3D comes home

It’s suddenly all the rage, but where’s the buzz really coming from? 3D has been around for decades! Dozens of movies have tried to wow audiences with graphics that supposedly jump out of the screen, and various attempts at outfitting PC users with multicolored glasses have been soundly rejected.

The problem is it’s never been believable enough. 3D has so far always been an effect, not an experience. It’s been imperfect, at best approximating new ranges of motion and at worst causing headaches and nausea. Now, technology companies think the technology and costs are finally at a point where 3D can cross over to the mainstream. They’re all hell bent on convincing us too, with coordinated product launches and gala public events aimed at capturing the general imagination. Movies like Avatar were produced almost solely to show off the potential of 3D, will do this well. Avatar is such a great example because it didn’t use 3D effects just to scare the audience with objects hurtling out of the screen. It actually drew viewers into a believable new world and exposed them to a whole new experience. Avatar was the watershed the industry needed—and created.

Maybe it is time everyone got together and took on the task of completely changing our understanding of normal movie and TV viewing. Maybe there really is no other way to break out of our constraints and move into a new generation. No doubt, 3D technology is finally ready to jump into the mainstream, but we’ll soon enough see what the majority of end users decide about how, when and where they’ll engage with 3D.

I don’t think we will
ever make another 2D film. Why would we make a movie in black and white if we
have color? … I think ultimately all movies are going to be in 3D

Jon Landau,
Producer – Avatar