History
…To doubt that stereoscopic cinema has its tomorrow is also naive, how to doubt whether there will be tomorrow at all.
C. M. EISENSTEIN (Read more here)
A 3D (three-dimensional) film or S3D (stereoscopic 3D) movie is a motion picture that enhances the
illusion of depth perception. Derived from stereoscopic photography, a regular motion picture camera
system is used to record the images as seen from two perspectives (or computer-generated imagery
generates the two perspectives in post-production), and special projection hardware and/or eyewear are
used to provide the illusion of depth when viewing the film. 3D films are not limited to feature film
theatrical releases; television broadcasts and direct-to-video films have also incorporated similar
methods, primarily for marketing purposes.
3-D films have existed in some form since the 1950s, but had been largely relegated to a niche in the
motion picture industry because of the costly hardware and processes required to produce and display a
3-D film, and the lack of a standardized format for all segments of the entertainment business.
Nonetheless, 3-D films were prominently featured in the 1950s in American cinema, and later experienced
a worldwide resurgence in the 1980s and ’90s driven by IMAX high-end theaters and Disney themed-venues.
3-D films became more and more successful throughout the 2000s, culminating in the unprecedented
success of 3-D presentations of Avatar in December 2009 and January 2010.
Techniques
Stereoscopic motion pictures can be produced through a variety of different methods. Over the years the
popularity of systems being widely employed in movie theaters has waxed and waned. Though anaglyph (see
next section) was sometimes used prior to 1948, during the early “Golden Era” of 3-D cinematography of
the 1950s the polarization system was used for every single feature length movie in the United states,
and all but one short film. In the 21st century, polarization 3-D systems have continued to dominate
the scene, though during the 60s and 70s some classic films which were converted to anaglyph for
theaters not equipped for polarization, and were even shown in 3-D on TV. In the years following the
mid 80s, some movies were made with short segments in anaglyph 3D. The following are some of the
technical details and methodologies employed in some of the more notable 3-D movie systems that have
been developed.
Anaglyph
The archetypical 3-D glasses, with modern red and cyan color filters, similar to the red/green and
red/blue lenses used to view early anaglyph films.
Anaglyph images were the earliest method of presenting theatrical 3-D, and the one most commonly
associated with stereoscopy by the public at large, mostly because of non theatrical 3D media such as
comic books and 3D TV broadcasts, where polarization is not practical. They were made popular because
of the ease of their production and exhibition. Though the earliest theatrical presentations were done
with this system, most 3D movies from the 50s and 80s were originally shown polarized.
In an anaglyph, the two images are superimposed in an additive light setting through two filters, one
red and one cyan. In a subtractive light setting, the two images are printed in the same complementary
colors on white paper. Glasses with colored filters in each eye separate the appropriate images by
canceling the filter color out and rendering the complementary color black.
Anaglyph images are much easier to view than either parallel sighting or crossed eye stereograms,
although the latter types offer bright and accurate color rendering, particularly in the red component,
which is muted, or desaturated with even the best color anaglyphs. A compensating technique, commonly
known as Anachrome, uses a slightly more transparent cyan filter in the patented glasses associated
with the technique. Process reconfigures the typical anaglyph image to have less parallax.
An alternative to the usual red and cyan filter system of anaglyph is ColorCode 3-D, a patented
anaglyph system which was invented in order to present an anaglyph image in conjunction with the NTSC
television standard, in which the red channel is often compromised. ColorCode uses the complementary
colors of yellow and dark blue on-screen, and the colors of the glasses’ lenses are amber and dark
blue.
The anaglyph 3-D system was the earliest system used in theatrical presentations and requires less
specialized hardware.
The polarization 3-D system has been the standard for theatrical presentations since it was used for
Bwana Devil in 1952, though early Imax presentations were done using the eclipse system and in the 60s
and 70s classic 3D movies were sometimes converted to anaglyph for special presentations. The
polarization system has better color fidelity and less ghosting than the anaglyph system.
In the post-’50s era, anaglyph has been used instead of polarization in feature presentations where
only part of the movie is in 3D such as in the 3D segment of Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare and the
3D segments of Spy Kids 3D.
Anaglyph is also used in printed materials and in 3D TV broadcasts where polarization is not practical.
3D polarized TVs and other displays only became available from several manufacturers in 2008; these
generate polarization on the receiving end.
Eclipse method
With the eclipse method, a mechanical shutter blocks light from each appropriate eye when the converse
eye’s image is projected on the screen. The projector alternates between left and right images, and
opens and closes the shutters in the glasses or viewer in synchronization with the images on the
screen. This was the basis of the Teleview system which was used briefly in 1922.
A pair of LCD shutter glasses used to view XpanD 3D films.
A variation on the eclipse method is used in LCD shutter glasses. Glasses containing liquid crystal
that will let light through in synchronization with the images on the cinema, TV or computer screen,
using the concept of alternate-frame sequencing. This is the method used by nVidia, XpanD 3D, and
earlier IMAX systems. A drawback of this method is the need for each person viewing to wear expensive,
electronic glasses that must be synchronized with the display system using a wireless signal or
attached wire. The shutterglasses are heavier than most polarized glasses though lighter models are no
heavier than some sunglasses or deluxe polarized glasses. However these systems do not require a silver
screen for projected images.
Interference filter technology
Dolby 3D uses specific wavelengths of red, green, and blue for the right eye, and different wavelengths
of red, green, and blue for the left eye. Eyeglasses which filter out the very specific wavelengths
allow the wearer to see a 3D image. This technology eliminates the expensive silver screens required
for polarized systems such as RealD, which is the most common 3D display system in theaters. It does,
however, require much more expensive glasses than the polarized systems. It is also known as spectral
comb filtering or wavelength multiplex visualization
The recently introduced Panavision 3D system also uses this technology, though with a wider spectrum
and more “teeth” to the “comb” (5 for each eye in the Panavision system). Panavision also claim that
their glasses are cheaper to manufacture than those used by Dolby.
Pulfrich
The Pulfrich effect is based on the phenomenon of the human eye processing images more slowly when
there is less light, as when looking through a dark lens.
Pulfrich is based on the phenomenon of the human eye processing images more slow when there is less
light a s when looking through a dark lens. Imagine a camera which starts at position X and moves right
to position Y as shown by the arrow. If a viewer then watches this segment with a dark lens over the
left eye, then when the right eye sees the image record ed when the camera is at Y, the left ey e will
be a few milliseconds behind and will still be seeing the image recorded at X, thus creating the
necessary parallax to generate right and left eye views and 3D perception.
