The Death of the Death of 3D

I just thought I would try and throw in my two cents here on this hotly debated topic and try and give a little perspective on the current state of 3D.

I have recently become part of the 3D making world, and I have been talking with some of the key players in the UK's stereography scene. It is a vast new department that is quickly developing and has seemingly taken over the world. Or so it had seemed. 3D has fallen greatly in favour since it burst back into our life in late 2009. And sales have undeniably become less and less impressive. And this has made every critic of 3D and his cat go dancing for joy at the death of such a useless gimmick. But when all is considered, is this really a moment to be rejoicing?

I don't think it is a mystery as to why 3D is “dying”. After Avatar's unfathomable success, every studio tried to shoe horn in 3D into every project that they possibly could. Cue Clash of the Titans and The Last Airbender. Truly horrible horrible conversions of the 3D medium. These were films that were never even conceived in 3D at any point during the main stage of production. Both had been mostly finished in post before the news came down that these were to be in 3D. What took Avatar six years to master was now being condensed into 6 weeks. And ever since there have been very few shining beacons of 3D. Audience members have become tired of being charged premium prices for low standard products. As they should. The advent of 3D has been horribly handled by studios and they have no one to blame but themselves for this eventual slump into obscurity. There is also another reason as to why there has been such a back lash to 3D. It is being pressed on us. We haven't had much say in this revolution and revolting helps us feel like we have a voice in this.

But as filmmakers or film-lovers, this standard can't be kept up. For two reasons. Obviously, as audience members we are getting shortchanged and sold under par products. If this standard keeps up we will just give up on the medium completely. But it also has a deeper consequence on us. Consider this. Studios have lost billions on future 3D releases. Cinema's companies spent billions on upgrading their cinemas and are getting no use out of it. Technology companies have spent billions in developing 3D technology and now no one will buy this new direction that they have ventured into. Victory for the audience right? Short term, sure if you hate 3D. Long term. All these companies are going to want their money back and to make it back big. Studios churn out 'dead certain' sales. We get 20 Transformer-esque films a year. Cinema's no longer want to show lesser known films in favour of giving multiple screenings to these big films. Technology companies will be set back 3-4 years as they back-pedal on products in development. If 3D fails we are going to feel the fall out in a big way in terms of new and innovating products.

Personally I think 3D just has to be viewed slightly differently. It needs to be viewed as giving our audience members a quality experience opposed to a way to fight piracy and squeeze a little extra money out of an audience. In terms of releases I expect to see fewer 3D films a year, but a drastic rise in quality. This will be conscious and well thought out options for directors and studio's alike. I also expect to see the prices of 3D tickets either fall or there be no extra charge. The industry, both studio based and distribution, needs to stop punishing it's audiences for putting the money in to make a film in 3D. This should be a cost they take on from the start, that ensures a higher interest and sales because of the over all experience. This is the only natural evolution I see to the audience and studio relationship in terms of 3D. I expect this to be a move that will happen sooner rather then later.

3ality rig illustrating how it is used.

While there is that to chew on let me now get into why 3D isn't dead. I could easily tout Transformer's success and say that sales in international waters have been above 70% for 3D. That is a vast improvement on Pirates of the Carribean's 38% a few months earlier. But this goes deeper then this one example. We are in a transition period of 3D as an artistic tool. Now that everyone has had their play and misuse of their new toy its time to get serious. Now the honeymoon period is over, it's time to remind the audience why it is a great tool and get back to real 3D making. Studios are not stupid. They know that they stand to lose money from this. A ton of money. Never mind an effective way to combat piracy. And they know what the audience wants and thats a quality product. They know that they have to start using it as a tool properly. But in all honesty in this transitional period, the death of 3D isn't in the hands of the critics (even though they would love that), Studios or Audiences but the filmmakers.

This section in 3D is truly stunning.

And this is the bright future. It really and truly is being used properly. I do urge you to see Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 3D if you have any shred of interest in what 3D is capable of. (Of course you have to sit through a Transformers movie but its an important case study for this area.). It really is impressive. And thats only the surface. 3D isn't a dead in the water in terms of improvement. It will only get better. We will find more and more interesting things to do with it and push the technology. It's an imperfect science that a true artist and visionary will bring it's merits to fruition. This is happening NOW. Next year we have Bryan Singer's Jack the Giant Killer, Mark Webb's Spiderman Reboot, Francis Ford Coppela's Twixt, Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, Steven Spielberg's The Adventure's of TinTin, Peter Jackson's Hobbit. These are all being treated with the utmost respect in terms of 3D. Most shooting on 3D rigs with two Epic Reds, others being planned conversions from the start. The Hobbit Part 2 comes out in ...oh December 2013. Around the same time as Avatar 2. Itself a year before Avatar 3. This shows that there are films shooting right now by master filmmakers that prove that there is longevity in this format as a tool. And thats what this is. A tool for us filmmakers to help tell our stories. And past that 3D has longevity out of the movies. Within two years it will be as hard to buy a non-3D ready TV as it would be to buy a brand new standard definition television today. And other area's such as the medical sector have looked into it's uses. Begin to think about 3D X-rays, 3D blue-prints, 3D Advertising. 3D really is a hugely useful tool that we should be excited for. Get excited. 3D is moving in next door for the long run.

Gandalf himself watching The Hobbit's 3D effect.