says, so some of the money from ticket sales goes back to the production company.
But despite all the hype, money isn’t the only deciding factor and neither is the cool factor.
Take Chris Huffman, for example, who enjoyed seeing Up in 3-D with his daughter, Kaya, and likened it to watching moving “pop-up books.”
“It was really cool,” Huffman says. “The 3-D is a lot better than when I was a kid.”
When it came to taking his daughter to Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, however, he plopped down in front of a 2-D screen at Hollywood Stadium 14 Cinemas … mostly because driving to Hollywood was just more convenient.
The Sidebar
3-D screens
More and more theaters are making the switch. RealD, the leading provider of 3-D theater technology, delivers to more than 8,700 screens. More than 30 Missouri theaters have at least one RealD 3-D screen.
TVs
3-D is now following viewers home with 3-D capable TVs, Jim Mainard, head of production development at DreamWorks Animation says. Although some sets are already on the market, major manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics, Sony, LG Electronics and Panasonic, all have a 3-D TV set to hit stores in late 2009 or early 2010, according to CNN.
Broadcasters are still trying to figure out how to get 3-D over the airwaves, Mainard says, but one thing’s for sure: You’ll still need the glasses. At least for the next several years.
Glasses-less
There’s hope for those tired of looking like four-eyed movie geeks. Different companies are working on how to make 3-D work (both at the movies and at home) without the clunky glasses. But Mainard says the current limitation is that the viewer has to be at a certain angle from the screen for this technology to even work.
Laptops
The third dimension is hitting laptops, too, Mainard says. Acer will be releasing the 15.6-inch Aspire 3D Notebook in October, CNET reports.
More and more theaters are making the switch. RealD, the leading provider of 3-D theater technology, delivers to more than 8,700 screens. More than 30 Missouri theaters have at least one RealD 3-D screen.
TVs
3-D is now following viewers home with 3-D capable TVs, Jim Mainard, head of production development at DreamWorks Animation says. Although some sets are already on the market, major manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics, Sony, LG Electronics and Panasonic, all have a 3-D TV set to hit stores in late 2009 or early 2010, according to CNN.
Broadcasters are still trying to figure out how to get 3-D over the airwaves, Mainard says, but one thing’s for sure: You’ll still need the glasses. At least for the next several years.
Glasses-less
There’s hope for those tired of looking like four-eyed movie geeks. Different companies are working on how to make 3-D work (both at the movies and at home) without the clunky glasses. But Mainard says the current limitation is that the viewer has to be at a certain angle from the screen for this technology to even work.
Laptops
The third dimension is hitting laptops, too, Mainard says. Acer will be releasing the 15.6-inch Aspire 3D Notebook in October, CNET reports.