Imagine a camera which starts at position X and moves right to position Y as shown by the arrow. If a
viewer watches this segment with a dark lens over the left eye, then when the right eye sees the image
recorded when the camera is at Y, the left eye will be a few milliseconds behind and will still be
seeing the image recorded at X, thus creating the necessary parallax to generate right and left eye
views and 3D perception, much the same as when still pictures are generated by shifting a single
camera. The intensity of this effect will depend on how fast the camera is moving relative to the
distance to the objects; greater speed creates greater parallax. A similar effect can be achieved by
using a stationary camera and continuously rotating an otherwise stationary object. If the movement
stops, the eye looking through the dark lens (which could be either eye depending on the direction the
camera is moving) will “catch up” and the effect will disappear. One advantage of this system is that
people not wearing the glasses will see a perfectly normal picture.
Of course, incidental movement of objects will create spurious artifacts, and these incidental effects
will be seen as artificial depth not related to actual depth in the scene. Unfortunately, many of the
applications of pulfrich involve deliberately causing just this sort of effect and this has given the
technique a bad reputation. When the only movement is lateral movement of the camera then the effect is
as real as any other form of stereoscopy, but this seldom happens except in highly contrived
situations.
Though pulfrich has been used often on TV and in computer games, it is rarely if ever used in
theatrical presentations.
Spectral separation
ChromaDepth uses a holographic film in the glasses that creates an effect like a dispersive prism. This
causes redder objects to be perceived as near and bluer objects as farther away.
Lenticular or barrier screens
In this method, glasses are not necessary to see the stereoscopic image.
Both images are projected onto a high-gain, corrugated screen which reflects light at acute angles. In
order to see the stereoscopic image, the viewer must sit within a very narrow angle that is nearly
perpendicular to the screen, limiting the size of the audience. Lenticular was used for theatrical
presentation of numerous shorts in Russia from 1940–1948 and in 1954 for the feature length films
Crystal, Machine 22-12 and The Pencil on Ice.
Though its use in theatrical presentations has been rather limited, lenticular has been widely used for
a variety of novelty items and has even been used in amateur 3D photography.
New systems without glasses
There is increasing emergence of new 3-D viewing systems which do not require the use of special
viewing glasses. These systems are referred to as Autostereoscopic displays. They were initially
developed by Sharp. The first Autostereoscopic LCD displays first appeared on the Sharp Actius RD3D
notebook and the first LCD monitor was shipped by Sharp in 2004 for the professional market. Both have
since been discontinued. The first Autostereoscopic mobile phone was launched by Hitachi in 2009 in
Japan and in 2010 China mobile is to launch its version. Manufacturing trials are being run for TV. The
first digital camera to feature an autostereoscopic display was the Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W1
released in 2009. The W3 model was released one year later. For the gaming market the first probable
commercial application was handheld gaming devices, such as the Nintendo 3DS. These systems do not yet
appear to be applicable to theatrical presentations.
Early patents and tests
The stereoscopic era of motion pictures began in the late 1890s when British film pioneer William
Friese-Greene filed a patent for a 3-D movie process. In his patent, two films were projected side by
side on screen. The viewer looked through a stereoscope to converge the two images. Because of the
obtrusive mechanics behind this method, theatrical use was not practical. Frederick Eugene Ives
patented his stereo camera rig in 1900. The camera had two lenses coupled together 1 3/4 inches apart.
On June 10, 1915, Edwin S. Porter and William E. Waddell presented tests to an audience at the Astor
Theater in New York City. In red-green anaglyph, the audience was presented three reels of tests, which
included rural scenes, test shots of Marie Doro, a segment of John Mason playing a number of passages
from Jim the Penman (a film released by Famous Players-Lasky that year, but not in 3-D), Oriental
dancers, and a reel of footage of Niagara Falls. However, according to Adolph Zukor in his 1953
autobiography The Public Is Never Wrong: My 50 Years in the Motion Picture Industry, nothing was
produced in this process after these tests.
Early systems of stereoscopic film making (pre-1952)
The earliest confirmed 3-D film shown to a paying audience was The Power of Love, which premiered at
the Ambassador Hotel Theater in Los Angeles on September 27, 1922; 88 years ago. The camera rig was a
product of the film’s producer, Harry K. Fairall, and cinematographer Robert F. Elder. It was projected
dual-strip in the red/green anaglyph format, making it both the earliest known film that utilized dual
strip projection and the earliest known film in which anaglyph glasses were used. Whether Fairall used
colored filters on the projection ports or whether he used tinted prints is unknown. After a preview
for exhibitors and press in New York City, the film dropped out of sight, apparently not booked by
exhibitors, and is now considered lost.
Early in December 1922, William Van Doren Kelley, inventor of the Prizma color system, cashed in on the
growing interest in 3-D films started by Fairall’s demonstration and shot footage with a camera system
of his own design. Kelley then struck a deal with Samuel “Roxy” Rothafel to premiere the first in his
series of “Plasticon” shorts entitled Movies of the Future at the Rivoli Theater in New York City .
Kelley, who was an early producer of color films, used Prizma to print his anaglyph films. In early
1923, he shopped around a second Plasticon entitled Through the Trees – Washington, D.C., shot by
William T. Crespinel, which consisted of stereoscopic views of Washington, D.C., but found no buyers.
A detail from an article about the Teleview system, created by Hammond and Cassidy in 1922. Only one
feature was ever produced with the system, The Man from M.A.R.S..
Also in December 1922, Laurens Hammond (later inventor of the Hammond organ) and William F. Cassidy
unveiled their Teleview system. Teleview was the earliest alternate-frame sequencing form of film
projection. Through the use of two interlocked projectors, alternating left/right frames were projected
one after another in rapid succession. Synchronized viewers attached to the arm-rests of the seats in
the theater open and closed at the same time, and took advantage of the viewer’s persistence of vision,
thereby creating a true stereoscopic image. The only theater known to have installed this system was
the Selwyn Theater in New York. Only one show was ever produced for the system, a groups of shorts and
the only Teleview feature The Man From M.A.R.S. (later re-released as Radio-Mania) on December 27, 1922
in New York City.
In 1922, Frederic Eugene Ives and Jacob Leventhal began releasing their first stereoscopic shorts made
over a three-year period. The first film entitled, Plastigrams, which was distributed nationally by
Educational Pictures in the red/blue anaglyph format. Ives and Leventhal then went on to produce the
following stereoscopic shorts in the “Stereoscopiks Series” for Pathé Films in 1925: Zowie (April 10),
Luna-cy! (May 18), The Run-Away Taxi (December 17) and Ouch (December 17). On 22 September 1924, Luna-
cy! was re-released in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film system.
The late 1920s to early 1930s saw little to no interest in stereoscopic pictures, largely due to the
Great Depression. In Paris, Louis Lumiere shot footage with his stereoscopic camera in September 1933.
The following year, in March 1934, he premiered his remake of his 1895 film L’Arrivée du Train, this
time in anaglyphic 3-D, at a meeting of the French Academy of Science.
Two 30-minute Nazi propaganda films shot in 3D in Germany in 1936 were found in Berlin’s Federal
Archives in 2011. The Australian documentary maker Philippe Mora is convinced there is more unseen 3D
footage yet to be found.
