Entertainment For Lively Minds
3D or not 3D?
I saw Captain America in 3D yesterday. The film was surprisingly entertaining, refreshingly free of the chest-beating patriotism one might expect and some good Indiana Jones-esque anti-Nazi derring-do.
But - and excuse me if I turn into Mark Kermode here - the 3D: it was pointless. I had to balance a pair of glasses over my normal glasses, solely for the purpose of 'enjoying' the occasional character pretending to chuck something straight at me every 10 minutes or so. Really I had paid an extra £3 for the privilege of a darker screen and knowing that some characters were slightly closer to me than others.
Surely this is just a pointless gimmick whose days are already numbered? Once everyone's seen a few 3D films we're all going to start turning back to normal films, unless it's a proper 3D event like Avatar, aren't we? And as for 3D TV's - a shocking waste of money. Or am I completely wrong on this?
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No you're right
I agree with your entire post.
I think also, as much as anything, 3D was seen as an anti-piracy measure.
I was also in a bar a few months ago, which was showing 3D football — the waitress had a bucket of 3D glasses she was handing around. I couldn't see the difference at all. I eventually stood in front of the TV, where I detected a barely-perceptible 3D effect.
I wear glasses
So to watch a film in 3D with those bulky glasses over my own is an uncomfortable experience. That said, Harry Potter in 3D was good, but the effect added little to the film.
I think it's yet another outing for this gimmick which will once again utterly fail to catch on for the zillionth time.
Are these films...
only availible in 3D? do you not have a 2D option?
I think many are
filmed in 2D and converted to 3D (the word is 'retro-fitting' I believe).
I seem to be one of the few who saw Avatar in 2D.
Strangely not yesterday evening
There is usually a 2D showing as well, though. And I think in the future I will take it.
I'm only now realising how pointless 3D is though; I've always been under the impression that it must add an extra element. It does, but it turns out it's mainly slight discomfort and total awareness that one is watching a movie, rather than full immersion.
Very good technical point made here
by the legendary film editor Walter Murch. http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/01/post_4.html
There's a dichotomy between
the simplicity and minimalism of an MP3 player and reasonable one-box player you can plug it in to compared to the size and complexity of 3D and home cinema systems. Most people I know want plug n' play concenvenience and clean lines in their living space.
Most home cinema systems are dauntingly complicated to a newcomer and require too many boxes, wires and speakers for the Significant Other to approve. Now that we've got to wear special glasses as well, which quite quickly cause fatigue, it's getting daft. Do you want to live in a living room or a cinema?
3D may catch on but not until the whole viewing hardware is improved.
Good year for the heroes
I grew up with Marvel comics and was thrilled beyond description when they finally delivered a Spider-man film worthy of the character. But after a few clunkers (Fantastic Four, Hulk etc) I thought Hacienda that.
(The great Iron Man film seemed like a blip occasioned by the charisma of Robert Downey Jr).
But this year's three (X Men First Class, Thor and Captain America) have all been really enjoyable. What next? Captain Britain?
The only 3D films I've seen were animation (Despicable Me, Tangled) when I was outvoted by others strictly too young to vote. Could not see the point...
Most people dont realise, there are two different types of "3D"
There is the more successful type - where all the live action is actually shot in 3D with two cameras, and then digitally composited together. The film Avatar is an example of this. Its a relatively new, and extremely expensive technique. All the CG elements also have to be rendered from different perspectives exactly matching the live action elements. There have been few films made with this technique. Captain America is not one of them.
The other type of 3D is a kind of "fake" 3D. Where elements are shot against blue screen and 2D layers are artificially made to look 3D in post production, without actually having any 3D source. In my opinion, I agree with the OP that the fact that the specs take away 30% of the light, is not a worthwhile tradeoff.
Since Avatar came out, many other films have of course tried to cash in on the craze for 3D, and cinemas have duly installed the technology to cope with it. Its all a bit of a con at the moment though. People, without knowing the technology are getting a little hacked off with the whole 3D phenomenon a little prematurely.
I initially read that as "digitally composted"
and thought "how appropriate!"
Independent article to back up my point
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/real-or-fake-3d-co...
I come at this from a slightly different angle
because for the first 33 years of my life, I had no stereo vision at all. I had terrible double vision, so my brain used to ignore the sight from one eye, and just take the feed from the other. As a result I saw the world in 2D (but didn't realise... after all, they were the only eyes I'd seen the world through).
Anyway, after a couple of operations, I had my double vision corrected... and suddenly, I had 3D vision! It was amazing. I'd walk through the park and goggle at how the landscape shifted (actually, I still do this). Just looking up, as I'm walking round the city, and seeing how the buildings move... unbelievable.
So, it was with no little excitement that I booked to see my first 3D film, fully expecting it to make my brain melt with awesomeness.
And, you know what? It really didn't. I found the 3D effects to generally be annoying, intrusive, distracting, and above all... just not as good as real life.
So: 3D. Meh. It's official. I've scientifically proven it.
Several years ago...
...I broke a lens in my glasses on the morning that I was going on a trip to London. So I taped over one eye and had to spend the week relying on one eye only. It was a really weird experience! I couldn't walk in a straight line, couldn't judge distances and perspective was completely up the creek. I was nearly run over several times and resorted to hanging on to the nearest person in my group as I was terrified of getting lost.
I can't imagine what it must have been like for you for all those years and I'm glad they managed to correct your vision.
It wasn't so bad
because I didn't know it *was* bad, if you see what I mean. My brain just got on with making sense of it.
My eye specialist was horrified when she examined me. Apparently I really shouldn't have been driving. She was astounded I'd coped at all, actually.
As a speccy four eyes
3D is a no-no, everything jut looks dark. as the good Dr suggests its an anti piracy thing and a gimmick, It'll soon be gone.
Along with 3D TV. Apparently its great watching golf on £D TV. Well excuse me if I don't
Although I did go and see the original House Of Wax 3D for my birthday once and it was intro'd by Mark Kermode.
It's the future
I think it's possible that in 20 (or 40!) years time, people will be wondering how anyone ever watched 2D television. That, of course will only happen when everything is filmed in 3D ... and more importantly, you don't need any special binns to watch it with. I suppose, in time, it's possible that a 3D viewing capability will be built into normal specs so that glasses wearers have an advantage over those with 20/20 vision.
Colour television was a novelty when it first started and people were rushing to find ways of showing it off rather than just accepting that that was the way to do things from then on.
I bought a 42" 3D telly recently
I watch 99.999% of everything in 2D, and have a lovely, if massif, high def picture for the channels that provide it. I bought one 3D Blurry - Monster House to test out the 3D and it's fun but the trailer for Cloudy with Meatballs is outstanding! It's a bit of fun I don't see why everybody's so upset, the 2D option's still there.