{"id":2313,"date":"2012-04-08T15:57:14","date_gmt":"2012-04-08T21:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=2313"},"modified":"2012-04-08T15:57:14","modified_gmt":"2012-04-08T21:57:14","slug":"more-3d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=2313","title":{"rendered":"More 3D"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A novelty from 1950s movie screens has grown up \u2014 and might be here to stay.<\/p>\n

Consider that:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Three of the top five films of 2011 \u2014 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides \u2014 were 3-D films.<\/p>\n

\u2022 About 30 3-D films are scheduled for release in 2012, including anticipated blockbusters The Amazing Spiderman 3D, The Avengers and Peter Jackson\u2019s The Hobbit, a prequel to his \u201cLord of the Rings\u201d trilogy.<\/p>\n

\u2022 And a 3-D version of F. Scott Fitzgerald\u2019s American classic The Great Gatsby is due in theaters at Christmas, a sign that 3-D might be evolving into a vehicle for serious films not dependent on action sequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we\u2019re starting to see 3-D being used more as a way to explore filmmaking with serious directors in a variety of films,\u201d said Patrick Corcoran, director of media and research for the National Association of Theatre Owners, the largest trade association representing movie theaters.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re seeing talented filmmakers explore the possibilities \u2014 not just as a gimmick or add-on, but just like they look at color and sound as part of telling their stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three-dimensional technique, derived from stereoscopic photography, records images from two perspectives, then uses projection hardware and viewer glasses to enhance the illusion of depth perception. Since 1915, 3-D movies have existed in some fashion, but they became a fad in 1950s and again sporadically in the \u201970s, \u201980s and \u201990s, thanks largely to IMAX big-screen theaters.<\/p>\n

In this century, James Cameron\u2019s Avatar (2009) was a record-breaking science-fiction blockbuster that rejuvenated and popularized the 3-D form.<\/p>\n

Techniques have vastly improved since the \u201950s.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the big obstacles in earlier 3-D eras was the limitations of the films and the projections,\u201d Corcoran said. \u201cYou\u2019d get a slight shudder, throwing off the effect. With today\u2019s digital 3-D, you get a more stable image, and there\u2019s more they can do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lynette Carpenter, who teaches film classes at Ohio Wesleyan University and is chairwoman of the English Department there, thinks the 3-D trend will continue, \u201cespecially for adventure, science fiction and fantasy films.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it also has artistic potential,\u201d she said. \u201c3-D can be quite wonderful when it\u2019s used by someone who knows how to play with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the directors with the artistry, reputation and potential to broaden the range and respectability of 3-D films, Corcoran points to Martin Scorsese, Wim Wenders and Baz Luhrmann.<\/p>\n

Scorsese\u2019s first 3-D effort was Hugo, a family-oriented historical drama from last year about the wonders of early filmmaking. Adapted from a children\u2019s novel, Hugo received the most 2012 Oscar nominations \u2014 11, including best picture \u2014 and won five.<\/p>\n

Wenders shot his dance documentary Pena in 3-D, while Luhrmann surprised the industry by deciding to shoot The Great Gatsby in 3-D. Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire will star.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think of The Great Gatsby as 3-D material, but I trust Luhrmann\u2019s artistic instincts,\u201d Carpenter said.<\/p>\n

Other 3-D films set for release this year include MIB3, a Men in Black sequel starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones; Prometheus, Ridley Scott\u2019s mythological-origins prequel to Alien; and Disney-Pixar\u2019s animated Brave and 3-D rerelease of Finding Nemo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe benefits are multiple with 3-D,\u201d said Bob Whitehill, a Pixar 3-D stereo supervisor on Finding Nemo.<\/p>\n

Whitehill also worked on Up, Disney-Pixar\u2019s first 3-D film, and the Pixar 3-D animated Ratatouille, Cars 2, Toy Story 3 and 3-D rereleases of Toy Story 1 and 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just feel part of the environment. . . . There\u2019s a sensational feeling of traveling in space in Finding Nemo in 3-D,\u201d Whitehill said.<\/p>\n

Pixar, currently working to upgrade Monsters, Inc. for a 3-D rerelease early next year, now makes all of its animated films in 2-D and 3-D, continuing to offer audiences the choice of whether to see them in the more-expensive format.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe view 3-D as like a film\u2019s musical score, with much of the effectiveness in the background but with moments that stand out,\u201d Whitehill said.<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly, 3-D is not going to make your characters more compelling or your story more interesting. At the end of the day, it\u2019s the story, humor, emotions and characters you care about that make a good film.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut 3-D is another part of the toolbox for filmmakers to use to enhance the powerfulness of our films, like great lighting, set design or the score.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 3-D onslaught should grow, judging from the trend on U.S. movie screens.<\/p>\n