In 1936, Leventhal and John Norling were hired based on their test footage to film MGM’s Audioscopiks
series. The prints were by Technicolor in the red/green anaglyph format, and were narrated by Pete
Smith. The first film, Audioscopiks, premiered January 11, 1936 and The New Audioscopiks premiered
January 15, 1938. Audioscopiks was nominated for the Academy Award in the category Best Short Subject,
Novelty in 1936.
With the success of the two Audioscopiks films, MGM produced one more short in anaglyph 3-D, another
Pete Smith Specialty called Third Dimensional Murder (1941). Unlike its predecessors, this short was
shot with a studio-built camera rig. Prints were by Technicolor in red/blue anaglyph. The short is
notable for being one of the few live-action appearances of the Frankenstein Monster as conceived by
Jack Pierce for Universal Studios outside of their company.
While many of these films were printed by color systems, none of them was actually in color, and the
use of the color printing was only to achieve an anaglyph effect.
Introduction of Polaroid
While attending Harvard University, Edwin H. Land conceived the idea of reducing glare by polarizing
light. He took a leave of absence from Harvard to set up a lab and by 1929 had invented and patented a
polarizing sheet. In 1932, he introduced Polaroid J Sheet as a commercial product. While his original
intention was to create a filter for reducing glare from car headlights, Land did not underestimate the
utility of his newly dubbed Polaroid filters in stereoscopic presentations.
In January 1936, Land gave the first demonstration of Polaroid filters in conjunction with 3-D
photography at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The reaction was enthusiastic, and he followed it up with an
installation at the New York Museum of Science. It is unknown what film was run for audiences with this
installation.
Using Polaroid filters meant an entirely new form of projection, however. Two prints, each carrying
either the right or left eye, had to be synced up in projection using an external selsyn motor.
Furthermore, polarized light would not register on a matte white screen, and only a silver screen or
screen made of other reflective material would correctly reflect the separate images.
Later that year, the feature, Nozze Vagabonde appeared in Italy, followed in Germany by Zum Greifen Nah
(You Can Nearly Touch It), and again in 1939 with Germany’s Sechs Mädel Rollen Ins Wochenend (Six Girls
Drive Into the Weekend). The Italian film was made with the Gualtierotti camera; the two German
productions with the Zeiss camera and the Vierling shooting system. All of these films were the first
exhibited using Polaroid filters. The Zeiss Company in Germany manufactured glasses on a commercial
basis commencing in 1936; they were also independently made around the same time in Germany by E.
Käsemann and by J. Mahler.
In 1939, John Norling shot In Tune With Tomorrow, the first commercial 3-D film using Polaroid in the
US . This short premiered at the 1939 New York World’s Fair and was created specifically for the
Chrysler Motor Pavilion. In it, a full 1939 Chrysler Plymouth is magically put together, set to music.
Originally in black and white, the film was so popular that it was re-shot in color for the following
year at the fair, under the title New Dimensions . In 1953, it was reissued by RKO as Motor Rhythm.
Another early short that utilized the Polaroid 3-D process was 1940′s Magic Movies: Thrills For You
produced by the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. for the Golden Gate International Exposition . Produced by
John Norling, it was actually shot for him by Jacob Leventhal using his own rig. It consisted of shots
of various views that could be seen on Pennsylvania Railroad’s trains.
The 1940s was further hindered by World War II, and stereoscopic photography once again went on the
back-burner in most producers’ minds.
The “golden era” (1952–1955)
What aficionados consider the “golden era” of 3-D began in 1952 with the release of the first color
stereoscopic feature, Bwana Devil, produced, written and directed by Arch Oboler. The film was shot in
Natural Vision, a process that was co-created and controlled by M. L. Gunzberg. Gunzberg, who built the
rig with his brother, Julian, and two other associates, shopped it without success to various studios
before Oboler used it for this feature, which went into production with the title, The Lions of Gulu.
The film starred Robert Stack, Barbara Britton and Nigel Bruce.
As with practically all of the features made during this boom, Bwana Devil was projected dual-strip,
with Polaroid filters. During the 1950s, the familiar disposable anaglyph glasses made of cardboard
were mainly used for comic books, two shorts by exploitation specialist Dan Sonney, and three shorts
produced by Lippert Productions. However, even the Lippert shorts were available in the dual-strip
format alternatively.
Because the features utilized two projectors, a capacity limit of film being loaded onto each projector
(about 6,000 feet (1,800 m), or an hour’s worth of film) meant that an intermission was necessary for
every feature-length film. Quite often, intermission points were written into the script at a major
plot point.
During Christmas of 1952, producer Sol Lesser quickly premiered the dual-strip showcase called Stereo
Techniques in Chicago. Lesser acquired the rights to five dual-strip shorts. Two of them, Now is the
Time (to Put On Your Glasses) and Around is Around, were directed by Norman McLaren in 1951 for the
National Film Board of Canada. The other three films were produced in Britain for Festival of Britain
in 1951 by Raymond Spottiswoode. These were A Solid Explanation, Royal River, and The Black Swan.
James Mage was also an early pioneer in the 3D craze. Using his 16 mm 3D Bolex system, he premiered
his Triorama program on February 10, 1953 with his four shorts: Sunday In Stereo, Indian Summer,
American Life, and This is Bolex Stereo. This show is considered lost.
Another early 3D film during the boom was the Lippert Productions short, A Day in the Country,
narrated by Joe Besser and composed mostly of test footage. Unlike all of the other Lippert shorts,
which were available in both dual-strip and anaglyph, this production was released in anaglyph only.
April 1953 saw two groundbreaking features in 3D: Columbia’s Man in the Dark and Warner Bros. House of
Wax, the first 3D feature with stereophonic sound. House of Wax, outside of Cinerama, was the first
time many American audiences heard recorded stereophonic sound. It was also the film that typecast
Vincent Price as a horror star as well as the “King of 3D” after he became the actor to star in the
most 3D features (the others were The Mad Magician, Dangerous Mission, and Son of Sinbad). The success
of these two films proved that major studios now had a method of getting moviegoers back into theaters
and away from television sets, which were causing a steady decline in attendance.
The Walt Disney Studios waded into 3-D with its May 28, 1953 release of Melody, which accompanied the
first 3D western, Columbia’s Fort Ti at its Los Angeles opening. It was later shown at Disneyland’s
Fantasyland Theater in 1957 as part of a program with Disney’s other short Working for Peanuts,
entitled, 3D Jamboree. The show was hosted by the Mousketeers and was in color.
Universal-International released their first 3-D feature on May 27, 1953, It Came from Outer Space,
with stereophonic sound. Following that was Paramount’s first feature, Sangaree with Fernando Lamas and
Arlene Dahl.
