Nica's Blog

Beowulf, that mead centric tale in old (really old) English has been transformed into a somewhat tacky 3-D film. There is a long history of tawdry films made in 3-D, some OK films, but I have never heard of actual "good" film in 3-D. Some of this is biase I'm sure. Sensationalist entertainment get written off very quickly by the academics who decide what films are worth remembering. Still, it seems 3-D has never joined the ranks of sound and color as completely viable and, in time, mandatory additions to the cinematic arts.

The real world has sound and color, so it makes sense that sound and color should be included in movies. But the sensation of 3-D, the effect of stereo vision is real too, so why does a 3-D movie feel contrived like carnival ride designed to tell a story? Adding a third dimension should make the movie seem more natural than a tradition film.

Of Course part of the problem is the content of the movies themselves. I was getting so many bodies and weapons throw my way during Beowulf that I was starting to get downright annoyed. But there is more to the problem. During one of these moments, with a spear point pointed straight at me, it realized that part of my annoyance was due to my headache. There is something headache inducing about faked 3-D with the current technology. I think my brain -- and I don't think I am unique in this matter -- doesn't like to have things hovering around inches from my face while the entire background is in focus.

A humble request to 3-D cinematographers: let things go out of focus. Do it for our brains.

Finally, there is the sad fact that 3-D films are really not 3-D. They are the pop-up-book version of 3-D. The audience can't lean over and see something hiding behind an object. If we want that we need to either see a play (unacceptable) or develop true holograms. Sadly holography has a long way to go. The holo-displays of science fiction will probably remain as science fiction for some time.

Despite all these problems, the attempt to revive 3-D cinematography is a good sign. Studios are desperate to sustain some reason for people to go out to theatres. Huge screens with high resolutions are becoming commonplace in living rooms. It is good that the studios don't take viewership for granted.

Labels: 3-D, cinema, entertainment