Of 5,700 theaters with 39,640 screens in the United States, more than half (2,906 theaters) now offer 3-D on 12,860 screens, according to Corcoran\u2019s trade association.<\/p>\n

Almost 300 3-D screens have been added since January, Corcoran said, and the larger U.S. movie-theater chains are on track to have 40 percent (or about 15,000) of their screens converted to 3-D by the end of 2012.<\/p>\n

Unlike previous 3-D eras, movie-theater operators are adding 3-D screens as if they expect 3-D to last this time \u2014 even with its current limitations.<\/p>\n

Chris Hamel, president of the Gateway Film Center, said 3-D films do well at the Gateway, giving moviegoers the incentive to go out rather than watching a movie on DVD, Blu-Ray or cable at home.<\/p>\n

But, he said, \u201cstudios have done a poor job of execution in some films, and that drives the viral message that 3-D doesn\u2019t look good. The screen can look dark or the image can be blurry, and that has a lot to do with the studios taking shortcuts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Viewers often feel uncomfortable wearing the 3-D glasses, and most theaters add $3 or $4 to the ticket price of a film shown in 3-D.<\/p>\n

\u201cForking over 15 bucks to see state-of-the-art 3-D is unfortunate, but the proof is in the viewing,\u201d said German Village resident Rich Stadler, who took in the 3-D version of Titanic, released on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you get accustomed to the glasses and the lower level of brightness . . . great 3-D movies are spectacular experiences that make me feel like I\u2019m on a roller coaster and in the world of the film, but I have to decide whether I can afford it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Terry Wilson, a photographer and electronic-media producer who lives in Fairfield County, has skipped most 3-D films because of their higher ticket prices but came into the city to see Avatar and Hugo, which he considers the two best 3-D efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not looking for gimmicks but authenticity,\u201d said Wilson, 60.<\/p>\n

Movie-theater chains are aware of the concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201c3-D basically gives you more gross per ticket, so I think we\u2019re going to see more,\u201d Corcoran said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut now the audience is treating 3-D releases like any other films. There\u2019s less of a rush to see it in 3-D and more of a judgment about whether it\u2019s worth seeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately,\u201d Hamel said, \u201caudiences will decide whether 3-D works or if it will fade away like it did in the \u201950s and \u201980s.\u201d<\/p>\n

3-D\u2019s biggest hits<\/p>\n

The most popular movies in the format and their U.S. grosses:<\/p>\n

1.Avatar (2009) \u2014 $760.5 million<\/p>\n

2.Toy Story 3 (2010) \u2014 $415 million<\/p>\n

3.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) \u2014 $381 million<\/p>\n

4.Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) \u2014 $352.4 million<\/p>\n

5.Alice in Wonderland (2010) \u2014 $334.2 million<\/p>\n

6.Up (2009) \u2014 $293 million<\/p>\n

7.Despicable Me (2010) \u2014 $251.5 million<\/p>\n

8.Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) \u2014 $241.1 million<\/p>\n

9.Shrek Forever After (2010) \u2014 $238.8 million<\/p>\n

10.How To Train Your Dragon (2010) \u2014 $217.6 million<\/p>\n

Source: boxofficemojo.com<\/p>\n

Upcoming releases<\/p>\n

A selection of 2012 3-D films:<\/p>\n

\u2022 April 20:To the Arctic<\/p>\n

\u2022 April 27:The Pirates! Band of Misfits<\/p>\n

\u2022 May 4: The Avengers<\/p>\n

\u2022 May 25: MIB3<\/p>\n

\u2022 June 8: Madagascar 3: Europe\u2019s Most Wanted; Prometheus<\/p>\n

\u2022 June 22: Brave;Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter<\/p>\n

\u2022 July 3:The Amazing Spiderman 3D<\/p>\n

\u2022 July 13: Ice Age: Continental Drift<\/p>\n

\u2022 Sept. 14: Finding Nemo 3D<\/p>\n

\u2022 Sept. 21:Dredd<\/p>\n

\u2022 Oct. 5: Frankenweenie<\/p>\n

\u2022 Dec. 14:The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey<\/p>\n

\u2022 Dec. 25: The Great Gatsby<\/p>\n

Note: Release dates and some titles are subject to change.