Columbia released several 3D westerns produced by Sam Katzman and directed by William Castle. Castle
would later specialize in various technical in-theater gimmicks for such Columbia and Allied Artists
features as 13 Ghosts, House on Haunted Hill, and The Tingler. Columbia also produced the only
slapstick comedies conceived for 3D. The Three Stooges starred in Spooks and Pardon My Backfire;
dialect comic Harry Mimmo starred in Down the Hatch. Producer Jules White was optimistic about the
possibilities of 3D as applied to slapstick (with pies and other projectiles aimed at the audience),
but only two of his stereoscopic shorts were shown in 3D. Down the Hatch was released as a
conventional, “flat” motion picture. (Columbia has since printed Down the Hatch in 3D for film
festivals.)
John Ireland, Joanne Dru and Macdonald Carey starred in the Jack Broder color production Hannah Lee,
which premiered June 19, 1953. The film was directed by Ireland, who sued Broder for his salary. Broder
counter-sued, claiming that Ireland went over production costs with the film.
Another famous entry in the golden era of 3D was the 3 Dimensional Pictures production of Robot
Monster. The film was allegedly scribed in an hour by screenwriter Wyott Ordung and filmed in a period
of two weeks on a shoestring budget. Despite these shortcomings and the fact that the crew had no
previous experience with the newly-built camera rig, luck was on the cinematographer’s side, as many
find the 3D photography in the film is well shot and aligned. Robot Monster also has a notable score
by then up-and-coming composer Elmer Bernstein. The film was released June 24, 1953 and went out with
the short Stardust in Your Eyes, which starred nightclub comedian, Slick Slavin.
20th Century Fox produced their only 3-D feature, Inferno, starring Rhonda Fleming. Fleming, who also
starred in Those Redheads from Seattle, and Jivaro, shares the spot for being the actress to appear in
the most 3D features with Patricia Medina, who starred in Sangaree, Phantom of the Rue Morgue and
Drums of Tahiti. Darryl F. Zanuck expressed little interest in stereoscopic systems, and at that point
was preparing to premiere the new widescreen film system, CinemaScope.
The first decline in the theatrical 3D craze started in August and September 1953. The factors causing
this decline were:
Two prints had to be projected simultaneously.
The prints had to remain exactly alike after repair, or synchronization would be lost.
It sometimes required two projectionists to keep sync working properly.
When either prints or shutters became out of sync, the picture became virtually unwatchable and
accounted for headaches and eyestrain.
The necessary silver projection screen was very directional and caused sideline seating to be
unusable with both 3D and regular films, due to the angular darkening of these screens. Later films
that opened in wider-seated venues often premiered flat for that reason (such as Kiss Me Kate at the
Radio City Music Hall).
The few cartoons made in 3D had a “cardboard cutout” effect, where flat objects appeared on
different planes.
Because projection booth operators were at many times careless, even at preview screenings of 3D
films, trade and newspaper critics claimed that certain films were “hard on the eyes.”
Sol Lesser attempted to follow up Stereo Techniques with a new showcase, this time five shorts that he
himself produced. The project was to be called The 3D Follies and was to be distributed by RKO.
Unfortunately, because of financial difficulties and the growing disinterest in 3D, Lesser canceled
the project during the summer of 1953, making it the first 3D film to be aborted in production. Two
of the three shorts were shot: Carmenesque, a burlesque number starring exotic dancer Lili St. Cyr. and
Fun in the Sun, a sports short directed by famed set designer/director William Cameron Menzies, who
also directed the 3D feature The Maze for Allied Artists.
Although it was more expensive to install, the major competing realism process was anamorphic, first
utilized by Fox with Cinemascope and its September premiere in The Robe. Anamorphic features needed
only a single print, so synchronization was not an issue. Cinerama was also a competitor from the start
and had better quality control than 3D because it was owned by one company that focused on quality
control. However, most of the 3D features past the summer of 1953 were released in the flat widescreen
formats ranging from 1.66:1 to 1.85:1. In early studio advertisements and articles about widescreen and
3-D formats, widescreen systems were referred to as “3D”, causing some confusion among scholars.
There was no single instance of combining Cinemascope with 3D until 1960, with a film called September
Storm, and even then, that was a blow-up from a non-anamorphic negative. September Storm also went
out with the last dual-strip short, Space Attack, which was actually shot in 1954 under the title The
Adventures of Sam Space.
In December 1953, 3D made a comeback with the release of several important 3D films, including MGM’s
musical Kiss Me, Kate. Kate was the hill over which 3D had to pass to survive. MGM tested it in six
theaters: three in 3D and three flat. According to trade ads of the time, the 3D version was so
well-received that the film quickly went into a wide stereoscopic release. However, most
publications, including Kenneth Macgowan’s classic film reference book Behind the Screen, state that
the film did much better as a “regular” release. The film, adapted from the popular Cole Porter
Broadway musical, starred the MGM songbird team of Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson as the leads,
supported by Ann Miller, Keenan Wynn, Bobby Van, James Whitmore, Kurt Kasznar and Tommy Rall. The film
also prominently promoted its use of stereophonic sound.
Several other features that helped put 3D back on the map that month were the John Wayne feature Hondo
(distributed by Warner Bros.), Columbia’s Miss Sadie Thompson with Rita Hayworth, and Paramount’s Money
From Home with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Paramount also released the cartoon shorts Boo Moon with
Casper, the Friendly Ghost and Popeye, Ace of Space with Popeye the Sailor. Paramount Pictures released
a 3D Korean War film Cease Fire filmed on actual Korean locations in 1953.
Top Banana, based on the popular stage musical with Phil Silvers, was brought to the screen with the
original cast. Although it was merely a filmed stage production, the idea was that every audience
member would feel they would have the best seat in the house through color photography and 3D.
Although the film was shot and edited in 3-D, United Artists, the distributor, felt the production was
uneconomical in stereoscopic form and released the film flat on January 27, 1954. It remains one of
two “Golden era” 3 D features, along with another United Artists feature, Southwest Passage (with John
Ireland and Joanne Dru), that are currently considered lost (although flat versions survive).
A string of successful 3D movies followed the second wave. Some highlights are:
The French Line, starring Jane Russell and Gilbert Roland, a Howard Hughes/RKO production. The film
became notorious for being released without an MPAA seal of approval, after several suggestive lyrics
were included, as well as one of Ms. Russell’s particularly revealing costumes. Playing up her sex
appeal, one tagline for the film was, “It’ll knock both of your eyes out!” The film was later cut and
approved by the MPAA for a general flat release, despite having a wide and profitable 3-D release.
Taza, Son of Cochise, a sequel to 1950′s Broken Arrow, which starred Rock Hudson in the title role,
Barbara Rush as the love interest, and Rex Reason (billed as Bart Roberts) as his renegade brother,
released through Universal-International. It was directed by the great stylist Douglas Sirk, and his
striking visual sense made the film a huge success when it was “re-premiered” in 2006 at the Second 3D
Expo in Hollywood.
Two ape films: Phantom of the Rue Morgue, featuring Karl Malden and Patricia Medina, and produced
by Warner Bros. and based on Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, and Gorilla At Large, a
Panoramic Production starring Cameron Mitchell, distributed through Fox.
Creature from the Black Lagoon, starring Richard Carlson and Julie Adams, directed by Jack Arnold.
Arguably the most famous 3D movie, and the only 3D feature that spawned a sequel, Revenge of the
Creature in 3D (followed by another sequel, The Creature Walks Among Us, shot flat).
Cat-Women of the Moon, an Astor Picture starring Victor Jory and Marie Windsor. Elmer Bernstein
composed the score.
Dial M for Murder, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Ray Milland, Robert Cummings, and
Grace Kelly, is considered by aficionados of 3-D to be one of the best examples of the process.
Although available in 3-D in 1954, there are no known playdates in 3-D, since Warner Bros. had just
instated a simultaneous 3D/2D release policy. The film’s screening in 3D in February 1980 at the
York Theater in San Francisco did so well that Warner Bros. re-released the film in 3D in February
1982.
Gog, an Ivan Tors production, dealing with realistic science fiction. The second film in Tors’
“Office of Scientific Investigation” trilogy of film, which included, The Magnetic Monster and Riders
to the Stars.
The Diamond Wizard, the only stereoscopic feature shot in Britain, released flat in both the UK and
US. It starred and was directed by Dennis O’Keefe.
Irwin Allen’s Dangerous Mission released by RKO in 1954 featuring Allen’s trademarks of an all star
cast facing a disaster (a forest fire).
Son of Sinbad, another RKO/Howard Hughes production, starring Dale Robertson, Lili St. Cyr, and
Vincent Price. The film was shelved after Hughes ran into difficulty with The French Line, and wasn’t
released until 1955, at which time it went out flat, converted to the SuperScope process.
3D’s final decline was in the late spring of 1954, for the same reasons as the previous lull, as well
as the further success of widescreen formats with theater operators. Even though Polaroid had created a
well-designed “Tell-Tale Filter Kit” for the purpose of recognizing and adjusting out of sync and phase
3D, exhibitors still felt uncomfortable with the system and turned their focus instead to processes
such as CinemaScope. The last 3D feature to be released in that format during the “Golden era” was
Revenge of the Creature, on February 23, 1955. Ironically, the film had a wide release in 3D and was
well received at the box office.
Revival (1960–1984) in single strip format
Stereoscopic films largely remained dormant for the first part of the 1960s, with those that were
released usually being anaglyph exploitation films. One film of notoriety was the Beaver-
Champion/Warner Bros. production, The Mask (1961). The film was shot in 2-D, but to enhance the bizarre
qualities of the dream-world that is induced when the main character puts on a cursed tribal mask,
these scenes went to anaglyph 3-D. These scenes were printed by Technicolor on their first run in
red/green anaglyph.
Although 3D films appeared sparsely during the early 1960s, the true second wave of 3D cinema was set
into motion by Arch Oboler, the same producer who started the craze of the 1950s. Using a new
technology called Space-Vision 3D, stereoscopic films were printed with two images, one above the
other, in a single academy ratio frame, on a single strip, and needed only one projector fitted with a
special lens. This so-called “over and under” technique eliminated the need for dual projector set-ups,
and produced widescreen, but darker, less vivid, polarized 3-D images. Unlike earlier dual system, it
could stay in perfect sync, unless improperly spliced in repair.
Arch Oboler once again had the vision for the system that no one else would touch, and put it to use on
his film entitled The Bubble, which starred Michael Cole, Deborah Walley, and Johnny Desmond. As with
Bwana Devil, the critics panned The Bubble, but audiences flocked to see it, and it became financially
sound enough to promote the use of the system to other studios, particularly independents, who did not
have the money for expensive dual-strip prints of their productions.
In 1970, Stereovision, a new entity founded by director/inventor Allan Silliphant and optical designer
Chris Condon, developed a different 35 mm single-strip format, which printed two images squeezed side-
by-side and used an anamorphic lens to widen the pictures through polaroid filters. Louis K. Sher
(Sherpix) and Stereovision released the softcore sex comedy The Stewardesses (self-rated X, but later
re-rated R by the MPAA). The film cost $100,000 USD to produce, and ran for months in several markets.
eventually earning $27 million in North America, alone ($140 million in constant-2010 dollars) in
fewer than 800 theaters, becoming the most profitable 3-Dimensional film to date, and in purely
relative terms, one of the most profitable films ever. It was later released in 70 mm 3-D. Some 36
films worldwide were made with Stereovision over 25 years, using either a widescreen (above-below),
anamorphic (side by side) or 70 mm 3D formats. In 2009 The Stewardesses was remastered by Chris
Condon and director Ed Meyer, releasing it in XpanD 3D, RealD Cinema and Dolby 3D.
The quality of the 1970s 3D films was not much more inventive, as many were either softcore and even
hardcore adult films, horror films, or a combination of both. Paul Morrisey’s Flesh For Frankenstein
(aka Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein) was a superlative example of such a combination.
Between 1981 and 1983 there was a new Hollywood 3D craze started by the spaghetti western Comin’ at
Ya!. When Parasite was released it was billed as the first horror film to come out in 3D in over 20
years. Horror movies and reissues of 1950s 3D classics (such as Hitchcock’s Dial ´M´ for Murder)
dominated the 3D releases that followed. The second sequel in the Friday the 13th series, Friday the
13th Part III, was released very successfully. Apparently saying “part 3 in 3D” was considered too
cumbersome so it was shortened in the titles of Jaws 3D and Amityville 3D, which emphasized off the
screen effects to the point of being annoying at times, especially when flashlights were shone into the
eyes of the audience.
The science fiction film Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone was the most expensive 3D movie
made up to that point with production costs about the same as Star Wars but not nearly the same box
office success, causing the craze to fade quickly through spring 1983. Other sci-fi/fantasy films were
released as well including Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn and Treasure of the Four Crowns,
which was widely criticized for poor editing and plot holes, but did feature some truly spectacular
closeups.
3D releases after the second craze included The Man Who Wasn’t There (1983), Silent Madness and the
1985 animated film Starchaser: The Legend of Orin, whose plot seemed to borrow heavily from Star Wars .
Only Comin’ At Ya!, Parasite, and Friday the 13th Part III have been officially released on VHS and/or
DVD in 3D in the United States (although Amityville 3D has seen a 3D DVD release in the United
Kingdom). Most of the 80s 3D movies and some of the classic 50s movies such as House of Wax were
released on the now defunct Video Disc (VHD) format in Japan as part of a system that used shutter
glasses. Most of these have been unofficially transferred to DVD and are available on the grey market
through sites such as eBay.
Rebirth of 3D (1985–2003)
In the mid 1980s, IMAX began producing non-fiction films for its nascent 3D business, starting with
“We Are Born of Stars” (Roman Kroitor, 1985). A key point was that this production, as with all
subsequent IMAX productions, emphasized mathematical correctness of the 3D rendition and thus largely
eliminated the eye fatigue and pain that resulted from the approximate geometries of previous 3D
incarnations. In addition, and in contrast to previous 35mm based 3D presentations, the very large
field of view provided by IMAX allowed a much broader 3D “stage”, arguably as important in 3D film as
it is theatre.
In 1986, Disney Theme Parks and Universal Studios began to use 3D films to impress audiences in special
venues, Captain Eo (Francis Ford Coppola, 1986) starring Michael Jackson, being a very notable example.
In the same year, the National Film Board of Canada production Transitions (Colin Low), created for
Expo 86 in Vancouver, was the first IMAX presentation using polarized glasses. “Echos of the Sun”
(Roman Kroitor, 1990) was the first IMAX film to be presented using alternate-eye shutterglass
technology, a development required because the dome screen precluded the use of polarized technology.
From 1990 onward, numerous films were produced by all three parties to satisfy the demands of their
various high-profile special attractions and IMAX’s expanding 3D network. Films of special note during
this period include the extremely successful “Into The Deep” (Graeme Ferguson, 1995) and the first IMAX
3D fiction film Wings of Courage (1996), by director Jean-Jacques Annaud, about the pilot Henri
Guillaumet.
Other stereoscopic films produced in this period include:
The Last Buffalo (Stephen Low, 1990)
Jim Henson’s Muppet*Vision 3D (Jim Henson, 1991)
Imagine (John Weiley, 1993)
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (Daniel Rustuccio, 1994)
Into the Deep (Graeme Ferguson, 1995)
Across the Sea of Time (Stephen Low, 1995)
Wings of Courage (Jean-Jacques Annaud, 1996)
L5, First City in Space (Graeme Ferguson, 1996)
T2 3-D: Battle Across Time (James Cameron, 1996)
Paint Misbehavin (Roman Kroitor and Peter Stephenson, 1997)
IMAX Nutcracker (1997)
The Hidden Dimension (1997)
T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous (Brett Leonard, 1998)
Mark Twain’s America (Stephen Low, 1998)
Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Box (Brett Leonard, 1999)
Galapagos (Al Giddings and David Clark, 1999)
Encounter in the Third Dimension (Ben Stassen, 1999)
Alien Adventure (Ben Stassen, 1999)
Ultimate G’s (2000)
Cyberworld (Hugh Murray, 2000)
Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man (Keith Melton, 2000)
Haunted Castle (Ben Stassen, 2001)
Space Station 3D (Toni Myers, 2002)
SOS Planet (Ben Stassen, 2002)
Ocean Wonderland (2003)
Falling in Love Again (Munro Ferguson, 2003)
Misadventures in 3D (Ben Stassen, 2003)
By 2004, 54% (133 theaters of 248) of the IMAX community was 3D-capable.
Shortly thereafter, higher quality computer animation, competition from DVDs and other media, digital
projection, digital video capture, and the use of sophisticated IMAX 70mm film projectors, created an
opportunity for another wave of 3D films.
3D re-enters mainstream cinema (2003–present)
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In 2003, Ghosts of the Abyss by James Cameron was released as the first full-length 3D IMAX feature
filmed with the Reality Camera System. This camera system used the latest HD video cameras, not film,
and was built for Cameron by Vince Pace, to his specifications. The same camera system was used to film
Spy Kids 3D: Game Over (2003), Aliens of the Deep IMAX (2005), and The Adventures of Sharkboy and
Lavagirl in 3D (2005).
In 2004, Las Vegas Hilton released Star Trek: The Experience which included two films. One of the
films, Borg Invasion 4D (Ty Granoroli), was in 3D. In August of the same year, rap group Insane Clown
Posse released their ninth studio album Hell’s Pit. One of two versions of the album contained a DVD
featuring a 3D short film for the track “Bowling Balls”, shot in high-definition video.
In November 2004, The Polar Express was released as IMAX’s first full-length, animated 3D feature. It
was released in 3,584 theaters in 2D, and only 66 IMAX locations. The return from those few 3D
theaters was about 25% of the total. The 3D version earned about 14 times as much per screen as the 2D
version. This pattern continued and prompted a greatly intensified interest in 3D and 3D presentation
of animated films.
In June 2005, the Mann’s Chinese 6 theatre in Hollywood became the first commercial movie theatre to be
equipped with the Digital 3D format. Both Singin’ in the Rain and The Polar Express were tested in the
Digital 3D format over the course of several months. In November 2005, Walt Disney Studio Entertainment
released Chicken Little in digital 3D format.
The Butler’s in Love, a short film directed by Anders Laursen and starring Elizabeth Berkley and Thomas
Jane, was released on June 23, 2008. The film was shot at the former Industrial Light & Magic studios
using KernerFX’s prototype Kernercam stereoscopic camera rig.
Ben Walters suggests that both filmmakers and film exhibitors regain interest in 3D film. There are
now more 3D exhibition equipments, and more dramatic films being shot in 3D format. One incentive is
that the technology is more mature. Shooting in 3D format is less limited, and the result is more
stable. Another incentive is the fact that while 2D ticket sales are in an overall state of decline,
revenues from 3D tickets continue to grow.
Through the entire history of 3D presentations, techniques to convert existing 2D images for 3D
presentation have existed. Few have been effective or survived. The combination of digital and
digitized source material with relatively cost-effective digital post-processing has spawned a new wave
of conversion products. In June 2006, IMAX and Warner Bros. released Superman Returns including 20
minutes of 3D images converted from the 2D original digital footage. George Lucas has announced that
he will re-release his Star Wars films in 3-D based on a conversion process from the company In-Three.
In late 2005, Steven Spielberg told the press he was involved in patenting a 3D cinema system that
does not need glasses, and which is based on plasma screens. A computer splits each film-frame, and
then projects the two split images onto the screen at differing angles, to be picked up by tiny angled
ridges on the screen.
Animated films Open Season, and The Ant Bully, were released in Analog 3D in 2006. Monster House and
The Nightmare Before Christmas were released on XpanD 3D, RealD and Dolby 3D systems in 2006.
On May 19, 2007 Scar3D opened at the Cannes Film Market. It was the first US produced 3D full length
feature film to be completed in Real D 3D. It has been the #1 film at the box office in several
countries around the world, including Russia where it opened in 3D on 295 screens.
2008 3D films included Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, Journey to the
Center of the Earth, and Bolt.
On January 16, 2009, Lionsgate released My Bloody Valentine 3D, the first horror film and first R-rated
film to be projected in Real D 3D. It was released to 1,033 3D screens, the most ever for this format,
and 1,501 regular screens. Another R-Rated film, The Final Destination, was released later that year
(August 28) to even more screens. It was the first of its series to be released in HD 3-D.
On May 7, 2009 the British Film Institute commissioned a 3D film installation. The film Radio Mania: An
Abandoned Work consists of two screens of stereoscopic 3D film with 3D Ambisonic sound. It stars Kevin
Eldon and is by British artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard.
The first 3D Webisode series was Horrorween starting September 1, 2009.
“ I think it’s a misnomer to call it 3D versus 2D. The whole point of cinematic imagery is it’s
three-dimensional….95% of our depth cues come from occlusion, resolution, color and so forth, so the
idea of calling a 2D movie a ’2D movie’ is a little misleading….When you watch through any of the
conventional 3D processes you’re giving up three foot-lamberts. A massive difference,… your eye
compensates. ”
— Director Christopher Nolan
Major 3-D films in 2009 included Coraline, Monsters vs. Aliens, Up, X Games 3D: The Movie, The Final
Destination, and Avatar. Avatar has gone on to be one of the most expensive films of all time, with a
budget at 237M; it is also the highest-grossing film of all time. The main presentation technologies
were Real D 3D, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3D, MasterImage 3D, and IMAX 3D.
March and April 2010 saw three major 3D releases clustered together, with Alice in Wonderland hitting
US theaters on March 5, 2010, How to Train Your Dragon on March 26, 2010 and Clash of the Titans on
April 2, 2010.
On May 13, 2010, China’s first IMAX 3D film started shooting. The pre-production of the first 3D
French shot film Derrière les murs began in May 2010.
On October 1, 2010 Scar3D was the first-ever stereoscopic 3D Video-on-demand film released through
major cable broadcasters for 3D televisions in the United States.
Released in the United States on May 21, 2010, Shrek Forever After by DreamWorks Animation (Paramount
Pictures) used the Real D 3D system, also released in IMAX 3D.
Due to growing popularity of 3-D and an increase in 3-D screens, the latter half of 2010 will have an
unprecedented amount of 3-D theatrical film releases, about three per month.
2011 will continue the 3D film releases with
Wide Release 3D films in this era include:
2003
Spy Kids 3D: Game Over (Digital 3D)
2004
The Polar Express (Warner Bros.) (IMAX 3D, 66 locations)
2005
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D (Dimension, Columbia) (Digital 3D)
Chicken Little (Disney) (Digital 3D, 84 locations)
2006
Open Season (Columbia) (Analog 3D)
The Ant Bully (Warner Bros.) (IMAX 3D)
Monster House (Colombia) (Real D in 200+ Locations)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (Re-Release) (Disney) (XPan 3d, Real D, Dolby 3D)
2007
Beowulf (Paramount, Warner Bros.) (IMAX 3D, Real D, Dolby 3D)
Meet the Robinsons (Disney) (Real D, 600+ locations)
2008
Journey to the Center of the Earth (New Line) (Real D, Dolby 3D)
Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert (Disney) (Real D, 600+ locations)
Bolt (Disney) (Real D)
2009
My Bloody Valentine 3D (Lionsgate) (Real D)
Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience (Real D)
Coraline (Universal, Focus Features) (Real D)
Monsters vs. Aliens (Dreamworks, designed in Stereoscopic 3D) (IMAX 3D, Real D)
Up (Disney-Pixar) (Real D)
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Fox) (Real D)
G-Force (Disney, post-converted to 3D) (Real D, Dolby 3D)
The Final Destination (New Line, shot in HD 3D) (Real D)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Sony) (Real D)
Toy Story/Toy Story 2 Re-release (Disney) (Real D)
A Christmas Carol (Disney) (IMAX 3D, Real D)
Avatar (Fox, shot in 3D Fusion Camera System) (IMAX 3D, Real D, Dolby 3D, XPan 3D…in 2000+ 3D
screens)
2010
Alice in Wonderland (Disney, post-converted to 3D) (IMAX 3D, Real D) – March 5
How to Train Your Dragon (Paramount/Dreamworks, designed in stereoscopic 3D) (IMAX 3D, Real D) –
March 26
Clash of the Titans (Legendary Pictures, post-converted to 3D) (Real D) – April 2
Shrek Forever After (Paramount/Dreamworks, designed in stereoscopic 3D) (IMAX 3D, Real D) – May 21
Toy Story 3 (Disney/Pixar) (IMAX 3D, Real D) – June 18
The Last Airbender (Paramount, post-converted to 3D) (Real D) – July 1
Despicable Me (Universal) (Real D) – July 9
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (Warner Bros., post-converted to 3D) (Real D) – July 30
Step Up 3D (Touchstone) (Real D, Dolby 3D, Xpan 3D) – August 6
Piranha 3D (Dimension, post-converted to 3D) (Real D) – August 20
Avatar (Extended Re-Release, only in 3D) (Fox) (IMAX 3D, Real D) – August 27
Resident Evil: Afterlife (Screen Gems, shot with 3D fusion camera system) (IMAX 3D, Real D) –
September 10
Alpha and Omega (Lionsgate) (Real D) – September 17
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (Warner Bros.) (IMAX 3D, Real D) – September 24
My Soul to Take (Universal, post-converted to 3D) (Real D) – October 8
Jackass 3D (Paramount Pictures/MTV Films, filmed in 3D) (Real D) – October 15
Saw 3D (Lionsgate, filmed in 3D) (Real D) – October 29
Megamind (Paramount/Dreamworks, designed in stereoscopic 3D) (IMAX 3D, Real D) – November 5
Battle Royal 3D Re-Release (Toei Company) – November 20
Tangled (Disney) (Real D) – November 24
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Fox, post-converted to 3D) (Real D) –
December 10
Tron: Legacy (Disney) (IMAX 3D, Real D, Dolby 3D) – December 17
Yogi Bear (Warner Bros., shot with 3D Fusion Camera System) (Real D) – December 17
Gulliver’s Travels (Fox, post-converted to 3D) (Real D) – December 25
2011
Pina (2011 film) (Wim Wenders – dance documentary) (Berlin Film Festival – Berlinale 2011)
The Green Hornet (mostly post-converted to 3D) (IMAX 3D, Real D) – January 14
Sanctum (IMAX 3D, Real D) – February 4
Gnomeo and Juliet (Real D) – February 11
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (Real D) – February 11
Drive Angry (Real D) – February 25
Mars Needs Moms (IMAX 3D, Real D) – March 11
3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy (IMAX 3D, Real D) – April 14
Rio (Real D) – April 15
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (Real D) – April 29
Thor (post-converted to 3D) (Real D,IMAX 3D) – May 6
Priest (post-converted to 3D) (Real D) – May 13
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (IMAX 3D, Real D) – May 20
Kung Fu Panda 2 (IMAX 3D, Real D) – May 27
Green Lantern (post-converted to 3D) (Real D) – June 17
Cars 2 (IMAX 3D, Real D) – June 24
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (IMAX 3D, Real D) – July 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Warner Bros., post-converted to 3D) (IMAX 3D, Real D)
– July 15
Captain America: The First Avenger (post-converted to 3D) (IMAX 3D, Real D) – July 22
The Smurfs (IMAX 3D, Real D) – July 29
Conan the Barbarian – August 19
Fright Night (IMAX 3D, Real D) – August 19
Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World (IMAX 3D, Real D) – August 19
Final Destination 5 (IMAX 3D, Real D) – August 26
Shark Night 3D – September 2
Piranha 3DD (Real D) – September 16
Dolphin Tale (IMAX 3D, Real D) – September 23
Battle of Warsaw 1920 (IMAX 3D, Real D) – September 26
The Three Musketeers – October 14
Contagion (IMAX 3D, Real D) – October 21
Puss in Boots (IMAX 3D, Real D) – November 4
Immortals (IMAX 3D, Real D) – November 11
Happy Feet 2 (Real D) – November 18
Arthur Christmas (IMAX 3D, Real D) – November 23
Hugo Cabret (Real D) – December 9
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (Real D) – December 16
The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn (IMAX 3D, Real D) – December 23
The Cabin in the Woods (post-converted to 3D) (Real D) – TBA
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – TBA
2012
Ice Age: Continental Drift – July 13, 2012
Wrath of the Titans 3D (Real D) – March 30, 2012
Titanic 3D Re-Release (IMAX 3D Real D) – April 27, 2012
Men in Black III (Real D) – May 25, 2012
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D Re-Release (Real D) – February 10, 2012
Yellow Submarine (Real D) – TBA 2012
The Amazing Spider-Man
2013
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones 3D Re-Release (Real D) – TBA 2013
2014
Avatar 2 (Fox, shot in 3D Fusion Camera System) (IMAX 3D, Real D, Dolby 3D, XPan 3D…in 4000+ 3D
screens)(43)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 3D Re-Release (Real D) – TBA 2014
2015
Avatar 3 (Fox, shot in 3D Fusion Camera System) (IMAX 3D, Real D, Dolby 3D, XPan 3D…in 4000+ 3D
screens)(43)
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 3D Re-Release (Real D) – TBA 2015
Air Force (IMAX 3D, Real D, Dolby 3D, XPan 3D…in 4000+ 3D screens) – 2015
2016
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back 3D Re-Release – TBA 2016
Army (IMAX 3D, Real D, Dolby 3D, XPan 3D…in 4000+ 3D screens) – 2016
2017
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi 3D Re-Release – TBA 2017
Navy (IMAX 3D, Real D, Dolby 3D, XPan 3D…in 4000+ 3D screens) – 2017
World 3-D Expositions
In September 2003, Sabucat Productions organized the first World 3D Exposition, celebrating the 50th
anniversary of the original craze. The Expo was held at Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre. During the two-week
festival, over 30 of the 50 “golden era” stereoscopic features (as well as shorts) were screened, many
coming from the collection of film historian and archivist Robert Furmanek, who had spent the previous
15 years painstakingly tracking down and preserving each film to its original glory. In attendance were
many stars from each film, respectively, and some were moved to tears by the sold-out seating with
audiences of film buffs from all over the world who came to remember their previous glories.
In May 2006, the second World 3D Exposition was announced for September of that year, presented by the
3D Film Preservation Fund. Along with the favorites of the previous exposition were newly discovered
features and shorts, and like the previous Expo, guests from each film. Expo II was announced as being
the locale for the world premiere of several films never before seen in 3D, including The Diamond
Wizard and the Universal short, Hawaiian Nights with Mamie Van Doren and Pinky Lee. Other “re-
premieres” of films not seen since their original release in stereoscopic form included Cease Fire!,
Taza, Son of Cochise, Wings of the Hawk, and Those Redheads From Seattle. Also shown were the long-lost
shorts Carmenesque and A Day in the Country (both 1953) and William Van Doren Kelley’s two Plasticon
shorts (1922 and 1923).
Criticism
“ After Toy Story, there were 10 really bad CG movies because everybody thought the success of
that film was CG and not great characters that were beautifully designed and heartwarming. Now, you’ve
got people quickly converting movies from 2D to 3D, which is not what we did. They’re expecting the
same result, when in fact they will probably work against the adoption of 3D because they’ll be putting
out an inferior product. ”
— Avatar director James Cameron
Most of the cues required to provide humans with relative depth information are already present in
traditional 2D films. For example, closer objects occlude further ones, distant objects are desaturated
and hazy relative to near ones, and the brain subconsciously “knows” the distance of many objects when
the height is known (e.g. a human figure subtending only a small amount of the screen is more likely to
be 2 m tall and far away than 10 cm tall and close). In fact, only two of these depth cues are not
already present in 2D films: stereopsis (or parallax) and the focus of the eyeball (accommodation).
3D film-making addresses accurate presentation of stereopsis but not of accommodation, and therefore is
insufficient in providing a complete 3D illusion. However, promising results from research aimed at
overcoming this shortcoming were presented at the 2010 Stereoscopic Displays and Applications
conference in San Jose, U.S.
Motion sickness, in addition to other health concerns, are more easily induced by 3D presentations.
Film critic Mark Kermode argued that 3D adds “not that much” of value to a film, and said that, while
he liked Avatar, the many impressive things he saw in the movie had nothing to do with 3D. Kermode has
been an outspoken critic of 3D film describing the effect as a “nonsense” and recommends using two
right or left lenses from the 3D glasses to cut out the “pointy, pointy 3D stereoscopic vision”,
although this technique still does not improve the 30% colour loss from a 3D film.
Film critic Roger Ebert has repeatedly criticized 3D film as being “too dim” (due to the polarized-
light technology using only half the light for each eye), sometimes distracting or even nausea-
inducing, and argues that it is an expensive technology that adds nothing of value to the movie-going
experience (since 2D movies already provide a sufficient illusion of 3D). While Ebert is “not opposed to 3D as an option”, he opposes it as a replacement
for traditional film, and prefers 2D techologies such as MaxiVision that improve image area/resolution
and frames per second.
Another major criticism is that many of the movies in 21st century to date were not filmed in 3D, but
converted after filming. Filmmakers who have criticized this process include Michael Bay and James
Cameron, the latter whose film Avatar (created in 3D from the ground up) is largely credited with the
revival of 3D.
Director Christopher Nolan has criticised the notion that traditional film does not allow depth
perception, saying “I think it’s a misnomer to call it 3D versus 2D. The whole point of cinematic
imagery is it’s three dimensional… You know 95% of our depth cues come from occlusion, resolution,
color and so forth, so the idea of calling a 2D movie a ’2D movie’ is a little misleading.” Nolan also
criticised that shooting on the required digital video does not offer a high enough quality image and
that 3D cameras cannot be equipped with prime lenses.
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